Bookaway Review: Is It Legit And Reliable?
Bookaway reached out to me to ask me to promote their product.
Before that email to be frank, except for a few Youtube ads, I had never heard about them.
So I decided to have a look at what they offer and see how they compare to other booking platforms.
What Is Bookaway?
If like me you're not familiar with Bookaway yet, let me introduce them quickly.
Their mission is simple: Make it easy to book your tickets online.
On Bookaway you can book bus, train, and ferry tickets as well as hotels and airport transfers in 60+ countries across 4 continents.
They even have tour packages in some countries.
So on paper, it looks like a good way to avoid local agencies and save the hassle to go physically buy tickets.
- But can you trust Bookaway?
- What makes them different and better than other booking platforms?
- Are they cheaper?
- Is it the best platform to book tickets for your next trip?
That's what we're gonna check together.
Why Book with Bookaway ?
There's a ton of reasons to book your tickets online when you travel, with Bookaway or another website.
- It's more convenient
- You don't need to print tickets and take the risk to lose them (been there before)
- You have all the details about your itinerary accessible on your phone
- No details are lost in translation (baggage, transfers, insurance...)
- You can easily compare prices
- ...
I mean, if you're looking for convenience, it makes sense to book everything online these days.
On the other side, it's often cheaper to go directly with local operators to save a few bucks.
So why book your tickets with Bookaway :
- Compare the different options. Is it cheaper or faster to take the bus or train, or maybe to share a van? Bookaway makes it easy to compare the different types of transportation for each route.
- All your tickets in one place. With Bookaway you don't need to print anything. All the tickets are sent to you by email and stored in your account. That's great to save time, avoid the risk to lose them and it's good for the planet too.
- Over 8000 routes in 60+ countries. Even if you're going on a long trip across different countries, you can probably book all your tickets in one place.
- 24/7 Online Support. Bookaway support is available all day, every day, by email, phone, or by messages on WhatsApp, Telegram, Line, and Facebook.
Over 6,000 routes in 60+ countries
One thing that you got to love about Bookaway is the number of routes they cover.
On their website, you can book tickets for 6,700+ routes, in 67 countries, across 4 continents.
That's great when you plan a long trip to a country or region and want to book all your tickets with the same platform.
This way you only have to give your payment details once and if you need assistance, you only have to talk to one person.
Bookaway in Thailand
In Thailand, Bookaway covers the most popular routes, including :
- Bangkok to Pattaya
- Bangkok to Chiang Mai
- Bangkok to Koh Phangan
- Bangkok to Hua Hin
- Bangkok to Koh Tao
- Bangkok to Koh Chang
- Bangkok to Krabi
- Bangkok to Suratthani
- ....
Here's to give you an idea of prices and duration for some of the most popular routes in Thailand available on Bookaway.
Bookaway in Asia
In Asia, Bookaway is available in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Bookaway in Europe
In Europe, you can use Bookaway to book trips in Albania, Andorra, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Georgia, Gibraltar, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Isle of Man, Italy, Ireland Kosovo, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and United Kingdom.
Bookaways in America
For now, Bookaway is available in Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and United States.
Bookaway in Africa and the Middle East
You can book tickets in Alegeria, Tanzania, Morocco, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Israel.
Bookaway in Oceania
Now Bookaway is now also available in Australia and New Zealand.
Types of Transportation
With Bookaway you can book tickets for a large range of types of transportation for each route.
What I love about their website is they often have the cheapest options as well as the most luxurious (and hopefully comfortables) ones.
So whether you're on a budget or looking for more comfort, you can book both options on Bookaway.
And anyone who's traveling a lot will appreciate having all the different options on the same platform.
In short, with Bookaway you can book tickets for:
- Buses
- Trains
- Ferries
- Vans
- Taxis
- Airport transfers
- Hotel transfers
- and more...
In some cities, they even offer tickets for tour packages.
Prices
Is Bookaway the cheapest website to book tickets?
I've done some comparison and the answer is, not always.
They do have some of the cheapest companies that some online platforms like 12go (see review), for example, don't even list.
But for each route I've checked, I always find it more expensive to book online with Bookaway or another online platform than to go straight to the bus or train station.
And that makes sense. You pay a slight markup for their service.
Thing is, If you're like me, you probably don't mind paying a little extra for the convenience and the time you save.
That's even more important when you're going on a long trip and/or travel with a group.
In this case, you really want to have all your tickets online and in one place.
Otherwise, it's just incredibly stressful to manage.
So yes, Bookaway prices are competitive, but no, they're not the cheapest.
Payment options
Bookaway works with Stripe and accepts all the major credit/debit cards including Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.
You can also pay with Paypal and so you don't have to share your credit/debit card details directly with them.
That's the option I recommend if you book your tickets on wifi that is not secured and you're not using a VPN.
This way you don't take the risk to get your credit card details stolen.
