Originally Posted by
darkrider
Now that people are all getting their cards, how is the C1 travel portal? The bloggers all rave about Hopper to push cards, but it looks like a regular portal and essentially no different than Chase Portal/Amex Travel. Since you can't browse their portal without the card, any first impressions? Any obvious price discrepancy vs. book direct? I'm interested in the card solely based on the potential of the upcoming IAD lounge. I think the crowds/quality/convenience of the lounge (prior to shuttle train vs nearly at the gate with United Club) will ultimately determine if I pull the trigger. But interested to see if there is anything magical I'm missing about their portal
When I've been browsing, it seems as though it's usually on par with booking direct. There are a few times where they've shown cheaper prices than booking direct or through other third parties, though I did see one instance where the non-refundable rate was cheaper through the Capital One portal than the non-refundable rate direct, but the refundable rate was more expensive with Capital One. I'll also note that it appears as though some ULCCs (F9/SY for sure) are $5 more on the Capital One engine versus booking direct, though that's consistent with other OTAs for those airlines.
Overall, though, it's good enough that I'm willing to value the $300 travel credit at $300, particularly since I've read that you'll still earn the higher earning rates even when using the $300 credit.