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Travel Shopping Online Tips: Avoid This Mistake to Get What You Want and Never Overpay

Travel Shopping Online Tips Avoid This Mistake to Get What You Want and Never Overpay

Dynamic Pricing…this is an online shopper’s enemy. It can apply to many shopping experiences, but travel is prime for this strategy that can cause you to overpay.

In markets that have a fluctuating price point, dynamic pricing is used to adjust pricing. This is one reason you will see fluctuations at any given time. Hospitality, travel, entertainment, and retail are the most common markets you will see this practice. So, when you are booking tickets to a concert, football game, airline seats, or booking rooms, these prices can change at any time in order to fill stadiums, planes and hotels. At the same time, revenue is increased and more money comes out of your pocket.

Think of it as a reverse of those travel discount travel site deals. The industry uses this ability to bounce numbers to find the best price that consumers are willing to pay.

There are many factors that go into these changes. For example, airlines use factors like, the number of seats a flight has, departure time and cancellations on similar flights. The time of day is another factor. Online retail typically sees a surge in shopping in the evening, so prices suddenly go up as the interest goes up.

When you shop online cookies track what you do and remember things like passwords, usernames and search terms. Cookies also tell websites you have been there before. When you visit your favorite airline’s site to shop for tickets for your upcoming trip…it remembers. Repeated searches tells the airline you are very interested and planning on buying, which can cause a price a hike. Thanks to location services on your phone and computer, it can also tell the website where you will most likely being flying out at and bump prices for nearby airports.

To combat dynamic pricing and prevent yourself from overpaying when travel shopping online, use these tips…

  1. Clear your computer cookies. You can search how to do this online. Simply google your browser name and “clear cookies” to get step-by-step instructions.
  2. Turn off GPS or any location services. When that pop-up offering to use your location to find you the best deals flashes across your screen, hit NO or CANCEL.
  3. Even if you are a member of a loyalty or rewards program, begin searches on price aggregating travel sites like Kayak. Once you have the ideal flight and prices you want, then go to the airline’s website when you are ready to book.
  4. Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari are some of the most popular browsers and they can impact prices. Internet Explorer tends to see lower price options.
  5. Make your searches private. Click the “File” tab at the top of your browser to enable a “Private” session and begin your hunt for deals.
  6. Shop in the morning before lunch hours. This tends to be a great time for most retail shopping too.