Refund policy
Bookaway has a Free Cancellation policy for any cancellation up to 48 hours before the departure.
It may vary from one operator to another so always double-check on their website.
But it's a good option to be more flexible during your trip.
Bookaway App
Bookaway app is now available on iOS or Android.
Both apps are easy to use and work great even with a slow connection.
And now at least you have an easy to manage your tickets on your phone when you travel.
Bookings
Bookaway makes it super easy and fast to book tickets online.
Their website is simple to use, load fast, and go straight to the point.
Booking tickets only takes a few minutes with Bookaway.
How to book on Bookaway?
- Pick your phone
- Go to bookaway.com
- Enter your destination and dates
- Compare the different options
- Pick the best one for you
- Pay online (with Paypal or credit/debit card)
- Check the confirmation in your inbox
- Grab a beer and have a good time
Contact and Customer Support
Bookaway support is available online 24/7.
They have a 4 stars rating on Trustpilot so they service seem pretty solid and the team seems to be quite responsive to answers reviews.
I would imagine they are just as responsive to answer their support.
Find all the details on their support page here.
FAQ
To Sum Up This Review Of Bookaway
Bookaway looks like a good addition to other online booking platforms with a large selection of routes in many different countries.
To be completely transparent with you, as I write these lines, I still haven't tried Bookaway but I do plan to do it in the next few months.
So this review is based only on the information I found online and the emails I've exchanged with them.
But from what I've read, I don't see any reason to stay away from them.
And to address the couple of bad reviews they have because of the COVID-19 cancellations, keep in mind that most travel companies are full of them at the moment. That doesn't mean they are all bad.
I know 12Go, Airasia, and even Airbnb, have a bunch of terrible and scary reviews.
But I had nothing but good experiences with them.
I'll definitely try Bookaway soon to compare it to similar services.
And then I'll come back here to update the review.
In the meantime, if you're planning your next trip, check my travel guides for tips and inspiration.
And let's talk about Bookaway in the comments below.
If you have any experience with them, good or bad, leave a comment to let us know how it went.
And if you have any questions regarding their platform, feel free to leave them in the comment section so I can get someone from their team to answer them.
To avoid Bookaway if you want your trip been safe.
This company doesn’t provide any good service, even their support is awful.
I have been scammed 200$ by this company.
They are not able to provide any decent services.
One advise: Avoid that company if you want peaceful and safe travel
Hey Thomas, thanks for your feedback. Can you tell me what happened? For what trip did you book with Bookaway? They didn’t get you the tickets? You didn’t get any refund? Thanks
Do NOT! book tickets with or through
Bookaway. They made me miss my connecting flight. Meaning: flight + loosing the flight money + I had to book a new flight + extra expenses for the taxi from and to the airport. Lots of money!
All this because the travel time indications on Bookaway’s website are totally wrong.
And after my complain and explanation Bookaway did NOT correct their travel times!!
So having (for example) an expensive travel connection after the Bookaway trip, then that could cost you lots of money (for example your 750 dollar flight ticket).
They never payed me one dollar of my flight ticket back.
So be warned… you cannot trust their information, they lie and they didn’t correct their website information.
There are other booking options… FORGET Bookaway!!
Book away is a complete scam..I waited an hr for a 12 hr shuttle that never showed up..book away and the driver each blamed each other..lost a ton of money
I’m currently getting scammed by Bookaway for their Kandy to Ella train ride in Sri Lanka. Paid online and the booking showed confirmed since a month ago, but no booking voucher or ticket. The Sri Lankan railway operators have never heard of them and bookaway is unreachable by phone, chat, email. I am essentially stranded in Kandy because of this scam I fell for.
Be careful with this company. They charged my card and never sent me any voucher or booking information. Scamming people!! Beware!!!
TOO EXPENSIVE.
PRICE IS 20 times more expensive than buying in the official site.
The best is to get the tickets in the same train station. There is always free spaces in the train.
This website is useless
Avoid at all cost. My trip from Chonburi Bangsean to Bangkok Ekkamai trip, the operator rejected the email confirmation shown. She said that their company had never accept any online booking before. Worst part is that the number given by Bookaway is not reachable. Can you believe this?
WORST EXPERIENCE EVER! DO NOT BOOK VIA THIS APP, IT IS THE BIGGEST SCAM!
We payed 2 days in advance. Than 30min after we were supposed to meet our driver, he called to tell us we needed to pay for a third person, so an additonal 30 dollar each. We told them this was not acceptable, but he said we needed to because we could not book a taxi anymore and be in time for the ferry so that if we did not agree we would be screwed. We were baffled and said we were not in agreement, he than hung up without leaving a number. We were checked out of our hotel literally outside with our bags. We contacted bookaway, with no response via email. We did get a “response” via facebook, but they did NOTHING. Only apologize and that they were looking for a solution but nothing…
Please share this message and never ever book via this website/ app. IT IS A SCAM!
