Booking online Booking tips

Follow our tips for the best prices on the internet

The internet is a fast, safe and convenient way to book travel. You can compare prices, look at hotels and create your perfect holiday, but it can be daunting to know where to start and how to book. Read on for our comprehensive guide.

Getting started

Compare prices using general sites like Expedia

If you don’t know the exact address of the company you’re looking for, use a search engine such as Google.

Some websites may be harder to find, eg an individual hotel, so you may have to trawl through the results or change the words used in your initial search – the more information you put in, the more specific your search will be.

In each section of this guide we recommend websites specialising in that particular area, eg flights, but there are also general travel websites that cover all aspects. It’s always worth comparing their prices with more specialist sites. Try Expedia, lastminute.com, Opodo or Travelocity.

Get the best price

• Airlines and hotel companies tend to have cheaper prices and special offers the earlier you book. The best websites show you the prices either side of the date you want to travel, so being flexible may reap financial rewards.
• Avoid school holidays wherever possible and be prepared to travel at unsociable hours for the cheapest prices.
• If you are flexible about a hotel or resort, you may find late bargains for packages at properties and locations that haven’t yet sold.
• Prices are updated continuously throughout the day according to demand. Mondays and Tuesdays tend to be busier than other days of the week for flight websites, while Sundays are busiest for holiday sites. Web ‘traffic’ also seems to fall off towards the end of the month when people are waiting to be paid.
• If you can, book your weekend break so that you travel from Saturday to Monday, rather than from the more popular Friday to Sunday.
• If you don’t want to spend ages browsing the internet, price comparison sites like traveljungle.com and travelsupermarket.com will scour hundreds of travel sites to find the best prices on rooms, flights, etc.

Extra charges

Online travel agents, such as ebookers or lastminute.com don’t get commission for selling flights with no-frills airlines, so they may charge a transaction fee if you book with them. To avoid this, book directly on the airline’s website.

Some websites mark up the price of accommodation by as much as 30%. If you find somewhere you'd like to stay on one of these sites, you could try negotiating this discount with the accommodation owner if you book directly with them.

Many companies charge extra for using a credit card. You will usually be charged either a flat fee or a percentage of the total price. If you put any amount between £100 and £25,000 on your card, the credit company is also liable if anything goes wrong.

Booking

Booking is normally very simple. Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll be asked for your name and email address, and possibly a phone number and address. Some sites require you to register with them to do this, others request it as part of the booking process.

On most sites, you’ll then have to enter your payment details: a card number, including the three-digit security code on the back of the card, so have it ready. Websites that don’t require payment, typically for hotels, should make the final total clear as well as when and where you have to pay.

Always read the terms and conditions (T&Cs) before you book. There’s usually a box for you to tick to confirm you’ve done this, and it’s tempting to tick without clicking on the link and actually reading the terms and conditions. Don’t! Every website has different T&Cs, so make sure you know what you’re agreeing to.

Online security

You may be asked for the three-digit security number, but never your PIN

Only give payment details (eg a credit-card number) on a secure site – never send them in an email. The payment page should have an address beginning with https:// or a padlock or a VeriSign logo at the bottom to show it’s safe.

Never give out your PIN, but it is safe to give the three-digit security number on the back of your credit card.

Make sure the website is genuine. Under EU law, traders must provide an ‘about us’ or ‘contact’ page with a geographical address and email. If you are concerned about any foreign website, try to access it a different way, such as via a tourist board. If you are in any doubt, book elsewhere.

Soon after making the booking you should receive an email confirming all the details. This may be your only record of your booking, so print it out and keep it safe, as you’ll need it to check in at the airport or pick up a rental car.