The Site: Vayama.com
- Compare more international air tickets than ANY other site on the web: Search 100+ airlines in 191 countries on Vayama.
- The first dedicated international travel web site – Devoted to international travel to and from the United States.
- For European flights, Vayama has partnered with Wegolo.com, which was “chosen by Conde Nast as the best flight engine for lowcost carriers in Europe“.
- For hotel searches and rental cars, Vayama has partnered with Kayak.
- Interactive world map and innovated 3-D seat maps. Shows you the routes on a world map while you are searching for cheap international flights.
- Foreign City Guides
- Foreign country etiquette guides
- Travel tips
- Taxi and public transportation information.
- Passport, visa, health and safety information.
The Good:
The Vayama site is very easy to navagate. Uncluttered and simple. It is common to find some of the cheapest international air tickets on Vayama, and Vayama has several coupon codes that can save you up to $25 a ticket.
Some other aspects that we must mention in our Vayama review: If you are traveling internationally, check out Vayama’s etiquitte guide for the country you are visiting. “According to a survey sponsored by vayama, over half of travelers (54%) said they typically stick to U.S. customs when traveling abroad, and nearly half (47%) said they did something when traveling outside the U.S. that they later learned was inappropriate behavior in that country“! We say: Don’t be a jerk, do a little research before you go….”When in Rome…”. On Vayama’s site, click on “insights” tab, and choose “Country Etiquette”, which will pull up a list of about 30 different countries to choose from. We are also big fans of Vayama’s international “City Guides”. Also found on the “insights” tab of their site. Talk about details! Let’s say you are traveling to Dehli, India for the first time. The “City Guide” will tell you how many miles the nearest airport is, and even how much a taxi, bus, or limo will cost you. Read on for information on shopping, activities, restaurants, and attractions.
Click on the “in the air” tab on Vayama, and select “Deals”, and you can compare 100’s of cheap international airfares departing from your nearest major airport. If you are flexible and up for some adventure, just select the airport closest to your home and leave the destination open. Who knows? Perhaps you will find a great deal to Bali and jet!
The Bad:
The change/cancellation fee is a little steep. Make sure you have travel insurance and that your travel plans are solid.
The Fees*:
- Service/Booking fee up to $20 per Vayama air ticket (non-refundable). It is not always this much. The exact amount depends on destination.
- Shipping charge of $20 per total booking, only if paper ticketing is required.
- $100 per person to change or cancel a flight. This charge goes to Vayama.
- In addition, keep in mind that airlines also charge a fee to change/cancel an air ticket. This charge is from the airline, and Vayama will be required to pass this charge onto you. This can range up to $400 for an international ticket, plus any increases in ticket price for your new ticket. Some tickets cannot be changed or cancelled, so read the fare rules before you buy. Many are confused by this, and think that Vayama is charging excessive fees. Vayama is not an airline.
* Based solely on research done by TravelSiteCritic.com, and may be inaccurate or subject to changes, read Vayama’s policy on their website prior to purchase.
For more info on Vayama – Click Here!
The Deals:
Vayama Reviews | Vayama.com,
Horrible. Vayama’s initial page tells you a price that includes all taxes and fees and only after your purchase can you see the breakdown and that they charge a hundred dollars more! When you call them they just tell you to call the airlines, which of course are not going to be able to help you because you booked it through vayama. The customer service people don’t speak well either so just avoid the Vayama site.
Alexis – What you’ve communicated regarding vayama charging MORE than what is quoted is not the case at all. If that is what you experienced, then there is an error which we will correct and reimburse you for immediately. Please contact me at feedback@vayama.com, Attn: David so I can look into this issue and provide appropriate assistance.
Regards,
David
Vayama Customer Relations Manager
Twitter: Pamela_Jones
says:
Hi Alexis, inquiring minds want to know…. Did you contact David at Vayama, as indicated in his comment here? What was the result?
Hey Pamela – No contact from Alex as of yet on my end. I’m still waiting and wanting to assist. All that’s needed is to reach out to me. I can even be reached on facebook at VayamaVoice.
David
@VayamaVoice on Twitter
Do not use Vayama.com! They are the worst company I have ever dealt with in my life. First of all, Vayama double charged me for my flight. A month later, after a million phone calls and emails I have still not been refunded. Then, when I wished to change the date of my flight the fees were an extra $385! Almost as much as the original quote. Each time I rang to talk about my flight or refund for being double charged no one had any recollection or records of any previous conversations or emails. It has been a nightmare dealing with Vayama and I encourage you to never do so. Even if the flight is more expensive elsewhere it is totally worth it.
