Jetting off around the world can be an expensive passion, but there are ways to cut the costs and save money – such as the use of discount clubs and sites.
There are travel deal websites that track flight prices and offer passengers their best findings, meanwhile others might look at hotel rates.
Some even work holiday companies directly to bag the best price tags for a dreamy trip abroad.
Which? has identified the best websites and clubs that offer transparent and clear terms and conditions, as well as good deals.
The consumer champion analysed the experiences of panel members and the public using various deal sites and looked into factors including whether the membership was free, the choice of deals available and transparency of price and practices.
It also considered the value for money, whether the description of the deal was realistic, the clarity of T&Cs as well as how easy the site is to use.
Travelzoo came out the best, scoring 80 per cent overall and earning itself a Which? Recommended Provider title.
Which? researchers discovered a package holiday from Bristol to Rhodes cost £100 less with Travelzoo when compared to other providers.
Travelzoo came out the best, scoring 80 per cent overall and earning itself a Which? Recommended Provider title
During the research, Which? managed to find a package holiday from Bristol to Rhodes cost £100 less with Travelzoo when compared to other providers
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The site charges a £30 annual fee which allows members to access exclusive rates and scored five stars on its clarity of terms and conditions as well as its value for money.
Holiday deals are listed clearly on the platform and one customer told the consumer champion: ‘I’ve always found their deals to be genuinely high quality and better than what I can find anywhere else.’
Which? determined Travelzoo ‘works hard to get members real savings’ but did note some deals were only bookable if the customer rang up the travel company or hotel, which isn’t as convenient.
Luxury Escapes closely followed with 75 per cent, also earning a Which? Recommended Provider badge.
The company aims to provide ‘the world’s most amazing travel experiences at great prices’.
The website is quite simple to browse – and it’s free to use. But, there is a paid membership option costing £129 a year, plus a £250 joining fee that is not charged if you book a trip, that can lead to even more discounts.
Many of the trips advertised are very luxurious and users say the extravagant images and descriptions do in fact match reality.
Luxury Escapes managed to bag five stars on its transparency of prices and practices, and four on its value for money.
When put to the test by Which? they were able to find a cheap deal on a five-star resort in the Maldives that couldn’t be beaten elsewhere.
Luxury Escapes closely followed with 75 per cent, also earning a Which? Recommended Provider badge
When put to the test by Which? they were able to find a cheap deal on a five-star resort in the Maldives that couldn’t be beaten elsewhere
Secret Escapes, another free site, ranked third with a 73 per cent overall score and impressed with its value for money of deals.
Meanwhile, websites that offer cheap flights also proved to do well in the research.
Jack’s Flight Club ranked fourth overall and scored 72 per cent. Which? felt it ‘finds cut-rate flights for flexible travellers who can book quickly when a deal appears’.
The website sends alerts to members about cheap deals and tracks prices over time, which customers raved about as being useful for destination inspiration.
A downside was some holidaymakers would struggle to find trips for specific dates, meaning you have to be flexible to make the most out of the deals.
It’s also recommended to make sure the flights don’t involve stopovers that you might not want, or extra baggage fees.
The site can be used with a free membership, but those users will only be sent a few deals one week after they have been published.
Alternatively, it costs £18 for three months, or £48 a year, to receive all of the alerts.
Jack’s Flight Club ranked fourth overall and scored 72 per cent. Which? felt it ‘Finds cut-rate flights for flexible travellers who can book quickly when a deal appears’
HolidayPirates closely followed with 71 per cent and brings its users carefully curated bargain package trips, flights and separate accommodation.
The holidays usually feature detailed instructions on how to book them for the cheap price.
But, Which? did note that sometimes cancellation conditions were difficult to find and although it ‘finds good deals,’ the consumer champion urges users to ‘check the small print of the final holiday provider’ just to be safe.
Voucher sites also featured on the list, and Wowcher scored 71 per cent overall.
Which? explained that ‘decent deals exist’ on the site and it’s free to use, scoring four stars on value for money for its deals.
But, it was discovered some of the deals might not be huge savings, and the site can be difficult to use.
One customer was happy with their experience and bagged a discounted hotel, while another was not so impressed.
At the bottom of the rankings was Groupon, which scored 63 per cent overall and was rated just one star for its transparency of prices and practices.
Researchers found some of the deals were actually ‘starting from’ prices so didn’t reflect the true cost of what they could end up being.
Meanwhile, the cancellation policies aren’t always upfront and some users had issues after booking, whilst others noticed there was ‘a lot of upselling’.
Travelodeal sat just above Groupon with 74 per cent, scoring four stars for its easy to use website and rating just two for clarity of terms and conditions, description matching reality and the value for money.
The Daily Mail has contacted Groupon, Travelodeal and Wowcher for comment.
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