Cheap Flights With cFares.com
I imagine that not too many people call up an airline directly to make a reservation any more, especially if they’re cost conscious. With options like cFares.com to help them find the most affordable tickets online, it’s really in their best interest when looking for a cheap flight.
cFares.com is an airfare search engine that compares prices from airlines, industry wholesalers, and major travel sites. They’re different because they offer exclusive travel deals that are below-market prices.
Two types of membership are offered: Gold (which is free) and Platinum (which is $50 per year). The Gold plan allows you to see what your rate would be along with what a Platinum member would see. The incentive, of course, is to get you to upgrade, which at $50 a year is not bad, especially if you travel a lot. I’d even say that the savings you’d get with your first purchase or two would more than cover the membership fee.
Their abilty to provide great fares has caused them to be referred to as a “Costco for fares”. The search panel on the left of their site gives you the ability to compare results from three major travel sites: Orbitz, Hotwire, or Cheapoair.
Selecting at least two of these sites will show you the results side-by-side in their own browser windows. Then you can take a look at cFares to see what they have to offer you.
My results showed CheapoAir as having the lower prices, BUT they were for airlines I don’t think I’d feel comfortable flying on anyway. And the prices that cFares offered were still cheaper than HotWire, even as a Gold (free) member.
I read one of the FAQs and was delighted to see that they’re honest. When asked if they will always have the cheapest fares, they state that no one can make that guarantee.
cFares.com is something I’ll be looking into the next time I make travel plans. Give them a try and see what I mean.
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2 Responses to “Cheap Flights With cFares.com”
By Ihsan on May 13, 2009 | Reply
Stay away from cFares. They are con artists. First they get your e-mail addresses and credit card information under the pretense of “membership” (no fees for gold membership) then they unilaterally upgrade you to platinum membership without your consent. In March 2008 after I gave them my credit card info and a back-up e-mail address, and tried to book a flight twice, both times unsuccessfully, they charged my credit card twice for $50.00 for each attempt booking fee. I contested the charges, and they were refunded after some paperwork. This year at the same billing cycle, they charged my credit card again for 2x$50.00. I reported them to the BBB, and the response by cFares (you cannot get in touch with them, the phone number they gave to the credit card company is bogus, not in service) was that they charged me twice because I gave them two e-mail addresses. I reported them to the FBI as well. For retribution they used my e-mail address (a form of identity theft) and subscribed me to hundreds of magazines and newsletters. Upon my request, some of these magazines and newsletters sent me the IP address of the party of that subscribed me. And, of course, it was identical to that of cFares. What they did was criminal, and I will pursue this matter till the bitter end: cFares must be stopped from scamming unsuspecting customers, fraudulently charging their credit cards for bogus fees and maliciously stealing one’s identity and subscribing you to hundreds of magazines and newsletters. They are con artists. Check out some other web sites for reviews on CFares, many of them all sound like mine. Do not give them your personal information, because they will abuse your trust. By the way, upon my complaint with the BBB, they “donwgraded” me to gold membership and they say they refunded the $100. But that’s what they said last year, and charged me again for $100.00 this year. You cannot delete your personal info (e-mail addresses and credit card number) once you become a member. You are delivered to them for life, and they will keep charging your credit card every year (twice, if you made two unsuccessful attempts to book a flight, or gave them two e-mail addresses). BEWARE of cFares, they’ll burn you.
By Mark on May 13, 2009 | Reply
@Ihsan
Wow, that’s quite an ordeal. It almost makes me want to remove the post, but I think I’ll keep it up for the record.