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Shopping Frequently Asked Questions


Are there any airlines that are not listed on Expedia.co.uk?


There are a small number of airlines for whom Expedia.co.uk is currently unable to supply tickets. Those airlines include Southwest Airlines, Ryanair, and Syrian Arab Airlines. This list may change periodically.


Is my credit card number safe?


Expedia.co.uk uses the Secure Sockets Layer and Private Communication Technology security standards that are supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or later and other popular browsers. SSL encodes your personal information (such as your password, address and phone number, or your credit card number) so that it is available only to you and the Expedia.co.uk travel agent who will help make sure your travel planning goes smoothly. This encryption makes doing business over the Internet as secure as making a purchase by telephone.


Why doesn't Expedia.co.uk find all flights?


Expedia.co.uk does not return all flights that match your criteria, just the least expensive or those most closely matching your schedule, depending on the search option you choose.


What if I need to change my flight arrangements?


If you need to change your flight arrangements less than 24 hours before the flight, call Expedia.co.uk at the telephone number listed on your itinerary. To cancel or change a reservation or purchase, see When plans change.


I've seen a better flight price advertised elsewhere. Why don't I get that price using Expedia.co.uk?


There are two possible reasons:
  • We show you only those flights that have seats available. The fares advertised may apply to only a few seats and those seats may have already been sold.

  • A small number of discount carriers do not currently participate in our electronic reservation system. To make reservations with those airlines, you must call their offices directly. We're working to get distribution agreements with these few carriers, and will make them available to you as soon as possible.



When searching for a best-priced flight, why do I sometimes get a lower price when I choose a specific airline than when I search on all airlines?


Expedia.co.uk is designed to find you an inexpensive flight close to the time you would prefer to depart. When you request a search for all airlines, we search through a smaller selection of flights from each airline around the departure time you've chosen. (For example, if you specify that you want to depart at 2:00 PM, we might look at all flights from all airlines between noon and 4:00 PM.) If you specify only one airline, we look at a broader range of flights throughout the day from that one carrier. Because flights at different times of the day may be more or less expensive depending upon whether or not they're "rush hour" flights, a lower-priced flight may turn up when you search on one airline.

If you're flexible with both the airline and departure time, we suggest that you search for flights on all airlines departing Anytime. This may help you to come up with better prices.


I know there's a flight on this airline at this time, but Expedia.co.uk doesn't list it. Why not?


We show you only those flights that have seats available: all seats on the flight you're looking for have already been sold.


What are e-tickets and why should I use them?


Electronic tickets, or e-tickets, now offered by many major airlines, allow you to travel without a paper ticket, eliminating the worry of leaving your tickets behind. An e-ticket confirms your airline ticket purchase without requiring a paper record; the only record of an e-ticket sale is in electronic form in the airline's computer system. When you buy e-tickets through Expedia.co.uk, you'll receive a confirmation of your purchase via email.

For more information about travelling with e-tickets, see our Frequently Asked Questions about e-tickets.


On what airlines can I purchase e-tickets?


An increasing number of airlines are offering e-tickets. Please be aware that e-tickets may not be available for all of the flights offered by a particular airline.


Why does my itinerary say there are seats available, but when I go to reserve them it says none are available?


Because we are using a real-time reservation database, availability can change between the time an itinerary is created and the ticket is reserved or purchased. Tickets are constantly being sold around the world, so a flight can be fully sold out minutes after your search. The same applies to hotel rooms and car hires.


How can I enter special discount plans, like free tickets (due to redeeming frequent flyer mileage), government employee discounts, etc?


Right now, Flight Search and Lodging Wizard allow you to enter your frequent flyer and frequent guest plan numbers. Car Search allows you to enter the numbers for any frequent car hire plans to which you belong, or the discount codes appearing on vouchers or available through organisations that offer special travel benefits. You should receive whatever discounts apply to those programs.

The current version of Expedia.co.uk is not able to process free ticket options or car upgrades from frequent flyer programs. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you, but we are researching ways to handle these options for future versions of Expedia.co.uk.


How does my credit card guarantee my hotel reservation?


When you supply us with your credit card, we pass that number to the hotel. Your hotel reservation will be held until the date and time you indicated that you would check in. If you cancel your trip or decide to stay elsewhere, you must cancel your hotel reservation or the hotel may impose a "no-show" charge.


Why am I having trouble finding hotels and purchasing tickets? I'm getting messages such as "Illegal Operation," "General Protection Fault," and "Multipart."


These errors indicate that you may be using an unsupported Web browser or that your browser is configured incorrectly. Refer to the FAQ about system requirements to find out what browsers Expedia.co.uk supports. Refer to the Help menu on your browser for information about proper configuration.


Can I use a credit card with an international billing address?


Yes! Now, if you have a credit card with a billing address outside the United Kingdom you can use it for:
  • hotel reservations
  • rental car reservations
When entering your international billing address be sure to click "Non United Kingdom billing address" to enable the international billing address format. At this time, you will not be able to book flights with your non United Kingdom credit card.