What Counts as 'Travel' on Your Credit Card? Why Some Trip Purchases Don't
Summary
Credit card issuers use merchant category codes to decide whether purchases qualify for travel bonus points. Eligible categories and reward rates vary by card and booking method, so cardholders should check their card’s terms and confirm points after transactions settle.Key Facts
- Merchant category codes identify the type of merchant and help issuers determine bonus-point eligibility.
- Airlines, hotels, rental cars, cruises, rail travel, and public transportation commonly qualify as travel purchases.
- A hotel booking may receive different treatment depending on whether it is made directly or through a third-party platform.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve offers eight points per dollar on eligible hotels, flights, cruises, and rental cars booked through Chase Travel, and four points per dollar on direct flight and hotel bookings.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred offers three points per dollar on vacation rentals from Airbnb and Vrbo; the Reserve does not offer that bonus for those rentals.
- Most traditional travel agents require payment by cash or credit and generally cannot use a customer's points through the customer's travel portal.
- Some agents specialize in award travel, and some arrangements, such as BNT Travel's relationship with American Express, allow certain bookings to use points.
- Cardholders can save receipts and check that rewards post correctly after a transaction settles.
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