third party travel agency

Best Online Travel Agencies

Booking.com is our top choice for making your trip arrangements

Ligaya Malones is an editor, blogger, and freelance writer specializing in food and travel. Ligaya's work has appeared in publications including Lonely Planet and BRIDES.

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Planning a trip can be easier through an online travel agency than if you handle each aspect of the planning separately. You can book hotels, air travel, rental cars, and more through a single site, and booking everything together sometimes results in discounts. By inputting a destination, a range of dates, and other preferences, you will see a list of options for each aspect of travel.

The best online travel agencies offer options from the largest number of airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, and more. Look for sites that offer discounts for combining reservations for different aspects of your trip. For example, the best sites will have lower rates if you book both plane tickets and a hotel through their services. The best sites also provide reviews from customers who actually have booked through the service. These are our top picks.

• Best Overall: Booking.com
• Best Budget: Skyscanner
• Best Price Predictor: Hopper
• Most Innovative: Kiwi.com
• Best for Eco-Conscious: Kind Traveler
• Best for Social Impact: I Like Local
• Best for Design-Forward Homestays: Plum Guide
• Our Top Picks
• Booking.com

Kind Traveler

I Like Local

• See More (4)

Final Verdict

Frequently asked questions, methodology, best overall : booking.com.

 Booking.com

This industry leader offers one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms on the Internet.

Lots of options to choose from

Interface is easy to use

Numerous filters to customize your search

Tricky to tell whether changes/cancellations can be made with Booking.com or the vendor directly

Booking.com was founded in 1996 and has grown into an industry leader that stands out for being one of the most comprehensive trip planning platforms out there. From one website, you can compare and book accommodations, flights (including one-way and multi-city flights), sightseeing activities, and even airport taxis. The website lists more than 28 million accommodation options, from hotels, hostels, and B&Bs to vacation homes and luxury resorts—you can browse more choices per destination on Booking.com than other online travel agencies. The website also performs well on cost and typically returns lower-than-average prices for flights and hotels. 

Booking.com's interface is also easy to use. On the home page, search for a hotel by entering your chosen destination and dates. Then, use the extensive list of filters—such as price range and distance from the city center—to narrow the results down and find the best fit. You can also search for a specific hotel, or seek inspiration by clicking through options grouped by destination or property type or by topic such as the country’s best Michelin-starred hotel restaurants or the top cities for vegan travelers. The flights, car rental, and other tabs are just as intuitive. 

Best Budget : Skyscanner

 Skyscanner

You can compare prices across airlines, hotels, and car rentals.

Simple interface

Option to toggle searches between specific dates or by monthly calendars

Search Everywhere button is great for spontaneous planners

Extra clicks are required to make a final purchase

Must read fine print for changes/cancellations—may need to deal directly with the vendor

Ads on the sidebar can be distracting

Find deals on airfare, hotels, and car rentals with an aggregator site like Skyscanner , which uses a metasearch engine to compare prices from all online travel agencies and the airline, hotel, or car rental company in question. Run searches with fixed dates, opt to compare airfare prices month to month, or click “Cheapest Month.” Searches also include options for nearby airports or non-stop flights only. With hotel searches, you can choose to select only from properties with free cancellation, a cleanliness rating of 4.5/5 or higher, or 3- or 4-starred hotels only. Car rental searches include an option to select “return car to different location.”

Once you’ve found the best rate, click on the link to be redirected to the third-party site to make your booking. Feeling spontaneous? The Search Everywhere button on the homepage offers a list of the cheapest flight deals for destinations both locally and across the world—just plug in your departure airport first.

Best Price Predictor : Hopper

The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting when flights and hotel rates will be cheapest.

Color-coded system makes it easy to determine cheapest days to buy

App is easy to use

Option to track flights and receive alerts when the best time to buy arises

Some have mentioned the app functions better as a research tool than a booking tool

Unclear whether Hopper will price match if you find a cheaper flight elsewhere

Hopper is a travel app available on iOS and Android that aims to help travelers save on airfare by usng historical data and their own algorithm to predict when flights will be cheapest. Just type in where and when you’d like to fly and Hopper will present you with a color-coded pricing calendar indicating how much tickets are likely to cost. (Green is the least expensive, then yellow, orange, and red for most expensive.) Hopper will also recommend you either buy now or wait, or you can choose to watch a trip and receive notifications on the best time to buy. In addition, the app has expanded to offer hotel and car rental price predictions, too.

Some newer features since the app’s inception in 2009 include an option to freeze a price for a limited time—for an extra fee—as well as exclusive app-only discounts. Hopper is free to download, and you can choose to book directly through the app, though some users mentioned they use Hopper as more of a research tool before booking directly with the airline or hotel. The company claims a 95 percent accuracy rate at predicting flight rates up to a year ahead.

Most Innovative : Kiwi.com

This metasearch engine scours the web to piece together the ideal itinerary using planes, trains, buses, and more.

Creative itineraries get you where you need to go, especially if you’ve got a multi-stop trip

Kiwi Guarantee offers rebooking or cancellation protections

Nomad option appeals to travelers with a lot of flexibility

Creative itineraries mean you may not fly out of the same airport you flew into

Kiwi Guarantee has an additional fee

Charges all-in-one fee for booking flights, trains, buses (though you can always purchase a la carte)

Travelers planning multi-city destinations and seeking a bargain, as well as those looking to take planes, trains, and automobiles to get there, might consider Kiwi . Kiwi is a metasearch engine that scours and pieces together itineraries from various airlines (even if they don’t have a codeshare agreement), considers multiple airports (even if your arrival airport is different from departure), and offers booking options, whether you’re looking at very specific dates or more general ones (up to 60 nights).

Some will find the ability to make multiple bookings for a particular trip more convenient than going at it manually several different times, though note that you must opt into the Kiwi Guarantee program to access rebooking and refund protections should your reservation change or be canceled. Kiwi’s Nomad option allows you to plug in a bunch of destinations you’d like to visit and the length of your intended stay, and the website will churn out the most affordable itineraries for review.

Best for Eco-Conscious : Kind Traveler

A give-and-get business model means booking accommodations with exclusive perks, a donation to environmental organizations, and more.

All participating hotels include a local give-back component

Exclusive savings and perks

Participating hotels are located in some of the most beautiful places in the world

Inventory is much smaller compared to other booking platforms

Some of the amenities mentioned are based on availability only

In 2022, Kind Traveler (an online trave agency focused on hotel bookings) announced an increase in environmentally and socially conscious hotels, charity donations, voluntourism opportunities, and additional perks like waived resort fees or a welcome amenity.

Unlock exclusive hotel rates and perks from participating Kind Traveler hotels with a minimum $10/night minimum donation to a local charity. For example, stay at the Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and receive up to $33 off the nightly rate and perks such as a food and beverage credit and an Earth Lab or Alchemy Bar workshop when you make a donation to Manta Trust. The organization funds coastal research to protect the island nation’s large yet fragile population of reef mantas.

Select from more than 140 participating hotels from the Hawaiian Islands to Bozeman, Montana, and the Maldives. Charities include wildlife, human rights, arts, education, and environmental preservation organizations.

Best for Social Impact : I Like Local

Choose from a host of travel experiences with the peace of mind that 100 percent of the cost goes directly to local partners.

Social impact mission woven into organization’s business model

Immersive experiences led by local guides

Range of experiences offered

May not be best fit for those seeking upscale, luxury experiences and stays

Can’t sort experiences by a list of countries (though an interactive map is available)

No experiences outside of Africa and Asia

For an online travel agency with a booking platform designed to route dollars spent directly to the communities travelers intend to visit, consider I Like Local . Visit the website to browse a host of travel experiences in countries including Indonesia, Kenya, and Cambodia. Experiences include homestays and farmstays as well as wellness and culturally oriented experiences—from cooking and cycling tours to weaving classes.

To search for an experience, select from drop-down items like travel dates and experience categories, or view a global map and click on a country to view experiences that way.

The platform got its start in 2014 and has grown to 4,000 local hosts across nearly 20 countries. As a social impact organization, 100 percent of each booking fee goes to local hosts. To date, 16,000 travelers have booked with I Like Local.

Best for Design-Forward Homestays : Plum Guide

Browse and book seriously vetted, design-forward vacation homes.

Highly curated inventory of vacation rentals across the world

Design-forward

Thorough vetting process

Does not publish guest reviews

Other platforms have homes available across more destinations

When it comes to booking a vacation home, serviced apartment, or condo, travelers are spoiled for choice. Plum Guide is an online travel agency that specializes in accommodations—though not just any home makes its directory. The company claims that each potential home listed on its site must jump through 150 hoops to be included, from internet speed and mattress and pillow quality to the showers’ water pressure and the home’s proximity to dining, shopping, and attractions.

