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CheapOAir

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5.5

Overall Score

Author: Kalicia Bateman

LAST UPDATED: March 30th, 2022

Founded in 2005, CheapOair is a travel booking site with a unique search engine that allows users to search over 450 airlines simultaneously to find the best possible ticket prices. CheapOair offers 24/7 customer service and is frequently featured in worldwide publications such as the New York Times, Travel and Leisure, and The Huffington Post. 

The company does not sell its own products or services, but rather partners with third-party vendors in the travel industry to provide a single travel booking location for customers. These vendors include airlines, hotels, transportation companies, experience providers, cruise lines, car rental agencies, tour operators, travel insurance providers, and more. If you are looking for a place to book your entire travel experience and make each reservation through one central travel site, CheapOair could be just the company for you.

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The Good

  • Technology
  • Travel Accommodations
  • Search Engine Functionality
  • Reviews
  • Competitive Rewards Plan
  • Customer Service Policies
  • Award-Winning Service

Technology

CheapOair has created an online travel agency platform that allows travelers to find affordable and complete vacation deals at a discounted rate. CheapOair gathers and filters travel information through its innovative data collection technology and presents the most relevant search results, making it an easy travel site for travelers to navigate and book their reservations.

Travel Accommodations

CheapOair allows travelers to book nearly every aspect of their pending travel online, over the phone, or through its mobile app. Those who use CheapOair to book their travel accommodations can reserve the following:

  • Flights
  • Hotels
  • Car rentals
  • Cruises
  • Vacations packages

CheapOair gives its customers the ability to book online or over the phone, though users should know that a service fee may be larger if booked over the phone. The company also offers forms of travel insurance for travelers who want it.

Search Engine Functionality

CheapOair's search engine functionality is one of the best in the industry. Many customers have reported that they saved money with a cheap flight by using this functionality. Other site features that travelers may find useful include the following:

  • Flight Watcher — Look for the cheapest flights at the most desirable departure/arrival times
  • Seat Selector — Pick and reserve your seat on designated flights with participating airlines
  • Trip Manager — After reserving trip accommodations like a vacation package, manage tickets and other booking details from a mobile device
  • Deal Browser — With mobile-exclusive deals, travelers can browse discounts on vacations and reservations

The site also offers a way to do a flight search with flexible travel dates. This feature helps users to find the best deal possible, three days before and after your selected travel date, and usually results in a cheaper flight. 

Reviews

Both CheapOair's online and mobile platforms allow users to read and conduct further research through the help of reviews. Reviews are left by travelers who have stayed in prospective hotels or traveled using specific airlines and can help customers narrow their search and find the best accommodations for their trip.

Competitive Rewards Plan

Customers can earn travel discounts and gift cards by consistently booking with CheapOair’s rewards program. Once you sign up, there is a tiered rewards points system. Users can earn more points per transaction with each successive booking. They can even get $25 for referring a friend. 

Rewards members get up to 20 percent off flights and up to 55 percent off hotel bookings, six times reward points for every booking, and an account history to easily reference your upcoming or previous reservations. 

Shoppers planning to return should know that you can earn two to six times more points when you book through the mobile app. 

A CheapOair credit card is also available to help earn points towards future airfare or reservations in addition to the rewards program. Both options, the CheapOair Visa Credit Card and the CheapOair Visa Signature Credit Card issued by Synchrony Bank, offer several benefits: 

  • Earn 1 Member Reward Point and 6 Credit Card Reward Points for every $1 spent with the card on CheapOair.com
  • Earn 4 points for every dollar spent on dining
  • Earn 2 points for every dollar spent anywhere else

Six months of special financing is also available. 

CheapOair Visa

  • Emergency card replacement
  • Emergency cash disbursement
  • Roadside dispatch

CheapOair Visa Signature

  • CheapOair Visa Benefits 
  • Lost luggage reimbursement 
  • Trip cancellation/interruption
  • Travel accident insurance

Cheapoair Customer Service Policies

Price match promise: A price guarantee allows users to make sure they are receiving the lowest prices on their travel itinerary. If you find a lower online price, the company will credit the difference on your next round trip flight ticket or hotel reservation made through the website. 

Flight and Hotel Inconvenience: If your flight is delayed for over an hour, you encounter baggage delays, or your luggage is lost, the company will issue each ticket holder a $5 coupon for future booking, for up to five people. 

CheapOair Promo Code: CheapOair will also offer a promo code for different reasons each day. Some examples include senior discounts, student discounts, and military discounts. Travelers can use a promo when booking to save a little more on an airline ticket.

Award-Winning Service

To add to CheapOair’s many accomplishments, the company has received countless awards since opening its doors in 2005. The company’s has received rewards for everything from customer service and the CheapOair App to tourism and business practices. Most recently, in 2020, a year without much travel needs, the company received two Gold Stevie Awards for its communication department and its product management team.

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The Bad

  • Limited Car Models
  • Customer Service and Fees
  • Rewards Restrictions
  • Cancellation Policy 

Limited Car Models

CheapOair doesn't have many options available when it comes to rental car models. Most of the cars offered are economy class, which doesn't give customers the option to select a more luxurious vehicle if they want to be a bit more comfortable during their ride. 

Customer Service and Fees

Even though CheapOair has tried to keep the feel of agency booking, it does cost to do this. CheapOair has 24/7 customer service, but the issue is, while getting immediate, human-based assistance, you may rack up some fees. It costs more money to book over a phone call with a booking agent than through the website, as well as a few other things, like cancellations or attaining a refund. Trips booked over the phone may incur more significant service fees. 

