Be sure the two quotes are for the same flight, in the same reserved seat, with the same luggage allowance, same change/cancellation policy and includes all taxes and surcharges.
Have fun no matter what you decide.
When you pay a third party agent you are **NOT** buying a ticket, a seat or reserving a place on the advertised flight in any way, shape or form. Regardless of how much the (carefully designed) deal may suggest that to be the case. What you’re in fact doing is entering into a contract with a faceless stranger whereby you hand over your hard-earned cash and legally authorise them to purchase a seat from the airline (or a long string of other third party agents) on your behalf. Huge difference.
What often happens then is a deliberate, premeditated and I-can’t-fucking-believe-it’s-not-illegal process informally known as ‘bait & switch’. This involves an email after you’ve paid stating your flight is overbooked, double booked, undersold, cancelled or whatever other shite excuse they come up with. The choice they then give you is a remarkably similar flight at a remarkably similar time for much more money, or your card refunded……in ‘up to’ 28 days. It’s 28 days, so the company accrues interest on your coin, a cynic may suggest. Which is dandy if you’ve plenty of disposable income to supplement either possibility. Until you find out that a lot of these shonky outfits have a track record of blocking refunds for way longer than that and/or disappearing anyway. And if you’re not too flush it has the potential to absolutely ruin your dream trip.
The argument against all this is often from people who booked (often a package deal) through one, had no problems and got a great deal. I’m not suggesting these don’t exist but you’ll have to be one hell of a gambler, and any added cost for peace of mind is well worth it imo. Just to demonstrate, go to Skyscanner, search a flight and then run trip advisor reviews for three randomly selected 3rd party agents. You’ll find them littered with tales of woe.
At a push Expedia has worked for me in the past but be aware that if anything goes wrong you’ll have to go through them rather than it being dealt with directly, face to face, there & then at the airport by a representative of the airline. Which can be a pain in the arse if your flight is the only one for a week & leaving a lonely little airport in the Himalayan foothills at 0600 on a Sunday in January.
My method is to use Expedia as a search engine and then- & I know it’s a mantra but *book direct with the airline*. Like I say, maybe bounce back to Expedia if you’re confident enough and there’s a significant price difference but I’ve never paid more than £30 or £40 above the advertised 3rd party price and often less when booking direct. On routes between the uk & India anyway. Having used both methods (and been stung) I’ll always book direct. Gives you a lovely sense of security and if the actual journey is as much part of it as the destination for you a lack of that security can really dent the experience.
Tl;dr: book direct. Totally worth it.
It’s worth it. Especially these post-covid days with so many flights being cancelled or delayed or whatever - if you buy via Expedia & either of those flights are cancelled/postponed, you’re not flying anywhere, you’ll probably have to buy another (last minute) ticket home , & you’ll be lucky to get refund months later after loads of hassle. If you book direct with airline, they’ll sort you out a next flight seat.
Always book through the airline. There have been so many stories on here and different airline subreddits of people having trips ruined because they booked third party.
I attest to this. I booked a ticket via Expedia and then the pandemic hit. Trying to access the credit was a nightmare. Expedia told me, “Oh it’s locked with the airline,” and then when I called the airline, they told me, “Oh, you have to talk to Expedia.”
Cut the middle person out
As Kananaskis suggested..check it very carefully.What looks the same on a third party site may not be what they show on the airline's site.
The third parties often don't include taxes and other charges on their headline price,for example.Or what they advertise at a certain price suddenly becomes unavailable when you try to book it!
Then,if you DO choose to use Expedia.
Be aware that if anything changes or goes wrong..you want to change the date,the airline changes the time or date,something is cancelled,you miss a connection etc...you are basically on your own.
The third party won't help you,and usually the airline won't either..for them it is no longer their responsibility.
You can also be smart and just book with the third party, and then use the confirm number for that specific airline, and use the official airline website to check your flight.
Explanation: I booked Aerolineas in Argentina through Expedia recently for like $300 less.
First thing I did was go on the Aerolineas website and verify that my name, confirm number and flight number are there and I have a seat. I do. So now there’s really a lot less risk.
If you're not an experienced flight purchaser I would go direct. Those who know the ins and outs of flight searching wouldn't have a problem buying with Expedia (nor would they ask this question) because they would know how to deal with any issues or IRROPs or whatever else comes about.
The reason many of us in /r/travel and /r/flights suggest that beginners buy direct is because of the difficulty of having to deal with an online third party when something goes wrong.
