Credit Card Portals vs Transferring Points: What You Need to Know

"I consider Chase Travel to be a bank-operated travel portal that functions like an OTA but ties bookings to your Chase card, letting you use points as a cash-like value; it offers incentives such as statement credits (for example, a $50 hotel credit on the Chase Sapphire Preferred), higher earning rates on portal bookings, and an increased point value for Chase Sapphire cardholders (1 point = 1.25 or 1.5 cents with the Preferred or Reserve), though I find portals are convenient but usually not the best value compared with transferring points to partners." - Matthew Kepnes