CheapOair charges service fees on its transactions: 

  • Air tickets up to $35 per passenger, per ticket
  • Hotel reservations up to $32 per night, per room
  • Car rental up to $25 per rental

The booking fees may be much more if you book over the phone with a customer support travel agent, choose specific vacation packages, upgrade to business class or first-class fare, or plan on multi-city airfare trips. Fees are also subject to change. 

Reward Restrictions

CheapOair does offer a rewards plan to those who enroll in its membership program (enrollment is free and can be completed entirely online). Still, there are some restrictions and a point system that travelers should be aware of. The point system is broken down as follows:

  • Flights — Earn 1 point per every $1 spent on a flight
  • Hotels — Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on a hotel room
  • Car rentals — Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on a car rental
  • Vacation deals — Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on trip "extras"

Points can be earned simply for signing up (up to 500 points upon enrollment), but a high number of points is required to save on hotel reservations. Further, points can only be redeemed on certain hotel chain reservations. 

Cancellation Policy

CheapOair and its contractors charge a cancellation fee ranging from $100 to $250, making it very expensive to cancel bookings and thus limiting the size of the refund you can get when you do cancel.

Most airline tickets available on CheapOair are non-refundable. It is up to the airline. If cancelation is approved, a credit can be put toward a future ticket. However, most of the time, this type of credit comes with an expiration date. So, if you don’t book within the proper time frame, your refund is gone. 

Additionally, most bookings and service fees are non-refundable after 24 hours. 

Trip protection can be canceled within 10 days of purchase if your travel hasn’t happened. 

Within 24 hours of booking, customers can contact a CheapOair representative to cancel and get a refund, but they will pay $50 in cancellation fees for domestic flights and $75 for international, first-class, or business class flights. After 24 hours, economy tickets cost $50 to cancel with a future credit, while business and first-class tickets cost $100 to cancel, with the rest being refunded to future credit. 

If you don’t want credit for a future flight, the cancellation fee is $100 for the domestic economy and $250 for international economy flights and all business and first-class tickets. Additionally, fees for changing your tickets range from $100 to $250. 

Special offers, discounts, or cancelation rates are available for military personnel, natural disasters, the bereaved, and the visually impaired. 

Cancellations with the company can only be handled over the phone with customer service or a cancellation request form. 

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The Bottom Line

CheapOair uses innovative data collection technology to help customers book several different travel accommodations, including flights, hotels, rental cars, cruises, and vacation packages. The company provides search engine functionality and traveler reviews to help users find exactly what they are looking for, so finding cheap tickets and hotel reservations are easy. CheapOair stands out from the competition because it has a vast network of resources thanks to its parent company Fareportal, which has been in business since 1976.

Joining CheapOair for the rewards program can help you get a great deal while getting the credit card offers you the opportunity to earn even more points towards future online booking savings.

However, if you do end up booking travel accommodations and then decide to cancel the reservation, you can expect to pay a steep fee. Also, CheapOAir's car models are limited, and its rewards program is somewhat restrictive. 

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Star Rating

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3.8

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475 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

52%

4 grade

18%

3 grade

5%

2 grade

2%

1 grade

23%

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JamesS Dwight, IL

CheapoAir gets what you ask for...but at a price. Cheaper airlines mean cheaper seats, less comfort, more costly services such as baggage and food service etc. Sometimes it works sometimes its better if you need bags to just book thru the airline. Lately i have seen a lot of upselling activity. Take today for example. I am trying to fly Norfolk, VA to Chicago and CheapoAir keeps listing 4 seats available for $180 includes tax plus $40 for checked luggage. For 3 people it comes out to $650ish. I try to book and get message the tickets are no longer available. They try to sell me a $1,000 flight plus tax plus bags...$1,300 total with overnight layover in Denver meaning total is $1,500 with hotel and taxi from airport. I log off go to breakfast and check 3 hours later. The original offer with 4 seats is shown again....i try to book but get same message and upselling offer with overnight in Denver. I call customer service and they contact the airline and say they only have one seat available. CheapoAir tries to upsell other flights for $1,000 to $1,300 with overnight layovers in Denver or Miami. I can buy a direct flight direct from the airlines for the same price so why the upselling overpriced overnight layovers? I checked again, the 4 seats showing available for $650...I have used their service many times before but beginning to believe i am being scammed.

7 years ago

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savan

Itried to book tickets with cehapo air and my creidt card was charged ( atleast tried) 4 times. This blocked my credit card. I had to call my bank to explain them the situation and then i lost the deal that i was looking for on the website.

6 years ago

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Haviva Horvitz Cincinnati, OH

Other than typing my issues over and over again, I seem to have no way to complain and get any help. I completed a form, was sent an email, clicked on the connection and was sent here to type my problems again. That is not helping, as much as adding to the frustration.

6 years ago

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E Fox Pasco, WA

After I booked my flight online there was a additional charge to my credit card that I did not authorized. There was an email asking me to be part of some program for the airline but I did not even opened it. I do not understand why I got that charge.

7 years ago

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Review Source

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April aphe8493 Castle Rock, CO

I personally hate this website. I don't think it is very user friendly and its constantly trying to get you to purchase the wrong thing because there are no refunds. I was trying to buy a flight and I put it in all of the information for my trip and it still showed me this other flight on a different date and I ended up buying it on accident and they wouldn't let me refund it even though I bought it at most 5 minutes prior.

6 years ago

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Rochelle Fleischmann Jacksonville, FL

Checking in & printing boarding pass are not possible on your website. Can't do it through American either, as you use different numbers.

6 years ago

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Greg M. Poway, CA

Not always the cheapest. I have had numerous changes made during my booking process, of price hikes.

6 years ago

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Katie Kearney Vienna, VA

The name is deceiving. The flights are not any cheaper than any other platform. It was a complete let down.

7 years ago

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LC333 Los Angeles, CA

Confusing I don’t fly and doing this by myself is stressful

6 years ago