Post updated to confirm this *already happened*.
The final changeover of the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal to Expedia has occurred. When you use the portal to book direct revenue flights, as opposed to transferring your point to a loyalty program, you’ll be using a white-labeled version of Expedia.
But MilesTalk Facebook group member Patrick S. reports an unexpected side consequence. You see, until now you could always phone in to book airlines not showing in the old portal.
But Patrick was just on the phone with them and was told that as of September (so, this has already happened, phone agents no longer have the ability to book these three airlines.
Granted, using Chase Ultimate Rewards to book a revenue ticket on Southwest is an edge case. It’s only good for someone with a Reserve (spending at 1.5 cents per point) as if you have a Preferred and only get 1.25 cents per point, you’d do better transferring points to the Southwest Rapid Rewards program. But if you have a Reserve and want to book Southwest, this has been the best option.
Patrick confirmed with 3 reps, so I guess that’s that.
Do you redeem via the Ultimate Rewards portal? Or do you transfer your points anyway? Let me know here, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group.
New to all of this? My new “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available now.
The new travel portal at Chase Ultimate Rewards is most serious devaluation of Chase Ultimate Rewards and Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve benefits. Phone agents for Expedia on the Ultimate Rewards platform don’t have the ability, training and, or authority to do the simplest tasks. Requests that are executable on the airlines website can take hours with the agents, if accomplished at all.
Airfares pricing on the airline site as business or 1st class for the entire journey, show as mixed class itineraries on the Expedia platform for the same price with agents unable to accomplish correct pricing.
One can only imagine the difficulties that would be faced in irregular operations with untrained, unhelpful programs and agents. Winter is coming for the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal and those intrepid or foolish enough to use it.