The secret world of travel coupons

SO you’re hunting for the best price on your flight, hotel or rental car? We reveal the tricks of the travel coupon world to help you save.

Travel coupon websites offer a variety of deals for those willing to hunt for a bargain / supplied

TRAVELLERS are increasingly turning to online travel coupons in a bid to slash the cost of their holidays.

While most coupons offer smalls discounts, some can save you hundreds of dollars off flights, accommodation or car rental.

These discounts are often hard to find and don’t last for long so we’ve put together a list of some of the best websites to help you in your search for savings.

What are travel coupons?

There are a variety of websites that are dedicated to hunting down, compiling and sharing discount codes from a number of popular companies  - including major airlines and hotel groups and those selling tours, travel products and insurance.

The codes, or “coupons”, either come directly from the company involved or are shared by other people who have used them.

They are essentially online versions of traditional paper coupons, Bart Jellema from Australian coupon sharing website Tjoos.com.au said.

“Online shops have coupons that come in the form of a code such as NEWYEAR2008 or some other series of letters, numbers and symbols,” Mr Jellema said.

“Like traditional coupons, these codes when used can save you lots of money on your online purchases - $5, $10 even $100 or so off depending on what you’re purchasing.”

Here is our pick of the best websites for travel coupons, both in Australia and overseas.

Australian-based coupon websites

- Topbargains.com.au is an Australian website dedicated to “bargain sharing” and compiles what it considers to be the best local deals. For example, travellers can save 10 per cent off Expedia hotels around the world or 10 per cent off insurance at Travel Insurance Direct.

- Tjoos.com.au has coupons from over 4600 online stores, while the US version has coupons from nearly 200,000 stores. The Australian site has grown by 400 per cent year on year and includes deals such as $20 off with 5-day car rentals at Avis.

- Whypayfullprice.com.au allows Australians to search by their location and download and print out coupons – though it has a more limited selection. For example, travellers can get free entry to Featherdale Wildlife Park when they buy one full-priced ticket.

Popular global coupon websites

- Couponcabin.com has nearly 100,000 active coupons and deals for airlines, hotels, car rental and other travel companies.

Examples include seven per cent off with Thrifty, $30 off a weekly rental with Avis, airfares from $US59 with Virgin America, $100 off when you spend $2000 at Marriott Vacations and 10 per cent off at the Holiday Inn Express.

- RetailMeNot.com is a popular site for bargain hunters with deals from over 65,000 retailers and manufacturers including airlines and hotels. The company estimates that consumers saved over $57 million by using their website from January to July 2010.

The website has received more than 80 million hits so far this year and travellers can find bargains for airlines such as Jet Airways or deals such as 10 per cent off at Thrifty.

- The eCoupons.com travel section has deals on airfares, rental cars, hotels and cruises. For example, you could save up to 10 per cent off at Bagsbuy.com, $35 off a first class airfare with CheapOair or five per cent off at Barcelo Hotels & Resorts.

- US website CouponMountain.com was launched in 2001 and is updated with new deals several times a day. It features a travel section for those wishing to browse for deals for their next trip away and is mainly accommodation focused. You can find deals such as $50 off hotel bookings when using AMEX at Travelocity or 10 per cent off flights at CheapOair.

- Dailyedails.com offers coupons and discounts from various travel companies. Examples of savings include 20 per cent off everything at luggageguy.com and up to 10 per cent off Baymont Inn & Suites in the US.

Other handy websites for savings

- Farecompare.com and airfarewatchdog.com compare the prices of thousands of flights from over 500 airlines. Or you can use Putivnyk.com, a much simpler, smaller-scale website that offers discount codes for airlines such as US Airways, British Airways and Southwest.

- Australian website Adioso.com scours airline information from around the world to find the best available fares. When selecting certain destinations, it displays a graph showing the flight costs over the next month or so, enabling you to see when the cheapest time to travel is.

Tips when using online coupons

- Many coupon sharing sites have functions that allow users to sign up to alerts for when deals come through for the company or product they’re interested in.

- Coupons often become inactive or don’t work properly. Keep an eye out for expiration dates that may be listed next to the offer, as well as ratings or comments which allow you to see which ones work based on the feedback.

- In regards to the lingo used, “promo code”, “coupon” and “corporate rate” all essentially mean the same thing: discounts.

- Codes often have a limited time span and the advertised expiry dates are not always correct as merchant sometimes extend the promotion or expire a voucher prematurely, so if you see a good deal jump on it as soon as possible.

- Remember to check out the terms and conditions involved, consumer group Choice warns.

“Vouchers deliver great deals and saving but there are strings attached too, consumers need to be mindful of the terms and conditions attached,” Choice spokesman Christopher Zinn said.

“The discount might be an exaggeration and it’s often a case of use it or lose it.”

- Stores generally issue two types of coupons – the first is link-activated and the second involves a coupon code that you enter into a box once you click through.

If you’re unsuccessful in tracking down a deal from a certain company using coupon websites, don’t forget to try a simple search in Google.

The quickest way of tracking down coupon deals is to search the name of the airline or hotel you wish to use, plus the term “promo code”, for example.

Look through the search results, keeping an eye out for codes which you can then enter into the company’s website.

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