eDreams Review [2024]: Are They Legit Enough to Book?

Sometimes when I'm bored at work, I hop on apps like Hopper to window shop for travel deals (shh, don't tell).

The thing with these platforms, in my opinion, is that they're great for spontaneous travelers, or people who decides where to go based on what deals they can get to which destination. That's what I do, at least.

There are, however, platforms that is more intuitive to search for deals on specific destinations you're looking for. eDreams is one of them.

Travel booking sites with deal searching functionality can provide travelers with the best of both worlds: look for a trip specific to where you'd like to go AND save money while doing it. While they sound good on paper, they're rarely that good.

We've covered sites like Kayak, Priceline, Kiwi.com, and even Costco Travel. Some of these sites are actually great in finding travel deals, while others fall short in being just another third-party booking site.

How about eDreams? It's definitely been around for a long time, but does that make them superior to the newer ones? I'm going to dig out all of their best and worst features so you can stay informed when you book your travel deals.

First, let's talk about what exactly eDreams is.

What is eDreams?

Established in 2000, eDreams is an online travel brand that provides travelers with travel booking services from flights to hotels.

They also offer deals on low-cost flights from over 600 airlines and allow passengers to easily compare prices on flights and hotels to ensure they're getting the best deals.

They offer cheap flight deals, last-minute deals, weekend getaway deals, and even promo deals on general travel. Nowadays, they offer bundle deals like Flights + Hotels and car rental services.

In addition to a website, they also have an app so you can easily organize your travels and make bookings on the go. 

History of eDreams

eDreams have been around for a while, and has since established itself as the dominant online travel marketplaces in the world.

eDreams was founded by Javier Pérez-Tenessa, James Hare, and Mauricio Prieto in Silicon Valley in 2000s. They quickly moved headquarters to Spain and became one of the first few online travel agency to serve Spain and the European market.

eDreams was acquired in August 2010 by Permira, an investment firm based out of London. They were acquired before that by an american investment firm (TA Associates), but Permira bought them for close to €350 million.

From then, eDreams ODIGEO was formed by the merger of Go Voyages & acquisition of Opodo + Travellink. They quickly grew to become the biggest travel company in Europe and one of the biggest in the world.

From there, the company IPO-ed in the Madrid Stock Exchange and remained one of the biggest online travel companies to this day, with very little change in their product offerings.

eDreams Flights: Primary Feature

One of eDreams flagship feature is the ability to search for cheap flights online through its portal.

I realized that eDreams' biggest perks are the flight deals they offer across low-budget and big-name airlines. Through eDreams, you can book flights and make reservations online for cheap.

You can find last-minute flight deals, so if you're flexible on your travel dates and willing to travel soon, eDreams will tell you what dates are currently fetching the lowest prices.

Their flight search engine will also give you the cheapest, fastest, and best overall option.

Tip: When you book with eDreams, immediately make sure you've got the booking confirmation from both eDreams and your provider (airlines confirmation or check-in information). The email confirmation is crucial to make sure your booking went through.

eDreams Extras

I thought it'd be appropriate to include this in as many customers talked about this in their reviews.

While eDreams primarily sell flights, you'll find that they sell a bunch of ancillaries or extras during their check-out flow. Travel insurance, upgrades, memberships, or bundles, just to list a few...

I personally don't mind these options, because it's definitely better to be presented with these options than not, and I don't feel like I'm being forced or tricked into buying anything extra.

Tip: If you purchased any extras through eDreams, they should be synced to the provider. For example, if you purchased flight upgrades, it should reflect that in your flight tickets. For booking inquiries, contact eDreams. For quality or product-specific inquiries, it may be best to directly contact the provider you're buying from (ex: Ryanair).

What is eDreams Prime?

If you've done a flight search through eDreams, you've probably noticed they have two prices available for any given flight: regular and Prime.

eDreams' Prime service is a subscription service that allows you access to the best fares and a potential 50% discount off hotels. If you'd like to give eDreams Prime a try, you can sign up for their 30-day free trial.

They also have eDreams Prime Plus, which allows you to share your membership with friends so that they'll also get the same discounts. Yea, that's a no for me unfortunately.

My experiences

I tried their Prime free trial for 30 days to book flights and test out whether they'll save me as much as they've described.