Search by a featured collection on the website such as “ pet-friendly homes ” or “one-of-a-kind homes in Palm Springs.” Scroll to the bottom of its homepage to view its top destinations, as well as a list of all destinations where Plum Guide homes are available, including Barbados, Mexico, Portugal, Switzerland, the U.S., and Turkey. Note: From the top right-hand corner of the site, use the dropdown menu to select currency of choice.

As long as you know what you value most out of your travel experience—such as affordability, social impact, or luxe accommodations—there’s an online travel agency to help plan your next trip. Be sure to read the fine print, as some agencies are third-party websites and not direct vendors. If you're not sure where to start, Booking.com is your best bet for a smooth user experience and hard-to-beat offers on flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements.

What Is the Biggest Travel Agency?

Our choice for best overall, Booking.com, is known as an industry leader with listings for all major hotels, airlines, car rental companies, and more. It boasts more choices for accommodations per destination than any other site, and we found its interface to be user-friendly.

Are Online Travel Agencies Worth It?

This depends on your needs and priorities. The best online travel agencies certainly can save time by booking everything all at once. However, if you're someone who is good at haggling and enjoys the details of planning a trip, you might be able to find better deals by reaching out to hotels or other destinations and speaking to someone personally.

Is It Cheaper to Book Online Than With a Travel Agent?

Not always. A travel agent you know and trust should have the experience and connections to find deals that can match or surpass what you'll find online. Additionally, if something goes wrong, travel agents provide you with an actual person you can use as an advocate to correct the problem . But if you don't have access to a good travel agent, online sites still provide plenty of ways to streamline planning and save money .

We considered dozens of online travel agencies and narrowed down the options based on user experience, volume and quality of inventory, unique offerings and specials, and customer reviews. We also assessed travel companies’ environmentally and socially conscious policies.

Catherine Falls Commercial / Getty Images

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Mistakes People Make When Booking Travel Through Third-Party Websites

Senior Reporter, HuffPost Life

Expedia. Skyscanner. Booking.com. Trip.com. Priceline. These days there are countless third-party platforms for booking flights, hotels, rental cars and other aspects of the travel experience.

While these websites can make the planning process feel more seamless and convenient, there are some potential drawbacks that are important to understand before you make any reservations.

Below, travel experts share the common mistakes people make when booking trips through a third-party service ― and their advice for avoiding these errors during your travels.

Assuming They Have The Lowest Prices

Travel booking websites can be great for comparing prices across different providers and potentially finding exclusive deals. But you’re often going to see the same costs across platforms ― including the travel vendor’s direct website.

“You should not assume online travel agencies have the lowest prices,” said Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer . “While coupons and other promotions can make it appear that you are saving a lot of money, you should always check directly with the airline or hotel.”

When booking a flight, you should check the prices on the airline websites, as well as results on search engines like Google Flights. As you look for accommodations, compare rates on hotel websites and third-party booking systems.

“In many cases, hotels will guarantee the cheapest rate when booking directly with them. In certain situations, third-party booking sites will hide resort fees until the very last moment or put them in an easy-to-miss spot.”

Losing 24-Hour Cancellation Options

“You should not book airfare with an online travel agency if there is a chance you may take advantage of the federal 24-hour cancellation rule,” Dengler said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has mandated that air carriers allow customers who purchased tickets at least seven days before a flight’s scheduled departure to cancel their reservation and receive a full refund without penalty within 24 hours of booking.

“Unfortunately, the flight must be booked directly with the airline,” Dengler noted. “That means third-party booking sites do not have to honor the rule, which means you could be out of luck if you are looking to cancel within 24 hours. If there is any chance you may need to cancel your flight, check with the third-party booking site before you book to see if they honor the 24-hour cancellation rule.”

Not Reading The Fine Print

“Always read the fine print so that you know their return or refund policy,” said Ciara Johnson, a travel blogger at Hey Ciara . “For added protection, book with a travel credit card that has insurance in case something goes wrong. If you’re not booking for a deal, it’s always best to book direct on the company website. It’s likely cheaper to book direct anyhow!”

Ravi Roth , a queer travel expert and host of “ The Gaycation Travel Show ,” echoed this advice. He emphasized being aware of any extra fees or troublesome policies regarding cancellations, itinerary changes and refunds, so you should make sure to read and save your confirmation email with the details.

“I recommend using trusted sites like Orbitz for hotels and Airbnb to book experiences. As for flights, I would try Skyscanner, but while booking, make sure to stick to the major airlines,” Roth noted. “Sometimes folks can find a super cheap flight, but in the fine print, there is a charge for overhead and checked luggage. I cannot stress enough to read the fine print.”

Missing Out On Loyalty Points

If hotel or airline loyalty points and status are important to you, using a third-party booking site might not be the best move.

“Many online travel agencies let you insert your frequent flyer number or hotel rewards number, but that does not mean you will earn status credit and points,” Dengler explained. “Some airlines and hotels will allow you to earn status when booking with online travel agencies, but you should make sure first.”

Trying To Modify Bookings Through The Travel Provider

“Third-party booking sites like Expedia, Priceline and Travelocity are also known as online travel agencies, and they are essentially middlemen between you and the airline or hotel,” Dengler explained. “In other words, your reservation is with them and not the airline or hotel. That means you contact them for customer service instead of the airline or hotel.”

So if access to direct customer service with the travel provider is a big deal to you, avoid these third-party platforms when making your reservations and use them as search engines for comparisons instead.

“While the larger online travel agencies have better customer service than the smaller ones, it is still better to talk to the source directly,” Dengler said. “That is important for both reservation modifications and cancellations. If there is a possibility that there will be severe weather during your trip, I recommend booking directly since there is a real chance you will have to modify or cancel your itinerary.”

Because canceling or making an itinerary change can be a bigger hassle through third-party platforms, make sure to pay close attention when you’re making your reservation.

“Travelers should just ensure to double-check all of their information, such as travel dates, name and contact information when booking via third-parties,” said Casey Brogan, a consumer travel expert at Tripadvisor.

Choosing A Travel Provider That Doesn’t Allow Third-Party Sales

“Be aware that several budget carriers, most notably Ryanair in Europe , technically don’t allow third-party sales of their tickets,” said Marek Bron, a travel blogger at Indie Traveller . “If you book their flights through a third-party anyway, then this is done through a work-around way that’s not supported by Ryanair.”

As a result, making cancellations or changes through the third-party site might be more expensive or challenging than it would have been if you booked directly through the airline. Ensure you can actually get an official confirmation with your chosen air carrier or other travel provider when you book through an external system.

Not Reading The Reviews

Not all third-party booking sites and travel agents are created equal. As such, it’s important to read the reviews of these services before making your reservations through them.

“Check reviews of these third-party sites, such as on TrustPilot, before booking as some of them are to be avoided,” Bron said. He advised paying extra close attention to mentions of customer service, as you might need this to handle changes or cancellations down the road.

“If working with a travel agent, ensure they have the right qualifications and double-check your reservations with the airlines and hotels,” echoed Jessica van Dop DeJesus , a travel media specialist and blogger at The Dining Traveler. “Also, look into travel insurance and check with your credit card to see if they provide any travel insurance services.”

Before You Go

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How to Get a Flight Cancellation Refund from a Third-Party Travel Site

By Eric Rosen

All products featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

As coronavirus has spread and countries have imposed travel restrictions and lockdowns, millions of travelers have seen their plans disrupted. It’s hard enough getting a hotel or flight cancellation refund if you booked directly, but it can be even more difficult to get cash back if you made your reservation through a third-party site, including online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia or Priceline.

First, the good news: If the airline , hotel chain , tour, or cruise line you were supposed to travel with has issued change or cancellation waivers and is offering refunds, you're already in luck. The bad news? It could take a while to get your money back—but it's important to be patient and persistent, and know what you’re entitled to. Here's how to do it.

Check with your online travel agency

If you booked reservations through a third-party site, the first thing you should do is check their homepage for travel warnings or advisories. At this point, the major OTAs have all posted their coronavirus policies and those of their travel partners that you can use as a guideline for their specific refund process. To get you started, here are links to the major online travel agencies’ dedicated coronavirus pages.

Booking.com coronavirus FAQs

Expedia coronavirus travel advice

Hotels.com cancellation policy

Hotwire coronavirus travel updates

Kayak coronavirus resources

Orbitz coronavirus travel advice

Priceline coronavirus FAQs

Travelocity coronavirus travel advice

Third-party bookings are subject to the change or cancellation rules that have been put in place by their travel partners, including airlines , hotels, cruise lines, and car rental agencies. That means OTAs must wait for responses from their partners in order to process refunds, which has created an enormous customer-service bottleneck.

