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Expedia Review
The world's largest online travel platform — flights, hotels, cars, and vacation packages
Last reviewed: 2026-04-30 · By GBBR Editorial Team
Our Top Pick · Gold Tier
Expedia
Custom pricing· Free tier available
The Bottom Line
Expedia is the world's largest online travel agency — and one of the highest-EPC affiliate programs in any category. It earns a Gold tier rating for its unmatched inventory (1M+ properties, 500+ airlines, 180,000+ activities), competitive pricing, One Key loyalty rewards, and a 3-month EPC of $137 on CJ — the strongest travel affiliate performance we track. Free to use. You pay the travel rate, not a platform fee. Best for travelers booking hotels, flights, or vacation packages who want pricing confidence and loyalty rewards.
What is Expedia?
Expedia was founded in 1996 as a division of Microsoft and spun out as a public company in 1999. Headquartered in Seattle, WA, Expedia Group is the world's largest online travel company — parent to Hotels.com, Vrbo, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, and more. It operates in 60+ languages, connects travelers to over 1 million properties in 200+ countries, 500+ airlines, 175,000+ activities and tours, and 31,000+ car rental agencies worldwide. One Key, launched in 2023, unifies rewards across Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.
What does Expedia offer?
Expedia is free to book through — you pay only the rate shown for your hotel, flight, or package. Its standout features include: One Key rewards (earn One Coins on every booking, redeem across Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo), Member Prices (exclusive discounts of 10%+ on select properties for signed-in members), vacation packages that bundle flights and hotels for additional savings, Price Match Guarantee (get the difference if you find a lower price within 24 hours), and a best-in-class mobile app with 100M+ downloads. Flight + Hotel packages often save 20–40% vs. booking separately.
Hotels (per night)
Custom
/one-time
Flights (per ticket)
Custom
/one-time
Vacation Packages
Custom
/one-time
Is Expedia worth the price?
Free to use — you pay only the travel rate, never a platform fee
Comparable inventory to Booking.com; One Key gives a loyalty edge over Kayak (meta-search only); Member Prices and bundle savings often beat direct booking rates
Best-in-class dealHow we scored it
Overall score: 88/100
1M+ properties, 500+ airlines, 175,000+ activities — the largest single travel inventory of any OTA
Member Prices deliver 10%+ off for signed-in users; bundle savings of 20–40% vs. booking separately
One Key is the only travel loyalty program that earns across hotels, flights, and vacation rentals on the same rewards balance
Clean search, strong filtering, and 100M+ app downloads — one of the best-rated travel apps
24/7 virtual agent; human agents available but wait times vary during peak disruption periods
3-month EPC $137, 7-day EPC $104 — highest in the travel category; commission pays on hotel, flight, and package bookings
Why Expedia is Gold Tier
Expedia earns Gold for three reasons: (1) Inventory depth — 1M+ properties, 500+ airlines, and 175,000+ activities in one platform is unmatched in the OTA category. (2) Loyalty rewards — One Key unified across Expedia/Hotels.com/Vrbo is the travel industry's best cross-platform loyalty structure. (3) Affiliate performance — a 3-month EPC of $137 and 7-day EPC of $104 on the Member Prices link makes Expedia the single highest-performing travel affiliate in our category. For content targeting travel intent, Expedia is the clearest Gold.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓Largest travel inventory of any OTA — 1M+ properties, 500+ airlines, 175,000+ activities
- ✓One Key loyalty rewards unified across Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo
- ✓Member Prices deliver 10%+ discounts on select hotels for signed-in users
- ✓Bundle savings — flights + hotels packages often save 20–40% vs. booking separately
- ✓Price Match Guarantee — get the difference within 24 hours if you find it cheaper
- ✓100M+ app downloads — one of the highest-rated travel apps
Cons
- ✗Customer support can be slow during weather events or mass cancellations
- ✗Some properties show higher rates vs. direct booking (always compare)
- ✗Cancellation policies vary by property — read carefully before booking
- ✗Non-refundable bookings are common on budget properties
Ready to try Expedia? Free plan available — no credit card required.
Get Expedia →Expedia earns Gold for three reasons: (1) Inventory depth — 1M+ properties, 500+ airlines, and 175,000+ activities in one platform is unmatched in the OTA category. (2) Loyalty rewards — One Key unified across Expedia/Hotels.com/Vrbo is the travel industry's best cross-platform loyalty structure. (3) Affiliate performance — a 3-month EPC of $137 and 7-day EPC of $104 on the Member Prices link makes Expedia the single highest-performing travel affiliate in our category. For content targeting travel intent, Expedia is the clearest Gold.
Get Expedia →Free tier available — no credit card required
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