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Tagged Pages Archive | Saskatoon
2012
25
September
Don't fall for the '$128 for 2 roundtrip flights' OneStopTravel scam
25
September
Over the past little while, I've had a lot of people ask me about a deal they've seen pop up on a variety of those 'daily deal' type sites (you know the ones, the Groupon-esque clones that were all the rage last year, and initially had some legitimately great deals but have now all turned into a wasteland of spa treatments and massages you can never get an appointment for).
The offer I'm referring to specifically is the one claiming that you can buy '$128 for 2 roundtrip flights', usually to somewhere like Europe or Hawaii. The offer will claim that this is a '$1100 value' and you're 'saving 90%' off the usual airfare cost.
Here's a real-life example from DealTicker:
You just know there has to be a catch right? Outrageous taxes and fees tacked on? It's true that the airport taxes & fees are not included, but that's not the real catch here. Let's take a look at the terms & conditions...
The key part to this scam (it doesn't deserve to be called a 'deal') is that you also *must* book your accommodations through the website specified (usually escapetheordinaryonline.com) and that you're required to purchase a minimum number of nights.
People that fall for this scam will find themselves forced to book accommodations at rates that are vastly inflated to what the hotel would normally cost. In the end, once they've done the math, they'll find that they actually ended up paying more than they would have had they booked their flights + hotel on their own.
Of course, it's the headline that suckers people in. The headline could read '2 free roundtrip flights' and it would still be a bad deal for you in the end. But of course, that would be a little too obvious that something wasn't right, making people more suspicious before purchasing. Giving it a price like $128 is an attempt to give it an air of legitimacy.
The purveyor of this scam seems to be a company claiming the name of OneStopTravel, apparently based out of Orlando, Florida. Googling around, you won't even find a website for them. Unless it actually is the site located at OneStopTravel.com (I wasn't really sure), in which case, the look of it should set off enough alarm bells already.
The site they force you to book your accommodations through is listed as escapetheordinaryonline.com, and has a contact e-mail address using the domain myholidaybreak.com (another dodgy looking site).
Run, don't walk.
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2012
31
August
Is it possible to get a good deal on a flight within Canada ?
31
August
2012
26
August
Saskatoon to Alaska - $457 roundtrip after taxes
26
August
2012
13
August
Let's Talk Turkey - A how-to guide for planning your trip
13
August
Back in mid June, KLM Canada held a little contest that resulted in some temporarily amazing prices to Istanbul from across the country. Judging by the number of e-mails, Tweets, and Facebook messages I received, I think it's safe to say there will be thousands more Canadians than usual visiting Turkey later this year and in the spring of 2013.
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2012
3
July
Saskatoon to San Juan, Puerto Rico - $324 roundtrip after taxes
3
July
2012
12
June
Saskatoon to Istanbul, Turkey - from $743 roundtrip after taxes!
12
June
I've been waiting a long time for this! Turkey has always been near the top of my list of places on this planet that I want to check out (and it's a long list). Fares are *never* cheap though, and usually hover around a minimum of $1300-$1400 roundtrip after taxes.
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2012
5
April
Saskatoon to Chicago - $318 roundtrip after taxes
5
April
The WestJet Blue Tag Thursday deals have been kind of ho-hum lately, but they dropped a *really* exciting one today! This is as cheap as I've ever seen to Chicago from Saskatoon. Ever.
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2012
1
March
Saskatoon to Los Cabos, Mexico - $285 roundtrip after taxes
1
March
Sunwing just dropped a last minute flight price to Los Cabos, Mexico down to $285 roundtrip after taxes. Here's how to find it...
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2012
10
January
Saskatoon to Jamaica - $284 roundtrip after taxes
10
January
Update @ 9:38PM - Looks like this was a popular one. It appears it may be sold out. At least, I'm getting an 'outbound flight cannot be found' message on FlightCentre, and really expensive results on AirCanadaVacations.com now.
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If you've been following my blog for at least a year, you might remember the crazy price drops to Jamaica that occurred in late 2010 and early 2011.
2011
30
December
Belize, Costa Rica, Honduras - from $352 roundtrip after taxes... this time on Delta
30
December
It looks like the very cheap flights to Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize are back, but this time on Delta. They range from about $360 - $400 roundtrip after taxes!
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