Last Updated: March 14, 2023
Is Expedia Legit? (For Flights, Hotels & Car Rentals)
Expedia is one of the oldest online travel agencies in existence and is a site where you can make hotel bookings, and book rental cars, cruises, flights, and whole vacation packages too.
Expedia is famous for having competitive prices too and usually offers a lower price than everywhere else. By having the lowest price, Expedia does make a lot of people doubt whether Expedia is legit or not, and this is the question I am here to answer.
Join me as I run through everything you need to know about whether Expedia is legitimate and how to use it most effectively.
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What Is Expedia & How Does It Work?
Expedia is an online travel agency that acts as a middleman between the traveler and the provider.
The site lists hotel rooms and vacation packages in over 75 countries along with car rentals and in-country experiences too. Plus, you can even book your flights for your vacation through Expedia.
This means you can book everything from a vacation package to a hotel reservation and in between on the website, through a very efficient and reliable booking process.
The great thing about Expedia is that you get to compare a lot of different offers, read Expedia reviews about hotels/experiences, and they offer a price guarantee so you always get the lowest prices when you book on Expedia.
Expedia is literally a one-stop shop for everything you might need for a vacation with a great price attached to it.
When you book through the Expedia website, you make a contract with Expedia and the company then makes a contract with a provider.
Is Expedia Legit?
Yes, Expedia is a legitimate online travel agency where you can reliably book your travel plans through. It was founded in 1996 by Microsoft and was one of the first places where you could book travel plans online.
Today, Expedia is huge and is owned by Expedia Group which also owns a ton of other travel websites including Trivago, VRBO.com, CheapTickets, Ebookers, Hotels.com, and 16 more.
There is no doubt that Expedia is a legit travel company, but let’s look at it in more detail.
Is Expedia Legit for Flights?
Expedia is legit for flights to the point that you can book a flight through Expedia Flights and have a reliable Expedia booking. So long as you do not change your flight tickets or want to cancel them, booking flights with Expedia is no worries at all.
If you book flights with Expedia and want to change your flight times or dates, then you might have some issues.
Flights booked with Expedia do not give you a direct contract with the airline, you have a contract with Expedia and this makes changing your flight times or dates very challenging.
You will have to do everything through Expedia customer services to change your flight ticket, which can take a lot longer and have a lot more rules that you would need to follow.
Is Expedia Legit for Hotels?
Yes, Expedia is legit for booking hotels through. If you book a hotel room through Expedia it will be more affordable than booking the hotel directly and the booking will be reliable too.
You can also select hotels through Expedia using the reviews so you can be sure to book hotels that are up to your standards.
Once again, your booking will not be direct with the hotel so making changes is a little harder than if you had.
Is Expedia Legit for Car Rentals?
Yes, Expedia is also legit for car rental companies too. The model is the same, Expedia is the middleman between you and the car provider and they offer the best price guaranteed.
This allows you to shop around for the best offer with a very efficient search engine and book a rental car for the best price possible.
Again, if you need to change your rental car dates, you will have to do it through Expedia customer service which can be more limiting than if you booked it directly.
Is Expedia A Secure Website?
Expedia is a secure website and booking through Expedia is safe. All your payment information and personal data are encrypted and can not be accessed or shared.
A lot of people use Expedia and they pretty much all find Expedia safe to book through, and this includes the Expedia App also.
You can trust Expedia with your payment information and your personal information, as they follow all data protection laws and use SSL security to keep it on lockdown.
Is Expedia Reliable?
Booking with Expedia is generally a reliable experience but some people have had a bad experience with Expedia too.
Sadly, when you are booking through a middleman like Expedia, it is impossible for Expedia to guarantee a great experience every time. With so many transactions, some of them have to go wrong at some point, but there are ways to avoid this.
When you book through Expedia, always confirm the booking directly with the provider (airline, hotel, car rental company) just to be sure they have it.
Also, make sure you read the terms of changes, cancellations, and refunds to your booking as these can often be quite harsh with Expedia. These are the things that can make it a better idea to book directly in some instances.
Why Are The Prices in Expedia So Cheap?
Expedia is cheaper than booking directly but how do they do this? Expedia buys hotel rooms, seats on flights, and car rentals in bulk at a discount and then re-sells them for a profit.
The providers like it because it guarantees them a sale for a certain price, and it is good for Expedia as they have the cheapest rooms/seats/cars around.
Expedia then markets their pre-bought rooms/seats/cars at prices lower than the competition. This is how they have better pricing than everyone else and can guarantee the lowest price around for their customers.
Is Expedia Fully Refundable?
When booking a hotel room, Expedia gives you the option to book a room that is fully refundable if you cancel before a certain date or to book a room that is not refundable at all.
If you book a fully refundable room and do cancel before the specific “fully refundable date” you will get a full refund. Expedia offers the same refund booking process for rental cars too.
When it comes to flights, any flight booked through Expedia in the last 24 hours you will get a full refund for, and flights with a fully refundable airfare will also be refunded fully too.
However, getting a refund from Expedia can be tricky and it takes up to 12 weeks in some cases, so it is best not to get into this situation.
Tips for Booking Safely on Expedia
There are some ways to avoid things going wrong when making a booking on Expedia, as sadly, bad things do happen no matter how much we try to avoid them. Here are some tips for booking safely on Expedia.
Do Your Research
Whether you are booking a hotel, flight, car, or cruise with Expedia, it pays to do your research. Read all the reviews, check the photographs, and make sure it is legit before you book. If the reviews point to legit, then you know your booking should be ok.
Now it is time to look at the policies for cancellations, refunds, and date changes. Do they seem fair? If so, you are one step closer to booking with Expedia.
Next up, look at how much it costs to book directly with the provider whether it is a car rental company, airline, or hotel.
If the price is similar, it is a much better idea to book with them as the changes/cancellation/refund policies will be a lot better and you won’t have to deal with a middleman.
If the price is a lot more, use Expedia but make sure you do not change your dates or buy travel insurance that covers this.
Only Book Fully Refundable Options
If you can, you should book fully refundable hotel rooms or car rentals only, do not ever book the non-fundable options.
Also, choose the option to pay for your hotel room at the hotel if you can, as this ensures you do not have to go through the refund process if you need to cancel or change the booking.
Only Communicate Through Expedia
Once you have booked through Expedia, only communicate with the provider through Expedia, this allows them to monitor comms and you have evidence of any changes or cancellations.
You should also confirm the booking directly with the provider themselves to ensure they have received the booking from Expedia and it is confirmed.
Do not communicate outside of Expedia at any point as Expedia will never email you directly asking for any information or changes to your flight.
About the Author Roger Timbrook
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!
