*2019 update of my real review of Kiwi.com. I have received so many messages both on this post and via Instagram/ email about Kiwi. I booked a flight with this website and it worked out for me. I am in no way suggesting that people who have ran into difficulties, are lying – I really empathise with them. But here is my review and I still stand by everything that I originally said below in April 2018.
If you are searching far and wide for a real review of Kiwi.com, you have just found it. If you don’t know what this website is, it’s an online middle man which finds good deals on flights. However, one simple Google search of these guys will bring up an abundance of ‘avoid’, ‘scam’, ‘DO NOT USE THIS WEBSITE’ posts online.
It will also bring up a lot of fishy looking positive articles that claim to be a real review of Kiwi.com, but I really could not tell you if they are genuine or not. SO, after taking the risk and booking a flight through them, I have discovered that no, Kiwi.com is not a scam. I think you just have to follow a few guidelines.
My really really real review of Kiwi.com (I promise!):
A few weeks ago, in my desperate search to find a last minute flight (aka one week before the date), I was breaking all my travel rules and looking for flights outside of the airline websites. When I searched on Skyscanner, I found a pretty amazing price for a flight to Copenhagen and it was listed on this site that I had never heard of.
Having had near bad experiences with middle man websites, I looked thoroughly into finding a real review of Kiwi.com and so I went straight to TrustPilot. I personally believe that TrustPilot is a pretty good indication of the authenticity of a website, but I am not naïve to think that every single positive review on there is created by a genuine person.
Nonetheless, with over 14,000 reviews giving an average of 4 stars for Kiwi, I was pretty happy to book the flight. I also noticed that most of the complaints were about the following:
1. People missing their connecting flight
2. People angry about paying extra for baggage
3. People furious that they did not get a refund (on a non-refundable purchase)
The person that I was booking for was getting a direct flight, had no check-in baggage and was definitely not cancelling and therefore not going to be looking for a refund. I thought it was strange that you don’t check-in yourself (they do this for you within 24 hours of your departure time). I’ll be honest I was worried because of the scary stories and my major inability to find a credible positive review of Kiwi.com anywhere online.
So I emailed them literally 22 hours before the flight, and just as I hit send – that boarding pass was already making its way to my inbox. The agent also replied to my worried query straight away and of course asked me to leave a TrustPilot review and asked me to mention their name if I was happy with the service – so this is when I realised why they have so many 5 star reviews on TrustPilot, all mentioning how X helped them (before they even get on the flight). So, I’m pretty sure those kind of people are all leaving a real review of Kiwi.com – again, I don’t know for sure, but these are my thoughts.
THE BIG MOMENT THAT I WAS REASSURED:
When I got the boarding pass I simply went on to the actual airline’s website, put in the booking reference (make sure it’s the one on the boarding pass and not the Kiwi one!)… and the last name of passenger, et voila – if it is all legit, you should be in the airline’s system ! If you are not, then I would be asking questions. But it worked for me so what more can I say? Below is an example of how you would do this on Norwegian Airlines in ‘Menu’ and then ‘Booking’.
*2019 update: I have been on countless flights (booked directly with the airlines) since booking with Kiwi and I have learnt something invaluable. DO NOT rely on anyone, not the airline, not third parties like Kiwi, not airline apps, no one – other than yourself – to check the status of your flight. Flights get cancelled all the time and the AIRPORT website will have this information.
I was in Cuba with about 12 minutes of WiFi left on my phone on our last day, when I decided to check the status of our flight home with reputable airlines Air Canada which connected to Brussels Airlines. Our third and final flight home had been cancelled and neither airlines informed us. Had I not checked this, we would have been stranded in London for 24 hours at the end of a very very long journey.
Moral of the story: Even booking directly through an airline, does not exempt you from cancelled flights and not being updated about it. No matter what, always check the status of your flight on the airport website, especially when connecting and travelling long haul.