I’m never booking with a third party again. We had tickets to go to Japan in April 2020. The pandemic hit and the flight was cancelled. Eventually, after months of trying via the third party, we got our money back by requesting a charge back on our credit card. Pay the extra 200 dollars, it could potentially save you a massive headache and huge hassle.
If your travel plans are firm and will not change, it's okay to book with third party. Keep an eye on your flight, just remember you will be a Expedia customer, not an airline customer.
If the difference is significant, its often because the 3rd party may be trying to a sell you a ticket that's no longer available.
When you try to pay it'll give you an error and a new price.
I bought a BA ticket from expedia many years ago , it went fine , saves over £1k , but i wouldn’t do it again . I’ve seen my husband dealing with his own companies travel department when things go wrong - not worth it.
Buy directly with airline
I've used these sites before... basically you might consider it if you understand that the second any issue comes up (delayed flight, rescheduled, canceled flight, etc.) you are going to either be screwed and or spend hours on the phone with different people.
If there are no random hiccups, and you understand the fares, it probably will be ok... that being said if you don't have the flexibility if someone goes wrong and the patience to deal with it (and the lack of options), then just pay the extra to book directly w/ the airline... these days its worth it to me to avoid extra potential hassle since I have fewer vacations I try to focus on higher quality ones and that includes minimizing headaches.
As others already mentioned, many times these tickets end up being a similar price anyway depending on your needs because of hidden fees or missing components (e.g. the airline might include a checked bag but 3rd party not).
For flights, use third party apps for shopping around but book direct with the airlines website if doing it online.
You can also use a reputable travel agency shop in your area for booking flights once you have done your flight search and have decided on which airline and flights you want to book. However visit the travel agency shop within hours of doing your online search since flight availability changes quickly. Sometimes travel agencies can get the flights for you at a cheaper price since they have discounts from airlines.
For accommodation, I always use Hotels.com and Airbnb had no issues.
I’d pay the $200 extra for peace of mind
Be sure the two quotes are for the same flight, in the same reserved seat, with the same luggage allowance, same change/cancellation policy and includes all taxes and surcharges. Have fun no matter what you decide.
When you pay a third party agent you are **NOT** buying a ticket, a seat or reserving a place on the advertised flight in any way, shape or form. Regardless of how much the (carefully designed) deal may suggest that to be the case. What you’re in fact doing is entering into a contract with a faceless stranger whereby you hand over your hard-earned cash and legally authorise them to purchase a seat from the airline (or a long string of other third party agents) on your behalf. Huge difference. What often happens then is a deliberate, premeditated and I-can’t-fucking-believe-it’s-not-illegal process informally known as ‘bait & switch’. This involves an email after you’ve paid stating your flight is overbooked, double booked, undersold, cancelled or whatever other shite excuse they come up with. The choice they then give you is a remarkably similar flight at a remarkably similar time for much more money, or your card refunded……in ‘up to’ 28 days. It’s 28 days, so the company accrues interest on your coin, a cynic may suggest. Which is dandy if you’ve plenty of disposable income to supplement either possibility. Until you find out that a lot of these shonky outfits have a track record of blocking refunds for way longer than that and/or disappearing anyway. And if you’re not too flush it has the potential to absolutely ruin your dream trip. The argument against all this is often from people who booked (often a package deal) through one, had no problems and got a great deal. I’m not suggesting these don’t exist but you’ll have to be one hell of a gambler, and any added cost for peace of mind is well worth it imo. Just to demonstrate, go to Skyscanner, search a flight and then run trip advisor reviews for three randomly selected 3rd party agents. You’ll find them littered with tales of woe. At a push Expedia has worked for me in the past but be aware that if anything goes wrong you’ll have to go through them rather than it being dealt with directly, face to face, there & then at the airport by a representative of the airline. Which can be a pain in the arse if your flight is the only one for a week & leaving a lonely little airport in the Himalayan foothills at 0600 on a Sunday in January. My method is to use Expedia as a search engine and then- & I know it’s a mantra but *book direct with the airline*. Like I say, maybe bounce back to Expedia if you’re confident enough and there’s a significant price difference but I’ve never paid more than £30 or £40 above the advertised 3rd party price and often less when booking direct. On routes between the uk & India anyway. Having used both methods (and been stung) I’ll always book direct. Gives you a lovely sense of security and if the actual journey is as much part of it as the destination for you a lack of that security can really dent the experience. Tl;dr: book direct. Totally worth it.
