Bestfares.com

I have used AutoEurope a few times. The only thing is that the fare they post is without all the fees and taxes and theirs are much higher than what you see on the websites of the airlines. I am not sure how that works....

Also you have to double check about the frequent flier miles. I had an issue with them a couple of years ago and they ended up giving me a big credit as I didn't get my ff miles as they said I would and had done before.

Don't forget to take a look at:

http://www.bonjourparis.com/directory/

AutoEurope.

It's known to have some fabulous promotions.

I like kayak also. It's the favorite of my daughter-in-law who travels a lot both domestically and internatially. I don't remember having had to download their software, though. When I type the URL it appears just like other sites.

I've had good results from http://www.kayak.com. They incorporate a lot of different sites into their search engine. And the times I have "shopped" fares at other sites, kayak meets or beats consistently.

You do have to download their software, but it's not a big deal.

Good information, everyone. Thanks. I do check all the major engines (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.) and it sems to me that fares are pretty consistent among them. I wasn't crazy about the $60 annual membership fee. If you're going to pay anything, you'd better get some darn good fares!

Like others, my experience with Best Fares is old (over 5 years) but I decided I could do as well or better with flexible dates on sites like Travelocity and Orbitz, and looking for specials on sites like Travelzoo. If we're not flying with our pet, I'll also check flights to other cities like London and Brussels, and if I can save enough, I'll build in a little side trip.

By the way, Travelocity no longer offers flexible dates for international travel but here's an article on how to work around that:

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-advice...html?id=1609038

This may have been what you're talking about, Stacy, but the problem I ran into with them was that "advertised" fare was stated without taxes and fees. When those were added in, the final fare was never (in my experience) less than what you could find using the more standard online discount sites (Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia). Moreover, you had less choice of departure times, airlines, etc.

I was never happy with them. It is true my experiences are a few years out of date, but in the four or five years before I gave up on them for the last time, they never changed their practices.

Marc

I've heard of them but never used them. The company itself is indeed legitimate. An internet search brings up very mixed reviews (though most of the ones I found aren't terribly current).

The annual fee for US residents is $59.90, which is automatically renewed each year 60 days before its expiration. In addition, there is also a variable fee for booking a ticket. A common complaint seems to be that none of the prices advertised are actually available, and the Bestfares terms state that they don't guarantee the availability of any fares advertised. That said, it seems they have been good about refunding the membership fees of people who have requested it.

The "Snooze You Lose" feature was apparently popular and didn't require membership, but it seems to have disappeared from the new beta version of the site.

I'd be interested to hear of any recent experiences.

Has anyone heard of or used bestfares.com? The fares appear to be lower than other search engines. Is this too good to be true or a good deal?