Planning a trip can be stressful and time-consuming, especially when trying to find the best deals on flights, hotels, car rentals, and more. Many travelers turn to booking websites and apps to simplify the process. One increasingly popular option is Hopper, an app-based travel service that aims to save you money with price prediction and personalized recommendations.
Considering using Hopper for your next trip? In this comprehensive review, we‘ll take a close look at exactly how Hopper works, the key features that make it unique, and what real customers think of the app. By the end, you‘ll have a clear idea of whether Hopper is the right booking tool for your travel needs and budget. Let‘s dive in!
What Is Hopper & How Does It Work?
Founded in 2015, Hopper is a Montreal-based travel booking app available on iOS and Android devices. The company‘s mission is to "make travel more accessible and affordable for everyone." It aims to accomplish this through advanced pricing algorithms and an intuitive, user-friendly app interface.
Here‘s an overview of how it works:
- Search for flights, hotels, homes, or cars for your trip dates and destination
- Hopper searches hundreds of travel sites and displays available options, highlighting the best deals
- The app predicts if prices are likely to rise, drop, or stay the same in the coming days/weeks
- You can choose to book now or set up a "watch" and get notifications when prices change
- Hopper offers price freeze options so you can lock in a good price without booking yet
- Complete your booking in the app and earn Carrot Cash rewards to use towards future travel
Compared to traditional booking sites that simply show you current prices, Hopper goes a step further by analyzing historical price data to forecast future costs. The company claims its predictions are 95% accurate up to 1 year in advance. This allows you to make informed decisions about the ideal time to book to get the best price.
For example, let‘s say you search for a flight and Hopper displays this price calendar. The color-coding tells you if prices on each date are low (green), average (orange), or high (red). You can also see a recommendation to wait to book, along with a specific date when prices may drop. This insight helps you decide if it‘s better to book now or hold off and check back later.
Key Features of the Hopper App
Now that you have an idea of the basic premise behind Hopper, let‘s explore some of the app‘s most useful and unique features.
Price Freeze
Have you ever found a great flight deal but weren‘t quite ready to book? Maybe you needed to finalize plans with your travel companions or check if you could get the time off work. With Hopper‘s price freeze, you don‘t have to worry about the price going up before you‘re ready to purchase.
Here‘s how it works:
- When you find a flight, hotel, or car deal you like, you have the option to freeze the price
- You choose how long to freeze the price for (typically 1-14 days) and pay a small deposit
- Hopper guarantees the price won‘t go up during that time period
- If the price drops, you pay the lower price – if it increases, Hopper covers up to $300 of the difference
- Once you‘re ready, you complete the booking at the frozen price and only pay the remaining balance
The price freeze deposit varies but is usually around $20-40. While there‘s no obligation to book, the deposit is non-refundable if you choose not to complete the booking. However, many travelers find the small upfront cost worth it for the peace of mind and flexibility it provides.
Carrot Cash Rewards
Another great perk of booking with Hopper is the Carrot Cash rewards program. You earn Carrot Cash by completing bookings, referring friends, and other in-app actions. $1 in Carrot Cash equals $1 you can put towards a future flight, hotel, or car booking.
Reward amounts vary but are typically around 1-5% of your total booking cost. So a $500 flight would earn you $5-25 in Carrot Cash. While that may not sound like a lot, it can add up quickly if you travel frequently. Hopper also regularly offers bonus rewards on certain routes or during promotions.
You can easily track and redeem your Carrot Cash balance right in the app. Rewards never expire as long as your account remains active. It‘s a nice extra incentive to continue booking with Hopper to save up for free or discounted travel.
Personalized Trip Recommendations
A lesser-known feature of the Hopper app is the "Flex Watch". If your dates and/or destination are flexible, you can set up an alert that monitors multiple trips and notifies you about price drops and exclusive deals.
For example, let‘s say you know you want to take a beach vacation sometime in the next 3 months. With a regular flight alert, you‘d have to set up separate trackers for each specific route and date range. But with Flex Watch, Hopper does the work for you and sends recommendations when any matching trips go on sale.
This is a great way to discover affordable getaways you may not have considered otherwise. Hopper takes into account your home airport, preferred destinations, and trip length to curate suggestions. You can be spontaneous and book the best deal that comes along without all the legwork of checking multiple dates and locations yourself.
Hopper‘s Travel Offerings
While Hopper started out as just a flight price prediction app, it has since expanded into a comprehensive travel booking tool. In addition to flights with 250+ airlines, you can now book:
- Accommodations at 2+ million hotels and home rentals worldwide
- Car rentals from major providers like Avis, Budget, Hertz, and more
- Local experiences and activities like tours, attraction tickets, etc.
So instead of piecing together flights, hotels, transportation, and activities across multiple websites, you can bundle it all through Hopper. The app experience is seamless and allows you to manage every aspect of your trip in one place.
One thing to note is that Hopper‘s home rental selection is more limited compared to dedicated sites like Airbnb or Vrbo. It tends to focus on hotel-like properties versus unique stays. But it‘s still a useful option if you prefer a homeshare over a traditional hotel room.
