eDreams Prime review – The loyalty program
While reading an article in the business press, I read that the booking site eDreams was achieving excellent financial results. The reason highlighted: the popularity of its eDreams Prime loyalty program.
I had never heard of it.
Always on the lookout for good deals, I wondered if it could be interesting in our context.
The pitch is quite simple: you pay €55/year (€10 more to extend the benefits to friends) and you get discounts on hotels, flights, and car rentals.
eDreams claims to have 5 million customers enrolled in its loyalty program!
After some research, I came across some very negative reviews of this program, with two recurring points:
- The terms and conditions include an automatic annual renewal. eDreams will charge your credit card, and it seems they don’t notify you beforehand. That’s a pretty poor way to do business, but it’s up to each person to be an adult and remember to cancel.
- Forced sales: this is much more reprehensible. I read several people testifying that they were enrolled without their consent after buying a plane ticket.
Aside from these two points, is an eDreams Prime subscription a way to save money on our travels?
For flights
I tested on three different routes and noted:
- The price offered by eDreams without being subscribed to the loyalty program
- The price with eDreams Prime
- The price by booking directly on the airline’s website
Here’s what I got:
| Route | Date | Company | eDreams price | eDreams Prime price | Direct price | Savings? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi – Paris | July 14, 2024 | Turkish Airlines | 644 € | 554 € | 594 € | Yes, -€50 |
| Paris – Barcelona | July 14, 2024 | Vueling | 78 € | 49 € | 71 € | Yes, -€22 |
| Salta – Buenos Aires | July 11, 2024 | JetSmart | 65 € | 38 € | 36 € | No, +€2 |
Honestly, I’m quite surprised. I was skeptical, but I have to admit that eDreams Prime does allow you to save on flights and that the subscription can quickly pay for itself.
However, it’s not systematic; you have to do your homework before booking.
On the other hand, and this is quite debatable, you should definitely not book on eDreams if you’re not subscribed to the loyalty program! The prices are inflated compared to the airline’s direct prices!
I imagine eDreams uses its “non-Prime” customers to fund the discounted rates for “Prime” customers.
For hotels
Same principle, I’ll compare eDreams and eDreams Prime prices, then compare them with Booking rates (considering I’m a Genius Level 3 member, a status you get for free after a certain number of nights).
| Hotel | Date | eDreams price | eDreams Prime price | Booking price | Savings? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Rooster Hotel in Hanoi | July 10 (one night) | 49 € | 34 € | 36 € | Yes, -2 € |
| Posada Del Marques in Salta | July 10 (one night) | 86 € | 71 € | 71 € | No |
| Ginza Capitale Akane in Tokyo | July 10 (one night) | 82 € | 67 € | 76 € | Yes, -9 € |
Same observation as for flights. eDreams Prime does indeed allow you to save money on hotel rooms.
Better yet, on these three randomly chosen examples, Booking is never better than eDreams Prime.
For car rentals
Maybe I didn’t do it right, but I couldn’t figure out how to get rates with the Prime discount. If you know how, let me know.
Conclusion
I admit I was very skeptical before doing this research, but it seems that the eDreams Prime program does allow regular travelers to save money.
I haven’t had the chance to try it “for real” yet, but I’ll definitely give it a shot next time I have the opportunity. Especially since there’s a 30-day free trial.
The only thing that would make me hesitate is that I always book my flights directly with the airline. That avoids a lot of potential problems.
That hesitation doesn’t apply to hotel bookings since I almost always go through Booking or Expedia.
If you have any feedback on this program, the comments are open!
