U.S. Bank rolls out travel booking platform to compete with rival issuers

The news: U.S. Bank launched a travel booking platform in partnership with Booking.com where cardholders can reserve flights, hotels, and rental cars, per a press release.

• Cardholders will be able to pay for their travel directly with points or with their card.
• They will also get new benefits and rewards like cash-back deals and merchant offers.

Why this matters: Launching a travel platform can help U.S. Bank stay competitive with larger issuers that all have travel platforms—like Chase, Capital One, and American Express. Citi also relaunched its own travel booking portal in partnership with Booking.com just last year.