Hopper vs. Competitors
Of course, Hopper isn‘t the only flight and hotel booking app out there. You may be wondering how it compares to other popular platforms like Expedia, Priceline, Kayak, and more. Here‘s a quick breakdown:
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Price Prediction: Hopper‘s signature feature is price forecasting, which most competitors don‘t offer. Some like Kayak have price history charts but don‘t actively predict future costs.
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Rewards Program: Hopper, Expedia, Hotels.com, and some others have in-house rewards, while Kayak and Priceline do not. Programs vary, but Hopper‘s Carrot Cash is straightforward and easy to earn/redeem.
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Booking Flexibility: Many travel apps allow free cancellation on some bookings, but Hopper goes a step further with price freezes and change options for a wider variety of situations.
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User Experience: Hopper has one of the highest-rated app interfaces, with a 4.8 star rating from 1+ million reviews between the Apple and Google Play stores. Users praise its ease of use and helpful visuals.
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Customer Service: Like many third-party booking sites, Hopper has mixed reviews when it comes to responsive customer support. Most issues have to be handled in-app versus by phone.
Overall, the price prediction, flexible booking options, and intuitive app are Hopper‘s main advantages. But the "right" choice ultimately depends on your specific travel needs, preferences, and comfort with technology. Don‘t be afraid to compare results between a few different sites and apps.
Real Traveler Reviews of Hopper
Speaking of user feedback, let‘s take a look at what actual Hopper customers have to say about their experience with the app. I analyzed reviews across the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and third-party sites like Trustpilot. Here are some common themes:
Positive Hopper Reviews:
- Easy to use, visually-appealing app interface
- Price predictions and notifications helped them save money
- Proactive suggestions for alternate dates/routes to find deals
- Smooth booking process and fast confirmation emails
- Carrot Cash rewards are a nice bonus and incentive to rebook
- Price Freeze offered peace of mind without risk of prices going up
Constructive Hopper Complaints:
- Some had trouble reaching customer support for time-sensitive issues
- A few price freeze requests were denied close to expiration
- Confusion around whether a price drop notification meant a freeze was still valid
- Frustration when Hopper‘s prices didn‘t match the airline/hotel direct (often due to changes in availability)
- Reports of a $15-20 service fee to talk to an agent over the phone
To be fair, many of the most negative reviews revolved around sudden travel disruptions due to COVID-19 – which Hopper likely had little control over. The company has since made its refund policies more flexible in light of the pandemic.
And while customer service seems to be hit or miss, when Hopper does respond, many people had success resolving their issues. For the most reliable help, your best bet is to fill out a request form in the app and wait for an email or in-app chat response versus calling.
Here are a couple positive testimonials that caught my eye:
"I saved about $120 on a roundtrip flight thanks to Hopper‘s predictions. The process was smooth and easy. I had to change my return flight at the last minute due to a work conflict, and Hopper was able to modify my booking within a few hours for a reasonable fee. Very happy with the app and will definitely use again!"
"I was hesitant to book through a third-party but the Hopper app had such good reviews I gave it a try. I monitored the price of a hotel for an upcoming wedding and got a notification the day it dropped. I price froze it for 2 days, then was able to complete the booking after coordinating with a few friends. We got it for $40 less per night compared to other sites!
Tips for Using Hopper
Convinced Hopper is worth a try for your next trip? Here are some expert tips I‘ve compiled to help you get the most out of the app:
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Start tracking flights or hotels as early as possible (ideally 2-6 months out for best predictions)
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Enable push notifications so you don‘t miss limited-time deals or price drops
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Be flexible with dates and airports when possible to unlock more savings
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Mix and match airlines/stops to piece together the cheapest routes
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Always price compare – check Hopper‘s rates against the airline/hotel directly and at least 1-2 other third party sites
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Take advantage of Price Freeze if you‘re seriously considering a trip but not 100% ready to book
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Read all terms carefully before purchasing, especially anything related to changes/cancellations
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Keep an eye out for Carrot Cash promo codes and bonus rewards opportunities
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Download the app on your phone and create an account in advance (it‘s free!) so you‘re ready to go when a deal pops up
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Use filters to narrow down options based on your preferences (e.g. nonstop flights only, hotels with free breakfast)
Final Thoughts: Is Hopper Legit?
Since its launch in 2015, Hopper has grown exponentially in popularity – facilitating $2+ billion in travel bookings annually as of 2021. The company has also raised hundreds of millions in funding to fuel further expansion, recently reaching a valuation of $5 billion. Clearly, many travelers find value in Hopper‘s prediction algorithms and mobile-only approach to booking.
No app is perfect or can guarantee the absolute lowest prices 100% of the time. But after researching dozens of websites and apps, I‘m comfortable recommending Hopper as a legitimate, useful tool for travel deal-seekers. Its price forecasts, flexible booking options, and user-friendly experience make it worth considering versus competitors.
As with any third-party booking, just be sure to review all final details and terms before confirming your purchase. And it never hurts to screenshot any customer service interactions in case you need proof later. But for most travelers, Hopper delivers on its promise to save you money (and stress) when planning your next trip.
Have you used Hopper before? Let me know about your experience in the comments! I‘m curious to hear if it lived up to the hype. And remember to use my tips above to become a Hopper power user and master the art of travel deal-snagging. Bon voyage!
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