I attempted to book a package holiday through the Expedia website last night, but due to an issue on their end, my credit card company declined the payment. I tried twice, and both times the payment failed.
After contacting my credit card company, they informed me that the failures occurred because their system identified an issue with the Expedia website during the transaction process. For my safety, the payments were not approved.
However, the credit card company noted that a partial payment had been processed to the airlines involved. They advised me to contact Expedia for clarification.
When I reached out to Expedia, I was told there was indeed an issue with their website. They explained that the partial payment was part of a pre-authorization process used to validate the credit card. In my case, since the transaction failed, the pre-authorized amount would be returned to my account within 72 hours as a no-charge.
I plan to monitor my account to ensure the payment is refunded as promised. If it isn’t, I’ll escalate the matter with my credit card company and file a dispute with Expedia.
This experience has significantly shaken my confidence in booking a package holiday through Expedia. Adding to the frustration, when I asked their team about a gesture of goodwill for the inconvenience and the stress caused by finding out a partial payment had been taken without any booking confirmation, they said they couldn’t do anything.
It felt concerning that a part payment was processed without a completed booking or any notification from Expedia. Although they explained it as a pre-authorization issue, it left me feeling uneasy, almost like it bordered on fraudulent behavior.
I’m now hoping the refund is processed without any complications and will explore booking my holiday with a more reliable company.
I am not happy with Expedia.co.uk
