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Over the past week, I’ve been searching for the lowest price flights to Cancun for a trip next year. My plan is to use points from my Capital One Venture Rewards card (my referral link) for one direction combined with Chase Ultimate Rewards points from my husband’s Chase Sapphire Reserve to piece together round-trip free flights.
From DFW, the lowest flights are currently on Sun Country Airlines. The prices are MUCH lower. I’ve never flown on Sun Country, and I understand that it’s a low-cost carrier and you pay for your seat assignment and luggage. No big deal for me. I have run into flight attendants from Sun Country at the airport, and they always seem so happy! I guess overnighting in locations like Cancun and Cabo isn’t the worst assignment.
Anyway, I logged into the Chase travel portal to book the flight using Chase Ultimate Rewards points. Much to my dismay, the flights didn’t show up in the portal.
A quick Google search of Sun Country Airlines and Chase travel portal told me that the airline is no longer available in the portal. Say it isn’t so! The internet told me that the airline isn’t even available if you call Chase (like you must do if you want to book Southwest through the Chase travel portal).
It looked like if I really wanted to use those points for the flight, I’d have to purchase the tickets with the CSR card and then use points for a statement credit. I would only get 1 cent per point that way instead of 1.5 cents per point by booking through the travel portal. Or, I could just pay cash for the flights and save our Chase points for a different redemption.
Always Call
Since the internet isn’t always right, I decided to call the Chase travel portal number (1-866-951-6592) and hear for myself that Sun Country Airlines isn’t an option for redeeming points. Much to my surprise, the agent told me she could book me on Sun Country Airlines over the phone with points. What?!?! I’m so glad I called!
The airlines available through the Chase travel portal both online and over the phone fluctuate a lot. Airlines have moved from being available online to disappearing all together, and then back again.
If you’re looking to book flights using your Chase Ultimate Rewards points, I recommend you first search for flights on Google Flights and separately on Southwest to see the best flights available. Then, see what shows up in the Chase travel portal, and call Chase if your desired airline doesn’t show up online.
Bottom Line
I don’t mind hunting around for the best deal, even when I’m using my miles and points. In this case, making one extra phone call was worth my time.
Have you had to call Chase to book an airline that wasn’t showing up online in the Chase travel portal? Have you flown on Sun Country Airlines?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
4/12/2021 – called and was not able to book Sun Country
I had to call Chase on Monday because their portal kept giving me an error (with no detailed explanation) as to why I couldn’t book my flights (mind you, these were the last 2 flights at that price and I already booked the other half of my family with other points). After giving Chase all of my travel info, the rep got the same error; I was then transferred to another dept that had a completely different travel system. Guess what…they ran into an issue as well. They finally were able to grab the last 2 seats at the price I wanted, and honestly, I don’t know if they called the airline directly or what, but they were finally able to complete the transaction.
It was the most stressful 2 hours, but I’m glad I finally called and was very happy that they helped me out.