The result? Exactly what I expected. I personally wouldn't pay for it, but would recommend anyone to use the free trial to book flights as you'll be able to save quite a bit.

eDreams is mainly for frequent travelers who can afford the time and don't mind exclusively looking at eDreams for deals, because that's all you're going to be doing.

If you're going to pay that amount of money to look for deals, eDreams bet on the fact that you'll be using their services more. I personally prefer looking on multiple platforms to compare prices, and don't really find their deals that enticing to pay for yet another membership.

Every flight booked as a Prime member will be discounted. However, the discount amount will vary depending on how expensive the flight is. The more expensive your flight, the higher the discount. That's why I recommend you book a bunch of flights with your 30-day free trial and cancel the subscription before billing starts.

If you don't want to continue with Prime after the trial, be sure to cancel your membership, or it will automatically charge you. To cancel, I just went to "My Prime account" on the website and followed the steps.

This is just my preference though, I can see how frequent travelers would benefit from this membership more than I would.

Is eDreams Legit?

eDreams is definitely legit! eDreams is an accredited travel agency, and operates under eDreams ODIEGO, one of the largest online travel company in Europe.

So why is it that many people seems to have issues with eDreams bookings?

While eDreams is legit, they're ultimately a third-party platform. This means that eDreams act as an intermediary between you and the vendors and help coordinate your booking information with the providers by taking a small cut of the transaction.

While there is nothing wrong with being a third-party booking platform structure, I find that you typically need a strong customer support system to ensure there's no issues with the transaction or your booking between the user and the provider.

In some instances, you have to work exclusively through eDreams, as I found some companies won't be able to make changes without eDreams involved. In my opinion, this is a huge dealbreaker. This means that I'll have to go through eDreams customer services to be able to get my refund, which is not ideal.

Most people called eDreams a scam agency, and while I don't agree with this claim, I can see why so many customers feel so strongly against them.

It's true they offer great deals, but things happen and cancellation, modifications, and excahnges will need to be faciliated. When you don't have a strong customer support system or a automated system for processing refunds, you're essentially disregarding your customer's needs and requests.

Now that you're aware of what the issues are booking with third-party platforms like eDreams, here's how to contact them in the event of a booking issue.

How to contact eDreams?

As with any travel planning, I always want to know how to contact the agency through whom you made my booking. But, unfortunately, eDreams doesn't have an easy way to contact them over the phone or quickly speak to a person for general customers.

You can visit their Help Center online to see answers to Frequently Asked Questions or chat with an online bot. While their website does allude to a standard rate phone line, that phone number is not listed anywhere online.

However, I found if you're a Prime customer you will have access to a 24/7 dedicated customer service line.

You can find the details of that phone number on the email you received upon joining Prime. While this is certainly a valuable incentive to the Prime service, I wish they had dedicated services to everyone that uses eDreams.

How do I cancel an eDreams flight?

While I hope you'll be able to go on your next adventure with no disruptions, you may need to cancel your flight. It happens!

If you've booked through eDreams, you can cancel your flight online in the "My Trips" section.

Canceling your flight, however, doesn't necessarily mean you'll be refunded. The amount refunded (if any) will depend on the fare conditions on your purchased ticket.

eDreams states that most budget fares are non-refundable. Additionally, unless you've selected a standard or premium option, eDreams will charge an administration fee for any cancellations.

eDreams does sell some flights with free cancellation options, but cancellations can only be made on the same day of purchase.

eDreams Refunds: How to get them

Again, I hope nothing goes wrong with your travels, but you may be entitled to a refund if something happens to your flight. The airline should offer you an alternate route or a full refund if your flight is canceled. You will be able to confirm your choice within the eDreams app.

You are required to cancel your flight to request a refund, and you can then track the status of your refund through the app.

FYI: A lot of complaints centered around credit card charges without bookings going through. Since i've been through this before, I'd recommend contacting both your credit card company and eDreams. If you're with a decent credit card company, they should be able to help you get that charge cancelled easily without having to go through eDreams if the bookings in fact did not go through.

Also, if you see that you're charged, it might be good to wait 2-3 business days. Pending transactions may take a while to reflect the accurate charge, which means they'll very likely automatically remove that charge themselves.

