Just found a weird quirk with Expedia’s Flight + Hotel bundles that seems to shave a chunk off long-haul airfare, even if you barely use the hotel. I tested a couple routes: flight-only was X, but as soon as I added a one-night hostel or even tossed in a super-cheap “Things to do” add-on, the total dropped below the flight-only price. In one case the package even priced into standard economy (with a carry-on and seat selection) while flight-only was stuck in basic. Has anyone here been doing this on purpose? I’m trying to figure out the safest/best-practice way to use it without getting burned. Specific questions: If the hotel is fully refundable, can you cancel just the hotel after booking and keep the cheaper “package” airfare? Did your flight get re-priced or stay intact? Do “package/bulk” airfares earn normal miles/segments and allow seat selection/baggage purchase through the airline, or do they get weird at check-in? For schedule changes or delays, who actually helps you-Expedia or the airline? Any horror stories with rebooking when the flight was part of a package? Has adding a $5-$10 activity or a 1-night hotel ever triggered a bigger discount than adding nothing? Is there a price threshold that seems to unlock better air discounts? Does shortening the hotel to only the first or last night of the trip still apply the package airfare discount to the whole flight? Any sweet spot for number of nights? Car add-ons: if the package is cheaper with a car, is “pay at pickup” the safe move? Any no-show fees that wiped out savings? Resort fees and taxes on hotels booked via package-did those surprise costs kill the deal at check-in? Cross-border versions of Expedia (e.g., different country sites/pricing): worth it for packages, or do currency and payment verifications cause issues? Any wins using multi-city/open-jaw in a package to build a DIY stopover while keeping the discounted airfare? One Key perks, coupons, or portal cashback-do they stack with packages in practice? I’m not trying to game anything sketchy-just curious if this is a legit budget tactic. Would love data points on routes, airlines, and what worked (or backfired) so we can build some guidelines.

These price drops are classic “IT/bulk” tour fares unlocked by dynamic packaging. Once ticketed, the flights live on the airline’s PNR; the land bit is just what triggered access. Canceling just the hotel: if the hotel says Free Cancellation and Expedia shows “cancel component,” I’ve canceled the hotel post-ticketing with no fare repricing. Do not prepay the hotel. Screenshot the package total, wait until the e-ticket numbers and airline record locator appear, then cancel the hotel within its window. Earning/ancillaries: segments post normally; mileage/elite credit is “specialty/bulk” on most carriers (earns, often at reduced formulas). Seat selection and paid bags typically work once you pull the airline locator; occasionally you must call to add bags to bulk fares. Irregular ops: for day-of delays/cancels, airlines have reprotected me even on bulk fares; for advance schedule changes or voluntary reroutes, Expedia is the agent of record and some airlines will bounce you back. If the agent balks, ask for involuntary reroute under the airline’s policy. Triggers/thresholds: even a $5 activity or a 1-night hostel can unlock the air discount. No universal threshold, but long-haul, competitive city pairs, and Sat-night stays show biggest deltas. One night is usually enough; number of hotel nights rarely scales the air discount. Car add-ons: choose pay-at-pickup with free cancellation; avoid prepaid. In Europe, a few brands now levy a 1-day no-show fee even on pay-later-cancel in-app if you won’t pick up. Resort fees: not in the package price. Vegas, Caribbean, Hawaii can erase savings-check “due at property.” Cross-border sites: can be cheaper. Use a card with no FX and 3-D Secure; mismatched billing country can trigger auto-cancel. Region-only coupons often don’t apply cross-border. Multi-city/open-jaw: works. I’ve done BOS-MAD, BCN-BOS on IB with a 1-night MAD hostel and paid ~$200 less than flight-only Main Cabin; same with SEA-ICN, KIX-SEA on KE saving ~$180. Keep the hotel in the first/last city. Stacking: coupons/portals mostly exclude packages. One Key earns, but member-price/coupons rarely stack. Some cashback portals track “vacation packages” at a reduced rate. Checklist: ensure tickets are issued, grab airline locator, pick seats immediately, verify fare class accrual on your program, avoid resort-fee properties, and don’t touch the flight after hotel cancel unless necessary.

A couple extra pitfalls/tactics I haven’t seen mentioned yet: 24‑hour cancel isn’t guaranteed on packages. Expedia’s own policy sometimes excludes “flight + hotel,” even for US itineraries. Don’t count on a risk‑free hold; book when you’re ready. After you dump the hotel/activity, don’t touch the flights unless it’s airline‑initiated. Any voluntary change via Expedia can force a reprice to the non‑package fare. Accrual can be weird: on LH/AF/KL/UA “special/bulk” fares, miles/PQ* credit is often reduced and sometimes distance‑based. Check your program’s “special fares” page before deciding where to credit. Some carriers block advance seat selection on bulk fares unless you pay (LH Group is notorious). Pull the airline locator and try the app; if it fails, airport assignment is the fallback. Activities: don’t cancel the $5 add‑on until tickets are issued. A few suppliers auto‑cancel the whole land piece if you nuke it too fast. Cross‑border Expedia: 3‑D Secure failures and billing‑country mismatches are the main tripwires. Use a no‑FX card that supports 3DS; otherwise expect auto‑cancels. Data points: SEA-NRT on JL priced ~$160 lower with a 1‑night capsule; hotel canceled later, FFP credit posted normally. FRA‑JFK on LH saved €120 with a one‑night hostel, but seat selection was paid and award credit was reduced vs revenue.