Because of that, most OTAs are asking customers to refrain from contacting them unless their original travel plans take place within the next three to seven days in order to limit the number of calls coming in. Many have also posted online cancellation and refund request forms that you can fill out both for near- and long-term travel plans, though you might also receive a proactive email asking if you would like to make such a request in the days leading up to your trip.

For the moment, these sites are focusing on bookings made prior to March 19 for travel through April 30, 2020. If your plans are further out, you may need to sit tight for a bit. Doing so is also a good idea because it could affect whether or not you are entitled to a refund, based on changing policies.

Check your partner airline, hotel, cruise, or car rental page

Before you actually submit a cancellation request to your OTA, it is imperative that you also confirm if your travel arrangements fall within the refund time frames of the airline, hotel, cruise, car rental, or other company that you used the OTA to book.

In general, if the travel partner is the one to cancel your itinerary, like axing a flight or cruise sailing, you should be eligible for a refund. Some hotels and airlines are even offering to streamline the process and issue a hotel and flight cancellation refund directly rather than making customers go back through OTAs, so you might even consider calling the travel partner to see if you can request your money back.

Just keep in mind, if you are the one initiating a change or cancellation, you may be subject to penalty fees, or only eligible to receive credit toward future travel purchases. So if your plans are still several months away and scheduled as normal, you might want to wait and see if the travel partner ends up cancelling them before requesting your refund.

If you're supposed to be traveling within 72 hours

It's crunch time. Some travelers might be waiting until the very last minute to see if their reservations are canceled, so they don't have to initiate the refund request and are better positioned to get their cash back. If you're at the 72-hour mark and they still haven't contacted you, reach out to your OTA and start your cancellation request immediately. Some have online forms up on their coronavirus advisory pages, so try that first. Otherwise, be prepared to call customer service and wait on hold for long periods of time. You can consider alternative methods of communication including online chats or tweeting to the OTA’s Twitter handle. If you are still having trouble talking to someone, your best option might instead be to contact the airline or hotel directly to request a cancellation and refund now that many are offering to do so.

If you have some time

If you have been notified further in advance that your flight or other booked travel has been canceled, or simply aren't comfortably waiting until the last minute in hopes of a cash refund, you should contact your OTA to start the refund process one week out from your original travel dates.

Shannon McMahon

Chris Schalkx

Caitlin Morton

Emily Pennington

If your travel was set to take place between now and the end of April and you are eligible for a refund, you might be able to submit your request through the “My Trips” page on your OTA’s website. You should see an option to change or cancel your booking. Click on that, and you will be directed to a page outlining your choices and whether you can expect a full refund or are subject to any penalties. At this point, you might also be directed straight to an airline or hotel website in order to complete the process. Make sure you have any information will you need on hand, including the credit card you used to make the booking, your itinerary confirmation number, and any confirmation or ticket numbers from the airline or hotel.

In some cases, you will be offered credit or vouchers for future bookings. But if you are entitled to a refund and would prefer to get your money back, do not be afraid to ask for it . Despite what any OTA or travel representatives tell you, you do not have to settle for future travel credits in that case. If you do choose a voucher instead , consider booking a refundable ticket down the line so you can cancel your plans more easily if necessary.

As a last resort, put a hold on your credit card charge

Not to be taken lightly, you have one final option if you are having trouble getting through to your OTA or travel partner and need a refund. If you booked with a credit card, you can call your bank and ask them either to hold or reverse the travel purchase charge on your statement. You will have to provide your reasons for doing so, and likely need to submit evidence that you were eligible for a refund and that you made a good-faith effort to cancel your reservation. It’s not guaranteed to work, but it can’t hurt to try if you are getting nowhere with your OTA.

We are still in a period of unprecedented uncertainty due to the coronavirus, and that is especially true for travelers who booked through an online travel agency. Many OTAs are making it easier to change or cancel reservations, but it remains your job to make sure you are eligible for a refund, get familiar with the policies of travel partners like hotels and airlines that were part of your plans, and stay on top of any timing requirements so you do not find yourself stuck on hold for hours as your travel dates approach.

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How to Earn Airline Miles When Booking Through Online Travel Agencies

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Priceline , Expedia , Orbitz and other online travel agencies let you easily compare fares for different airlines, helping you save money. But unless you take a few extra steps, you could miss out on earning the frequent flyer miles you would get if you booked directly with the airline.

When you book through an OTA, you can have the best of both worlds — saving money and earning miles. Here’s how and why you should earn miles on your next OTA-booked flight.

What are airline miles and why do you want them?

Airlines want your business, so they try to win you over with reward programs offering perks like award miles, airport lounge access, elite status and other benefits. Miles can be redeemed for flights, seat upgrades, lounge access and even hotel stays and car rentals. Joining your airline’s loyalty program is free.

Using the right travel credit card can help you earn miles and perks faster, so you may be wondering which credit cards to use when booking travel through OTAs. The answer to this is simple: You’ll want a card that earns bonus points on all travel. Luckily, there are plenty .

With many airline programs, your miles can expire. But activity on your frequent flyer account, no matter how small, will usually keep your miles valid . Other airlines’ miles, such as United , Delta , Southwest and JetBlue , have no expiration date, which means you can earn as slowly as you wish without worrying your miles will disappear from your account.

How to sign up for a frequent flyer account

Signing up for a frequent flyer account is easy. On the homepage of your airline’s website, you’ll see a button prompting you to sign up for its loyalty program. Here’s how it looks at Delta:

Here’s the page for United Airlines:

And for American Airlines:

Click the button and enter your information, which includes your name, e-mail address, birth date, age, address and phone number. Then, you’ll create a password and be given a frequent flyer number, which you can enter when booking flights to earn airline miles.

Earning airlines miles when booking with an OTA

When you book through an online travel agency, there’s usually a place to enter your frequent flyer number from your airline’s loyalty program if you know where to look. This will vary slightly depending on the OTA you’re booking through. In most cases, you’ll enter it during the checkout process, which likely will display a drop-down to input your frequent flyer information.

These will look different on each OTA, but can be labeled “loyalty program,” “frequent flyer program” or “frequent flyer number.” You’ll enter your number into these boxes. This is also where you’ll enter your TSA PreCheck number, if you have one.

That’s it! Once your number is in, you can complete booking and your flight will be automatically linked to your frequent flyer account so that you can earn miles.

Earning airline miles after you’ve booked with an OTA

If you’ve already booked your flight without entering a frequent flyer number, don't throw in the towel — you can still add it to your flight and earn airline miles. To do this, you’ll need to have signed up for a frequent flyer account as outlined above.

With your booking confirmation in hand, go to your airline’s website and log in. Enter the booking code from the OTA or, in some cases, your ticket number, to pull up your flight on the airline’s website and link the trip.

You can also call the airline's customer service and have them add the trip manually.

» Learn more: Loyalty program showdown: Hotels.com Rewards vs. Orbitz Rewards

When to book with an OTA

There are pros and cons of booking with an online travel agency versus directly with an airline. OTAs that collate airfares can show you cheaper prices than an airline will offer, which can be pretty tempting. And since you’ll be earning miles on your flight regardless of how you purchase your ticket, an OTA may seem like the obvious choice.

But there are downsides to using an online travel agency. For example, when you need to make changes to your ticket, coordinating directly with the airline can be easier than navigating a third-party system. If you think you may need to alter or cancel your flight in any way, it can make sense to book with the airline instead, especially if costs are similar.

» Learn more: How to cancel airline tickets book through an OTA

Another thing to consider is the credit card you’re using to pay for your ticket. Airline credit cards typically pay you bonus miles for booking flights directly through the airline, so you get fewer when you purchase a flight through an OTA. But other credit cards give you bonus points for all travel, even when booked with an OTA. For example, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® pays 3x bonus points on travel no matter how you book.

Other cards, like The Platinum Card® from American Express — which offers 5x bonus points on airfare — will only give you those points if you book directly with the airline or via American Express Travel. Otherwise, you get just 1 point per dollar on your ticket. Bonus points can quickly add up, especially if you’re buying an expensive ticket or traveling with multiple people. Terms apply.

If you want to earn airline miles on an OTA booking

Deciding where to book your flight can be a challenge, especially when prices can differ between booking directly or choosing one of the many online travel agencies out there. Fortunately, no matter how you book, you can always make sure to earn airline miles with OTAs that can later be redeemed for valuable perks.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

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clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

The great booking debate: Is direct better than a third-party site?

Travelers swear by both methods, but the best way may be to use a little of each

Is it better to book your next trip directly with a travel company or turn to an online agency promising a good deal? As the popularity of online travel planning grows, the question can elicit strong opinions on either side.