What are people saying about eDreams?

eDreams reviews holds an average rating of 3.9/5 stars from +100k reviews on Trustpilot.

Many travelers commented that purchasing a flight was easy and painless, providing great deals and saving money for travelers worldwide. While some eDreams review commented on the flight quality, they're not an indication of eDreams operations but rather the airlines as eDreams is a third-party platform.

I expected those with no real travel disruptions to have positive reviews.

Sadly, that wasn't the overwhelming consensus.

Negative comments on eDreams about the accessibility of ease contacting customer support directly was unnecessarily difficult. Several commenters also noted that after making their purchase, eDreams upgraded them to a Prime membership without their consent, withdrawing the $54.99 from the card used to pay for flights. I couldn't believe that!

Other eDream reviews pointed out that the price they had seen when booking changed at the final step, increasing to a new, more expensive price for their flight. My recommendation is to always keep checking pricing throughout the entire process.

Travelers have also commented that refunds take a long time to receive, coupled with the difficulties in contacting customer service, which has led to a negative experience.

Overall, I'd say book at your own risk. Your experiences with customer support may be less than ideal should you have to go down that route.

eDreams alternatives

While eDreams is a big name in travel booking companies, it isn't the only one out there!

Some of my recommendations if you're looking to find cheap or bargain flights, check into using Momondo to find some more great deals.

For more reputable sites, you might also want to consider booking.com or Skyscanner for all-around travel deals. Viator is another option that can help you find experiences and attractions while you travel (something eDreams doesn't offer.)

Is eDreams worth it?

In my opinion, if you're looking to travel and are flexible with your dates, eDreams can have some great cheap deals on flights worldwide.

Their search function quickly shows you different price fares on various routes, so you can opt for what works best for you time-wise and budget-wise.

That being said, a lack of customer service support does make it risky to use their services to me, especially if there's an issue with your schedule and you need to reschedule, cancel, or refund. I wouldn't feel as confident in those situations.

I personally would consider other options and only go with eDreams with sufficient research prior on what could go wrong, and even then, I wouldnt pay for eDreams prime.

If the price is decent on eDreams and you're not deterred by its lacking customer support or a subpar refund policy, then eDreams is at least a legit booking platform for you to safely book on.

I've warned you of the issues that travelers frequently face with eDreams support, so hopefully you'll be prepared to deal with the issues that may arise by booking with eDreams. Below is my rating and a suggestions to get your travel planning started!

My rating: 2.6/5

Pros:

• Easy to compare flight fares
• Last-minute travel deals
• low-prices + budget choices
• suggestions on optimal dates for cheep prices

Cons:

• Hard to reach + subpar customer support
• Small cancellation refund window
• Difficult refund process
• Prime-only phone support

eDreams FAQs

Is eDreams.com a trusted site?

Yes they are! They've been operating since 2000 and has grown to be one of the biggest online travel companies in the world. While they're a trusted brand, they're still an affiliated site, which means they have minimal control for cancellations and delays. Customer service is also subpar, so make sure you're aware before booking with them.

Is eDreams Prime Legit?

Yes it is, though how valuable it is to individual travelers may vary based on how many trips you book through eDreams. I'd recommend to give the free trial a try, but make sure to cancel it before billing date if you don't find them helpful!

Is it possible to get a refund from eDreams?

While it is definitely possible, they've certainly made it a huge obstacle to do so. It's also worth noting that the refund processing is mostly automatic. Once you've submitted your request, they'll process it and email you to let you know if it's been approved. Once approved, they'll refund it to the credit card you've used to purchase the ticket.

Do I have to pay for eDreams prime?

Yes, it's 54.99 Euros annually or 64.99 Euros annually for Prime Plus. You do get a 30-day free trial though, just make sure you cancel before the billing date!

How do I get out of eDreams prime?

Simply go into their website, on the top navigation bar you'll see "My Account / My Prime". Login, and select "My Prime Account". In there, you'll be able to deactivate your eDreams prime. It's non-refundable, so its important you deactivate your prime's free trial before your billing date.

Start planning your next adventure!

Whether you decide to book your next trip through eDreams, or another travel booking site, you can make everything go as smoothly as possible with a solid plan.

As you confirm the details of your next trip, use Pilot to keep all of your itinerary items in one place!