Originally Posted by
moe8555
Finally more people seeing the Chase 1.5X smoke and mirrors. I'm not saying it isn't worthwhile, but all these silly valuations of combining CSR and FU/others, etc. for 2.25%+ back through the portal are kind of ridiculous (for flights it's less so, I suppose). In many instances (for hotels), the Chase portal prices can easily and readily be beaten, and that's even before factoring cashback portals, OTA rewards programs, coupons, etc.
Every company has a "smoke and mirror" component to their credit card rewards. To expect the lowest price for your redemptions and highest return is setting yourself up for disappointment. I agree with many of your points though.
For me currently, I find it best to use separate hotel loyalty programs for booking rooms. Sometimes, it is even better to pay out of pocket. I remember looking all over the place for my recent trip at the IC Miami to see where I would get the best reward "valuation". I ended up booking a rate direct for under $300 total for Friday & Saturday, with my status upgrading my room to a view of the Bay. There's a reason why you get a discount for booking hotels direct.
I save my UR for cruises and airfare. Cruise prices are the same as direct, giving me my 1.5 valuation. I also just booked two, round-trip flight tickets from Cleveland to LaGuardia around Xmas/New years, through Delta on the portal. 29,000 total UR points. Can't be mad at this.