My cousin swore I was overpaying for flights - she was right

I used to always book flights through Expedia because it felt easier. My cousin Jenna kept telling me to check Google Flights first and use the explore function. Last month I needed to fly from Chicago to Portland and her way saved me $85 on a round trip. Has anyone else noticed a big difference between these booking tools?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_viola5d ago

You know, this reminds me of my sister Beth who actually worked for a travel agency back in the day before everything went online. She always said the whole system was rigged to make you think you were getting a deal when really you were just paying for convenience. And honestly? She was right about most of it. Google Flights has saved me money more times than I can count, but here's the thing I never expected - sometimes booking directly through the airline actually ended up being cheaper than Google Flights when I checked at the exact right time. There's just something about the way these algorithms work that makes it feel like a game of chance sometimes.

murphy.abby5d ago

Stick with Expedia. That $85 isn't worth the hours you'll waste checking other sites.

grace895d ago

Honestly, "that $85 isn't worth the hours you'll waste" hit close to home. I'm the kind of person who will spend three hours trying to save twelve bucks on a toaster, so I know I'd probably waste an entire Sunday clicking through sketchy budget sites just to end up right back on Expedia anyway. It's like my brain can't handle the idea of leaving money on the table even if I'm losing my whole afternoon. I once drove twenty minutes out of my way to save fifteen cents on a gallon of gas, so you can imagine how bad I am with travel deals. At this point I just accept I'm paying the convenience tax and call it a day.