Kathy Lopez, an author from Prescott, Ariz., prefers the direct approach, saying it allows her to cut out the middleman for her airline tickets. That means the carrier contacts her when there’s a schedule change. She says working with an intermediary can result in miscommunication — and even a missed flight.

For hotels, she finds that she’s treated like royalty with a direct booking. “I get perks of a top-tier member in loyalty programs, even if I’m not a top-tier loyalty program member,” Lopez says.

But other travelers feel differently. Mark Beales, a retired mortgage banker from Mill Creek, Wash., booked directly for years. But he recently had a problem with a car rental company in Ireland, which made him see the appeal of a third party.

“They wanted me to pay in dollars at a terrible exchange rate,” he recalls. “Appeals to the corporate office went nowhere.”

Beales wonders what would have happened if he had worked with an online travel agency that may have been able to negotiate a better deal for him. Would he have saved himself a lot of trouble by booking through Expedia or Booking.com?

Online travel agencies are in growth mode after a pandemic pause. According to the Business Research Company , the global online travel market is projected to grow from about $461 billion to about $972 billion between 2020 and 2025.

J.D. Power’s latest analysis suggests that travelers who book a hotel directly get slightly better customer service, with an overall satisfaction score of 838 out of a possible 1,000 points vs. 821, according to the company. They also get more bang for their buck, with an 808 in their “value for money score” for direct booking, compared with 793 points.

“Year after year, our research shows that guests who book directly with a hotel chain have a better overall experience,” says Andrea Stokes, who heads J.D. Power’s hospitality practice. It’s a sentiment broadly shared across other industry sectors, such as airlines and car rentals.

So why does direct booking have a small edge in customer satisfaction? That’s a question more travelers will be asking in the weeks ahead, as they plan spring break trips and start to consider summer vacation plans. To find out, you have to understand the differences between a direct and an online agency booking, and how travel companies will try to entice you to skip the middleman.

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What is a direct booking?

A direct booking means you’re making arrangements without the help of a travel agent or third-party booking company. You’re reserving airline tickets, hotel rooms or rental cars by contacting the business directly, which could be online, through its mobile app or by phone.

A direct booking can be significantly faster, because you don’t have to rely on a third party to complete it. Travel companies claim a direct booking is safer, because you only share your credit card information and other details with one party.

What is an agency or online booking?

A third-party booking means you’re letting someone else make the reservation on your behalf.

You work with a travel agency, adviser or — most common these days — automated platform, such as Expedia or Booking.com, to reserve your flight, hotel room or rental car. In the context of comparing a direct booking to a third-party booking, most people are referring to an online platform.

You asked: Do I need an international license to drive abroad?

What are the benefits of a direct booking?

Travel companies may offer incentives for customers to buy directly from them, including lower prices, extra loyalty points, special offers and other perks.

For example, at the Carlton Tel Aviv Hotel , guests who book directly can also get a taxi ride to the airport at no extra charge, a $40 value. If your direct booking is for more than three nights, the hotel will sometimes throw in a complimentary 45-minute massage and a room upgrade. “By means of a direct booking, we can build and nurture a strong relationship,” says Adi Uzan, the hotel’s sales and marketing director.

Guests at the Eastern Slope Inn in New Hampshire who book their reservation on the hotel’s website have access to the best rooms in the house, says Megan Scheid, the resort’s vice president of hospitality. “They also have access to last-room availability,” Scheid says. “We shut off the online travel agencies long before we sell out.” The Eastern Slope also offers a 10 percent discount on future bookings if guests buy directly with the hotel.

CitizenM, a hotel chain that caters to young companies and knowledge workers, offers discounts and perks through its free and paid membership programs. Special events for members include networking sessions or presentations from experts, such as a talk that CitizenM Miami Brickell will host with venture capital investor Jason Calacanis on Jan. 25.

The best way to recover after a long travel day

It’s not just hotels. At Seattle Ballooning , owner Eliav Cohen says he can take better care of his customers, because he can see all the details in their reservations and has direct contact with them.

“If guests use a third-party site, they typically have to go through them to make any changes, since they have different rules,” he says. “The process takes much longer, there are long hold times, and often ends up with frustrated guests.”

Cohen says that, in 2023, he plans to stop working with online travel agencies and accept only direct bookings.

Lastly, booking directly may help support a small business.

“Travelers may not know that third-party sites take up to 40 percent commission,” says Leanne Turner, chief operating officer of the hotel consulting company Alo Index . “Big hotel brands have the leverage to negotiate this percentage down, but independent hotels struggle to balance the wide distribution of a third-party booking site with losing nearly half the room revenue to commission.”

What are the benefits of booking online?

Should you stop using third-party websites to book flights, hotels and rental cars? Not necessarily.

Travel companies may treat you better when you book directly — of course they will if they’re saving a 40 percent commission — but there’s also a bigger picture.

Online agencies are an essential part of the travel ecosystem, because they allow easy price comparisons across a range of businesses. Some may also have access to deals you won’t find by booking directly.

So if you’re looking for a beachfront hotel in Tel Aviv, it’ll show you the Carlton — and the Savoy and the Dan — and it will let you compare prices. Without an online agency, you’d have to go to each hotel’s website and run a search, which might test your patience.

Online agencies have also upped their game with improved security, ensuring that your data is safe.

But the most significant benefit may be that, if something goes wrong, you’ll have a third party to help you fix your problem. (At the same time, the agency controls your booking, which may create its own challenges.)

“One of the most enduring and universal principles of hospitality is that guests should always be treated exactly the same, regardless of how they booked or who they are,” says Tim Hentschel, CEO of HotelPlanner , an online agency that specializes in group hotel bookings. “Of course, some guests have more unique needs and requests than others, such as celebrities or elected officials with entourages. But generally speaking, hotels should treat all guests equally, regardless of how they booked their stay.”

Even Lopez, the author who prefers direct bookings, says she sometimes uses an online agency.

“When I book an international trip, I use Booking.com, because I don’t stay in chain hotels,” she says, “so sometimes I need the power of an intermediary if I have an issue.”

She says Booking.com has helped her negotiate refunds on bad hotel stays that she booked abroad. Had she made the booking directly, she says, the hotel would probably have just ignored her.

Because online travel agencies have millions of customers, they can negotiate discounts that ordinary travelers can’t find on their own. And they can create dynamic packages — airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals — that can save you lots of money.

Take the online agency out of the equation, and everyone must pay retail, which is not good for customers.

Bottom line: It’s best to mix and match

The best strategy is to keep an open mind about booking. Run a price comparison on your favorite online travel agency. Then check if your airline, hotel or car rental agency can offer you a better deal by booking directly.

More spring travel tips

Trends: Cheaper spring break | Cool all-inclusives | Let ChatGPT plan your day | Is it safe to go to Mexico? | Book a free night in Sicily

The basics: Tip without cash | Traveling with kids | Decide where to stay | A pre-trip checklist of house chores | How to get your passport | Plan a ski trip | Eat without feeling terrible | Budget for your next trip | Plan a cheaper Disney trip

Flying: Fly like a decent human being | How to set airfare price alerts | Flying with an injury | PreCheck vs. Global Entry vs. CLEAR | Can I fly with weed? | AirTag your luggage | Airport parking 101 | Deal with airport crowds | Why Stalk airfare after booking

Driving: 9 tips for road tripping with a baby | Try the Airbnb of rental cars | Rent an EV | Do I need an international license to drive abroad? | Avoid big rental car fees

Greener travel: Bike to the airport | How environmentalists travel | How to find ‘greener’ flights | Make your travel better for the planet

Pets: How to travel with pets | Why the pet fee? | Pet flying 101 | Alternatives to flying with your pet

In case of emergency: Manage airport disasters | Your flight is canceled | How to get a human on the phone | What to do if your car gets stuck | Find your lost luggage | How to get a refund for a canceled flight | Deal with a bad hotel room | When you’re bumped off your flight | If you get rebooked without your family | What are my rebooking rights? | Recover a lost item at TSA, the airport or your flight

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The weirdly common, very expensive travel scam you should avoid

Do not click on that travel website (probably).

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Kathy could have sworn she called Qatar Airways to change her flight last spring. Looking through her call records now, she clearly didn’t. Instead, she wound up talking to a third-party booker called Infinity Travels. She has paid Infinity thousands of dollars she may never get back, even after spending countless hours trying.

Her labyrinth of a saga is hard to keep straight. In November 2022, she realized she would need to fly back home to Canada early from a trip to visit her husband in the Middle East scheduled for the following March. She called to make the switch. Kathy, who asked to withhold her last name to protect her privacy, spent six hours on the phone in the endeavor.