TIPS:
• Like many others have said, you could just use Kiwi to get an idea of routes, airports and destinations that you maybe didn’t know about. I agree that this is a cool function
• I personally wouldn’t risk booking a long haul flight with stopovers… for me it is not worth it to get a cheaper flight if you are worried that something will go wrong on the other side of the world
• Don’t book the flight and complain online when you don’t get your refund or have to pay extra for bags, when it CLEARLY says that it is non-refundable or that you will have to pay extra for baggage… bit of common sense there
• Be aware that you are only seeing a teeny tiny percentage of those giving a real review of Kiwi online – because most people only bother writing when they are complaining. These complaints are no doubt, 100% real and very unfortunate. But as mentioned, they usually derive from the same issues which are cancelling, looking for refunds and running into issues with baggage
• OVERALL: I would take the risk of booking through Kiwi again if it was an absolute last resort option on a direct, short haul flight and only bringing hand luggage
This is not a paid post and honestly I don’t think I found a real POSITIVE review of Kiwi.com anywhere online that I actually believed, but this was mine. Need more tips on getting the most out of your trip? Read my 9 Major Travel Rules here which also has a lovely item for your Pinterest travel boards.
13 Comments
Anonymous
Kiwi.com are awful.
I purchased a ticket from Phuket to Doha, which was to fly on Indigo with stops in Bangalore and Mumbai. Was refused boarding because I didn’t have a visa for India, even though a) I had no intention of entering India and b) I’d done exactly the same thing 3 months previously with another company with no problem whatsoever.
Result: Los of 1 day and $500.
Scum!
shellflick
I mistakenly booked a flight and immediately called to cancel. I got the run around. Finally they said they would refund my money. I paid $97.00. They will only refund me $65.56. They pretty much stole money from me. They are running quite a racket. Horrible business practices. This is a REAL review..and most of the reviews are negative. Shame on you for minimizing peoples complaints and saying you don’t really believe them,
Bekah Molony
Hey! Thanks for stopping by. Perhaps you can point out where in my article I said I don’t believe anyone’s reviews? I’ve clearly stated that this is just my own review and what I have learnt from other people’s negative reviews, which is: Don’t book if you might cancel, don’t book if it’s not a direct flight and don’t book if you want to check in baggage.
So, actually, shame on you for coming on here accusing me of ‘minimizing’ anyone. Everyone who I have replied to, I have sympathised with and I can ensure you, I know well that people are unhappy with Kiwi. My point remains the same: All the problems that people have, derive from cancelling, looking for refunds on a non refundable service and baggage issues. It really is awful that people have been left in bad situations, but the facts are there for them when they book, and that’s all anyone can warn them of.
Have a lovely day! 🙂 Bekah.
Stephanie Willis
NEVER AGAIN!!!! I will never trust or book through this site ever again! I booked a flight today from San Diego/ Tijuana to Loreto Mexico that was selling out super fast. After I booked, I called because they charged my card but the status said “Processing” I was very concerned so I called to get my confirmation number and was told that it was going to be 4 hours but they assured me I was booked! I called back 5 hours later because it still said “Processing” and once again was assured I was booked and not to worry. I am panicked at this point because flights are going fast… An hour after my second call, (9 hours later), I get a text and an email saying that they refunded my money because the flight is FULL! It’s now 8:30pm! I am livid at this point! Stuck without a flight for my husband so now I have to cancel the family Christmas trip. If I was told 8 hours earlier when I first called I could have found another flight but now everything is SOLD OUT! Beyond Frustrated and now all my other bookings getting from SJC to San Diego, hotel, plus shuttle and border crossing are a loss. Thanks for ruining a family Vacation KIWI.com !!!
Nicole N.
I booked a flight on Kiwi and didn’t realize until the next day that baggage was not included in the ticket price, and was going to be a $200 extra fee. I did some investigative research, because i’ve never flown on long haul international fight that did not include at least 1 checked bag. Extremely baffling to me. So I called the airline directly, and they said the ticket was already marked with the code for bags checked to destination. (airline code I don’t understand but basically the representative said I should have checked bag allowance already). I also asked the airline how much the fee was for a checked bag per flight, and it was $35.
