Booking Special Fares on Expedia
 

Is there a way to know whether an expedia bundle (aa flight+hotel) qualifies as a special fare before you actually book it?

On Orbitz, once you select your flights, on the summary page to the right it will say special fare if it's a special fare. I don't remember if Expedia shows the same but I think they do.

You can also get a good idea by looking at the pricing, if the stand alone airfare is $1000 but a vacation package with the exact same flights and one night of hotel comes to $750, it's most likely a special fare.