Travel for less by snapping up a stranger’s vacation — but flexibility is key

A view of the beach, lagoon and bungalows at Le Meridien resort in Bora Bora, on Oct. 30, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jennifer McDermott

MONTREAL — Looking for a $541 flight to Delhi? An $872 five-night stay at a luxury resort in Spain? A $4,100 11-day Caribbean cruise?

Canadians looking for deals on flights, hotels and vacation packages can purchase bookings second-hand — including those above — as long as they’re careful and none too choosy.

A handful of platforms now specialize in pairing sellers who have to call off non-refundable trips with buyers eager for a bargain and willing to reserve last-minute.

“I like to call it a virtual garage sale for travel,” said Katy Nastro, a spokeswoman for flight savings app Going.

For sellers, the sites offer a chance to recoup much of the cost of a trip they can no longer take, whether due to work, illness, emergency or bereavement. For buyers, they open the door to cheaper travel and accommodations, bringing higher-end options within reach or simply making a getaway affordable in the first place.

The savings for purchasers typically sit between 20 and 30 per cent, but can range much higher, especially for reservations just a few days away.

The platforms, which include Transfer Travel, SpareFare, Plans Change and Roomer, typically charge sellers commissions of between 10 and 30 per cent.

“It completely depends on the listing but, as an average, the value that our sellers recoup is around 1,000 pounds ($1,867),” said Maisie Blewitt, head of commercial at U.K.-based Transfer Travel.

“It would have ordinarily gone to waste.”

At Transfer Travel, a service team verifies the details of a new seller’s account.

After selecting a booking, the buyer then communicates via a chat function with the seller, who is responsible for changing the name on the reservation and furnishing proof of the switch.

The seller is paid only after the ticket transfer is complete, with the money withheld for up to five days.

“On the chat, we will see the documents that have the new buyer’s name,” Blewitt said, though she acknowledged it can be “a bit of a scary process for some.”

The 10-person company has some 99,000 users in the United Kingdom and the U.S., she said. In Canada, customer volumes jumped 45 per cent last year.

“There’s so much pressure on people to save money,” Blewitt said. “It’s a nice alternative to buying travel in a traditional way.”

There’s also a limit to its appeal.

The potential downsides for buyers include sparse and seemingly random booking options, zero loyalty points — they aren’t honoured or accumulated via third-party booking sites — and the fact that most large airlines in North America prohibit ticket transfers.

Those seeking precise dates or destinations may well be out of luck. Bookings for more than two people are rare. And some of the flight discounts are “not that great” — particularly given their last-minute nature — said Nastro.

“It’s used enough that it’s gaining traction, but I wouldn’t say it’s as widely used as, say, an online travel agency.”

Travellers with flexibility — young people, retirees, digital nomads — comprise the core of the eBay-esque marketplace’s customers.

“This is more for somebody that’s single, can drop everything and be able to maybe work remotely or is just looking for a quick getaway,” said Nastro.

The demographic dubbed DINKs — double income, no kids — are among the more recent adopters, said Blewitt.

In North America, air travel presents some of the biggest hurdles.

“Flights are always a bit of a sticky one, especially based in America and Canada,” she said. That partly explains why 48 per cent of Transfer Travel’s bookings are for accommodations, rather than plane tickets. Cruises make up another 22 per cent.

Users should do their own research too, including on a given short-term rental’s reputation or whether a carrier permits ticket transfers.

For example, SpareFare, where buyers can bid on already-bought plane tickets, maintains a list of airlines that allow name changes. Air Canada and WestJet are on it. The problem is, they generally do not allow name changes.

“Air Canada allows name corrections, as in for typos in names, not a name change,” said Air Canada spokeswoman Angela Mah in an email.

Some hotel chains are also leery of the practice, said Barry Choi, who runs the Money We Have personal finance and travel website.

Guests may need to show identification bearing the name on the initial reservation to check in, he said.

Security and fraud are concerns with any second-hand ticket purchases, including in the travel market.

Experts recommend confirming that the site verifies listings and holds funds in escrow, and to be wary of less regulated forums such as Facebook Marketplace.

Scams are “not super common” on travel resale sites, Blewitt said, though she’s seen them before.

Prepaid reservations amount to just one travel hack among many — standby lists for flights and cruises, packing light and clever use of loyalty points constitute a few others — presenting a small portal to escape at sometimes cut-rate prices.

“The average holiday for four people is in the thousands now,” said Blewitt. “It’s crazy money, really.

“We think travel should be accessible,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 15, 2026.

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press