As a travel writer, I always find myself needing to book a flight or an accommodation almost spontaneously. Most of the time, when I am on the tail-end of a travel writing assignment, I extend my trip in order to cover more places. And every single time, I always score myself cheap flights and hotels via Traveloka—which I now consider my go-to travel app.
There are often apprehensions whenever a traveler books a flight through a third-party app rather than a standalone airline website. I completely understand where those doubts come from, but I guarantee that I have never experienced even a single problem with my numerous bookings made via Traveloka.
Is Traveloka Legit? The Go-To Travel App for Flights and Hotels
To ease your mind and help you better budget your upcoming trips, I will share some of the many reasons why I now keep only a select few travel apps on my phone: Google Maps, Grab, Tinder, and yes, Traveloka.
Traveloka is an Established Brand Since 2012
As a major sponsor of Asia’s Got Talent 2017, Traveloka has been a dominant and trusted brand across Southeast Asia since its inception in 2012. Founded in Indonesia, it has steadily grown its popularity throughout the region, cementing its strong foothold in the rapidly expanding travel industry of the Philippines.
User-Friendly Interface
A no-frills design allows users to quickly get the hang of navigating the app. On the opening landing page, users are instantly presented with clear options of what to book: Flights or Hotels. It also features a dedicated tab for Price Alerts and Ongoing Promos—something every budget-conscious traveler loves to check constantly.
As a frequent traveler, I consider the user-friendliness of a travel app an essential factor because there are times when I need to secure an emergency flight or hotel at the most inopportune moments. Having used the Traveloka app a handful of times, its fluid interface and instantaneous processes have helped me immensely.
User Reviews & Detailed Information
Traveloka doesn’t just list internal user reviews from its own platform; it also integrates user reviews directly from TripAdvisor—the leading traveler review website in the world. This completely saves you the time of opening a separate browser window just to check hotel ratings.
Furthermore, the app provides useful and detailed hotel information. You can easily view the interactive map of the hotel you are booking and check the corresponding distance to nearby points of interest, helping you choose the ideal accommodation relative to your planned itinerary.
Year-Round Promos, Great Deals, and NO HIDDEN CHARGES
What I love most about Traveloka is the true what-you-see-is-what-you-get pricing listed on their platform. On many other booking sites, you get lured in by an initial cheap rate, only to find out that taxes and online processing fees inflate the final price by 20% to 25% at checkout.
On Traveloka, taxes are already fully inclusive, and on top of that, they throw in occasional discounts of up to 20% on promotional deals, easily visible by clicking on "Ongoing Promos" on the home page.
To highlight my point, I did a mock booking for an upcoming trip to Taiwan. Selecting Taipei and choosing the Capital Hotel Taipei, the rate I found on the Traveloka app was 4,779.20 PHP for a Deluxe Room (1 King Bed) and 5,084.25 PHP for a Deluxe Twin Room. Comparing it directly to Booking.com, their respective rates were pegged at 5,613.00 PHP and 5,972.00 PHP—yielding a substantial price margin of more than 800 pesos for each room. I suggest you run a few mock bookings yourself to verify!
Wide Selection of Flights and Hotels
What are user-friendliness and promo deals worth without a wide selection of flights and hotels? Traveloka thought of that long ago. By curating a massive database of available flight options and partnering with countless hotels worldwide, travelers are presented with endless possibilities to plan trips that comfortably fit their budget.
Additionally, when booking round-trip flights, you can effortlessly select two different airlines to combine flights for a cheaper overall fare—all within a few quick clicks. Doing this the old-fashioned way—switching back and forth between multiple airline websites—is a massive hassle that Traveloka completely eliminates.
Ever wonder how Traveloka affords to dish out such attractive rates and discounts? It’s because they have strategically partnered with hundreds of domestic and international hotel chains to secure better deals all year round.
Convenient Payment Options & Paperless Transactions
Traveloka also ensures that the payment process is extremely convenient by providing flexible payment modes. Leading choices such as credit cards, debit cards, direct online bank transfers, and over-the-counter cash payments at all 7-Eleven and M. Lhuillier branches are fully supported, giving you zero trouble confirming your bookings right away.
Once you settle your payment, there is no need to print out physical vouchers or itineraries. The app automatically emails your official confirmation letter complete with all essential flight and hotel details. Simply present it at the check-in counter or hotel front desk, and you're good to go.
Reliable Customer Service with Live Chat
Lastly, if you happen to run into a system glitch or make a mistake while booking, you can easily contact customer support directly within the app. They offer 24/7 local customer service featuring a live chat option that connects you to a real customer support agent in less than a minute after submitting your inquiry.
Is Traveloka a Legit App?
100% legit. I have used Traveloka for nearly a dozen round-trip flights and accommodation bookings over the past year. As a travel writer constantly on the move, I make sure to manage my solo backpacking trips smoothly using Traveloka to handle all my booking needs.
Book a flight now and enjoy the ease of traveling by searching for the cheapest airfares at Traveloka.