Rob
Rob – I first apologize for the lack of service you’ve experienced. I know that seems to be the “norm” here on this site. But I can assure you and other readers, we at vayama are not out to take advantage of consumers. We would be out of business by now if that were truly the case.
Please contact me at feedback@vayama.com, Attn: David. Within your email provide me with your vayama Trip ID and the best number to contact you at. I’ll look into this matter and get back to you promptly.
Sincerely,
David
Vayama Customer Relations Manager
I tried to choose the seats, but after couple e-mails they just blocked me, and I can’t send them an e-mail, I have a few undelivered mails from their customer service and of course they did not solve my problem. They suggest to contact airlines directly, because they do not want to work, they just need your money!!
Now they count 400$ for exchange the date of my flight, but then I called to aircompany directly, I’ve been told that exchange cost only 25$ !!
Hi Lydia -
I apologize for not seeing your posting here earlier. If this is still an open need for you, please contact me at feedback@vayama.com Attn: David. I will get back to you promptly and provide assistance to the extent I’m able.
Thank you
David
Vayama Customer Relations Manager
What a disaster!! Appalling customer ’service’ – it’s non existent. Totally unprofessional and uncaring. Vayama is a money-spinning venture with no respect for their customers.
Paul – I first want to apologize for the lack of service and attention you’ve experienced to this point. However, I’d like to assist with whatever your need is related to your vayama booking. Please contact me either via Facebook (VayamaVoice) or by email to feedback@vayama.com Attn David. Include your name and vayama Trip ID witin your communication. I promise I’ll get back to you promptly!
Sincerely,
David
Vayama Customer Relations Manager
I had a horrible experience with a flight I booked through Vayama. I booked a flight to Europe through Vayama and was told a departure time from SFO. So I had booked a connecting flight from Seattle to SFO in order to catch the SFO flight in time. It turns out the departure time I was given by Vayama was wrong; it was an hour earlier than they had told me. So I had to change my connecting flight at the last minute because of Vayama’s mistake- at an additional cost of $200! I have not yet received any acceptable response from Vayama.
To those who have posted your displeasure with the lack of customer service you’ve received from vayama, I send my apology. I follow that up with offering my services if you still have a need of assistance. You can send me an email at feedback@vayama.com Attn:David. Within the email please provide the associated vayama Trip ID so I’ll be able to review your case in advance. I promise I’ll get back to you promptly.
Sincerely,
David
Vayama Customer Relations Manager
It’s hard to put into words how spectacularly useless and frustrating the “Vayama customer service” is.
Have had issues coz of recent British Airways strike. Vayama gave different information to that on the BA website [i.e. vayama initally refused to reroute my flight, altho the BA website advised that this was possible, had to phone two or three times to get that done] Then they got annoyed (!!) when i wanted to be rebooked onto my original flight from the local airport [literally the day before travelling BA decided to operate the original flight]. Vayama customer service rep just couldn’t understand why i didn’t want to travel for 5 hours to the ‘rerouted’ airport…..!! With Vayama the list goes on and on and on and on
DO NOT BOOK WITH VAYAMA!! Seems like they outsource customer calls to India and it is nearly impossible to resolve a problem with them. First, it is very hard to understand them. Second, I had a flight canceled due to the Volcano in Iceland and vayama did NOTHING to resolve my refund process. Vayama did not give any straight answers as to what I need to do to get a refund and then they told me I had to figure it out with the airline directly. And then they said if the airline did not want to help, to let them know and they will try to get a refund for me. GUESS WHAT, the airline Martin Air (horrible service as well) said I had to go to my travel agent. I called Vayama again and they wrote me an email saying they are not able to help me since the problem is with the airline not them. Even after their SUPERVISOR said he would get the refund if the airline refused. A lot of back and forth lies and I will NEVER book with vayama again.
I just bought a tickets to go to Mexico and we had an emergency and could not go on our trip. I called Vayama customer service. They said I could reschedule my trip but it was going to be more expensive then what we paid for to start with. They don’t speak good English and give you no choices. They take forever to return your emails. I do not recommend Vayama to anyone.