2 of my 3 flights to my final destination are on this airline, and last time I checked $35+$35 = $70 !!
Thats a big difference from $200. And it appears I should already be allowed checked baggage for the ticket from the airline.
My last flight to destination is on another airline, I called them directly and got the same information. I have free checked baggage for the flight included in the ticket price.
What a racket! Still waiting to hear how it is resolved, this all unfolded today. Without having to go into much detail with Kiwi they immediately put my ticket into review for the baggage fees.. like it was something they dealt with all the time. I guess to them it’s just who is smart enough to catch on and call them out on it.. and who is not.
Another interesting thing to note. I spoke with an airline a few days ago (late October), and asked them questions about why their flight prices were so high especially around December time, this far in advance, and if they would be having any sales.
They said it was highly unlikely sales would happen from the airline direct. That is because all the higher priced tickets are the only ones left in the hands of the airline, and the 3rd party booking agents, like Kiwi, buy up all the lower priced tickets sometimes as far in advance as 1 year, or whenever they become first available. So basically very few are left to buy direct from the airline, and then the 3rd party booking agents can manipulate how they sell those lower priced tickets to us.
Just something to think about. Do we really want to support business like this to stay in operation?
Bekah Molony
Sorry to hear of your hardships. Indeed Kiwi.com, like many businesses, put a markup on prices so that they can make a profit… I don’t disagree with that.
Also, I did note that a straight forward flight booking with no baggage and no cancellations, are what lead to my positive review. I won’t change my review just because other people had a bad experience – I don’t think that’s how honest reviews are supposed to work.
The whole world of flying can be messy. I’ve been on several flights with crazy baggage charges, had stressful problems with no help from airlines and irritating staff in your face, cancelled flights while halfway around the world (without ever being notified) – it all sucks. That’s why I keep things simple, bring no bags, only book if I’m sure I won’t cancel and unless desperate – always book through the airline 🙂 Kiwi did the job for me and that’s all I can vouch for.
everywhere
Kiwi suck, they are the worst of the worst. Won’t bother delving into my own nightmare of an experience but lets just say if you have the unfortunate chance of having to deal with them they will bring you stress and misery. They will leave you wishing you spent the extra money and booked directly with the airline or at least an agency that has the ability to book legit, inclusive outbound flights which are part of a single itinerary with said airline and/or their partners. It is not worth the stress, delays, cancellations, re-routing and hours upon hours upon hours navigating robo call centers trying to get help through numerous, clueless reps or trying to resolve problems via unanswered emails and their useless app. AVOID this company. Otherwise…. godspeed and good luck to you 🙂
Chris Waterson
It’s simple. The airline cancelled the flight and Kiwi didn’t tell me. I had to wait 16 hours for the next flight and they wouldn’t pay for the hotel. Pretty tough for a family of 5 travelling in Africa!
Bekah Molony
Hey Chris, that’s really no good, so sorry to hear. As I said, this is just my own positive experience that I’m sharing. I can’t speak on behalf of everyone. I hope you get sorted and enjoy(ed) the trip to Africa!
everywhere
Yeah, forgot to mention in my feedback above that they WILL NOT inform you of changes! Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves.
Andy Cruise
I’ve lost 2 flight thanks to Kiwi and had to book a hotel waiting for another flight that I paid by myself, of course. Altogether I’ve lost more than 500$.
Kiwi refunded me almost a quarter of this money.
DO NOT BOOK WITH THEM!
They didn’t seem to care to much about the bills I’ve sent them for refund.
Bekah Molony
Hey Andy…that sucks, sorry to hear! As I said in my post, this is just based on my one and only booking with them, which went perfectly.
I’m aware that people have had really bad experiences. However, I decided to use my platform to leave a real review of Kiwi.com which happens to be a good one. I do hope you get sorted eventually!
Sergii Kolomiiets
I also lost a flight, and it has been 40 days without any refund or explanation. Careless cheating ignoring folks whose call center operators can’t event speak normal English most of the time.