Last time I have booked with Expedia was a good while ago, I mainly did reservations with that website for my US trip as the prices already include taxes and all fees so before you go to the final reservation you know you final price.


When to use Expedia
I am looking for a sunny short 4-day break in Lanzarote in January to get away from dark, rainy, post-christmas-madness Ireland so I am searching my flights. It comes up to be 130 euro for a return flight from my hometown to the destination with AerLingus. Not bad, I think. The average prices from that airport are between 200 and 300euro, can be up to 400 during a peak season. Of course, it will be a bit cheaper from Dublin but then you must add extra money and time to spend on traveling to Dublin.

I am planning relaxing holiday with no much of an exploration so I start searching. After choosing the option you are interested to - either flight or hotel alone or a bundle, car, attractions, you fill up blanks with information and Search!

Now, depend on what are you looking for, you might adjust searching to your needs on the left column. As you see, prices for the bundle starts from 188euro which means that on the top of the flights (130euro) you pay only 58 euro for the cheapest hotel (which is not the worst in rating too!).
But I am not completely satisfied with that hotel. I am looking for something more. My budget for this break I have set up at 280 euro per person with breakfast. I don't want to wonder what to prepare to eat every morning.
So I adjust my search to 4 and 5 star hotels only. At the cheapest price I have found bundle for 226 euro. It fits in my budget but it doesn't offer me anything else. Move on.
After searching for a little while I managed to find 5 star hotel with spa, right at the beach, with breakfast for exactly 280 euro that I have set up as my budget. That means that all my fussy criteria has been met and I can look into details. Now, what I would do before booking that as a bundle, is to check the price of the hotel separately with flights. As we know already flights were 130 euro return, so I am just gonna google that hotel now and see the prices for those 3 nights. If I find it cheaper, I book separately. If I can't find anything else that I would be happy with, I book through Expedia.



Cancellation
Most of the searching websites works similar when it comes to free cancellation or non-refundable policies. Read your small print every time before booking your room to avoid confusion. A lot of rooms offer free cancellation but same amount of them might be - Pay at the property - or - Non-refundable. What non-refundable means? You don't have to be charged straight away for your trip, you might not even be charged on your card, you might be asked to pay at the property but it does mean that once you chose to book with this option, you will not get your money back if you decide not to stay in that hotel after all.

As mentioned in post about Booking.com, you might find non-refundable option cheaper but again this guarantee your stay and you get a peace of mind that your hotel is sorted.



Is it worth it?
Some people will tell you yes, some people will tell you no. I always like to check my option between websites, I don't like to stick to one and then regret someone got the same deal for 50-100euro cheaper just because I have saved the time of doing research. I treat my search like fun. It's a part of your holiday to find great destination and the best hotel/hostel/motel etc. for your needs.

So yes, Expedia is worth checking and trying, it's absolutely safe and you might have a chance for a real bargain.



Loyalty programs
At the moment Expedia has points you earn every time you book with the website, offer you some sort of rewards like getting free nights at the hotels or getting discounts from points you have earned. Additionally, for those who are members of Expedia you might get a discount code every now and then and freebies like lat check-out, room upgrade etc.

Every sign up comes with subscription so your e-mail nearly every day gets a message from Expedia which is slightly annoying. Messages you will get are more likely to be spam trying to get you into the website. ,,You've scored 100%off flights'' and stuff like that, I just literally throw them to the bin waiting for ,,Sale" message. Then it is a good time to check out what Expedia has to offer. Then you can really find a great bundle deal. 



Here you are! Found a great deal for your holidays so don't wait any longer, just book it and enjoy your time in Canary Islands, Spain.




If you have any more questions about Expedia let me know. I think I mentioned everything that does matter about this website. It might be a great compare to the good ol' Booking.com and who knows- maybe you will find it better?

-Mags