The best way to know the price difference is to use a different device to check the price, then try again with the cashback site you plan to use. I have found that with Trip.com (and Agoda) it is almost always cheaper to book directly with them (especially with coupons) than with a cashback deal, unless you have a great promo above 7-8% CB.

You can use a different device as another poster mentioned, or you can use a browser with cookies for the specific OTA deleted. I just booked on trip.com (via a TripAdvisor link) yesterday for a stay that cost about 10% less than from a Rakuten link, even after factoring in the value of its cashback.

Have any of you guys successfully gotten IHG, Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriott to match a ctrip/trip rate? If so, what chain, and what was your secret? I've tried Hilton twice and Marriott once...all strikeouts based on de minimis differences (e.g. pool view v resort view). I might give up on chasing status altogether this year unless I can crack the code (for even one chain) because the price differences are typically far greater than the cost of breakfasts and evening lounge visits, which rarely avail of anyway.

My understanding is that trip/ctrip, along with Agoda, instead of acting purely as agent, buys outright remaining inventory of rooms of particular type at some hotels/resorts more often than other OTAs, in order to offer more competitive rates at these hotels/resorts. When they offer significantly lower rates than competing OTAs, that's probably the reason. In such cases, price matching probably wouldn't work.

My understanding this that, less so in the case of Agoda, they negotiate directly with hotels in top markets where their customer base gives them pricing power.

Regardless, price match guarantees are worthless if the brands reliably find loopholes which they exploit in order to deny claims. The price match thread in the Hilton forum explains this part fairly clearly (i.e. you need an EXACT match). Apparently, if you're not logged in and ensure that all variables are completely aligned, it's possible to win, but sometimes you actually need to put down money at Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt first in order to start the match process...or else match two fully refundable rates (this at least removes the refundability element from the equation).

First time using trip.com because of their "Trip flex" add-on which for 20eur allows for free canx or flight change.

Originally booked MU, but I then needed to change dates, and for the new dates CX was cheaper, so used the TripFlex to refund the MU ticket, eating the 20eur, but that's already much cheaper than buying a flex ticket on MU direct...

Booked CX on a new ticket, got the PNR to MMB and on login CX asks to confirm the contact details - trip.com doesn't put in pax phone number and the email is some sketchy a°°°[email protected]; I would have thought trip would have some @trip.com for their bots to monitor emails from CX...oh and put in OW FFP when making the booking but trip left it out, CX policy is if FFP isn't put in at the time of booking you can only later put in a CX FFP but not other OW FFPs which means no OW status free seat selection....

Did you supply the FFP number in the original CX booking sequence. If trip had the number but failed to apply it ask them to fix it with CX. If they can't will they give you a refund for the seat fee?

Yeah ask trip.com to add the FFP and/or to get the seat booked.

Yep the trip.com booking sequence even has a fancy GUI that when you select your FFP it even displays a mini logo if your airline...alas it's literally just for show..

Interesting suggestion on self paying then asking trip for a refund of it....maybe if you moan enough they will select the seat you want for you but never let you pay and get a refund...

Make the problem theirs to solve. Either get your FFP in the booking or sort out your seat reservation. I don't suggest you book and pay for it unless they give you a credit for the cost upfront, trying to claim it back might be hard...

There is definitely a pattern of problems with Trip.com when bookings are made with airlines who hold the variable “sketchy” agent’s email address but not your own (some airlines appear to be able to hold both in their systems)

I have a long distance SAW-KUL flight with AirAsiaX coming up and the airline will only allow me to include 2 meals in the booking, with one of them being complimentary. Unfortunately, when I booked the trip.com process skipped the part where I could choose and an unsuitable carbXcarb (noodlesANDwonton) meal went in as the default. Absolutely no way to change it (I have diamond+ membership). I can still order a second meal but I’m saddled with the CarbFest I will not be eating, as I said it is a looong flight and the portions are small. This is probably more to do with a trip.com misalignment or omission when managing the initial booking which then becomes set in stone.
I will point out that there had been no way to book this flight (flatbed GBP620) at this price on the AirAsiaX website so I am satisfied that trip.com gave me the opportunity.

With Cebu Air, there is no way to add seats or other services with the airline’s manage booking portal (website or app), and this is absolutely to do with the “sketchy email address” which is considered by the Cebu Air system as being mine.

This April I was able to select seats 48 hours prior to travel on Shanghai Airlines (PVG-BKK) but not on the return China Eastern (BKK-PVG) journey, this seemed also to be because of another “sketchy email address” proxying for mine in the MU system. Luckily I was assigned a suitable seat at check in.
The upside which counteracts not getting to pre-allocate seats on the BKK-PVG flight is that trip.com allows you to book a lounge with Economy flights at very competitive rates. In this case, and I appreciate it was an anomaly, my Miracle Lounge visit was no more than 1USD (this being apart from the free lounge visit allocations when attaining trip.com status)

I obtained trip.com Diamond status for free, but to "activate" the free lounge pass it says I need to have one hotel booking with them. Do you know if it would work if I just book the cheapest hotel I can find in the world? Obviously I'm not going to actually stay either

I am not sure that would work as you would be a no show.

However, the approach I believe (but am not certain) would work is to gift a hotel stay to someone. I don’t believe you have to be the one staying at the hotel, so as long as the person named on the booking shows up and stays that should be enough to trigger higher status with trip.com. Remember please that this is my personal opinion, not a guarantee.

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but I'm a first timer who has been re/searching China domestic flight prices and saw that Trip.com came up on Skyscanner searches among the OTA options. They seem a bit more reputable than the unknown quantity Kiwi.com.

What put me off was the fact that Trip.com (not the cheapest) was up to 50-75% cheaper than booking via the airline's official website (English language, "localised" to New Zealand).

With the savings being so substantial, I'm naturally anxious but know that Trip.com is considered legit for China travel. Why is there such a huge price differential and is there a risk that Trip.com doesn't fulfil the ticket in the end? I didn't look closely if there was any difference in luggage allowances, but because this was a search for Air China/*A airlines, I just assumed that it would be full service economy/inclusive of luggage.

Why are you put off by lower prices?