Ultimate Guide to Online Travel Agency (2023): Comparison of Agoda, Expedia & More

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18 Oct 2023

We know that finding the perfect travel deals can be both exciting and challenging.

Whether you’re booking a cheap flight, seeking a relaxing beach escape, a thrilling adventure, or a cultural exploration, it all starts with the right travel booking platform.

So, let’s wait no more!

Here’s a comparison of Agoda, Booking.com, Trip.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, and Trivago!

TL;DR: Travel Booking Online Platforms & Their Hidden Costs

	Agoda	Booking.com	Kiwi.com	Expedia	Hotwire	Hotels.com	Lastminute.com	Traveloka	Trip.com
Number of listings	Over 2 million	Over 28 million	Over 28 million (powered by Booking.com)	Over 1 million	Over 1 million (powered by Expedia)	Over 325,000	120,000 hotels worldwide	13 domestic and international hotels	Over 1.4 million
Number of flights	Over 2 million	Over 1.2 million	Over 600 airlines	Over 500 airlines	Over 400 airlines	-	About 200 airlines	Over 40 airlines	Over 2 million
Global presence	Operates in over 200 countries	Operates in over 220 countries	Czech Republic	Operates in over 70 countries	San Francisco	Operates in 8 countries	Switzerland	Indonesia	Operates in over 50 countries
Loyalty programme and rewards	Agoda Rewards	Genius loyalty program	-	Expedia Rewards	-	Hotels.com® Rewards	-	Traveloka Priority	TripPLUS
Language support	38 languages	~40 languages	14 languages	~40 languages	English	~40 languages	26 languages	English, Thai, Vietnamese, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia	~20 languages
Payment methods	Credit cards, PayPal, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and other local payment methods	Credit cards, PayPal, and other local payment methods		Credit cards, PayPal, and other local payment methods		Credit cards, PayPal, and other local payment methods	Maestro, Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Diners Club international	Credit cards, PayPal, eNETS, SAM, AXS	Credit cards, PayPal, WeChat Pay, Alipay, Apple Pay, and other local payment methods
Hidden fees on certain accommodations	Pay Later option is open to currency fluctuation, so you can be charged more due to currency differences, and sometimes, 7% more	Cleaning fees, damage deposit might be required during check-in, and reimbursed after check-out		Resort fees, booking fees, price protection fee	Parking, resort fees, convention fees, and energy charges	City tax may be collected at the property, resort fees, booking fees, price protection fee	-	Traveloka does not collect taxes or levies. If a hotel or city destination charges taxes, those taxes are the responsibility of the user	-
Cancellation policies	Free cancellation options available, and no processing fee for cancellation. Any cancellations received after the cancellation due date specified in the confirmation email are subject to a minimum of a 1 (ONE) night cancellation fee.	Free cancellation options available, and no processing fee for cancellation. Any cancellations received after the cancellation due date specified in the confirmation email are subject to a minimum of a 1 (ONE) night cancellation fee.	If you wish to cancel your reserved Carriage for your own reasons and there is no Disruption of the ordered Carriage (e.g. the flight wasn’t canceled), you may do so using the Kiwi.com Cancellation Services based on the cancellation conditions selected in the Booking Process. Cancellation Services include Refund Handling Service.	Free cancellation options available, and no processing fee for cancellation. Any cancellations received after the cancellation due date specified in the confirmation email are subject to a minimum of a 1 (ONE) night cancellation fee.	For all Hotwire Hot Rates, bookings are final and cannot be cancelled, refunded, exchanged, transferred, or changed, even for a fee. For standard rates, cancellation policies vary by hotel, as well as room type. You can find your cancellation policy on your confirmation email or My Account page, and they are also available for viewing before you book.	Refundable option is available. Cancel or changing any part of a booking and such cancellation or change is allowed by the relevant Travel Provider, then, in addition to any charges imposed by the Travel Provider, Hotels.com may also charge you an administration fee. If such an administration fee applies, it will be notified to you before you agree to proceed with the change/cancellation	Flights: If you need to change or cancel your travel plans, it is your responsibility to notify Globepost of such a request. Please note that some tickets are non-refundable and/or do not allow changes.The cancellation process could take up to 16 weeks from receipt of the ticket. You will be charged an administration charge of £45.00 per change per booking, and you will be liable to pay the hotel, car-hire, airline or other ultimate product charges resulting from your changes. Hotels: lastminute.com applies an amendment fee of £20 per booking for any modifications, changes or cancellations to your reservation. This will be regardless of the price of your reservation. Any booking fees or credit card charges are non-refundable.	Free cancellation options available, and no processing fee for cancellation. By making a booking, order or reservation through the Site, users have accepted and agreed to the terms and conditions of applicable Vendors, including policies regarding cancellation and/or absence, or your specific requests which may be given to the Vendors. Traveloka is not responsible for any violation of these terms and conditions, or which are based on the user’s specific requests.	-
Customer Support	Call / Email	Call / Email / Leave a Message For Host		Call	Help Centre, Feedback and Virtual Assistant on site	Call	Connect with customer officer on website	Website	Help Centre, Feedback and Virtual Assistant on site
Travel Insurance	-	-	Kiwi.com Guarantee	-	Yes	-	Global Cancellation Coverage	Yes	International Travel Insurance underwritten by Starr International Insurance
Special Deals	Offers daily deals and promotional offers on flights, hotels, and other travel services, with discounts up to 30% off	Offers special deals and promotional offers on flights, hotels, and other travel services, with discounts up to 50% off, as well as exclusive deals through the Genius program	-	Offers special deals and promotional offers on flights, hotels, and other travel services, with discounts up to 50% off, as well as exclusive deals for Expedia Rewards members	'Hot Rate' is applied to daily discounts	-	Flash sales throughout the day & Flight + hotel package deals worth it	-	Offers daily deals and promotional offers on flights, hotels, and other travel services, with discounts up to 50% off
Credit Card Partnerships	-	-	-	9% - 15% off Citi credit cards	-	DBS, HSBC credit cards	-	Citibank, HSBC, OCBC	Citibank, POSB, UOB
Can you choose to pay at hotel instead?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes, via Reserve Now and Pay Later	-	Yes, via Reserve Now and Pay Later	-	Yes	Yes
Other things to note	-	-	Cheap flights but compensate with possible flight delays and longer layovers	Quite a lot of bad reviews on Expedia's car rental service	Reviews are from Expedia	Responsive but notably have inaccurate information being communicated between user, hotels.com and place of stay	Price is in British Pounds (£) All the flight-inclusive holidays shown on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme, as Lastminute.com holds an Air Travel Organiser's License (ATOL) granted by the Civil Aviation Authority	-	-

