Is it safe to pay for your travel online?

When the internet was young there were often concerns about paying online, due to the risk that your card details would be intercepted. But is it now safe to pay online?

Short answer – yes. Booking travel online, especially in 2008, is something that nearly 75% of travellers have done, and most say it’s necessary to get good deals and quick tickets to their destination.

Sure, whenever you shop online, there is always a chance that your credit card number may be compromised, but it’s about as likely as someone getting a hold of your receipt from a restaurant, and trying to steal your information. Generally speaking, ordering online from trusted travel sites is as safe as booking it from a travel agent, and probably even more so these days due to the fact that most, if not all, major online merchants use multiple forms of encryption and secure socket layers (SSL) on their websites. By using these secure pages, any critical credit card information is encrypted before it’s transmitted across the web, making it virtually impossible for hackers to grab your number out of thin air.

Also, to expand on the first paragraph – booking travel arrangements online may be the best and only option to do so in this day and age of rocky economies and skyrocketing prices around the globe. Often times major travel agencies like Expedia and Travelocity will run “web only” specials that are usually deeply discounted. Online travel booking has put a big dent in the brick and mortar travel agency business, and it would be no surprise to see the traditional travel agencies completely disappear as we move on into the future – just like payphones did when cell phones became popular. All the major online travel merchants make it extremely easy for even a novice internet user to order their travel arrangements without much hassle or fuss.

Bottom line, when you’re ready to book your travel online, make sure you use a site that is trusted (meaning, for example, one of the major agencies that advertise on TV), make sure they use secure order forms, and also make sure they have a customer service number you can call just in case you accidentally mess up your order, or if you have any other questions that couldn’t be answered with their online help center. Booking travel online has never been safer than it is today, and it’s quick, easy, and most of the time, cheap. Give it a try if you haven’t already, and chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Also, keep in mind that in the rare chance that your credit card number may have been compromised during the process, you can always call your credit card customer service line (which should be on the back of your card) to report any fraudulent or questionable charges, and usually they can make things right in no time at all.