ExploreTripReviews 1,330

Explore trip is a scam. I booked a flight on their website and got an e-mail confirmation of the fare and reservation made. I then received a follow up e-mail from them asking for a scan of my passport and credit card, which I also provided them. I received a second e-mail confirmation with a PNR# of that reservation and a notification that the e-ticket would be sent to me. I tried to select seats on the airline's website and there was no reservation associated with that PNR#. I called the support number provided at the Explore Trip website and got no response. I sent them an e-mail requesting clarification and this is the response I received:

Dear Customer,

Please accept our sincere apologies, but unfortunately the reservation you made was not confirmed. As mentioned on our website the price and availability of our low fares can change quickly and cannot be guaranteed until the ticket is issued.
In this case, the airline cancelled the available seat before your card was charged because it was booked by someone else. We tried to re-book the ticket at the same price for the same itinerary but were not successful. We regret the inconvenience caused and wanted to let you know your credit card was not charged. We hope that youre able to find another fare on ExploreTrip that meets your travel requirements.

For further assistance, call us on *******984

We are committed to serve you in the best possible way, 24/7,

Regards,
Tony

ExploreTrip Support
1-*******984 (Call us 24/7)
ExploreTrip.com

They also returned my call and suggested that if I wanted to rebook the ticket it would cost me USD400 more than the fare that I had earlier received confirmation of. No explanation was given for why they needed my passport and credit card details if no seat was ever confirmed!

Avoid this travel website it is a total scam!

The tickets were cheap however their customer service line is complete $#*!. The woman on the phone did not tell me her name, had a thick accent, kept putting me on hold and hung up on me without any farewell (nothing simple like thanks for your call have a nice day.) I wanted to extend my trip and they told me I would have to pay $350 dollars service fee plus applicable charges and when I asked I could add a route to the itinerary, she wouldn't let me but she also couldn't properly explain why either. Beware when you call, they'll just keep putting you on hold when you have questions.

I booked my flights in July for my Christmas trip. At some point the itinerary had been changed by the airline. I was not informed of this at all. I found out by going on the airline's website to reserve my seats. The times had changed completely and I would've had to wait at an airport for my connection for 14hrs with 2 small children. Not only that, but what if I hadn't checked the website before and had just gone to the airport? What would have been my options when I would've been 11hrs late for the flight?

I called immediately and was first promised it would be solved in 2 hrs. When I called back in 2 hrs, I was told there's nothing they can do that I need to call the airline. I call the airline, they say I have to call Explore Trip. I call Explore Trip, they say to give 24hrs. I call back, no answer, I was on hold for 45 mins. I'm assuming because they saw I'm calling again.

This morning I had to book completely new trip because of this company. I understand airlines cancel flights, but what I don't understand is why couldn't they inform me of this. Or offer other options than waiting 14 hrs at the airport. Now they say I won't get a full refund, but we see about that. I'm calling my attorney next. These people are crooks!

I booked a ticket for my father-in-law to return home from USA back to Italy and because he's deaf/mute, I needed to add special assistance to the booking. It turned out to be a complicated process, but long story short is that the customer service rep with Explore Trip was very helpful, even joined a 3-way call with the airline company to help explain the situation. The flight is next week, so this rating is particularly about the customer service I received from the rep, (Phillip?) - and the price was great as well. Hoping all goes smoothly with the flight itself!

I purchased a ticket throught them in the 24th of September
In the flight date and before the plane took off i had a call saying that there is a problem with the plane and you should change the location of the airport to another one which was impossible for me to catch i called them to cancel the ticket no one responded to me so eventually i missed the flight i called them the next day to get a refund they told me to contact with the airlines that i had ticket with to get my money so i did now both airlines are telling me because i had a third party to book my ticket i need to call the agency to get the refund so i did but the SHOCK was it's not their responsibility and that the money will never get back to me so you can say that they stole my money with a big smile on their faces
Now i will sue them because they lied to me and they stole my money!
DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM THEY WILL ROB YOU!

I always check my personal info multiple times before booking a flight and never had made a mistake writing my name but for some strange reason in this first time using ExploreTrip via skyscanner my name appears as Katerrine instead of Katerine. 3 weeks before my flight I notice this and call them only to find out that their representatives speak poor english and are trying to charge $150! To remove that one letter. I called the airline directly and they said it shouldn't cost anything but unfortunately they can't since it's a private fare. Explore Trip has not offered any solution besides paying the ridiculous fee. This is straight up abusive and will not use this service ever again.

Apparently a very common story: I booked a flight; they charged my card and then cancelled the reservation because the payment details "could not be verified." I called to verify the payment details (this is fewer than 24 hours after the purchase); they did nothing helpful, and were rude and sarcastic and left me on hold for almost an hour.

DO NOT USE!

Booked a trip from Washington. To California. My grandma was dying. Their site was very hard to work with. I keep selecting the flight I wanted but when I would go to check out it charged me double. She died the morning before I left so I had to cancel and change my flight. These people wouldn't not help me. They hung up on me three times when trying to talk to them. The only contact I got was by email. They will not refund your money or work with you to reschedule a flight. Customer service is very bad. Go straight to the airline to book your flight. If something goes wrong at least they can help but not if you go thru a third party. These people are out for your money only.

