Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

July 26, 2002

Ask Inside

Send your questions about Iowa State sites, people, history, policies and "things" to Ask Inside, 2040 Communications, e-mail: inside@iastate.edu.

Q: I see that we can buy airline tickets for ISU travel from Web sites. Does this mean I can bid on tickets through a site such as "priceline.com" (where tickets are not refundable or able to be changed if my plans change at the last minute)?

A: ISU's policy does not restrict which Internet sites you can use. However, you should read an Internet site's policies before making a purchase. Find out about policies on exchanges and refunds. For example, with priceline.com, you will not be able to obtain refunds, exchanges or transfers after the ticket has been purchased. When you purchase a ticket through priceline.com, you also will not know the airline name, flight times or number of connections until after your credit card has been charged. And unlike prices quoted by traditional travel agencies, some Web site bids do not include taxes, so you may end up paying a higher amount than you were expecting.

The June issue of Consumer Reports Travel Letter includes a comparison of several travel Web sites (the monthly magazine contains a summary of this study). The accounting office also has updated a Web site with comparison information at: http://www.adp.iastate.edu/vpbf/accounting/internettravelsites.htm. For more information on the policy, contact Bill Cahill, 4-5181.

Source: Bill Cahill, ISU accounting office