Is Wayaway Legit? Cheap Flights With Cashback on Travel… But Does It Work?
We had the idea of writing this Wayaway review because, honestly, travel cashback programs are a pretty cool way to save money. They work like this: you sign up for a program (usually online), and then when you book flights, hotels, rental cars, or other travel goodies through the program, you get a percentage of your purchase back in the form of cash.
The amount of cashback you get can vary depending on the program and the specific deal you’re taking advantage of, but it’s usually a pretty sweet deal.
Until now, most cashback programs were focused on secondary, smaller expenses like booking hotels (one very famous cashback program for hotels is the one sponsored by Revolut, for example).
But we all know that often the biggest expense in a holiday is not the hotel reservation or the tours you made, but the flight. Still, it was incredibly hard to find a cashback program for flights that were not tied to a single airline. A cashback program for all major airlines… this sounded like a dream.
Until a new sort of flight aggregator appears in the neighborhood: WayAway.
But wait…
WayAway Travel: How Do They Find Cheap Flights?
A flight aggregator is a service that compares and books flights from multiple airlines and travel providers. Instead of visiting each airline’s website individually to find the best prices, a flight aggregator lets you search for flights across multiple airlines and compare prices in one place.
Flight aggregators have a search engine that lets you filter flights by price, time, duration, and other factors, helping you to find the best flight deals on a certain period. Once you find cheap flights you like, you can book it directly through the aggregator or be redirected to the airline’s website.
Some examples of flight aggregators are:
- Skyscanner, which is a pioneer in this area and one of the few that reliably show low-cost airlines, although also famous for recommending sketchy airline ticket providers.
- Kayak, which for years was one of the leaders in market share in travel services combined with flight search.
- Google Flights, the very own flight aggregator from Google, which however not always show the cheapest flights.
WayAway is quite similar to these. If you are familiar with Kayak, you will see some similarities in terms of flight deals, hotel bookings, and so on.
However…
There are travel services (and one $imple thing I will reveal later) they offer that none of the flight aggregators above do, and we will disclose them to you soon in our WayAway review. First, let’s understand how WayAway will make your next travel easier.
How WayAway Works: A Travel Service and Aggregator To Find Flights With Cashback
As we said, WayAway goes beyond just flights.
If offers your cashback. They will give you back part (sometimes a very generous part) of everything you spend using their services.
Below we will list all the services you can find there. It is worth remembering that these services are also offered in partnership with very reputable firms.
Flights
WayAway is able to compare airfares from 1,038 different traditional, charter, and low-cost airlines to find more affordable tickets. They also compare the prices of airline tickets from hundreds of different booking sites and travel agencies.
Low-cost airlines also appear in the search result, differently from other flight aggregators!
Every time you book a flight using WayAway, you receive part of the money back (the % you will receive back we inform in a few paragraphs). This is the magic of cashback.
Hotels, Hostels, and other types of Accommodation
WayAway will find for you accommodation with the best-cost benefit using two of the most popular companies in the world for this purpose:
Booking.com and Hostelworld.
If you have a Wayaway Plus Membership Plan, Every time you reserve accommodation on Booking.com or Hostelworld using WayAway, you receive part of the money back (the % you will receive back we tell you soon).
Car Rentals
WayAway will find the best car rental deals that you need for your travel, from super-compact to large vans, using two of the most reliable aggregators in the market:
Rentalcars and QEEQ
Every time you rent a car using Rentalcars or QeeQ using aWayaway Plus Membership, you receive part of the money back (the % you will receive back we tell you soon).
Tours and Experiences
WayAway will find you skip-the-line tours and entrances to the most spectacular museums in Europe, Asia, or America, using two of the most famous travel experiences websites in the world :
Viator and GetYourGuide
Every time you rent a car using Viator or GetYourGuide using your Wayaway Plus Membership, you receive part of the money back (the % you will receive is in a few paragraphs).
Read also: Travel Hacks to Give You Peace of Mind
Airport Transfers
If you have a Wayaway Plus Membership, you can book a round airport transfer using KiwiTaxi and have part of your money back.
Concert and Festival Tickets
Looking for concert tickets? WayAway is a partner of Tiqets, one of the largest companies in the world in this area, and you have the membership program, a good part of the money you spend on concerts will return to your pocket.
They also partnered with Klook, another company that sells tickets, just in case you don’t find what you at Tiqets.
You can even earn money if your airline delays your flight!
If you are part of the WayAway Plus Membership program, you can even have significant compensation in case your flight is delayed or canceled.
This is because they partnered with AirHelp, a company that checks your claim’s eligibility, handles the paperwork, and negotiates with the airline on your behalf.
Is that all?
No no, on top of ALL that, Wayaway also has a trip planner that suggests alternative dates with cheaper prices and other travel resources. It will save you a lot of time and make the purchase of travel deals effortless. You can also use them to offset your global carbon footprint.