Click here to jump:

What are these platforms for?
How do the different platforms/agencies compare?
Should you stick to one platform or use multiple platforms?
How to save more when booking through an online travel agency?

What Are Online Travel Agencies?

Online travel agencies are websites and platforms that allow users to book various travel-related services and products and have become increasingly popular for travelers looking to plan and book trips, as they offer a one-stop shop for a wide range of travel-related services.

Some of the key services provided by online travel agencies include Flight booking, hotel reservations, car rentals, package deals, cruises and tours, travel insurance, activities and tours, reviews and ratings, price comparison, and customer support.

How Are They Different From Traditional Travel Agencies?

More often than not, when you’re booking via an online travel agency, it will be cheaper than booking from a traditional travel agency as you get to pick everything you want for your trip.

That’s not to say that it’s all great as there might be hidden fees if you’re not paying attention, and sometimes, customer service might be lacking.

But, the good thing is that these platforms often have a free cancellation feature that allows you to cancel your booking without incurring a fee. So if you’re kiasu (afraid of losing out), you can reserve the accommodation first without being charged, and cancel the booking later.

How Are These Platforms Different?

In order to streamline the variety of services offered, we will be comparing the platforms across these categories and ratings:

Number of listings
Number of flights
Global presence
Loyalty programme and rewards
Language support
Payment methods
Hidden fees
Cancellation policies
Customer Support
Travel Insurance
Credit Card Partnerships
Special Deals

Agoda

Agoda is a well-regarded online travel agency, that specialises in offering lodging options for travelers.

Interestingly, it operates as a subsidiary of Booking Holdings, the parent company of Booking.com. Agoda offers daily special deals and promotional opportunities for travellers to reduce their travel expenses.

Using Agoda, you can effortlessly locate and reserve accommodations in hotels and resorts worldwide, catering to various stay preferences, including extended stays, private lodgings, traditional hotels, and even homes.

Trustpilot review: 1.5/5 ⭐️

Choose this because: The user experience is not bad in my opinion, and there are certainly a lot of options available. Having free cancellation options is a huge plus. However, the website is buggy as even after multiple times of trying to select a flight and hotel booking, the pop-up made it impossible to select anything.

Booking.com

Booking.com stands as a global giant among travel websites, boasting more than 1.5 million nightly bookings daily.

Its website and mobile applications are available in over 40 languages and encompass a database of over 50 million trusted guest reviews for properties across 200+ countries.

Under the umbrella of its parent company, Booking Holdings, which also has various subsidiaries of online travel agencies and metasearch engines, including Priceline.com, KAYAK, Agoda, Rentalcars.com, OpenTable, and more.

