Booking travel can be a headache – especially when one has to decide between websites like Expedia vs Kayak. Even when travelers find a good deal, many are hesitant to click “buy” because of the potential for scams. Plus, who knows if they might find a better deal elsewhere? The websites can also help in choosing the best destinations for 2023.


The thing is, navigating online travel booking is complicated for a few reasons. One, many brands own a handful of sites that sell airline tickets, offer car rentals, and book accommodations. For example, Expedia owns Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, and CheapTickets (among others), per Wikipedia. Priceline owns Booking.com, Agoda, and Kayak.

So, to make sure you’re getting the best deal, comparing is key. But then, which site should you ultimately choose to book with? We suggest comparing prices and amenities on multiple sites, but here’s a guide to choosing between Expedia versus Kayak, and how to decide which is right for your trip.

UPDATE: 2023/04/20 12:29 EST BY AARON SPRAY

Kayak Vs Expedia: More Reasons To Choose One Over The Other

There are plenty of online travel websites to choose from. Two of the largest are Kayak and Expedia – but which to choose? This list was expanded to include more reasons to choose one over the other. Kayak vs Expedia: Both are competitive and offer a different range of benefits and drawbacks.

22 Kayak’s Homepage Is More Welcoming (& Easier To Use)

Woman in an Onsen in Japan
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Woman in an Onsen in Japan

When you first visit Kayak’s webpage, it seems pretty sparse. But in a way, that’s a good thing; you can clearly see where to enter your travel info. There’s nothing to distract you and only a single search field for to-from and your dates.

21 Expedia’s Site Seems So Busy (& Overwhelming)

Hadrian's Wall in Northern England
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Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England

You might find Expedia’s website a bit more challenging to navigate. They have options for flights, hotels, “bundle and save,” cars, cruises, “things to do,” and vacation rentals. In short, you may not know where to start.

20 Kayak Doesn’t Offer All-Inclusive Vacation Packages

St. Maarten Incoming Airplane
Photo by Ramon Kagie on Unsplash

A shot of an incoming airplane swooping low before it lands on St. Maarten

While Expedia’s site is pretty ‘busy’ looking, there’s a reason for that. They offer a ton of travel packages and options. In contrast, Kayak’s is fairly limited, and there’s a reason for that too. Kayak doesn’t offer all-inclusive vacation packages. So if you want a big travel package, look elsewhere. Shop around wisely to find some of the best all-inclusive vacation packages around the world.

19 Expedia Has Cruises, Activities, And More

Aerial View on Cruise Ship in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas

As mentioned, Expedia offers up tons of options. You can book a flight, hotel, vacation rental, car, cruise (including all-inclusive cruises), or local excursion all in one place. It’s pretty handy to have everything laid out there, especially if you’re traveling somewhere you’ve never been to before.

18 Kayak Lets You Be Indecisive About Your Trip

The baggage claim at Denver International Airport
Bob Pool / Shutterstock.com

The baggage claim at Denver International Airport

Kayak has a cool feature called ‘Explore’ where you can enter a few parameters of your trip (like the budget) and see what’s available. This is an awesome feature that lets you catch some great deals, without having to be precise about your plans.

17 Expedia Needs Specific Dates & Timelines

Canadian passport photograph inside the Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Photo by Kylie Anderson on Unsplash

Canadian passport photograph inside the Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Expedia, on the other hand, doesn’t have an explore feature like Kayak. You need to put in your exact dates and specific details before you can get any booking results. Not a huge inconvenience, but Kayak’s feature is still a nice touch in comparison.

16 Kayak Works With Certain Airlines…

Aircraft Hamad International Airport
Lina Mo / Shutterstock

Aircraft Qatar Airlines in the parking lot at the Hamad International Airport

While both travel sites seem to offer tickets for flights all over the place, they also seem to have special working relationships with certain airlines. Kayak prefers Norwegian Air and Spirit, for example, which might limit your ability to book the perfect vacay. Knowing some life hacks for booking cheap flights can go a long way to making a holiday affordable.

15 Expedia Has Its Airline Preferences, Too

Historic Onsen town in Japan
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Historic Onsen town in Japan

On the other hand, Expedia is selective about its airline partnerships, too. The site offers WestJet and Air New Zealand, which are seemingly exclusive offerings, says Openroomz. So if you want a specific airline, you might need either Kayak or Expedia, depending on how you choose to fly.

14 Kayak Tends To Have Cheaper Non-Stop Flights

mountains in Pontresina, switzerland
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mountains in Pontresina, switzerland

For some destinations, you have the option of a non-stop or layover flight. But in general, nonstop flights with Kayak are far cheaper than those with Expedia, says Openroomz. If you don’t want to wait around at the airport, Kayak might be the best pick, depending on your destination.

