Chase Points Redemption Via Their Portal Uses Higher Prices!

[oldguy]

Have you tried doing it right away or is this after waiting?

Both.
I could not figure out exactly what it is, One thing I thought is, they issue as Net with $0 upsell because I mainly saw ex USA that there should be such a big difference.
Ex TLV they usually add a service fee as there is no commission, I realized it when comparing the price in Sabre to what they offered, and the Voucher was the price I saw in Sabre not what Chase charged.
Basically when trying to cash out Chase points as a LY voucher you really have to check within 24 hours if the voucher amount is the same as the amount you paid.
Once it was the same, even if I waited 2 weeks it stayed the same (Not like people claimed that they waitlist lower fare classes)

[baron]

Definitely needs HUCA for the ETC conversion, but it's doable.

Doable does not mean worth it unless stocking up credit at your main airline and learning the ins n outs of it. That’s about all it’s worth these days, as most redemptions won’t be 50% on CSR for example.

 By the way where does etc come in? Just using as an ffc isn’t workable with reports of $50 fees. And do you mean ffc to etc on chase booked specifically? Ffc to etc is one of the easier parts of this puzzle.

[Aerial Dag]

So in a perfect situation where you get the full amount converted into a voucher you are still left with extra money sitting there since you've presumably rebooked at the cheaper price. Seems like a workaround but far from a great solution. Not to mention what a PITA it is to HUCA to find someone who can get it done.

[Dan]

So in a perfect situation where you get the full amount converted into a voucher you are still left with extra money sitting there since you've presumably rebooked at the cheaper price. Seems like a workaround but far from a great solution. Not to mention what a PITA it is to HUCA to find someone who can get it done.

No, use ITA to find a flight that matches the price you need. Bonus is that you can also put $1 on a UA card to get card benefits that way.

[HeshiF]

<< You can’t blame chase/expedia as long as chase/expedia match each other. >>

That's was precisely my point.  Chase and Expedia do NOT match each other.  Expedia matches the AA site, and Chase is much higher.  (Which makes sense, since in who in his or her right mind would use Expedia if it is triple the airline price.)

I wouldn't be bothered by this if this was disclosed by Chase upfront.  But this was a change from the original Chase Sapphire setup and it is quite material.

[yuneeq]

So in a perfect situation where you get the full amount converted into a voucher you are still left with extra money sitting there since you've presumably rebooked at the cheaper price. Seems like a workaround but far from a great solution. Not to mention what a PITA it is to HUCA to find someone who can get it done.

Well said. Chase points are simply not worth close to 1.5cpp if most times the prices are inflated, and if you're lucky you can spend time exchanging for a voucher and being left with extra voucher money that I don't need to use. Hotel prices are also always inflated as well.

[Dan]

being left with extra voucher money that I don't need to use.

No, use ITA to find a flight that matches the price you need. Bonus is that you can also put $1 on a UA card to get card benefits that way.

[HeshiF]

As a somewhat naive traveler, I actually find this to be outrageous.  The fact that "Amex does it, too" makes it only more sickening, especially since the Amex travel portal at first blush seems to not allow booking of basic economy at all.  (BTW, at first blush, the Chase portal gives you no access to United basic economy either.)

I'm not sure whom to fault for this situation with American and these portals, but I sure wish that there were more businesspeople like the grocery chain in Europe that just took Pepsico items off their shelves because of price increases.  At a minimum, I cannot see how not disclosing this in pitches for Chase Sapphire cards is considered at all reasonable.

Why would Chase and Amex have this issue with high-pricing on American if Expedia does not?

[efflpetzel]

I find cap1's travel site to be way more accurate than Chase. Yes they don't have 1.5 like the chase reserve but their price protection is amazing.

Besides having price drop protection for flights, they also have a price guarantee within 24hrs.

I recently got $60 travel credit by showing them the same flight cheaper on a dodgy ota I found via kayak while earning 5ppd booking via Cap 1