Can you please source your claims for how Expedia book tickets. I am interested if this policy is global or just in one country.
I didn’t make any claims about how Expedia book tickets. As far as I’m aware they block book with the parent companies of airlines.
In your first paragraph you explicitly state the method by which third parties like Expedia book tickets. What is the source for this claim?
It’s worth it. Especially these post-covid days with so many flights being cancelled or delayed or whatever - if you buy via Expedia & either of those flights are cancelled/postponed, you’re not flying anywhere, you’ll probably have to buy another (last minute) ticket home , & you’ll be lucky to get refund months later after loads of hassle. If you book direct with airline, they’ll sort you out a next flight seat.
Always book through the airline. There have been so many stories on here and different airline subreddits of people having trips ruined because they booked third party.
I attest to this. I booked a ticket via Expedia and then the pandemic hit. Trying to access the credit was a nightmare. Expedia told me, “Oh it’s locked with the airline,” and then when I called the airline, they told me, “Oh, you have to talk to Expedia.” Cut the middle person out
Oh hell to the no!!!!
As Kananaskis suggested..check it very carefully.What looks the same on a third party site may not be what they show on the airline's site. The third parties often don't include taxes and other charges on their headline price,for example.Or what they advertise at a certain price suddenly becomes unavailable when you try to book it! Then,if you DO choose to use Expedia. Be aware that if anything changes or goes wrong..you want to change the date,the airline changes the time or date,something is cancelled,you miss a connection etc...you are basically on your own. The third party won't help you,and usually the airline won't either..for them it is no longer their responsibility.
You can also be smart and just book with the third party, and then use the confirm number for that specific airline, and use the official airline website to check your flight. Explanation: I booked Aerolineas in Argentina through Expedia recently for like $300 less. First thing I did was go on the Aerolineas website and verify that my name, confirm number and flight number are there and I have a seat. I do. So now there’s really a lot less risk.
Go for it. Expedia is very reliable and also has special, exclusive fares.
If you're not an experienced flight purchaser I would go direct. Those who know the ins and outs of flight searching wouldn't have a problem buying with Expedia (nor would they ask this question) because they would know how to deal with any issues or IRROPs or whatever else comes about. The reason many of us in /r/travel and /r/flights suggest that beginners buy direct is because of the difficulty of having to deal with an online third party when something goes wrong.
I’m never booking with a third party again. We had tickets to go to Japan in April 2020. The pandemic hit and the flight was cancelled. Eventually, after months of trying via the third party, we got our money back by requesting a charge back on our credit card. Pay the extra 200 dollars, it could potentially save you a massive headache and huge hassle.
If your travel plans are firm and will not change, it's okay to book with third party. Keep an eye on your flight, just remember you will be a Expedia customer, not an airline customer.
If the difference is significant, its often because the 3rd party may be trying to a sell you a ticket that's no longer available. When you try to pay it'll give you an error and a new price.
You can search this forum for the horror stories of 3rd party tickets. The airlines themselves are bad enough.
I bought a BA ticket from expedia many years ago , it went fine , saves over £1k , but i wouldn’t do it again . I’ve seen my husband dealing with his own companies travel department when things go wrong - not worth it. Buy directly with airline
I've used these sites before... basically you might consider it if you understand that the second any issue comes up (delayed flight, rescheduled, canceled flight, etc.) you are going to either be screwed and or spend hours on the phone with different people. If there are no random hiccups, and you understand the fares, it probably will be ok... that being said if you don't have the flexibility if someone goes wrong and the patience to deal with it (and the lack of options), then just pay the extra to book directly w/ the airline... these days its worth it to me to avoid extra potential hassle since I have fewer vacations I try to focus on higher quality ones and that includes minimizing headaches. As others already mentioned, many times these tickets end up being a similar price anyway depending on your needs because of hidden fees or missing components (e.g. the airline might include a checked bag but 3rd party not).
For flights, use third party apps for shopping around but book direct with the airlines website if doing it online. You can also use a reputable travel agency shop in your area for booking flights once you have done your flight search and have decided on which airline and flights you want to book. However visit the travel agency shop within hours of doing your online search since flight availability changes quickly. Sometimes travel agencies can get the flights for you at a cheaper price since they have discounts from airlines. For accommodation, I always use Hotels.com and Airbnb had no issues.