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Are these booking sites legit?

These sites are real businesses, and most bookings go through fine. The differences are who you are actually paying, what happens when you need to change or cancel, and whether a person answers when the hotel or airline says there is no booking.

  1. 1Trip.comBest overallMost honest pricingBest refund recordLarge, real online travel agency with strong review scores; watch for pre-selected add-ons at checkout and read the refund rule on cheap rates.LegitPay the quote? Usually, with care60 /100
  2. 2TrivagoFree hotel price-comparison site, not a seller: you book and pay on another site, so check that site and the 'more deals' list before you click.LegitPay the quote? Often not54 /100
  3. 3Booking.comThe biggest hotel marketplace; prices now show hotel fees up front, but when a property cancels, Booking.com support is slow.LegitPay the quote? Usually, with care52 /100
  4. 4ExpediaLargest US online travel agency and BBB-accredited; fine for simple bookings, but changes and refunds can mean long support chats.LegitPay the quote? Usually, with care52 /100
  5. 5CheapOairBig, real US flight agency with low headline fares; plan on agency cancellation fees, paid seat add-ons and long phone queues if anything changes.LegitPay the quote? Often not47 /100
  6. 6eDreamsReal online travel agency built around its paid Prime membership; regulators in Italy and Australia have acted against how Prime is sold, so check checkout for a pre-selected subscription.Legit, with cautionPay the quote? Often not44 /100
  7. 7Kiwi.comReal agency that stitches separate tickets into cheap self-transfer routes; the savings are real, but so is the risk, and refunds often default to Kiwi credit.LegitPay the quote? Often not44 /100
  8. 8AgodaBig Asia-focused hotel site, often cheapest; pay in the hotel's currency yourself and call the hotel before you fly.LegitPay the quote? Often not42 /100
  9. 9PricelineReal, BBB-accredited discounter; Express Deals are cheap but non-refundable, and reviewers report fees and refund fights.LegitPay the quote? Often not40 /100
  10. 10Super.comReal discount hotel site with low prepaid rates; untick the Super+ membership at checkout and expect little flexibility if plans change.LegitPay the quote? Often not40 /100
  11. 11Budget Air (BudgetAir.com)Dutch-run flight agency that issues real tickets, but its own $50 to $100 per person change and cancel fees and slow refunds make it a poor choice if plans may move.LegitPay the quote? Often not39 /100
  12. 12HotwireReal Expedia-owned discounter whose Hot Rate mystery deals are cheapest, but non-refundable, with very poor reviews on fees and service.LegitPay the quote? Often not37 /100
  13. 13BooksiMost pricing complaintsPrepaid discounted resort packages, often tied to a sales presentation; refunds only within 7 days, and resort fees and taxes come on top.Legit, with cautionPay the quote? Often not35 /100

Side by side

CompanyPriceClaimsDeliveryPoliciesSupportScore
Trip.com3333360
Trivago2333354
Booking.com3233252
Expedia3233252
CheapOair2232347
eDreams2232244
Kiwi.com2232244
Agoda2223242
Priceline2222240
Super.com2222240
Budget Air (BudgetAir.com)2132239
Hotwire2222137
Booksi2122235

Each check is scored 1–5, where 3 is average for booking sites. Open a company to see the reason and sources behind every score.