Initially, she says she was told she’d need to spend 1,650 Canadian dollars on a new flight and would get a CA$2,700 credit from the airline — she wanted a refund, not a credit, and was transferred to a supposed supervisor. The next agent told her she needed to pay CA$6,990 for the new flight and that she’d receive a refund of CA$8,080 after she had taken her departing flights. She took the deal, which was confirmed in an email from Infinity. “It was dumb of me,” she says. “But by this time it was 1 am and I was so tired.”

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That refund never came through, and Kathy has been locked in a battle with Infinity for months, which is taking place over WhatsApp and the phone. Infinity claimed the initial agent who offered her the refund was fired for making unauthorized deals. A subsequent agent she spoke to — while on her vacation — told her they would refund CA$4,250, nearly half the original amount promised. That was supposed to come through if she agreed not to dispute the CA$6,990 charge, which she did. That agent seems to have disappeared, too, after allegedly being promoted to a new job.

Kathy isn’t sure how she found that wrong number to make her flight change, but it seems likely she did an internet search and called the number that came up without checking its provenance. “It’s incredibly frustrating,” she says. “For me, the money sucks to lose, but it’s more like how are they getting away with doing this? Because I’m sure there are other people.”

There are. A look at TrustPilot and the Better Business Bureau shows others have had similarly confusing experiences with Infinity.

People all over the world get sucked into a variety of travel-related schemes and scams all the time. In this day and age of vacation, sketchy websites and companies and third-party bookers abound.

Third-party booking websites and companies — meaning entities consumers can use to handle reservations without dealing directly with, for example, an airline — are everywhere. Not all of them are bad. Plenty of people use them without issue all the time, including popular ones such as Expedia, Travelocity, and Booking.com. But some of them employ shady and even fraudulent tactics.

These operations seek to get consumers’ money by saying they’ll take care of their travel plans, booking their plane tickets, hotels, and rental cars, or even helping them get their passports faster. They then go on to charge exorbitant fees for executing the transaction or making minor changes and often give consumers the runaround. Sometimes, they never reserve anything at all. Victims of these scams show up at the airport for a flight that doesn’t exist, or appear at a hotel to sleep in a room that was never booked, and their money’s just gone.

Feelings can run high when people travel, whether they’re going to an event or spending time with family and friends or just getting a much-needed and much-anticipated break. “That’s one thing scammers prey on,” said Melanie McGovern, director of public relations and social media for the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, “the emotion of it all.”

Kathy’s emotions got the better of her the night she made that payment to Infinity — endless hours on the phone will do that to you. Since then, she has gotten about CA$325 back from Qatar Airways. After months of wrangling (and after I reached out for comment for this story), Infinity returned CA$1,816 to her. She’s got all of the documentation from the ordeal: emails, text messages, recorded phone calls. It’s just not clear whether any of that matters.

Kathy still has that number she first called saved in her phone as “Qatar Airways Help,” even though that’s not what it is. When you call the number now, the person on the other end of the line simply says, “Reservations.” It’s easy to see how people get tricked.

Qatar Airways said in a statement that Infinity is a travel agent that is entitled to sell its tickets, like many others, but that as an airline, “we do not forward phone calls to travel agents, and we do not accept agents making promises on our behalf.” Infinity said in an email it was “disappointed to hear about the poor experience by this individual” and did not respond to a follow-up email.

One of the primary ways fraudulent third-party companies suck people in is with the promise of a deal. They offer a price that seems too good to be true — because it is — and people’s internet-driven deal-hunting instincts take over.

“The biggest thing we see are the people who are using a third-party website trying to get something a little bit cheaper,” McGovern said. “We know travel can be really, really expensive, and ... people are trying to find an alternative.”

That’s what happened to Sarah, who asked for her last name to be withheld to protect her privacy, when she was trying to snag a flight to Iceland to see the northern lights in late 2022. Most of the flights she found were above her $800 budget, but she found one option for $755 from a website called Travelcation. After booking the trip, she received an email from the company saying the fare she had agreed to was no longer available and had increased to $995.

Sarah noted the email had weird language and grammatical errors, as did the company’s website, upon further inspection. She then googled “Travelcation scams.” “I started reading these horror stories,” she says. She responded to the email saying she didn’t agree to the new price and alerted her bank that any attempted charge would be unauthorized. “My card never ended up getting charged, so I managed to avoid the worst of it,” she says. She took a budget-friendlier trip to Puerto Rico instead.

A spokesperson for Travelcation said in an email that in the travel industry it’s “not uncommon” for prices to fluctuate because of issues such as airline ticket availability, dynamic pricing, taxes, fees, and other charges added during the booking process.

What is uncommon, or at least should be, is for prices to fluctuate after booking.

Reporting for this story, I spoke with multiple experts and individuals about their experiences with scammy websites and travel agencies and combed through complaints to the Better Business Bureau. Many of the strategies these entities employ are quite simple — and effective.

Some websites will figure out how to game search engines like Google . Travelers might think they’re calling Delta or Hilton or Hertz but are actually on the phone with someone else because they just called whatever number came up in search results or on some website without verifying it’s right. The numbers can be completely different from the actual phone number, or they might be one or two off — and 888 instead of 800.

In the same vein, consumers wind up on these websites because they appear in their searches, sometimes because those websites have paid to rank higher. People then book there, not realizing the website is untrustworthy. The site in question then follows up with a call or email saying that the price of the booking has increased to try to squeeze more out of consumers there, or they charge super-high fees for small changes. (Assuming they make the booking at all, which doesn’t always happen.)

Jim still isn’t entirely sure how he wound up in his predicament. He called Delta’s phone number on a voice over internet service (VoIP) to book a flight to San Francisco; in his first interaction, everything seemed fine. He got a confirmation email from a company called Boketo, not Delta, but he didn’t immediately notice. A while later, he realized his middle initial was incorrect on the reservation, so he called to change it. After agreeing to pay $200 and receiving a follow-up email, this time from an outfit called Travel Makers, it dawned on him he had been duped. “That’s when I recognized that I’m an idiot,” he says.

Jim reported the charges as fraud to his credit card company, which he thought would be the end of it. But in the lead-up to his trip, he says the agent he first dealt with began calling him and harassing him, saying she would not issue his tickets unless he restored the $200 payment. In the end, the flights went just fine, although Jim was worried until he successfully boarded his plane. He asked for his last name to be withheld out of fear of more harassment from the agent.

Jim’s phone records show he did indeed call Delta’s real number, which is quite disturbing. A spokesperson for Delta recommended consumers take extra precautions when using VoIP internet calling to make sure their service is secure. “Whenever we become aware of an alleged scam targeting our customers, including in this situation, we immediately conduct an investigation. Using the facts gained from an investigation, when able, we can then address each unique situation as appropriate with the necessary legal means at our disposal,” the spokesperson said.

Boketo did not respond to a request for comment for this story. When I reached out to Travel Makers for comment, someone purporting to be from the company said that it has nothing to do with Boketo and that the situation “seems like a case of misplaced anger.” They defended the extra $200 charge. Their email address was listed as Fly Cheapest Online.

There is no surefire way to scam-proof your life or even your next vacation, but there are measures you can take to try to protect yourself.

The first step is really to slow down, take a deep breath, and pay attention to what you’re doing, said Amy Nofziger, the director of fraud victim support with AARP. It’s not always easy — people’s lives are busy, and we’re often distracted or in a hurry or stressed. But those situations are where we’re likeliest to make mistakes.

Nofziger also said to be wary of offers that are really out of step with the rest of the market. “If you find the best deal on a flight or on a car, I would be really suspect of why it’s the best deal. Go into this with the mindset that I think this is a scam until I’m proven otherwise,” she says. “Even if you think you’re going to get the deal of the century, they’re going to get the deal of the century, not you.”

If the website’s charging you $500 less than everywhere else, question why that might be. Yes, it feels good to beat the system, but there might not be a system to beat. This goes not only for hotels and flights but also, for example, for expedited passport processing, which Nofziger says AARP gets complaints about weekly. Consumers pay some website extra to get their passports faster, only to hand over sensitive personal information in exchange for no quicker service. “There really is no ‘beat the system’ with the State Department,” she says. “I suggest everyone pull their passport out today, look at when it expires, and start the process.”

If you see a website offering what appears to be a good deal, open up another browser and type the name of that site in along with words like “scam,” “fraud,” and “reviews.” You might save yourself a real headache, depending on what you find. “Do your research,” McGovern says.

Experts say it generally is better to book directly with the hotel or airline or whatever you’re trying to accomplish, or at least to start there. And triple-check the number you’re calling. Really. “Travel agents can be reputable ... but you need to be clear that who you’re talking to is who you intended to talk to,” says Summer Hull, director of content at The Points Guy. “If you intended to talk to American Airlines and you’re now talking to a travel agency, that’s a red flag.”