Expedia Travel Packages

BudgetExplorer101

Just found a weird quirk with Expedia’s Flight + Hotel bundles that seems to shave a chunk off long-haul airfare, even if you barely use the hotel. I tested a couple routes: flight-only was X, but as soon as I added a one-night hostel or even tossed in a super-cheap “Things to do” add-on, the total dropped below the flight-only price. In one case the package even priced into standard economy (with a carry-on and seat selection) while flight-only was stuck in basic.

Has anyone here been doing this on purpose? I’m trying to figure out the safest/best-practice way to use it without getting burned. Specific questions:

If the hotel is fully refundable, can you cancel just the hotel after booking and keep the cheaper “package” airfare? Did your flight get re-priced or stay intact?
Do “package/bulk” airfares earn normal miles/segments and allow seat selection/baggage purchase through the airline, or do they get weird at check-in?
For schedule changes or delays, who actually helps you-Expedia or the airline? Any horror stories with rebooking when the flight was part of a package?
Has adding a $5-$10 activity or a 1-night hotel ever triggered a bigger discount than adding nothing? Is there a price threshold that seems to unlock better air discounts?
Does shortening the hotel to only the first or last night of the trip still apply the package airfare discount to the whole flight? Any sweet spot for number of nights?
Car add-ons: if the package is cheaper with a car, is “pay at pickup” the safe move? Any no-show fees that wiped out savings?
Resort fees and taxes on hotels booked via package-did those surprise costs kill the deal at check-in?
Cross-border versions of Expedia (e.g., different country sites/pricing): worth it for packages, or do currency and payment verifications cause issues?
Any wins using multi-city/open-jaw in a package to build a DIY stopover while keeping the discounted airfare?
One Key perks, coupons, or portal cashback-do they stack with packages in practice?

I’m not trying to game anything sketchy-just curious if this is a legit budget tactic. Would love data points on routes, airlines, and what worked (or backfired) so we can build some guidelines.

BudgetTrailBlazer

These price drops are classic “IT/bulk” tour fares unlocked by dynamic packaging. Once ticketed, the flights live on the airline’s PNR; the land bit is just what triggered access.
Canceling just the hotel: if the hotel says Free Cancellation and Expedia shows “cancel component,” I’ve canceled the hotel post-ticketing with no fare repricing. Do not prepay the hotel. Screenshot the package total, wait until the e-ticket numbers and airline record locator appear, then cancel the hotel within its window.
Earning/ancillaries: segments post normally; mileage/elite credit is “specialty/bulk” on most carriers (earns, often at reduced formulas). Seat selection and paid bags typically work once you pull the airline locator; occasionally you must call to add bags to bulk fares.
Irregular ops: for day-of delays/cancels, airlines have reprotected me even on bulk fares; for advance schedule changes or voluntary reroutes, Expedia is the agent of record and some airlines will bounce you back. If the agent balks, ask for involuntary reroute under the airline’s policy.
Triggers/thresholds: even a $5 activity or a 1-night hostel can unlock the air discount. No universal threshold, but long-haul, competitive city pairs, and Sat-night stays show biggest deltas. One night is usually enough; number of hotel nights rarely scales the air discount.
Car add-ons: choose pay-at-pickup with free cancellation; avoid prepaid. In Europe, a few brands now levy a 1-day no-show fee even on pay-later-cancel in-app if you won’t pick up.
Resort fees: not in the package price. Vegas, Caribbean, Hawaii can erase savings-check “due at property.”
Cross-border sites: can be cheaper. Use a card with no FX and 3-D Secure; mismatched billing country can trigger auto-cancel. Region-only coupons often don’t apply cross-border.
Multi-city/open-jaw: works. I’ve done BOS-MAD, BCN-BOS on IB with a 1-night MAD hostel and paid ~$200 less than flight-only Main Cabin; same with SEA-ICN, KIX-SEA on KE saving ~$180. Keep the hotel in the first/last city.
Stacking: coupons/portals mostly exclude packages. One Key earns, but member-price/coupons rarely stack. Some cashback portals track “vacation packages” at a reduced rate.

Checklist: ensure tickets are issued, grab airline locator, pick seats immediately, verify fare class accrual on your program, avoid resort-fee properties, and don’t touch the flight after hotel cancel unless necessary.

BudgetTravelGeek

A couple extra pitfalls/tactics I haven’t seen mentioned yet:

24‑hour cancel isn’t guaranteed on packages. Expedia’s own policy sometimes excludes “flight + hotel,” even for US itineraries. Don’t count on a risk‑free hold; book when you’re ready.
After you dump the hotel/activity, don’t touch the flights unless it’s airline‑initiated. Any voluntary change via Expedia can force a reprice to the non‑package fare.
Accrual can be weird: on LH/AF/KL/UA “special/bulk” fares, miles/PQ* credit is often reduced and sometimes distance‑based. Check your program’s “special fares” page before deciding where to credit.
Some carriers block advance seat selection on bulk fares unless you pay (LH Group is notorious). Pull the airline locator and try the app; if it fails, airport assignment is the fallback.
Activities: don’t cancel the $5 add‑on until tickets are issued. A few suppliers auto‑cancel the whole land piece if you nuke it too fast.
Cross‑border Expedia: 3‑D Secure failures and billing‑country mismatches are the main tripwires. Use a no‑FX card that supports 3DS; otherwise expect auto‑cancels.
Data points: SEA-NRT on JL priced ~$160 lower with a 1‑night capsule; hotel canceled later, FFP credit posted normally. FRA‑JFK on LH saved _€120 with a one‑night hostel, but seat selection was paid and award credit was reduced vs revenue.