13 Expedia Offers Cheaper Flight Plus Hotel Packages

Tourists trekking at Fox Glacier, New Zealand
Niradj / Shutterstock

Tourists trekking at Fox Glacier, New Zealand

Openroomz found that flight plus hotel packages were cheaper with Expedia than Kayak. So if you’re aiming for a flight and hotel accommodation, it might be a better deal to book with Expedia. Of course, that doesn’t mean they always have the best deals.

12 Kayak: What You See Is What You Get

Sheep grazing, new zealand
Photo by Martin Bisof on Unsplash

Rural road in New Zealand 

Kayak doesn’t have any special membership programs: what you see is what you get in terms of price. They also don’t guarantee prices or do price matching. Basically, they say that since they filter info from tons of travel sites, they’re ensuring you get the best deal. You might need some calming poses for the plane if you find out later you got a raw deal.

Related: 15 Tips For Surviving Long-Haul Flights In Economy Seating

11 Expedia Makes Price-Matching Promises

Tower Bridge in the early morning.
Photo by Charles Postiaux on Unsplash

Tower Bridge in the early morning.

On Expedia’s Service page, they explain their Price Match Promise. Basically, you get an automatic refund if the price of your flight goes down after you book it. However, you do have to purchase this service as an add-on. Still, you could save enough for a first-class upgrade!

10 Kayak Has Potentially Cheap Hacker Fares

Street in the Old Town of San Francisco de Campeche
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Street in the Old Town of San Francisco de Campeche

Hacker Fare basically means flight options beyond round-trip packages with a single airline. Along with its round-trip flights on the same airline, Kayak also bundles together separate one-way flights to build your trip, often saving you a lot of cash!

9 Expedia: There Are Rewards To Be Had

Town Hall Square in Vilnius old town, Lithuania
Finn stock / Shutterstock

Town Hall Square in Vilnius old town, Lithuania

Expedia has a special rewards program with three membership tiers. All it takes to “join” is booking a set amount of travel per year. Of course, the first tier includes just about everyone, while the second tier takes $5k to reach, but everyone can earn points. Still, those could pay off on your next trip.

8 Kayak Has A Handy App Function

Bridge over Woobadda Creek on the Bloomfield Track, Australia
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Bridge over Woobadda Creek on the Bloomfield Track, Australia

Both Kayak and Expedia issue special deals to app users. But Kayak also integrates with Gmail, so you can export your itinerary from the app to your Google platform. The Kayak app also lets you organize all the details of each trip within the app. They simply call it Trips.

7 Expedia Offers Special Deals Via Their App

Pastel colored buildings overlook a harbor
Photo by canmandawe on Unsplash

Colorful buildings in Menton, France 

Expedia confirms that its app (for both Android and Apple devices) offers discounts on bookings. People who use the app to book their travel can save up to 30 percent just for doing it in-app. That’s a pretty sweet deal!

Related: Why Qatar Airways Has Been Voted The Best Airline In The World

6 Kayak Sends You Price Alerts

Main square of the old town of Poznan, Poland
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Main square of the old town of Poznan, Poland

If your budget is tight, getting the perfectly priced deal could make the difference between making a trip and staying home. So Kayak’s Price Alert function is awesome! A button marked “Track Prices” lets you keep an eye on fluctuations and book when the timing’s right. Then you’ll have extra cash for luxe luggage, right?

5 Expedia Accepts Certain Credit Card Points

View of Paris From Notre Dame Cathedral
Photo by Pedro Lastra on Unsplash

View of Paris From Notre Dame Cathedral

If you have a Citi ThankYou card or American Express Membership Rewards, you can use those points to book travel with Expedia. All it takes is linking your rewards account to your Expedia login, which could boost Expedia up a notch in those card users’ books.

4 Kayak Doesn’t Deal With Refunds

Brandenburg Gate with rainbow in Berlin
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Brandenburg Gate with rainbow in Berlin

What happens if you book via Kayak and decide you want your money back? Good luck. Kayak is basically a search engine or an aggregator of travel options. So, since you’re not paying Kayak, they can’t issue you a refund. Kind of a bummer as they are somewhat of an ‘agent,’ but it’s good to know ahead of time.

3 Expedia Charges Booking Fees For Airfare

A commercial airplane flying over people on Maho Beach in St Martin
Photo by Ramon Kagie on Unsplash

A commercial airplane flying over people on Maho Beach in St Martin

Though Expedia offers some awesomely priced packages for your next trip, they also charge some shady fees for booking. Since you’re booking with Expedia directly, they can upcharge you for airfare, and they take advantage of this. Fees can be small, but they can also add up!

Related: Don’t Like Flying? Here Are The Longest Flights In The World

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