Don’t book on this platform, they are unreliable and unprofessional! We booked a trip from Santa Teresa to Monteverde. The day before departure, they sent us a message, telling us that departure had been postponed to 9am instead of 6am. The next morning, nobody came for the pickup. We could not reach Bookaway and nobody replied to our messages. Later they told us that the transport company made the mistake, misinforming them about the pickup time. When we reached out to the transport company, they told us that the pickup time had never been changed in the first place. For us, this resulted in a lot of extra costs, which Bookaway was not willing to refund. They simply said it was the fault of the transport company and offered a 10% discount for the next trip. What a joke. We will never book with them again.
Horrible company…. Paid $1000 for four people to travel on trains through Vietnam…. Got one email for four individuals with a voucher. Went straight to spam email. Missed our train… no receipt email… nothing. Reached out but denies any accountability…. Says one email for four individuals is enough????
Complete scam! Please check reviews before ordering via them.
I booked train tickets through Bookaway a month in advance for a trip to Ella. Shockingly, they informed me just 9 hours before the journey (night) that you couldn’t provide the tickets I had booked. This last-minute letdown left me stranded, with no alternative tickets available as everything was sold out. The lack of reliability from Bookaway not only disrupted my travel plans but also jeopardized my stay in Ella. Now, I’m left awaiting a refund, hoping you didn’t scam me. Extremely disappointed with their service.
BookAway is horrible. I booked a train ticket five days ago from Chaing Mai to Bangkok. They charged my card immediately for the full amount (non-refundable) and haven’t sent the ticket to me yet. Now, I’m anxiously waiting for a reply from the customer service if they’ll sort this out before my trip. In the meantime, I can’t also book another ticket but have to bear the risk of missing the connecting journey.
This is unacceptable service compared to other providers in Thailand. I really regret not checking out other online reviews, before using the site; it seems that that company is totally unrealiable and a complete scam. Please don’t give platform to these guys (what you’re saying in your blog about them being solid is untrue) and risk your own reputation. It’s not worth it.
In fact, book away is an intermediary that bears no responsibility nor can it solve a problem. We had booked tickets for a round trip from La Paz to Uyuni through book away. The transport company canceled the itinerary without warning and we missed the excursion to Uyuni. Then we asked book away to refund our money. 8 days have passed and Carla from support is still trying to contact the transport company and asks us if we got the return itinerary for a trip we never did. We have sent her all the evidence that proves that the itinerary did not happen and we are still waiting. If something goes wrong, be sure that book away will not find you a solution. With get your guide, we had a similar problem and they found a solution for us the next day.
Its a scam! Dont book via bookaway! There not stick to their own terms and conditions!
I booked a train which I couldn’t use due to a medical emergency. When booking, it was guaranteed that the date could be changed up to 7 days before the trip starts- with a 20% surcharge. I contacted customer service 10 days before the start of the trip to use this option. 2 days before the actual travel date, they informed me that it was not possible to rebook to a new date (I didn’t even insist on a specific date, but was flexible plus or minus a few days). I then asked for a pro rata refund of the ticket price. Bookaway refused. I adhered to all deadlines. What is communicated between Bookaway and the operator is not my problem. I was scammed by Bookaway and now I am left with the costs!
SCAM ALERT: Bookaway featured Siwa minibus service that had not been operational in Alexandria nor Siwa. I paid minibus price but was switched last minute to uncomfortable bus. In addition to the inconvenience/discomfort of bus, I requested reimbursement of difference for minibus service not received. Using Bookaway does not provide any value given the false advertisement. I recommend independent purchase of your bus ticket in person, then you can be better guaranteed of service you paid for. I would avoid Bookaway for future travel at all costs.
DO NOT EVEN EXPLORE WHAT BOOKAWAY OFFERS! They are scamming people from all over. I am from a small country with small needs and used their site to book a boat ride. The final document for my trip gave the wrong time. Nobody can be contacted to raise this issue. I also realized they charged way more that 60% of the original ticket amount. You should not market this site and instead move that they will be out of the market and out of the internet!
Don’t rely on bookaway at all, they provide scam services that they don’t check before making them available on their platform.
I got scammed via them for a transportation in Mexico, from Cancun Airport, i filed a complaint 3 weeks ago providing them all the proofs that the driver never replied, never came, we were 5 people, scammed at the same time, so we took a private transportation all together.
As of today, still fighting with BookAWay to be reimbursed of their scam, their support service is a bot sending you a message every time a little bit different but if you wait you get the same message back.
I think there might be affiliation between Bookaway and the scammers at this point, it’s just plain and simple money steal.
I just got scammed by this Bookaway. I bought a refundable ticket which costs more tham the regular one. As soon as I requested a refund, I was instead given a travel voucher, like a store credit which I will never be able to use. This website should be removed entirely to prevent further scams.