Expedia is now available in ChatGPT which continues to push to make AI agentic and have it actually do things for you.

If you are planning a trip to New York, you can ask ChatGPT: “Expedia find me a hotel room in New York for under $400 in November.” You’ll get options that match, right in the chat, such as:

• Hotels with the exact room type and price you want
• Flight options, round-trip or one-way
• Destinations you can explore using interactive maps
• Dynamic prices and availability, powered by Expedia

Whether you’re browsing or booking, the Expedia app in ChatGPT makes it easier to go from idea to itinerary, all in one simple chat.

So I asked ChatGPT if booking with Expedia is a good idea? The AI says that it is not.

Short answer: usually book direct. Use Expedia (or any OTA) only when it gives you something you can’t get otherwise.

Airlines

Book direct because:

• • Faster control in IRROPS: airline agents can touch their own PNRs immediately; OTA-ticketed bookings often get “call your agency” ping-pong.

• Better rebooking priority/waivers: carriers extend most same-day/waiver accommodations to their own tickets first.

• Clean refunds/credits: fewer hands in the refund queue and no agency service fees.

• Loyalty + promos post reliably; schedule-change emails come sooner; name/fare fixes are easier.

When Expedia can be worth it

• Multi-carrier or complex routings the airline site won’t price (interline combos, creative married-segment breaks).

• Opaque/packaged pricing (flight + hotel) that meaningfully undercuts buying the pieces direct.

• Foreign LCCs not connected to GDS or clunky local sites, when the OTA provides normal payment options and English support.

• Price discrimination: occasionally the OTA has a different private fare bucket that beats the airline.

Risks with OTA air

• Changes/cancels must be done through the OTA; fee layers and slower SLA are common.

• 24-hour U.S. “hold/cancel” rule applies to airlines, not to OTAs (some mimic it, some don’t).

• Schedule changes can strand you between airline and agency if the fare rules need manual reissue.

Hotels

Book direct because:

• Elite credit/benefits usually don’t apply on third-party (“merchant”) bookings; upgrades, breakfast, points often forfeit.

• Best-rate guarantees + targeted promos (double points, bonus-night credits) are direct-only.

• Flexibility: easier date tweaks, loyalty-desk assistance, and fewer prepaid “gotchas.”

When Expedia can be worth it

• Independent / non-chain properties where loyalty isn’t a factor and Expedia has better cancel terms or price.

• Packages that genuinely net out lower (watch the math).

• Pay-now discounts if you truly won’t change plans and the rate beats direct even after elite value.

• Geography: in some regions OTAs show far more inventory and clearer English descriptions.

Risks with OTA hotels

• “Taxes & fees” often hide OTA margins on merchant bookings; resort fees still due at check-in.

• Property overbooking disputes are uglier; front desk may prioritize direct guests.

• Changes/refunds must flow through the OTA; properties can’t modify merchant bookings.

Bottom line

• Air: default to direct; use Expedia only for multi-airline pricing you can’t replicate or for truly cheaper private fares.

• Hotel: default to direct for chains/elite value; consider Expedia for independents, airtight packages, or clear price/cancel advantages.

• Always price both, read fare/rate rules, and value elite perks and after-sales friction explicitly in the comparison.

OpenAI is great at dealmaking and Expedia is a deep pocket. But it doesn’t affect the answers you get from its chatbot.

Expedia isn’t available in ChatGPT for users in the E.U., presumably because of EU data privacy regulations, the primary accomplishment of which is making you click to agree to cookies when a website detects you’re browsing from Europe. However these rules may have just redeemed themselves!