Trustpilot review: 1.2/5 ⭐️

Choose this because: It is easily one of the most comprehensive trip-planning platforms you can find online. Similarly, the interface is easy to use and even after detailed customisation there are still many accommodation options available. Maybe it’s me, but I’ve never had a bad experience booking through booking.com.

Expedia

Expedia has been a reliable resource for travelers seeking flights, accommodations, and car rentals since the 1990s, and it continues to maintain its position as a formidable player in the travel industry.

In fact, it holds the distinction of being the largest travel agency globally. Notably, Expedia is the parent company of popular travel platforms such as Hotels.com, Trivago, and Travelocity, which makes it highly unlikely for travelers to discover more competitive deals elsewhere.

Trustpilot review: 1.2/5 ⭐️

Choose this because: One of the cheapest as it offers special deals and promotional offers on flights, hotels, and other travel services, with discounts up to 50% off, as well as exclusive deals for Expedia Rewards members. And on top of that, there are credit card deals.

Hotels.com

Trustpilot review: 1.3/5 ⭐️

Choose this because: Of its neat interface. As compared to the other sites, the website is much easier to navigate as there are less clutters and you get to see at one glance the hotels in available cities.

Hotwire

Hotwire is a subsidiary of Expedia Group and its listings can be relatively similar.

The interface reminds me of Airbnb.

Do note that for all Hotwire Hot Rates, bookings are final and cannot be canceled, refunded, exchanged, transferred, or changed, even for a fee.

Trustpilot review: 1.1/5 ⭐️

Choose this because: You want flexibility in your trips and save more when ‘Hot Rate’ is applied to daily discounts

Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com is an online travel agency and search engine that specializes in finding and booking unique flight itineraries, often involving multiple airlines and layovers, to provide travelers with cost-effective and flexible options.

The company was founded in 2012 as Skypicker and rebranded as Kiwi.com, and is known for its innovative approach to travel booking.

Trustpilot review: 3.6/5 ⭐️

Choose this because: The metasearch engine scours the web to piece together the ideal itinerary using planes, trains, buses, and more. Offers the most flexibility and is one of the cheapest platforms, but it might have parking, resort fees, convention fees, and energy charges subject to the accommodation chosen.

Lastminute.com

Lastminute.com is an online travel and leisure retailer that specializes in providing last-minute deals on a wide range of travel-related services, including flights, hotels, vacation packages, entertainment, and various other activities.

The website and platform offer users the opportunity to book flights, accommodations, experiences, and more, often with a focus on providing discounts and deals for spontaneous or flexible travelers. While the emphasis is on last-minute bookings, the platform also allows users to plan and book trips well in advance.

Trustpilot review: 2.6/5 ⭐️

Choose this because: All the flight-inclusive holidays shown on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme, as Lastminute.com holds an Air Travel Organiser’s License (ATOL) granted by the Civil Aviation Authority

Traveloka

Traveloka is an online travel and lifestyle booking platform that primarily serves travelers in Southeast Asia. Founded in 2012 in Indonesia, Traveloka has grown to become one of the leading online travel agencies in the region.

Traveloka has gained popularity for its user-friendly interface and competitive prices, making it a popular choice for travelers in Southeast Asia. The company has expanded its services to multiple countries in the region, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

Trustpilot review: 2.0/5 ⭐️

Choose this because: Of its focus on Southeast Asia. You might be able to find rare accommodations that are not listed on other websites.

Trip.com

Trip.com has a significant presence in the Asia-Pacific region and has expanded its reach to serve travelers globally. It is known for its user-friendly interface and competitive pricing.

It is headquartered in Shanghai, China, and formerly known as Ctrip. It has rebranded as Trip.com to enhance its global presence.

Trustpilot review: 4.1/5 ⭐️

Choose this because: It offers daily deals and promotional offers on flights, hotels, and other travel services, with discounts of up to 50% off.

Book Through More Than One Platform Or Not?

There is no foolproof method for picking the best platform, but you can choose to stick to one platform for all your activities, flight, and accommodation bookings.

Personally, I would prefer booking flights based on price, while booking accommodations based on where I will be going.

For activities, I’d opt for platforms such as Klook due to the variety offered and the packages/itineraries being clearly stated.

The advantages of doing so are that I get the best pricing, but also the detailed information I need.

But booking through one platform is great for the convenience it offers since you might not have time to scour through so many sites.

How to Save More When Booking Through Online Travel Agency?

Make sure you use the right credit card for your bookings.

When booking your flights, accommodations, and activities to and from your desired destination, use a multicurrency card such as a YouTrip card to make use of its zero FX fees!

About Hui Juan Neo

A savvy shopper and foodie at heart, I'm always on a lookout for discounts and deals to snag the best bargains.

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