The Pros and Cons of Instant Purchase Deals
Something that now frequently comes are Instant purchase offers made by both airlines and hotels. As this is a relatively new concept, David from Chic thought it might be an idea to clarify what the offers mean and the general conditions.
Q . What does instant purchase mean ?
A . Essentially the price you see has to be booked instantly with generally full payment made. Once the payment has been made no changes, even little ones, are allowed. So no date/ name / stay changes. Conditions might vary slightly depending on the hotel or airlines, but generally these prices are set by faceless yield controllers who take delight in their shield of anonymity. Things we might think make sense like adding extra people / nights or even a change of initial all seem to fall on deaf ears. In many cases the discounted price is actually funded by those who have to change and forfeit their monies paid in full.
Q. What deposit will Chic expect at time of booking these deals ?
A. It will be full total payment of the hotel and / or airline cost at the time of booking.
Q . Are they good value ?
A. Yes or No. It is usual the saving against a more flexible rate are around 15%, so certainly worth considering. However, you have to be confident your circumstances will not change in any way. Once booked any refund is highly unlikely, and remember your insurance policy will have specific conditions on things you can or cannot claim for.
Q . Would anyone at Chic consider using these offers?
A . Yes if I were travelling within two / three weeks and could be reasonably confident there will be no changes to my plans. Personally, I would be much less sure about their value if I were travelling 4/5 months plus in advance. So much of life is unpredictable. At the end of the day, the decision is yours, you will know more about your lifestyle than anyone else. Yes the savings are considerable, but there is a risk.
We hope you find this of assistance, but any queries or additional questions, just contact David at Chic.
“There’s no such thing as the best hotel, just the right one…”
Click for Booking Terms, Price Guides & Flight Information
All price guides are Per Person Sharing Double Room (Entry level), based on travel between May and/or June when prices are generally at their lowest and include promotional offers.
Supplements will probably apply at other times, particularly mid-summer in the Med, and for rooms and/or transfers arranged for single travellers.
For example, the Caribbean and Indian Ocean prices for winter can be approximately double the May – June level and about 50% more in Asia.
For the Mediterranean & Canary Islands, Caribbean, Arabia and the Indian Ocean (except Sri Lanka) price guides generally include airfare and transfers.
*For Sri Lanka and Far East we show a per person per night hotel guide, excluding air fare, as arrangements tend to be individually tailored multi-centre itineraries.
Please refer to Travel Advice on our home page or look at www.fco.gov.uk as the Foreign Office may have issued specific destination information on safety and terrorism.
Click for our CHIC Locations Booking Terms & Conditions PDF
