Expedia is one of the largest providers in the travel market. Since 1996, the travel portal based in Washington in the United States has been providing a large number of vacationers with cheap offers every year. Package tours, hotels, rental cars, and flights are among the vacation offers. The most famous section is “Click and Mix” travel. Here, thanks to the combination of flight and hotel, the user can sometimes save quite a bit of money.
What is Expedia?
Expedia is an online travel agency that was founded in 1995 as part of Microsoft. In addition to the United States, the company operates in 31 other countries. Expedia is the fourth largest travel agency in the United States. On its website, the company arranges flights, hotels, package tours, car rentals, rail travel, and tickets for events.
Types of vacations you can book with Expedia
At Expedia, you can search for anything your travel heart desires. It doesn’t matter if you are looking for a click and mix trip, a hotel, a rental car, or a flight: On Expedia.com you will find the right offer for you. You can search in five different categories. You can choose from millions of different travel offers from all well-known tour operators and from airlines active worldwide. However, Expedia does not act as a provider, but rather as a kind of intermediary. You do not book here, but with the respective travel provider.
How does the Expedia search work?
On the home page, you decide on the type of trip you want to take. At the top of the menu, you can choose between flights, click and mix trips, hotels, and rental cars. Then you enter all relevant data such as travel period, travel duration, and departure airport into the search mask. After clicking on “Search”, you will be taken to the results page. Below is an overview page of a Click and Mix trip.
How does booking with Expedia work?
Once you have decided on an offer from the overview, you can continue by clicking on the offer. In the following booking step, an overview of the hotel with pictures appears. This will give you a first impression of the hotel. Further down on this page there are choices and upgrades. For example, you can change the room type for an additional charge. You can also book breakfast here.
In the next step, you can correct your flight time. Depending on what you decide, you either save money or you pay a small surcharge. Click on “Select” to proceed to the last step of the booking.
At the end of the booking process for a Click and Mix trip, you will receive an overview of all booked services. In the next booking step, you enter all your personal data. The next step is the option to book travel cancellation insurance. In the same step, choose one of the available payment methods and complete the booking by clicking on “Buy now”. You will receive your travel documents by e-mail.
What are the payment methods at Expedia?
The payment method depends on which trip you book. You can choose between credit card, bank transfer, direct debit, or payment on account. If you book a hotel, you can pay on-site. Below you can see the payment options listed in detail.
Flights
For flights, additional fees apply depending on the payment method and airline. Most airlines accept Visa and Mastercard. Sometimes American Express and Diners Club. If you choose to pay by Visa credit and debit card, or MasterCard debit card, this is usually at no additional cost. The time of payment is the respective booking date.
Click & Mix
For these trips, you can always pay by credit card. Depending on the offer, you can pay the amount in individual cases by direct debit. The payment date for Click & Mix trips is the booking date.
Hotels
The payment methods depend on the hotel booked. During the booking process, you can see whether you have to pay for the selected hotel in advance or on-site. For the first option, you can choose between Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners Club, or electronic direct debit. The entire hotel price is due at the time of reservation. In addition, there must be at least five working days left until the start of the trip. Credit card details are mandatory for all bookings that require you to pay directly at the hotel.
Package tours
For package tours, the payment method and the possible amount of the fee depends on the organizer. Usually, you have the choice between credit card, direct debit, bank transfer, and invoice. You will see all possible payment methods after selecting the offer.
Rental cars
You pay for rental cars by credit card or direct debit. After booking the rental car you have to pay directly.
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Cancellation and Rebooking – What you have to consider
In some cases, you can change the booking data online. Just click on “Change booking” in your travel plan. If this is not possible, it is recommended to cancel the trip completely and make a new booking. To cancel a flight, it is best to contact the customer hotline. Expedia does not process written cancellation or change requests for data protection reasons.
What are the cancellation fees?
Cancellation fees apply depending on the booking type.
Click and Mix travel:
- Four months to 30 days prior to departure: 20% of the tour price
- 29 to 22 days: 35% of the tour price
- 21 to 15 days: 50% of the tour price
- 14 days to one day: 75% of the travel price
- up to four months before the start of the trip, a flat processing fee of $15 is due
Flight
It is not possible to obtain a rebooking or refund for all flights. You will find information about this in the respective ticket conditions. If you cancel the flight, a refund of the statutory taxes is possible. The processing time is between two and twelve weeks. Expedia does not charge a fee for rebooking or cancellation. However, the airline may charge fees. These must be borne by the traveler. It should be noted that you can cancel or change flights of “low-cost airlines” such as Ryanair or EasyJet, exclusively on the respective website.
Hotel
You can change the hotel booking on the Expedia site under the item “My Travel”. Simply click on the respective booking, select the menu item “Change booking” and change the details. If the changes are not made properly, a complete cancellation and rebooking are necessary. Also in the menu “My travels” you will find the item “Cancel room”. Be sure to pay attention to the respective information on refunds and the fees associated with the cancellation. Refunds are usually made within seven to ten days.
You can have the following information changed free of charge when booking a hotel:
- Name of the traveler
- Bed type
- Smoker/Non-smoker
- Special requests
- Barrier-free equipment
Conclusion
Expedia offers the best vacation for every type with its diverse travel offer. A clear search mask and the possibility to configure your trip individually in the Click & Mix in combination with low prices round off the overall impression. In addition, the simple booking process with upgrade options speaks for Expedia.
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