If you’ve ever planned a summer holiday abroad then you know how stressful it can be. Booking flights and accommodation can swiftly add up, and booking companies know just how to panic you into booking fast without thinking. Mark Baldwin, CEO of Baldwin Digital, has shared the six common scam marketing tactics that can trick you into spending more than you should – and how to avoid them.
One of the most common tricks used by hotel sites is creating false scarcity. Those alerts about “only 3 rooms left at this price” or “12 people looking at this hotel right now” are designed to trigger your fear of missing out. Mark said: “These notices may be technically true, but they’re often misleading.
“Perhaps there are only two rooms left at that specific price point, but plenty of similar rooms are available. Or maybe 12 people have glanced at the listing in the past 24 hours – hardly the stampede they want you to imagine.”
To avoid this common trick, search for the same hotel across multiple booking sites. You’ll often find similar or better rates elsewhere without the artificial scarcity.
In a similar vein, booking sites will often have a countdown ticking next to a special offer or deal, which creates a sense of urgency. However, Matt says these are rarely accurate.
“Most of these so-called limited-time deals aren’t actually limited,” Baldwin reveals. “They’re programmed to reset or show different timeframes to different users.”
Skip the pressure by screenshotting the deal and checking back in a day or so. Most of the time, you’ll find the exact offer still going strong days later. Another way to avoid this is to use incognito windows to track deals and compare prices without cookies.
The third way websites try to make more money is through dynamic pricing. If you’re continuously searching for the same destination, travel sites will frequently hike the price.
Matt said: “Travel sites often use cookies to track your interest and adjust prices based on your online behaviour.”
This tactic plays on your invested time and growing attachment to a specific trip, making you more likely to accept a higher price rather than start your search from scratch.
One way to avoid this is by using incognito sites for your browsing so you aren’t tracked by cookies. Better yet, use a VPN to mask your location, as prices can vary based on where you’re booking from.
Websites will often get more money from you by pre-selecting optional extras and automatically adding them to your total. Things like travel insurance, seat selection or priority boarding are all common add ons
Matt said: “Companies know most consumers won’t uncheck these boxes,” Baldwin explains. “It’s called the ‘default effect’ – we tend to stick with the pre-selected options. These add-ons can increase your initial price by 15-30 percent.”
Make sure you read over your total carefully at checkout and unselect any add-ons you didn’t choose.
As with so many things, the old phrase of ‘too good to be true’ should be kept in mind when booking flights and accommodation.
Matt said: “Budget airlines pioneered this technique by advertising bare-bones prices that don’t include basics like checked luggage or seat selection. Hotels do it too, showing rates that don’t include taxes, resort fees, or parking.”
To ensure you don’t end up paying extra, always click through to the final check out page across multiple sites, and compare prices from there.
Just make sure you don’t fall victim to another trick – the misleading price comparison.
Travel sites love showing you how much you’re “saving” compared to some higher price – but these might not be accurate.
Matt said: “Those crossed-out rates might represent the highest possible price that room ever sold for, perhaps during a major holiday or event.
“Or they might compare a standard room to a deluxe room, making it seem like you’re getting a deal when you’re actually looking at different products.”
To avoid this trick, make sure you are focusing on the actual price – not the claimed discount.
