Question 1

Does Expedia charge booking fees?

Accepted Answer

Expedia adds service fees on select bookings — most commonly on phone reservations, certain international air, and changes after ticketing. Resort fees, parking fees, and city tourist taxes are often excluded from the headline hotel price and added at the property. CheapoTrav charges $0 booking fees and shows resort fees in the search results before you click 'book'.

Question 2

Are Expedia hotels cheaper than CheapoTrav?

Accepted Answer

On many properties the rates are similar because both pull from major hotel chain and OTA inventory. Expedia frequently wins on bundle deals tied to its One Key loyalty program, while CheapoTrav typically wins on standalone hotel nights once Expedia's resort fees and service charges are added at checkout. Compare the final all-in total, not the headline rate.

Question 3

What does Expedia own?

Accepted Answer

Expedia Group owns Hotels.com, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, Trivago (majority stake), Vrbo, and CarRentals.com. Searches across those brands pull from a shared inventory pool, which creates the OTA bias that independent metasearch sites like CheapoTrav avoid.

Question 4

Do CheapoTrav and Expedia both charge booking fees?

Accepted Answer

CheapoTrav charges $0 booking fees on every flight, hotel, car, and package reservation. Expedia's fee structure depends on the channel — final fees may appear at checkout or be added by the third-party partner that completes the booking. Always compare the final total at checkout, not just the headline price.

Question 5

Can I get phone support from CheapoTrav and Expedia?

Accepted Answer

CheapoTrav runs a 24/7 phone travel desk with access to unpublished agent-only fares that never appear on any public website. Expedia routes most support through self-service help articles and the partner site that processed your booking.

Question 6

Which is better for last-minute trips: CheapoTrav or Expedia?

Accepted Answer

For last-minute flights and hotel rates, CheapoTrav's phone deal channel typically beats public OTA prices because agents can access fares released only through agent GDS channels. Expedia's public search shows the same fares everyone else sees online.

Feature	CheapoTrav	Expedia	Winner
Booking fees	$0 on every booking	Yes on select bookings + add-ons	CheapoTrav
Inventory bias	None — independent metasearch	High — Expedia Group brand pool	CheapoTrav
Bundle (flight + hotel) savings	Yes — bundled discount built in	Yes — strong bundle discounts	Tie / Expedia
Loyalty program	No proprietary program	One Key rewards across brands	Tie / Expedia
Hidden charges at checkout	Total price shown upfront	Resort fees often excluded from headline	CheapoTrav
Phone deal channel	24/7 — unpublished agent rates	Standard support only	CheapoTrav
Inventory breadth	1,200+ providers searched	Hundreds, weighted to Expedia partners	CheapoTrav

CheapoTrav vs Expedia

Short answer

Side-by-side: CheapoTrav vs Expedia

When Expedia wins

When CheapoTrav wins

No booking fees, no surprises at checkout

Frequently asked questions