In the post-covid world, tourism has once again claimed its top place for many countries.
And with tourism comes the need for booking tickets, hotel rooms, and more.
But is it that easy? Not at all.
Especially when looking for some nice deals or a package for yourself!
And that’s where I believe sites like Expedia and Priceline come into the picture. But when you compare the two sites, which one is better than the other?
Which one offers better deals and packages?
TBH, it’s not that difficult to determine as all you’ve to do is compare them in the following 6 parameters –
- Customer Satisfaction.
- Pricing.
- Ease of Use.
- Better Customer Service.
- Cancellation fees.
- Similarities.
Then based on your requirement, compare one parameter and see if that particular site fits you. Let’s get started –
Expedia vs Priceline: Overall Customer Satisfaction
First and foremost, a customer satisfaction score is a measure of how well a company meets or exceeds your expectations when you purchase its product.
The lower the rating, the less satisfied customers are; generally, it’s not uncommon for companies to have scores of 80+.
Expedia has a 54% customer satisfaction score compared to Priceline’s 84%. In comparison, other travel sites such as Orbitz and TripAdvisor have ratings between 71% and 84%.
Expedia vs Priceline: Pricing
One of the most significant differences between Expedia and Priceline is how each pricing model works. With Expedia, you can generally expect to pay less if you’re staying at a hotel for more days or traveling with more people at your party.
You can also score steep discounts by booking an entire stay with one partner hotel chain like Marriott or Hilton.
On the other hand, Priceline uses an auction-style bidding system that allows users to name their price for travel accommodations — though there is no guarantee that the hotels they choose will accept their bids.
The catch is that this option may save them money over time (especially if they are willing to splurge).
It also has risks: If someone else bids higher than you on a particular property during your desired timeframe, your reservation won’t be guaranteed until after all other bids have been accepted (or rejected).
Expedia vs Priceline: Ease of Use
Expedia and Priceline offer a wide variety of booking options, with both sites providing mobile apps that are easy to use. In addition, both sites have user-friendly interfaces for searching, booking, canceling, and paying for your stay.
With that said, there are some slight differences between the two booking sites when it comes to ease of use:
Prices at Expedia are available as soon as you select your travel dates, whereas prices at Priceline will remain hidden until you complete the form and submit it.
This means you can decide based on price without filling out a complete form first. If speed is essential, this could help you decide which site works best for you!
Expedia vs Priceline: Better Customer Service
If you prefer having a human on the other end of your customer service call, Expedia is the way to go.
The company has been named one of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work in America, showing that Expedia has an average rating of 1.1 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot; in comparison, Priceline’s customer service has an average rating of only 4.1/5 stars.
Priceline does have complete advantages over Expedia when it comes to serving its customers. For example, as with Priceline, you can book vacation packages through it instead of just flights and hotels.
Additionally, if you’re looking for loyalty perks or special deals on airfare (like airline miles), Priceline may be your best bet because they’ll give you discounts based on how frequently you book flights.
Expedia vs Priceline: Similarities
Expedia and Priceline have similar booking engines, which means you’ll be able to book a hotel, flight, rental car, or cruise with either company.
In addition to the standard products (hotels and flights), both companies offer vacation packages that include multiple travel items at a discounted price (this is called “package pricing”).
These packages can include hotel nights plus flights from different airlines or multiple hotels, or even tours around various destinations in one package.
Expedia and Priceline also have many cars available for rent and cruises available for purchase.
Expedia vs Priceline: Cancellation Fees
Now before I share their pros. and cons., let’s take a look at the cancellation fees both these sites charges –
While both sites charge hefty penalties if you cancel your reservation within 24 hours (as does most of their competition), there’s another twist here:
You can’t cancel your room reservation if it was booked through Priceline—you must change your dates! If something comes up and prevents you from going on your trip as planned, though, there’s no way out of paying that fee… so choose carefully!
Expedia Pros. and Cons.
Pros:
- With the help of Expedia, you can find a wide selection of hotels, flights, and rental cars at competitive prices. The website also offers a variety of travel deals such as vacation packages, last-minute deals, and money-saving coupons.
- Using Expedia, you can access special discounts offered by hotels or airlines. Addition, you wIn addition, you can find cheap flight tickets from your local airport through this platform.
Cons:
- There might be some issues with bookings made on Expedia because it does not have an option for changing or canceling them yourself; instead, all these things have to be done through customer service representatives who may not respond quickly enough for emergencies like flight delays or cancellations due to weather conditions, etc.
- Pathetic Customer Experience.
Priceline Pros. and Cons.
Pros:
- The bidding process makes it easy to get the best deal on any of these items.
- You can save up to 60% on hotels with their name-your-own-price feature.
Cons:
- Priceline has no flexibility in terms of dates for flight and car rentals (like Expedia does).
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Conclusion
Usually, when I conclude, I find it hard to pick a winner.
But that’s not the case when I compare Expedia and Priceline. And out of these two websites, Priceline is the clear winner for me.
When booking flight tickets with full-on entertainment, and hotel rooms for your travel trip, I give utmost importance to customer experience.
And just like thousands of users, I’m saying this out loud – it’s pathetic. I suggest you do not run after saving some bucks at the cost of a good user experience.
That’s all for now. If you’ve any questions regarding these two travel websites, feel free to ask in the comments below.
