Tippr is marketing a sale on two roundtrip tickets to Hawaii for only $128. That’s a great price, even if you already live on one of the islands and need to make a short hop between them. The sale is on from now through this weekend if you want to jump on it, but most things that are too good to be true usually are.
This is one of the most blatant examples of a fake deal I’ve seen on a Groupon-like site in recent memory. Every couple months I’ll see one for Travelocity, offering something like $200 credit for only $100. The forums on FlyerTalk and elsewhere fill up with shouts of glee until someone is wise enough to point out that it’s actually a separate company known as Travelocity Incentives, a subsidiary of Incentec Solutions that licenses the Travelocity name and logo. That gift card you just purchases can only be used on a separate inventory of hotels and rates that may or may not be the same as Travelocity’s. And there’s usually something like a two-night minimum. Maybe the coupons are a good deal, but I would guess that they hike the prices enough to break even.
Back to the cheap flights to Hawaii. $64 per person is a great price, but here are some of the terms and conditions you have to follow:
- Valid for complimentary round-trip airline tickets … when you book a stay at one of their participating hotels
- Must pay standard hotel rates and book the listed minimum number of nights (most are between four and eight nights)
- Holidays and special event dates are typically not available
Those hotels can be found here, and there are only four, one on each island. None are particularly awful, but nor are they particularly great. I think the prices for those hotels are a bit on the high side. And I’m not too clear on this point given the vague and details-free website, but it appears that if you want to stay anywhere other than Oahu, you also have to pay for inter-island flights.
Personally, I would take advantage of the occasional fall discounts or redeem some points from a credit card churn to get a cheaper hotel room. Maybe this is still a good deal for you and your family. Heck, for $128 a lot of people could probably buy this and then change their minds later. It’s not that much money. Still, I hope you see these two examples as a warning to pay close attention to what you sign up for.
About Scott Mackenzie
