OTA booking playbook

When you book through an OTA, the OTA — not the airline — is the agent of record. All servicing goes through the OTA. The airline will generally send you back to them, and there is no self-serve reprice for a fare drop.

Capturing a drop on an OTA booking means cancel + rebook, under the fare's refund rules as administered by the OTA. That last part matters more than anything else on this page.

The fare rules may promise a cash refund. The portal's cancel button may still hand you travel credit — portals often default to credit even when the rules say cash.

Never cancel via a portal button while the refund form is ambiguous. Call the OTA first, and get them to state — before anything is cancelled — exactly what comes back and in what form.

Credit is not cash. If the refund comes back as travel credit, your savings are locked into future travel booked through that OTA, typically with about a year of validity. Decide whether that's worth it before you cancel.

There's an unavoidable inventory gap. Between the cancel and the rebook, the lower fare can change or sell out. That risk can't be eliminated — factor it into whether the drop is big enough to chase.

Seats do not transfer. The rebook is a new ticket; reselect your seats afterwards.