You should also be suspicious if you get a follow-up phone call asking for more information. “Never provide personal information to an inbound call, even to an airline,” Hull says. “They should not be calling you to ask for your confirmation number or your credit card number or your flight plan,” she said. If you’re not sure it’s legitimate, say you’ll call them back.

There can be some recourse in the event you are scammed. You can try to dispute charges as fraud with your credit card company, which is why it’s always best to pay with a credit card (and not with Venmo, crypto, or a prepaid card). You can also report your experiences on websites such as the Better Business Bureau, TrustPilot, and other places, and, if necessary, contact law enforcement. Still, options are limited.

“Most people don’t think they’re ever going to be scammed, but unfortunately, I’ve had this job for 21 years, and I don’t see it going away anytime soon,” Nofziger says.

As for Kathy, she remains stuck in what feels like a doom loop, most of her refund still pending.

We live in a world that’s constantly trying to sucker us and trick us, where we’re always surrounded by scams big and small. It can feel impossible to navigate. Every two weeks, join Emily Stewart to look at all the little ways our economic systems control and manipulate the average person. Welcome to The Big Squeeze .

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Have ideas for a future column or thoughts on this one? Email [email protected] .

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Travel Agencies Are Third Parties Too

Companies doing business in the global marketplace engage all types of third parties. Generally, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance tends to focus, with good reason, on third parties such as agents, representatives, distributors and others that assist a company in  obtaining or retaining business .

However, given the DOJ and SEC’s broad interpretation of that key element of the FCPA’s anti-bribery provisions, any third party that has a point of contact with a foreign official – even if outside the context of foreign government procurement – can potentially expose a business organization to scrutiny and enforcement.

This includes travel agencies as recently demonstrated by the Novartis enforcement action. As highlighted in this prior post , among the allegations were the following:

“By sponsoring Greek State HCPs to attend congresses, Novartis Greece paid for the costs associated with that Greek State HCP’s attendance, such as airfare, hotel accommodations, and congress registration fees. Novartis Greece typically paid for travel costs associated with congresses through third-party travel agencies.”

The Novartis enforcement action was certainly not the only recent FCPA enforcement action to reference travel agencies as a problematic third party. Indeed, in the first FCPA enforcement action against Novartis in 2016 the SEC found:

“In connection with the SEC Staff s investigation and in response to media reports concerning a competitor in August 2013, Novartis instituted an expansive review of its relationships in China with travel and event planning vendors. Novartis’ internal review showed that the vast majority of these vendors were retained in connection with events in which HCPs attended. It also identified a significant percentage of events that did not comply with existing Novartis Corporate policies and procedures. This included events for which no record existed to verify it had occurred, events for which inconsistent records existed, and events that could not be verified from available information. Through this mechanism of using travel agencies and similar vendors to plan events, funds were generated that were used to provide improper payments and other inducements to HCPs in order to increase sales of Novartis products.”

Set forth below are other FCPA enforcement actions in the modern era that reference travel agencies.

In the SciClone enforcement action , the SEC found:

“Local Chinese travel companies were routinely hired to provide services (such as arranging transportation, accommodations, and meals for HCPs) in connection with what were ostensibly legitimate conferences, seminars, and other events. In addition to a lack of due diligence for these third party vendors, prior to 2012, there was a lack of controls over the events to ensure they had an appropriate business purpose and that the events actually occurred. Many events did not include a legitimate educational purpose or the educational activities were minimal in comparison to the sightseeing or recreational activities.”

In the FLIR Systems enforcement action , the SEC found:

“Although FLIR had policies and procedures over travel for its domestic operations, there were no controls or policies in place governing the use of foreign travel agencies. Instead, FLIR foreign sales employees worked directly with FLIR’s foreign travel agencies to arrange travel for themselves and others. Sales managers, such as Timms, were solely responsible for expense approvals for their sales staff. Timms’ manager was responsible for approving travel-related expenses for all non-U.S.-based senior sales employees (such as Timms) and approving the payment of large invoices to the foreign travel agencies.”

In the GlaxoSmithKline enforcement action , the SEC found:

“Among the ways employees were able to fund payments to HCPs was the use of collusive third party vendors, such as those used to perform planning and travel services for events involving HCPs. Between 2010 and June 2013, GSKCI spent nearly RMB 1.4 billion (USD $225 million) on planning and travel services. Test sampling showed that approximately 44 percent of the sampled invoices were inflated and approximately 12 percent were for events that did not occur.”

In the Pfizer/Wyeth enforcement action , the SEC found:

“Wyeth China employees took steps to conceal the true nature of the payments by falsifying expense reimbursement requests and, in concert with local travel agencies, by submitting false or inflated invoices and other supporting documentation for large-scale consumer education events, resulting in those transactions being falsely recorded in Wyeth China’s books and records.”

In the AstraZeneca enforcement action , the SEC found:

“In numerous instances, AZ China sales staff submitted, and managerial employees knowingly approved, fake fapiao (tax receipts) for fraudulent reimbursements to generate cash that was used to make improper payments to HCPs. Other methods were also used, such as establishing bank accounts in doctors’ names as part of an improper payment scheme, or engaging a collusive travel vendor who submitted fake or inflated invoices to generate cash that could be used to funnel money to HCPs. […] AZN did not employ reasonable due diligence and monitoring of third-party contractors engaged by its China and Russia subsidiaries, such as travel vendors who provided false invoices to the subsidiaries’ employees that facilitated the unauthorized use of corporate funds to improperly incentivize HCPs.”

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6 reasons to avoid booking through an online travel agency

Editor's Note

Editor's note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Online travel agencies and third-party booking sites are everywhere. You probably recognize names like Expedia, Booking.com, Travelocity, Priceline, Hotels.com, Kayak and many more. Even Walmart has a booking site now for Walmart+ members .

Most of us have probably browsed these sites at some point and perhaps used one or two to book a trip.

Online travel agencies, or OTAs, certainly can help you sift through prices and itineraries across many airlines, hotel chains, rental properties and car companies. In theory, they keep you from having to visit a host of different websites before booking a trip.

They also provide the added benefit (in the eyes of some, at least) of populating all of your travel details in one place, from your flight to your hotel stay and car rental.

But these sites also have glaring drawbacks to consider. It can be more complicated (and sometimes more expensive) to change and cancel flights after booking with an OTA. And in some cases, hotel loyalty members are unable to earn points or enjoy elite status benefits .

Through the years, we've heard from plenty of TPG readers who have run into headaches trying to change, cancel or otherwise get assistance after booking through an OTA.

Here are some reasons that booking through one of these sites might not be right for you.

Cancellation and change fees can be more punitive than booking directly

Emerging from the depths of the pandemic, one of the more positive enduring changes for air travel was that the largest U.S. airlines generally kept change fees away — at least when it comes to their full-fare economy tickets (in other words, not basic economy).

However, it's possible to still run into fees when changing or canceling tickets booked through an OTA.

In some cases, airlines may penalize customers who book through a third-party site and want to make ticket changes. For example, American Airlines' policy says: "An additional charge (per person) will be required for reservations made by travel agents or through another website that are changed by our Reservations, airport or Travel Center personnel."

Generally, you can expect these sorts of extra charges to be passed on from the OTA to customers.

Some of these third-party booking sites also impose their own fees for certain ticket changes or cancellations.

If you're flying with a budget airline or on a fare that does include airline-imposed fees for altering your itinerary, that could mean paying your booking site's fee on top of whatever the airline charges.

For instance, Priceline says it may impose its own fees even if the airline doesn't.

"If your flight's fare rules allow a change, a per ticket exchange processing fee may apply," the OTA's website cautions.

Though some OTAs never impose additional service charges, why would you complicate things and add a middleman to the process if you don't need to? Unless you find a fare you can't book directly with an airline or hotel, there's often little reason to use an OTA.

Getting a refund can be difficult

It can be challenging enough to get your hands on a refund for a canceled flight or hotel stay, even if you're entitled to one .

Airlines doled out billions of dollars in refunds during the worst of the pandemic but have since tightened up some of the ultra-flexible policies they had at the height of COVID-19's spread.

Even when you are owed a refund, though, requesting one from the airline isn't always the easiest process ... whether you choose to wait on hold with customer service by phone or send an email.

With an OTA, you're often injecting a middleman into the discussion since your booking site may need to check with the airline to see if it can process a refund on your behalf.

And if the travel provider is less than eager to refund you, do you trust the OTA to go to bat for you like you would yourself?

When these travel disruptions occur, you can end up stuck in a lot of back and forth with the airline or travel provider and the OTA before receiving the money you deserve .

You may not earn points or elite credit

This one's very simple: When you book hotels through OTAs, don't expect to earn points or elite-qualifying credit for your bookings. Most major chains consider these third-party bookings to be "ineligible rates," so you're usually out of luck if you're trying to earn points toward your next redemption.

