kiwi.com and edreams.com - cheap air tickets warning
Posted: 20 Feb 2026, 07:39
At the beginning, I want to say these are legitimate websites, not scams. But I’m posting a warning to all travelers: very suspiciously cheap prices can be risky. If you see an extremely cheap airfare on these websites, trying to save money may end up costing you more.
The cheapest tickets often don’t get confirmed, and your money will be put on hold. You won’t know right away that the ticket won’t be confirmed - you can only guess. Your money may be held for up to 24 hours (probably an industry standard, but still a frustrating one). This can cause serious problems, for example if you’re buying a return ticket and airport staff ask to see it.
You may end up in a situation where your money is on hold, you don’t have a confirmed ticket, and you don’t know the real status. If it gets confirmed later and you already bought another ticket, nobody will refund your money.
Why do they do that and support it?
Because they want to be in the top positions in flight search results.
-> That’s actually not true for me (notice the word 'us'). My money was on hold, and as a customer I don’t care which side caused it or how it happened — the important thing is that my money was unavailable.
Another problem with Kiwi.com is that it uses hacky or tricky methods to make your trip cheaper, which can cause a lot of problems at the airport, arguments with staff, and other issues… but that’s a different topic..
The cheapest tickets often don’t get confirmed, and your money will be put on hold. You won’t know right away that the ticket won’t be confirmed - you can only guess. Your money may be held for up to 24 hours (probably an industry standard, but still a frustrating one). This can cause serious problems, for example if you’re buying a return ticket and airport staff ask to see it.
You may end up in a situation where your money is on hold, you don’t have a confirmed ticket, and you don’t know the real status. If it gets confirmed later and you already bought another ticket, nobody will refund your money.
Why do they do that and support it?
Because they want to be in the top positions in flight search results.
No amount was hold back with us and no deduction was made while refunding.Reply from Kiwi.com
Dear ***,
Thank you for leaving a review regarding your experience with Kiwi.com.
Please note that When we started ticketing your trip, the airline’s price increased significantly before purchase, so we were unable to issue a valid ticket. Because no ticket was created, we canceled the booking before confirmation and returned your full payment. No amount was hold back with us and no deduction was made while refunding.
Yours sincerely,
***,
Customer Advocacy Team.
-> That’s actually not true for me (notice the word 'us'). My money was on hold, and as a customer I don’t care which side caused it or how it happened — the important thing is that my money was unavailable.
Another problem with Kiwi.com is that it uses hacky or tricky methods to make your trip cheaper, which can cause a lot of problems at the airport, arguments with staff, and other issues… but that’s a different topic..