Five tips for safe online holiday booking
With the Easter holidays fast approaching, more and more consumers will be turning to the web for purchasing their flights and holiday packages. But these shoppers need to be aware and prepared for a very real danger when surfing the web - online fraud.
“Unfortunately the growth in online shopping for holiday deals will inevitably mean an increase in online fraud as well. Despite the growth of e-wallets, payment by electronic card is still the most popular method of purchasing online, especially when paying for flights. Whilst the increased security of cards in the UK may have resulted in the first ever drop in cardholder fraud last year, it does still happen and can be a very traumatic experience.”
To avoid becoming a victim of online fraud when buying your holiday packages online Kalixa®recommends that you take five precautions to protect yourself:
1. You should be as vigilant online as you would when buying from a high street travel agent. Ask yourself some important questions: is this a brand that you know and/or recognise? Does the web site look how you would expect? Is its web address consistent throughout your shopping experience? If it is a long address and the brand is only a small part of it, the web site may not be genuine. If anything about the experience seems strange, try typing the company's name into a search engine and see whether you can find any reviews or ratings from other customers. Also try checking the postcode on Google maps and do some research to see if other users have had a bad experience;
2. Always keep hold of the order confirmation – either in PDF format or as a printout –and keep it with you in case of any dispute;
3. Take note of the terms and conditions of the agency that sold you the tickets, and pay careful attention to any information regarding warranty and shipping of tickets (if relevant). Make sure that you do not agree to any unwanted subscriptions or other services by mistake;
4. When filling out the order form online, you should make sure that the connection is secure and that any data being transmitted is encrypted. This is easy to recognise, as a browser icon which resembles a key or a padlock is usually highlighted in green. This confirmation is provided by an external institution (such as VeriSign or Thawte) to indicate that your transaction over the internet is private. These certificates also confirm the identity of the e-commerce site, that the ordering process is secure, and that all personal information is protected;
5. Finally, while it won’t prevent the effect of card fraud, a pre-paid card is still a great way to avoid some of these consequences. Because pre-paid cards are not linked to your bank account or personal identity, both can be kept safe. However, make sure that you choose a pre-paid provider that offers lost & stolen protection, so that all funds on your pre-paid card are protected. You should also choose a chip and PIN card whenever possible, as this technology has greatly contributed to a decrease in card fraud. Pre-paid cards are also perfect for booking your flights online, as you can avoid the additional (and often costly) booking fees associated with a debit or a credit card.