Likewise, if you booked a hotel through an OTA, don't expect to receive any of your elite benefits.

So, if you hold The Platinum Card® from American Express , your complimentary Hilton Honors Gold and Marriott Bonvoy Gold status is meaningless if you decide to book through an OTA. Say goodbye to your free breakfast at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi .

Related: Can you earn airline miles booking through OTAs?

Now, there are a couple of caveats here. You typically can earn airline miles and elite-qualifying credit even when booking through an OTA.

And, travelers nowhere near elite status with a major hotel loyalty program might not care about earning hotel points — especially since some OTAs now have their own loyalty programs. Most notably, there's the new One Key program encompassing Expedia, Hotels.com and rental property site Vrbo.

That being said, you don't have to be a road warrior to earn points; the right credit card strategy can take care of that.

You can't count on prompt customer support

Reaching customer service when something goes wrong often isn't easy when you book via an OTA.

Some sites have made it difficult to speak to a human unless you're within a week of your scheduled trip.

And even if you do manage to get in touch with someone, finding an agent willing to work with your itinerary may be a challenge.

To reduce their costs as much as possible, OTAs have generally shied away from offering robust customer service.

Instead, you'll often be asked to complete all of your changes and ask any questions online; you'll only have the option to speak with a representative by phone when things go really wrong.

The deals aren't always as good as they look

By now, you're probably asking yourself why anyone would book through an OTA. It almost always comes down to the fact that it's cheaper to book through an OTA than directly with the travel provider. But, I'd argue that it may not be as good of a deal as it appears.

As I mentioned, you won't earn hotel points or receive elite benefits on OTA bookings.

If you have status that would otherwise give you free breakfast, parking, lounge access or late checkout, the value of these benefits can add up quickly. If you booked through an OTA, you're not entitled to any of them.

Furthermore, most hotel chains have a best-rate guarantee. If you find a lower rate on an OTA, you can often try to first match the rate with the hotel chain.

If you're successful, it's the best of both worlds: You get your loyalty benefits and the lowest price.

Now, you might argue that this logic doesn't apply to flights since you still earn miles when booking through an OTA, and airlines don't generally price match.

Nonetheless, you should always factor in the possibility of needing to change your itinerary.

In that case, as mentioned, you may end up paying an additional service charge on top of whatever the airline charges you. Not to mention, you'll spend a while navigating phone trees and waiting on hold.

So, even if it looks like a good deal on paper, be sure to factor in the additional costs — money and stress.

Good luck during blizzards and thunderstorms

What happens when your flight is significantly delayed or canceled , or you can't make it to your hotel due to weather or other issues?

Typically, during major weather events, flights are governed by airline waivers, which make it easier for travelers to make penalty-free itinerary changes.

However, if you book through an OTA, you'll likely still have to go through the process of calling that booking company's customer service to make changes. Suffice it to say, getting through can be a challenge during a large snowstorm.

What's more, OTAs will generally follow the airline waiver to the letter of the law, whereas an airline agent might be more flexible.

While airline customer service might find a way to get you on a flight a day early ahead of a blizzard without charging any cost difference, an OTA agent may not be able to offer you that same courtesy.

The same is true for hotels. I've needed to cancel hotels at the last minute when travel plans get derailed because of the weather. For the few times I've booked through an OTA, I've always been told that I need to follow the written cancellation policy of the OTA. But, when I booked directly, I almost never had an issue getting the cancellation fee waived.

Related reading:

• Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a beginner or expert traveler
• The best travel credit cards
• The 18 best places to travel in 2023
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without

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Top 7 best travel agency software in 2024

What is travel agency software and who is it useful for, what benefits does travel agent software offer.

• Simplified booking processes: Customers can compare and book flights, accommodation, and services from various suppliers via a user-friendly travel booking system.
• Automation of back-office tasks: Automated itinerary creation, invoicing, and payments help businesses save time and boost productivity.
• Real-time inventory management: Centralized inventory data enables businesses to make customized recommendations and prevent overbooking.
• Built-in Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Businesses can better manage customer relationships by tracking interactions and preferences.
• Immediate cost savings: Businesses can access negotiated rates and discounts to provide competitive pricing.
• Enhanced decision-making: Businesses can easily access insights into sales, revenue, and other key metrics to help inform future business strategies.

What features and functionality to look for in travel agency software

The best travel agency software in 2024, 1. travelperk.

Core strengths:

How customers rate travelperk, travelperk pricing.

• Starter: This plan is completely free to use, with no monthly subscription fee. The first 5 bookings each month are completely free too (with a 5% booking fee thereafter). You’ll have access to consolidated invoicing, unlimited cost centers, one policy and approval workflow, and travel restriction information and alerts.
• Premium: For $99/month and a 3% booking fee, you’ll have access to concierge services and savings of up to 25% with VAT-ready invoices.
• Pro: For $299/month and a 3% booking fee, you'll unlock unlimited policy and approval workflows, unlimited budgets by cost center, custom reports and insights, and access to corporate rates.
• Enterprise: This option is designed for enterprise businesses that want to customize their requirements. To find out more about this plan, get in touch with an expert .

Discover today how to give your execs a top-notch travel experience that will have them smiling every step of the way.

• A centralized booking platform provides travel agents with access to a range of travel options, including flights, accommodations, car rentals, and more.
• Sabre’s GDS allows travel agents to search, compare, and book travel services for their clients.
• A mobile app enables travel management companies (TMCs), corporate travel managers, and travelers to access, manage and organize their business trips and itineraries.
• CRM tools help travel agencies manage customer information, preferences, and communication history.
• Reporting and analytics features provide insights into booking patterns, sales performance, and other key metrics to help travel agencies make informed business decisions.

How customers rate Sabre

Sabre pricing.

• Businesses can publish mini websites for each project to help their clients visualize the whole trip in one go.
• Businesses can consolidate suppliers within a personal catalog for easy management.
• Budgets can be adjusted flexibly using dynamic pricing to align with each client's requirements.
• Ezus automates trip costing to help agencies stay within each client's budget.
• Travel proposal documents and quotes can be customized and tailored to an agency’s unique branding.

How customers rate Ezus

Pricing information.

• Starter: $139 per month.
• Professional: $399 per month.
• Premium: $849 per month.
• Enterprise: Customized subscription prices are available for larger enterprises.

4. Dolphin Dynamics

• Tools to help manage and book travel services, including flights, accommodations, tours, car rentals, and cruises.
• A travel CRM helps agencies manage customer information, preferences, communication history, and interactions to boost targeted marketing efforts.
• Integrations with suppliers, including airlines, hotels, and car rental companies help agents access real-time product availability and accurate pricing information.
• Reporting and analytics features enable travel agencies to gain insights into sales, revenue, booking trends, and other key performance metrics.
• Each platform and its workflows and processes are customizable to meet the unique needs of each business.

How customers rate Dolphin Dynamics

Learn more about travelperk, 5. travelport.

• Travel agents can access booking platforms where they can search, compare, and book flights, accommodation, car rentals, and other travel services from multiple suppliers.
• Travelport provides APIs that enable travel agencies to integrate Travelport's data and booking capabilities into their own systems and websites.
• The platform’s “Productivity Automator” feature streamlines workflows and reduces the number of manual back-office tasks.
• Businesses can process payments, manage commissions, and handle financial transactions within the platform.
• Travel agencies can access reporting and analytics tools to gain insights into sales, revenue, booking trends, and other important performance metrics.

How customers rate Travelport

Travelport pricing.

• Businesses can improve efficiency and reduce costs with completely automated sales workflows.
• A reporting engine helps businesses access accurate profitability reports for each tour and package product.
• Reports on supplier performance help companies understand the revenue generated for each supplier, aiding in renegotiations for better commissions.
• Businesses can access multilingual quotes, invoices, and travel itineraries.
• Automated payment reminders enable quicker reconciliation.

How customers rate Lemax

Lemax pricing.

• Juniper’s booking engine enables businesses to create personalized vacation packages for their customers.
• Businesses can access yield management tools and adjust prices and offers according to market conditions.
• A flexible booking system enables customers, travel agencies, and affiliates to offer products at discounted or commission-based rates.
• Wholesale tour operators can easily offer a wide range of products from a single platform to reach thousands of clients.
• Businesses can manage their product portfolios and update availability, change prices, and sell complementary products directly from the platform.

How customers rate Juniper

Juniper pricing.

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Ukraine war latest updates: Sky News reports from town under attack - as 'fierce fighting' rages in Kharkiv

Fighting is ongoing in Kharkiv, Ukraine's governor for the region has said - as Russia claims it has taken control of multiple villages. It follows a surprise offensive by Putin's military on Friday morning.