Let’s go for the most expected part of this WayAway review: how much you will receive back.
Check also: 5 Unusual Travel Tips for Europe for 2023
The Rates for Cashback on Flights and Hotel Booking for the WayAway Plus Membership Plan
As promised in our WayAway review, here is the percentage you will receive back if you are part of the WayAwayPlus membership program for any travel service used.
- The cashback on flights depends on each airline. Cheap tickets often have a fixed amount (eg: $7 of cashback for a low-cost ticket). On the other hand, a round flight on global airlines can result in a cashback of 5%!
- Booking.com has a standard cashback of 10%, but it can be up to 20% in some cases.
- Hostelworld has a 6% cashback.
- Travel experiences like museum tickets or tours booked on GetYourGuide cashback have an 8% rate, while Viator returns to your pocket 6%.
- Rentalcars and QEEQ both return 5% of the value you spend on car rentals.
- Attraction tickets on Tiqets give you a cashback of 7%, the same for Klook.
- AirHelp will return 10% of the fee paid, in addition to the compensation they may win for you from the airline.
Sweet, right?
My fingers almost itched to calculate the amount I would receive back when I booked the flight tickets, hotel and car rental for my next holiday using WayAway.
But to have this money back, first I needed to subscribe to WayAway Plus, which is a subscription service that costs $44.99 per year
Now you may think that all this article was a trap. That I am just pushing you to pay for a subscription of $45 dollars per year just to receive a $20 cashback.
No, and here is why:
1st – Likely in just one trip, in a single holiday, you will receive already way more than the price of an annual subscription.
2nd – They offer a 7-day trial, and after this period you don’t even need to pay $44.99 per year. Below I will teach you how.
The Final Decision of Our WayAway Review
Let’s imagine that you live in Houston, Texas, and want to book your holidays to visit Rome, Italy (the opposite is also valid since the cashback programs are available on both continents).
You will travel in July of 2023 with your partner (you don’t need to have two subscriptions for that, only one is enough).
- First, you book your flight using WayAway. There we can find this very convenient and inexpensive ticket with a short stopover in Paris. The cashback you will receive for this is $29.
- Time to book your hotels. Let’s say that you will stay 11 days in Rome (the most beautiful city in Europe) and 10 days in Milan, in a 3-star hotel with breakfast (you can select a different kind of accommodation since there are from budget hostels to 5-star hotels).Your cashback per hotel reservation is 10% (it may vary, but on average is around that). So you will receive $91 for reserving the Hotel Lirico in Rome and $87 for reserving the Hotel Ibis in Milan.
The Difference Between WayAway and WayAway Plus
Only from this (booking flight tickets and reserving hotel), your total of cashback rewards is $29+$91+$87 = $207 dollars.
And for all that cashback amount you paid only $44.99 for an annual subscription (this price is temporary, only for a few months)!
It feels almost like printing money, but it gets better because you don’t even need to pay that, and now is the time to discover how.
Check also: How to Get a Hotel Room up to 50%
How Can I Sign Up and Use WayAway?
Remember that I told you that even though the price of $44.99 for an annual subscription could easily be offset in a single trip, you still can pay less for it?
Here is the link to join the WayAway Plus program, and if you use the code TheExpatFan, you will receive a 10% discount.
KeyTakeaways: Is WayAway Legit?
WayAway is a travel aggregator that offers a distinct approach to booking travel services. It provides users with the ability to compare airfares from a wide range of airlines and agencies, ensuring that travelers get competitive prices.
One of the platform’s notable features is the cashback system, especially for those who opt for the WayAway Plus Membership Plan. This plan allows members to receive cashback on various bookings, be it flights, hotels, or other travel-related services. The cashback percentages vary, with flights offering up to 5% and hotel bookings through certain partners providing up to 20%.
The platform collaborates with established travel service providers, ensuring reliability and quality. While there is an annual subscription fee for the WayAway Plus plan, the potential savings from the cashback system can offset this cost.
Additionally, WayAway occasionally offers promo codes that reduce the subscription fee. In summary, WayAway aims to enhance the online travel booking experience by offering competitive prices and a cashback system, making it a practical choice for frequent travelers.
Click here to join the WayAway Plus program. Use the code TheExpatFan, you will receive a 10% discount.
If you enjoyed this WayAway review, here are a few other travel tips and reading suggestions for you:
The Most Beautiful Locations in Brazil for a Photo
Tanzania Honeymoon: The Secrets to Spend a Romantic Holiday!
The Best Place to Visit in Europe Each Month of the Year
The Top 10 Honeymoon Destinations in South Africa
Levi Borba is the founder of The Expatriate Consultancy, creator of the channel The Expat, and best-selling author. Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, meaning that the author will have a commission for any transactions.
