{"id":996,"date":"2010-02-05T11:41:50","date_gmt":"2010-02-05T19:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/travelsitecritic.com\/reviews\/?page_id=996"},"modified":"2012-09-14T16:11:37","modified_gmt":"2012-09-14T23:11:37","slug":"orbitz-travelocity-expedia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/travelsitecritic.com\/reviews\/articles\/orbitz-travelocity-expedia\/","title":{"rendered":"Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia – Which travel website is best?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Orbitz\"<\/a> VS.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \"Expedia\"<\/a> VS. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\"Travelocity\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

When searching to book travel on the internet, should you use Orbitz<\/a>, Travelocity<\/a> and Expedia<\/a>?\u00a0\u00a0 There\u00a0are an amazing variety of travel websites on the internet, and I personally find the selection a bit overwhelming.\u00a0 If you simply Google the words “travel website”, you will find upwards of 132 million results!\u00a0\u00a0 Interestingly today, Orbitz got top billing on Google.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But, is Orbitz really the best website to use to book your vacation just because it shows up as the first travel website on Google?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Well, of course any rational\u00a0person knows\u00a0that’s not necessarily the case!<\/p>\n

There are many factors to consider when comparing travel websites.\u00a0 Things to compare include booking fees, cancellation polices, price guarantees, coupon codes, price-wars and sometimes even membership fees.\u00a0 In our travel website reviews<\/a>, we look at each of these variables, including what real travel website users have to say in the comments.\u00a0 You will find these comments, real experiences, and cautionary complaints under each of our reviews for Orbitz<\/a>, Travelocity and Expedia.\u00a0 As with anything you find on the internet, don’t believe everything you read.\u00a0 However, the amount of complaints about one travel site versus another is a good indicator that there may be a real customer service issue with the travel website.<\/p>\n

Fees and cancellations<\/h3>\n

Let us start with the travel website fees*.\u00a0\u00a0 In our latest review, it appears to us that\u00a0Travelocity<\/a> has the least amount of fees, along with the easiest to\u00a0find cancellation policy.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Keep in mind\u00a0that\u00a0if you cancel a vacation package or flight, you will be charged approximately $200 by the airline (per ticket).\u00a0 This cancellation fee is charged by the airline, and the travel website will pass this charge onto you.\u00a0\u00a0 In addition to this airline fee, most travel websites will also charge you their own cancellation fee.\u00a0\u00a0 Expedia<\/a> claims that they do not charge to cancel flights or hotels.\u00a0\u00a0 But when it comes to\u00a0Expedia’s policy on canceling vacations… it gets blurry.\u00a0\u00a0 Does Expedia offer refunds for vacation packages?\u00a0\u00a0 That is a question that remains unanswered when browsing their website.\u00a0 Travelocity’s claims that they do not charge a fee to cancel a vacation, albeit you still need to pay those pesky hotel and airline fees.\u00a0 Orbitz<\/a> claims they will tack on an additional $25 fee if you cancel\u00a0a vacation.\u00a0 At least we could find their policy!<\/p>\n

User reviews and comments<\/h3>\n

Now, let’s move onto the user comments.\u00a0\u00a0 As far as users of this site are concerned, the Expedia travel website has the most complaints.\u00a0 Travelocity is not trailing far behind and Orbitz has relatively few.\u00a0 I take this information with a grain of salt because we are talking about the biggest names in online travel and they are bound to have more complaints than the smaller companies.\u00a0 Take a few moments to read through these user comments, just to familiarize yourself with what you may need to watch out for on a particular travel website and possibly pick up a few insider tricks along the way.<\/p>\n

Price guarantees<\/h3>\n

Looking at the price guarantee\u00a0policies* of Orbitz<\/a>, Travelocity<\/a> and Expedia<\/a>, I’d say that Orbitz takes the cake on this one.\u00a0 Expedia\u00a0offers you a $50 coupon if you find\u00a0a lower price within 24 hours.\u00a0\u00a0 Travelocity gives you\u00a0a longer period of time, but otherwise their guarantee appears identical to Expedia’s.\u00a0 For both Travelocity and Expedia, you need to search for a lower price on your own and submit a claim to get this benefit.\u00a0\u00a0 Orbitz takes their guarantee one step further with their new “Hotel Price Assurance”.\u00a0\u00a0 Although\u00a0only good for hotel bookings, “if another Orbitz customer books the same pre-paid hotel as you for less, you’ll get a cash refund for the difference… automatically<\/em>“.\u00a0 Oh, and Orbitz also offers the same $50 price guarantee that Travelocity and Expedia offer.<\/p>\n

Coupon codes and deals<\/h3>\n

What about those coveted travel coupon codes<\/a> (aka.\u00a0 promotional codes)?\u00a0 Not every travel website has coupon codes, and they do not make these codes easy to find by the public.\u00a0 Travelocity is the winner of this group when it comes to coupon codes.\u00a0 We\u00a0get new Travelocity promotional codes every month here at Travel Site Critic.com, and try to be the first to post them in our travel deals<\/a>.\u00a0 I’m not sure how much this weighs in on making\u00a0Travelocity the best travel website, but if coupon codes are what you seek, you can easily get them for Travelocity<\/a>.\u00a0 The downside of coupon codes is that they often expire within 30 days or less, so you need to search for new codes every time you book a vacation.<\/p>\n

You decide<\/h3>\n

Ultimately, it’s up to you to arm yourself with relevant information and decide which travel website is best for you.\u00a0 You may find that a smaller travel website may be just what you are looking for.\u00a0 Our top rated travel websites are listed on the left side of this page.\u00a0 Explore our other travel website reviews<\/a> and see what you find.\u00a0 It may surprise you.<\/p>\n

* Please note that our commentary on\u00a0travel website\u00a0fees and policies\u00a0may be inacurate.\u00a0 Fees and policies change often, so make sure you read the respective policies for yourself on the websites of Orbitz<\/a>, Travelocity<\/a>, or\u00a0Expedia<\/a> prior to booking.<\/address>\n

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