First, let me start by saying I am very happy with both the price and the customer service I received. I booked a flight from the US to Italy, and ExploreTrip had the lowest price for the best journey. Other sites had good prices but the flights were 14 hours longer or had extra stops. Upon booking online, I was given a PNR# and sent an email. The next day, I called to inquire why my credit card had not been charged. A helpful CSR looked into it and told me the card would be processed within the half hour at the quoted price and that they would call me back to confirm that the ticket booked. And they did call! The following day, after reading some of the reviews, I decided to check the airline's website to check on my reservation. When I couldn't see it, I called the customer service number again and they tried to walk me through it (both of us logging into the airline's website). The key was to include my middle initial with my first name in the booking. Once I did that, my booking came up and allowed me to pay to select seats earlier or upgrade to another class. Again, very helpful.

So my advice:

(1) Each time I have called, the wait time is less than 5 minutes. Yes, you are automatically placed on hold, but someone always answers.

(2) Stay on top of your reservation. Don't assume anything. Ask if the credit card was processed. Ask if the ticket booked. Use the PNR # to manage booking on the airline's website and if you can, select seats.

STAYY AWAY! DO NOT BOOK WITH EXPLORE TRIP! I don't understand how an airline faults their customer for not confirming their flight? I called the day after i booked my flight, to confirm my flight just to be sure because i've read so many bad reviews, but just thought i test would test my luck. Bad judgment call... The rep i spoke to said i would just have to wait for that email... and once i receive it confirm it. Okay so i took his word for it and waited Nothing. I never got a second confirmation email or anything and low and behold they CANCELED MY FLIGHT! I called them and they said bc I didn't confirm in that 24 hour time frame it was canceled... BUT I CALLED THEM IN 24 HOURS BECAUSE I NEVER GOT THE DAMN EMAIL! I was livid... He basically told me go book another one and wait 24 hours and then confirm it. LIKE HELL I AM. NEVVVERRR booking through this third party again.

I would never use this agency again. I had booked a return flight with Explore Trip. Unfortunately, while away a member of my family passed away and I tried to change my return flight. The phone number listed for 24/7 support service did not work- you dial the number, it goes dead. Tried to email and received an answer stating that in order to make any changes, i would have to personally speak with them. I tried their live chat line, again, I was asked for a phone contact and that someone will phone me soon. No one phoned. Several emails from me asking them to call me at my destination were also ignored. Someone named Kevin called my home and left a message saying I am to call the airline for changes.Of course the airline refused. I ended up buying a new ticket so that I could return home. This is indeed the worse experience i ever had.

When I booked with Explore Trip through Skyscanner.com, I received an email from them that said "we failed to verify your credit card information. Please complete this form, otherwise your booking will be cancelled". I wrote to them at *******@exploretrip.com (the email address they provide) to say that I wouldn't be filling in the form, as I do not send ID and credit card details over email. I assumed that the flight would be cancelled, as they stated. No one ever replied, but given that they said "we cannot complete your order", I figured I wouldn't be charged.

Fast forward to two days after the flight would have departed, and I have a $714 charge on my credit card (for a flight that was advertised at $655. I called the agency to ask what had happened, and they told me that it was my fault - they had never cancelled the flight as they said the would have, and I am not entitled to a refund. To add insult to injury, they have suggested that I re-book, but would have to pay $200 for the no-show, and $200 for the re-booking fee. TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT. Stay away!

EDIT: Outcome - In the end, the best solution ExploreTrip offered was to re-book my flight, and exonerate the $200 CAD no-show fee. I still had to pay $200 CAD to change the booking and another $110 because the new dates were more expensive. So all-in, it was $1024 for a flight that should have been $640. Lesson learned.

Don't even THINK of using this site. I have had multiple bad experiences for just one booking i did through them. They are PURE CHEATS. The information given on their website is incorrect. They charged me 400$ as a change fee which the airline said was 89$. They NEVER respond to your calls. Waiting time is frequently 10+ minutes on the call. No proper system to book to cancel or change on line, you have to call them. Every agent gives different information and there is huge communication gap. They argue with customers and have no quality checks on their calls.

It REALLY can't get worse than this. They should be out of business.

I booked a flight that used Exploretrip. I booked in Canadian currency, but they charged me in USD, which increased the sale by $260 CAD. I have been calling them for 2 months straight and there response is "the mail has been declined"... I have never had any of my mail declined, i even gave them 2 separate addresses where I typically pick up mail. It is shocking how poorly Exploretrip has attempted to credit me back the overcharge they conducted. They should be able to just credit the card they have on file from the purchase... Very frustrating.

It was very bad experience. My card was declined twice during the processing. I tried third time on another computer and I've got the message that the reservation have been made. Next day I've got the message from ExploreTrip saying that my order is on hold because "the booking has been declined while charging for the tickets" and "call or e-mail us to reprocess the existing reservation once the problem is fixed". Yes, my issue bank blocked the card because there were several attempts to charge. When I unblocked it again I tried to response to the ExploreTrip's email I have been speaking with them three times and my wife even more, trying to reprocess. They were giving us different information increasing/decreasing the price, putting on hold, and so on. Finally they said that they charged us for a certain amount... Meanwhile, I haven't got any confirmation for this booking. So I had to block my Visa again and try to find more reliable organization.