Expedia review: flights, hotels, cars and packages in one booking

What is Expedia?

Expedia was one of the first sites for booking travel online: Expedia.com launched in 1996 as a division of Microsoft and is now part of Expedia Group, based in Seattle, alongside Hotels.com and Vrbo. On Expedia you can book:

• Flights compared across hundreds of airlines.
• Hotels and homes, from hostels and B&Bs to boutique hotels, resorts and vacation rentals.
• Rental cars to collect at the airport or in town.
• Activities and tours at your destination.
• Packages that combine several of these.

Everything lands in one itinerary with trip details and maps, which you can share with fellow travellers. The free app adds trip alerts for flight delays, gate changes and hotel check-out times, and a Property Expert you can ask about a hotel's check-in or nearby restaurants.

How you save on Expedia

• Bundle & Save: booking a package can save up to 30% compared with the same parts booked separately. Savings vary and are not available on every package. You can build the package at once or add hotels, cars or activities later, even during your trip.
• Member Prices: signed-in One Key members and app users get 10% or more off select stays, cars, cruises and activities (before taxes and fees), on over 2.5 million options.
• Last-minute deals: up to 25% off last-minute hotels and vacation rentals.
• Price tracking: get an alert when a flight's price drops, and browse cheap fares on the Flight Deals map.
• App-only deals appear in the Expedia app.

To compare fares across many agencies at once, a metasearch such as the Aviasales review is a useful second check; for cheaper self-transfer routes see the Kiwi.com review.

One Key rewards explained

One Key is the free loyalty programme shared by Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo. With every eligible hotel, vacation rental, car, flight, activity or cruise booking you earn OneKeyCash, which you can apply at checkout on any of the three sites, even for a booking in someone else's name. It cannot be cashed out or transferred, and it can't be spent on Pay Later bookings, package bookings or some vacation rentals.

A trip element is one flight ticket, one hotel room night, one vacation-rental night, one car rental day, one activity ticket or one cruise room night, each costing at least $25 before taxes and fees. Status lasts for the rest of the year you earn it and the whole next year, until 28 February of the year after. When you book a flight on Expedia, you may still earn your airline's frequent-flyer points as well.

Who Expedia suits

• Holidaymakers booking flights and a hotel together, where Bundle & Save applies.
• Families and groups who want vacation rentals and hotels in the same search.
• Frequent travellers who use Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo and want one rewards balance.
• Last-minute travellers looking for same-week hotel deals.

For tours and tickets you can also compare the GetYourGuide review, and for a rental car the DiscoverCars review. More options: our travel services list.

Good to know before you book

• Cancellation: free cancellation is available on most hotels, but some require you to cancel more than 24 hours before check-in; flights, cars and activities follow their own fare rules, so read them before paying.
• Prices: Member Prices and some savings exclude taxes and fees, so compare the final total at checkout.
• Support: Expedia offers 24/7 support for bookings.
• Reviews: stays show verified guest reviews.