Is this travel website legit? 8 checks before you book

Found a cheap flight, hotel or tour on a site you have never heard of? These checks take about ten minutes and use free, public tools. No single check proves a site is safe; several red flags together are a reason to book somewhere else.

Links checked October 2026. This is general guidance, not legal or financial advice.

The checks

1. Check the exact web address. Scam sites copy real brands with an extra word, a hyphen or a different ending. Type the address of a known company yourself rather than following an ad or a link in a message.
2. Look up when the domain was registered. ICANN Lookup shows the creation date of most domains. A site selling deep discounts that was registered a few weeks ago is a strong warning sign.
3. Run the address through a safety checker. Google Safe Browsing flags known phishing and malware sites, and ScamAdviser gives an automated trust score. Use both as signals, not verdicts.
4. Read reviews somewhere the site does not control. Search the company name with "reviews", "scam" or "refund", and check Trustpilot and, for US and Canadian businesses, the BBB. Sort by newest and read the low ratings. A sudden burst of short five-star reviews is a red flag.
5. Verify membership logos in the official register. Logos are easy to copy. For UK holidays, check the ATOL number with the Civil Aviation Authority and ABTA membership on abta.com. Some US states, including California and Florida, require sellers of travel to register.
6. Pay by credit card, never by transfer. Credit cards give you the strongest right to dispute a charge in most countries (in the UK, Section 75 covers purchases between £100 and £30,000). Walk away if a site asks for a bank transfer, crypto, gift cards or a money transfer service, or offers a discount for paying that way.
7. Confirm the booking with the airline or hotel. After booking a flight, enter the booking reference on the airline's own website. For a hotel or rental, contact the property directly a few days later and ask whether they have your reservation.
8. Compare the price with the source. Check the same flight on Google Flights or the airline's site, and the same hotel on its own website. A price far below everyone else's is the most common sign of a scam.

Red flags

• No physical address, company registration or phone number, or only a contact form.
• Pressure to pay now: countdown timers on every deal, "last seat" for days.
• A message asking you to "verify" or re-enter card details through a link, even one that appears inside a real booking app.
• A host or agent asking you to pay or chat outside the platform.
• Terms and conditions copied from another company, or missing a refund policy.

A legitimate company can still give poor service. These checks tell you whether a business is real and whether you can get your money back, not whether it is the best choice.

If you have already paid

1. Call your card issuer or bank straight away and ask to dispute or stop the payment.
2. Change any password you entered on the site, and watch your statements.
3. Keep screenshots of the listing, the payment and every message.
4. Report it: in the US to the FTC and the FBI's IC3; in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to Report Fraud (in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101); in Canada to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre; in Australia to Scamwatch.

Common questions

Is a travel site legit if it has good Trustpilot reviews?

Not on its own. Reviews can be bought or posted in bursts. Read the most recent one- and two-star reviews: they show what happens when something goes wrong, which is what you are really checking.

Can I trust a ScamAdviser score?

Treat it as one signal. The score is automated from things like domain age and hosting, so a new but honest business can score low and a scam can score well for a while.

How do I know a flight booking is real?

Take the booking reference (a six-character code) to the airline's own website and open Manage booking. If the airline cannot find it, or it has no ticket number, contact the seller before you travel.

Is it safer to book directly with the airline or hotel?

Usually. Booking direct means one company handles changes and refunds. Third-party sites can be cheaper, but if plans change you have to go through them rather than the airline or hotel.

Going somewhere new? Check government travel advice for the destination, and browse accommodation and transport sites we link to.