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Comments (2)
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Save/ShareIt's no fun to find out you've paid more for your ticket than the guy sitting next to you. But given the constant swings in travel pricing, it's practically impossible to know if a good deal is actually the best one—and when to take the plunge.
But there's good news: More websites and online travel agencies are offering tools and guarantees to take the risk out of clicking BUY.
[+] Enlarge photo
UPDATE 1/11: This price guarantee replaces Travelocity's rate-protection program for air/hotel and car/hotel packages. Called PriceGuardian, that service automatically refunded your credit card up to $500 if another Travelocity customer books your trip for less. Travelocity has discontinued this service.
• Flights. Earlier this week, two helpful sites—which have earned raves from Budget Travel during the past couple of years—teamed up. Yapta, a price-tracking website, and TripIt, a free travel organizer, compliment each other as nicely as peanut butter and chocolate.
These sites now let you put money back in your pocket if a fare drops after you've booked it. They also help you keep track of all of your e-mailed itineraries and maps, letting you easily access them via hotel lobby computer or your smartphone. Thankfully, their services are free.
Some airlines charge re-booking fees of up to $150, while others rebook you for free. So there may not always be a happy ending.
• Hotels. "Users of our fare-tracking system begged us to track hotel rates," says Yapta CEO Tom Romary. So as of March, the site has done just that, monitoring rates at more than 110,000 hotels worldwide. Just pick a property and sign up to be alerted whenever it slashes its price for your travel dates. Yapta's system is most useful for properties that let you cancel for free—in which case you simply rebook at the lower rate. (Some hotels have change fees, so you'll have to do the math to know if it's worthwhile.)
EARLIER
Orbitz debuted a money-back guarantee in November. If someone else finds a better rate at Orbitz on a hotel stay you've booked, the company will automatically reimburse you for the difference and send you a $50 code good toward a future booking.
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I had hoped to take advantage of the lower price I found on Southwest after I'd booked a trip. Unfortunately, Yapta doesn't include Southwest. And Southwest, while very pleasant about it, was firm in stating that they do NOT give monetary refunds, either cash or toward a credit card bill. Instead, the difference in price is "credited" toward a future flight and must be used within 6 months. Too bad....Southwest is my airline of choice, but I really wish they'd change their policy just a tad. Sigh.........
Posted By mensablonde39 on September 29, 2011, 1:26 PM
I had hoped to take advantage of the lower price I found on Southwest after I'd booked a trip. Unfortunately, Yapta doesn't include Southwest. And Southwest, while very pleasant about it, was firm in stating that they do NOT give monetary refunds, either cash or toward a credit card bill. Instead, the difference in price is "credited" toward a future flight and must be used within 6 months. Too bad....Southwest is my airline of choice, but I really wish they'd change their policy just a tad. Sigh.........
Posted By mensablonde39 on September 29, 2011, 1:27 PM