Sunday 12 May 2024 09:14, UK

• More than 4,000 civilians have fled Kharkiv region after Friday morning's surprise attack by Putin's military
• Eyewitness:   Sky's Deborah Haynes reports from town 'being flattened' in offensive
• Analysis:  Russia's attack in Kharkiv region not a complete surprise - but the force of it is
• Ukraine shelling kills one and injures 29 in Russia's Belgorod, says region's governor  
• Russian forces 'contained' and have not advanced further, says Ukrainian military spokesperson
• Live reporting by Jake Levison

Lord Cameron has spoken Trevor Phillips this morning on Sky News.

Asked about Russia's surprise offensive in Kharkiv, the UK's foreign secretary says this is an "extremely dangerous" moment.

"This only underlines that this is an unjustified, illegal invasion by Putin into an independent, sovereign country," he says.

"And he's now, as it were, invaded it again from the north of Kharkiv. We must do everything we can to help the Ukrainians.

"That's why it's so essential we've given our £3bn a year package, and we've said that that's going to go on year after year. We're encouraging others to do the same. 

"And, crucially, the work we've done to encourage the Americans to come forward with their package. I mean, it's sad that it's taken long to come, but it will make a difference."

So has the American input - a $61bn package - come too late?

"It would have been better if it came earlier, because there's no doubt that Ukraine was suffering in the land war, as it were," he says.

"We all need to do more, that is what the UK is doing, we're leading once again. First to do tanks, first to do anti-tank weapons, first to do long-range artillery.

"Now the first to say here is a package that isn't just this year, it's next year and the year after. But the American money will make a difference - so we've got to get in there, give the Ukrainians the support they need.

"They have no problems - I was there the other day - their morale is still strong, they are still inflicting appalling casualty rates on the Russians.

"If only the Russians could see how many people they are losing.

"If other countries did all the things the UK is doing in terms of long-range weapons, in terms of the training and support. We've just basically got to make our strength count."

By  Deborah Haynes , security and defence editor

Flames and black smoke chugged from the windows of a two-storey apartment block in a frontline Ukrainian town.

Residents said a Russian missile or bomb had punched a large crater into the soil in front of the building, devastating their homes.

The attack had only happened a short while ago and the scene on Saturday morning was still chaotic, with people worried the fire would spread to a row of apartments next door.

"There are pensioners inside," said one man. "If the fire gets in, they will be burnt."

Firefighters had yet to arrive, but the town of Vovchansk, barely three miles from the Russian border, has become a warzone since Russia launched a surprise new offensive in the northeast of Ukraine in the early hours of Friday morning.

Shocked and crying, a lady, who gave her name as Valentyna, swept up broken glass on the ground.

"Everyone is suffering," the 59-year-old said.

Read more here ...

More than 4,000 residents have been evacuated from parts of the Kharkiv region where fighting is taking place.

That number's been provided by the region's governor,  Oleh Syniehubovan, who gave an update on Telegram this morning.

It's up from 2,500 yesterday afternoon. 

Mr Syniehubovan said emergency services had helped the residents leave and was providing accommodation to anyone who didn't have family or friends to stay with outside of the region.

Although Mr Syniehubovan hasn't specified where all 4,000 evacuations took place within Kharkiv, we know that at least 1,000 of them were from the town of Vovchansk, barely three miles from the Russian border.

The town with a population of just 3,000, located just three miles from Ukraine's border with Russia, has become a warzone since Russia launched its surprise attack on Friday morning.

We'll have more for you on the situation in Vovchansk shortly.

The governor of Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine said one woman has been killed and 29 wounded by continuous attacks by Ukraine over the weekend.

"The city of Belgorod and Belgorod region were subjected to massive shelling by Ukrainian armed forces," governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram late on Saturday.

He did not specify when the shelling took place, but claimed about 300 flats in 85 apartment buildings and four commercial properties were damaged, and that four roofs of apartment buildings had received direct hits.

A city hospital, a children's regional hospital, a school and two sports facilities were also damaged, he said.

The image below was supplied to Reuters via the Belgorod governor, who claims the damaged vehicles are at the site of a recent military strike in the region.

The reports have not been independently confirmed and there has been no comment from Ukrainian officials.

Kyiv officials say its attacks do not target civilians but are launched at Russia's military, energy and transport infrastructure to undermine Moscow's war effort and respond to Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Hello and welcome back to our coverage of the war in Ukraine.

Yesterday fierce fighting in Kharkiv continued after Russia launched its surprise offensive in northeastern Ukraine on Friday.

Russia's defence ministry claimed its troops had taken five border villages in the region, though Ukrainian officials insisted fighting was ongoing in those villages and Russia's forces were being "contained" there.

Ukrainian officials continued helping thousands of civilians evacuate due to the heavy shelling.

Before we press on with updates from today, here's a look at other major events from the past day. They all relate to the Russian city of Belgorod, which borders Ukraine:

The UK's Ministry of Defence highlighted reports suggesting a Russian fighter aircraft accidentally dropped a bomb on a civilian area in Belgorod last week;

Russia's defence ministry said its forces downed 21 Ukrainian rockets and 16 drones across its Belgorod, Kursk and Volgograd regions yesterday morning;

The governor of Russia's Belgorod region said one man was killed and another injured after one Ukrainian drone hit a parked truck on the border village of Novostroyevka-Pervaya.

Russia says its troops have taken five villages and the Kharkiv region's governor says they are trying to take more as fierce fighting continues.

But Nazar Voloshyn, a spokesperson for Ukraine's military in the east, insists Moscow's troops are being contained in those villages.

"The enemy is contained in the grey zone, and it is not expanding," he said in a Ukrainian television interview, according to the Kyiv Independent.

The so-called "grey zone" refers to the villages of Borysivka, Ohirtseve, Pylna and Strilecha, all of which are directly on the border with Russia's Belgorod region.

Russian officials said they had also captured another village, Pletenivka.

As we reported earlier, Kharkiv's governor says fighting is ongoing in all the villages Russia has already claimed to have taken.

More now from Kharkiv's governor, who says 2,500 people have now been evacuated from the danger zone in Kharkiv, up from 1,775 this morning.

Oleh Syniehubov says regional authorities are continuing to get civilians out of the areas where fighting continues. 

And while Russia's defence ministry said earlier its forces had taken five border villages in the Kharkiv region, Mr Syniehubov says clashes are still ongoing in all five of the villages.

"As of now the enemy keeps pressing in the north of our region. Our forces have repelled nine attacks," he said in his media briefing.

Top Ukrainian officials have repeatedly said they do not believe Russia has the capacity to launch a successful operation to capture the city of Kharkiv, home to 1.3 million people.

But analysts have suggested Mr Putin's end goal may not be to capture the entire city, but rather to better protect the Russian border and to spread Ukraine's military more thinly.

Our security and defence editor   Deborah Haynes   is reporting to us from a residential area that was just hit by a Russian strike in Vovchansk.

She's standing by a block that's in flames and says local residents she's spoken to are scared the fire will spread to other residential blocks too.

One of the residents of the destroyed block, who had suffered injuries to her leg as a result of the explosion, spoke to Haynes.

"She doesn't know what to do - she's very confused," Haynes says. "This is a scene of chaos and terror."

She says the rest of the town is also "pretty much destroyed", adding explosions can still be heard nearby.

Haynes adds the town is still very much "under attack".

The Russian military is continuing its attacks in Kharkiv, the region's governor says.

Oleh Syniehubov said President Putin's troops were still trying to advance further after reportedly taking up to 1km yesterday.

The fierce fighting is raging across three villages near the Ukrainian border, he added.

His comments came shortly after Russia's defence ministry claimed its forces had taken five border villages in the Kharkiv region. 

Ukraine is yet to directly comment on Russia's claims.

The UK's Ministry of Defence has highlighted reports suggesting a Russian fighter aircraft accidentally dropped a bomb on a civilian area in Belgorod. 

The intelligence update relates to an incident on 4 May - not on the overnight drone strike in Belgorod we reported earlier. 

Here's what the ministry said: 

"It has been reported that a Russian fighter aircraft accidentally released a FAB-500 munition on a civilian area in Belgorod, Russia on 04 May 2024. 

"The Belgorod Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed the explosion and damage on Razdobarkina street, Belgorod without identifying the cause. 

"30 houses and 10 cars were damaged, with five individuals requiring hospital care, illustrating the destructive power of the munition.

"This is not an isolated incident. On 18 February a FAB-250 was reportedly released on Soloti in the Belgorod area which led to the evacuation of 150 residents. 

"Media outlets suggest that such discharges are fairly common with 20 lost munitions accidentally dropped in the Belgorod region alone between March to April 2024.

"These instances indicate Russia's continued inability to successfully employ their munitions on intended targets. Such errors have destructive and lethal consequences for the Russian population."

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