For those of you who book travel through an aggregator, I share the news that, after decades of using it, I am abandoning Seattle-based Expedia in favour of Shanghai-based Trip.com. I’ve used both of these platforms for some time, looking for an alternative to Expedia, which I am sick of.
I never thought I would write that a Chinese travel firm offers better service than the leading American one, but that is the case. I’ve had two instances in the past couple of years where software glitches on Expedia seem to have caused bookings to be registered for dates other than the ones desired. But what really upset me was Expedia’s total lack of interest in what appeared to be a fraudulent car hire firm using their platform in Tanzania. Expedia customer service has had abysmal average reviews for years, and the average is getting worse.
Here is what Claude says about a firm-against-firm comparison:
<The gap between them is stark. On Trustpilot, Expedia sits at roughly 1.2–1.4 out of 5 (“Bad”) across its US, UK, and German sites, drawn from thousands of reviews — complaints center on refund delays, unresponsive customer service, and unexpected charges. Trip.com, by contrast, sits around 4.0–4.1 out of 5 (“Great”) from a much larger pool of reviews (over 190,000), with users citing an easy-to-use app, competitive pricing, and flexible cancellation terms, though it also draws complaints about baggage handling and data-transfer errors with airlines.
On trend: Expedia’s poor reputation isn’t new — it’s been chronically low for years — but it’s still sliding. The American Customer Satisfaction Index’s 2026 Travel Study (a broader, US-based survey distinct from Trustpilot) shows Expedia’s score falling 3% year-over-year to 75/100, underperforming rivals like Tripadvisor and Booking.com, which tied at 77. Trip.com isn’t tracked in that US-focused index, but its own trajectory looks like the opposite: it picked up “Contact Centre of the Year” and “Global Support Services of the Year” awards in 2024, and reports customer satisfaction near 90%, consistent with its stronger and apparently improving Trustpilot standing.>
The other thing I would add is that Trip.com is, in my experience, normally cheaper. FY2025 revenue at Trip.com rose 17% as its international expansion moved forward, compared with 7.6% at Expedia.
Tags: China versus America, Expedia, travel, Trip.com
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