Upfront Summary: Is Trip.com worth it?
Trip.com is a legit online travel agency offering a broad travel service network to over 400 million users. The travel agency is part of the NASDAQ-listed Trip.com Group. Trip.com has a comprehensive network to provide clients with more than 2 million individual flight routes connecting more than 5,000 cities across the globe, with over 1.4 million hotels in 200 regions and countries. It is considered one of the hotshot agencies in the travel industry.
If you are looking for a hassle-free experience in booking flights and hotels, consider checking out Trip.com. Are you wondering how safe the site is? Wonder no more, as this article provides insights on the travel agency to help you make an informed decision before you engage them.
Table of Contents
- Trip.com Company Information
- What is Trip.com
- Is Trip.com Legal and Safe or Scam?
- Is Trip.com Reliable and Trustworthy?
- Pros
- Cons
- How Does Trip.com Make Money?
- Best Trip.com Alternatives
- FAQ
Trip.com Company Information
| Official Website: | https://www.trip.com/ |
| Headquarters Location: | Shanghai, China |
| Founded: | 2010 |
| Industry: | Travel agency |
| Ownership: | Jane Jie Sun |
| Contact: | +1-646-362-8606 en_flight@trip.com en_hotel@trip.com en_car@trip.com |
| Trust Score: | poor |
| Social Media: | Meta Instagram Twitter YouTube |
What is Trip.com
Trip.com is a legit global travel agency that caters to over 400 million users worldwide, providing hotel and flight reservation services worldwide. The company boasts more than 45,100 workers worldwide and a robust network that allows customers to book train, flight, and attraction tickets and make hotel reservations.
Booking services on Trip.com is super easy as you only need an internet-enabled mobile device or computer. With this, you can simply head to the Trip.com website, where you can see a platform for searching for your preferred service: Flights, hotels, trains, car rentals, and more. Enter your destination, check-in, check-out dates, and the number of guests. If you have a specific hotel in mind, you can also include the hotel’s name in your search.
Trip.com then reviews your preferences and finds a hotel that matches your needs. You can filter your search according to your guests, star ratings, budget, and many more to narrow your search until you get an ideal hotel room. Easy-peasy! The procedure is the same whether you are booking a hotel, flights, or rentals.
Is Trip.com Legal and Safe or Scam?
Trip.com is a legitimate Travel agency that helps you book hotel rooms, flights, and car rental services. The company has a valid SSL certificate that secures all the information it collects about you.
The information about you on Trip.com include:
- Identification: your name, phone number, email address, and account number, among others.
- Personal data: bank account number, insurance policy number, medical information, financial information, and others.
- Your preferences, such as language and region.
The site only collects information they need from you and nothing more, and there are no reports about any virus or malware detected on the Trip.com site. However, nothing is 100% safe on the internet, so you still need to take precautions to be safe: You must do your due diligence and research before using any service on the internet.
According to the policies put in place by the company, it is no doubt that Trip.com is a legitimate site.
Is Trip.com Reliable and Trustworthy?
Trip.com has conflicting web ratings. While some have given it a high rating, others have rated it as poor.
According to Sitejabber, the company has a consumer rating of 1.18 stars from 625 reviews. Better Business Bureau (BBB) has also given them a low rate of 1.16 out of 5. On the other hand, Trustpilot has given the company an average rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars from 23,847 reviews.
The satisfied customers were mainly happy about the shopping experience, good customer service, and great prices. In contrast, dissatisfied customers complained about experiencing difficulty getting refunds, credit card issues, and product quality issues. It may seem as though Trip.com has its fair share of both negative and positive reviews.
According to the company’s Customer Service Guarantee, if, in any case, your booking gets canceled by the supplier, Trip.com will refund not only your full payment but also provide additional compensation according to the circumstances.
Pros
- Secured payments
- The company offers various deals and discounts
- Competitive prices
- The company has a vast network of hotels, flights, and vehicle renting services to choose from
- Worldwide coverage and accessibility from anywhere
Cons
- Slow refunds
- Numerous negative reviews
- Poor customer service
- Several online complaints about last-minute cancellations
How Does Trip.com Make Money?
Trip.com makes money from its various service offerings, including hotels, flights, trains, car bookings, and reservations. Its offerings are divided into 5 operating segments, namely: Accommodation Reservations, Transporting Ticketing, Packaged Tours, Corporate Travel, and Other Businesses (an example is the company’s advertising revenue)
Each Trip.com segment rakes in annual revenue worth billions of dollars for the company, with the Transportation Ticketing and Accommodation Reservations divisions topping the list.
With its increasing number of customers, the company’s revenue grew from about $2.9 billion in 2016 to almost $4.5 billion in 2018, a whopping 60% increase. Despite its numerous discounts and compensation to its customers, Trip.com is still able to generate massive revenue from its services.
Best Trip.com Alternatives
If you are not comfortable with the mixed reviews about the company, you can consider checking out these Trip.com alternatives:
- Expedia
- Travelocity.com
- Booking.com
- Airbnb
- Orbitz.com
- Skyscanner
- Hotwire.com
- Priceline.com
- Tripadvisor.com
- Lodging.com
- Cheaptickets.com
- Flysera Booking
- Ski Deal Comparison
- Hotels.com
FAQ
How can I cancel my flight?
Go to the booking details and select “Cancel Flight.”
What is the refund method?
- Money refund: the company will deduct the cancellation fee, and the rest will be deposited into your original payment account.
- Airline Vouchers: you get refunds in the form of airline vouchers. The information about the coupons will be sent to your email.
What is an airline voucher?
You are given a voucher when a cancellation has been processed. You can use it to deduct the placed amount from the ticket’s cost.
Can I restore my refunded booking?
Unfortunately, you can’t use the canceled ticket. You can book again.
Can I cancel my ticket if my visa has been refused?
If that happens, the refund policy allows you to apply for a refund; contact the company via email or the 24/7 hotline to do this.
Can I rescind my cancellation request?
Yes, but you should do it before the ticket gets processed, as processed tickets cannot be rescinded.
I haven’t received my refund, but my booking has already been canceled. What can I do?
You can click “All Bookings” to check your request’s progress.
The cancellation progress goes through the following process:
- Request submission and waiting for processing by Trip.com
- The cancellation process starts by confirming the cancellation policy
- Once the company has confirmed that the booking is eligible for a refund, they work with the airline to issue the refund.
- Your refund is sent back to the original payment account. Depending on the bank/card issuer, the money might take time to reflect in your account.
How do I cancel part of the sector of my ticket?
You can use your departure ticket and then cancel your return way. Departure tickets cannot be refunded.
Does Trip.com charge a fee?
No, it is free to book. They pass the cost charged by the airline or supplier.
When will I get my ticket?
When booking your flight, you can see when your ticket will be issued in your payment confirmation email on the booking details page.
What can I do if my ticket fails?
Contact the company by email or phone to be assisted.
How long do I need to have a used driving license?
Many rental companies need you to have held the license for at least a year.
What are license requirements needed?
You must provide a valid driver’s license. Temporary licenses or photocopies of original rights are not accepted.