Viator Review – A Tripadvisor Company
Whenever you have a trip in mind, it is necessary to organize a plan. It can be planned with less or more intensity, but certainly, you should always have an idea of what you are going to do. This is why platforms dedicated to travel planning have emerged. These are companies dedicated to offering you a place to choose flights, accommodation, and even places to visit during your stay.
Thus comes Viator, a company from one of the giants of booking, Tripadvisor. Viator has a series of search engines composed of more than 300,000 alternatives in a single website. They are dedicated exclusively to offering you a list of events, tours, and activities to do on your trip. They ensure that your experience will not compare to any other platform thanks to their great flexibility, quality, and excellent customer service.
As they have so many features on their platform, you must know them in detail. For this, we bring you a guide to Viator with which you will have information about its operation, costs, and all the special points unknown by most of its users.
What is Viator?
Viator is a platform where you can plan the activities of your trip. No matter what the destination is, Viator will have a list of alternatives that you can take into account.
Shopping on the platform is extremely fast and effective. You only need to select a destination and some of the alternatives to having them at hand. In addition, its list of activities consists of more than 300,000 different options. At the same time, you will be able to locate these experiences in more than 2,500 different destinations. Among them, you will find monuments, excursions, routes, and sightseeing tours.
All options within Viator contain an individual description of the activity. In addition to this, you are told what features are available in the event along with their costs and the rating of its users.
On the other hand, the platform is optimized for use in multiple parts of the world. There are more than 10 languages with dozens of different locations. In addition, you can enjoy the platform using different currencies. It currently has more than 20 currencies in its catalog.
How does Viator work?
Getting started with Viator is very simple. The first step is to create an account on the platform. This will be especially useful to receive recommendations based on the options you entered during registration.
Once you have an account, you will have full access to the location finder of the platform. Here you will enter the site you want to go to. A list of suggestions for that location will be displayed.
To access the complete list you will have to search for the location. This will allow you to see all the options available in the selected country or city. Each option has its own description, costs, event characteristics, and user ratings.
If you select the event you will be able to analyze in detail each of the characteristics of the activity. It will indicate the duration of the activity, WiFi availability, starting point, conditions, and the specifications of the target audience of the event. In addition to this, they have a section to indicate the conditions for cancellation of the event. This is because Viator has a policy of free cancellations, however, they must conform to several conditions.
On the other hand, before selecting an activity you can use the search engine filters to locate some activities in particular. You can filter according to a certain date, price range, and activities with special offers and duration.
In addition to these features, Viator has a reservation system with no mandatory payments. That is, you can book any event and pay the assigned amount later. The payment should only be made a few days before the event.
How much does Viator cost?
The prices on its platform are very variable. These will depend entirely on the type of activity you want to purchase and its location. Some of them can be found in special discounts. If you want to access them you only have to use the Viator search engine filter.
Despite the variable prices, they are considered a platform with very competitive costs. You can purchase tours in places of high tourist level for less than $100. In addition, it is established that, despite its reduced price, they present a great quality rarely found on other platforms.
Please note that the costs displayed in Viator are always displayed individually. In the only cases where it is a package for more than one person, you will be informed in the description of the activity. In addition, all costs found in Viator are subject to change without notice, so you should be aware of the available offers.
On the other hand, none of the services on the platform have any kind of local tax. This includes security taxes, port charges, parking fees, customs, immigration, etc. These taxes can only be credited to you if the supplier requests them.
However, certain charges may be applied to you during the transaction. This is valid only at the time of payment of a reservation. In this case, Viator may apply taxes, duties, currency exchange, or other charges depending on how you make the payment. Likewise, there may be certain additional taxes applied by your bank during the execution of the payment, causing the total amount to vary.
Reservation system
You can book on any date and cancel the payment two days before the start of the event. This applies to any experience you find on the platform. You only have to select the event, apply your reservation and come back the day you want to make the payment.
To enjoy this service there is only one important requirement: you must associate your credit card. You will only be asked to make an amount for the minimum amount valid for the currency you are using in Viator. The selected method will debit the amount once the deadline is reached. In turn, the payment will be applied exactly 48 hours from the start of the event using the time zone of the destination.
You can also enjoy Viator’s promotions when applying for this booking service. You can even enter your promotional codes to receive special discounts.
On the other hand, please note that this feature may not be available depending on the date of the event. Those experiences you wish to book more than 12 months in advance cannot be booked with this service. Likewise, if your activity starts within 3 days, you will not be able to use the book now and pay later service.
Free cancellation
The cancellation policies available at Viator depend entirely on the event you wish to apply them to. In case of the activity you wish to purchase presents this service, you should study the conditions established by your provider.
Generally, you will be indicated a valid period to make the cancellation. This is usually a minimum of 24 hours, so outside this interval, you will not receive a refund. In addition, the time taken into account corresponds to the time zone of the place where the activity will take place.
Other experiences have more rigorous conditions that consist of less extensive periods for cancellation. Thus, to receive a refund you must cancel at least 4 days before the event. These events are categorized as moderate cancellation policies.
Finally, strict activities can only be fully refunded if you apply the cancellation at least 7 days before the event. In case you request a refund between 6 and 3 days before the activity, you will only receive 50% of the amount.
Offers, promotional codes, and Low Price Guarantee
On Viator, you can use promotional codes regardless of whether it is a reservation or a direct payment. All you have to do is enter your code during the transaction. However, please note that this option is not available on all Viator experiences.
On the other hand, some events have special discounts. These offers are usually 20% and you can filter them in the Viator search engine. However, some special events have promotions of more than 50% off.
Finally, Viator also has an offer that guarantees you the lowest price on the market. In case you find an activity that is cheaper on another platform, Viator will reimburse the difference.
It should be noted that it must necessarily be the same event with the same time, date, and available functions. If this is not the case, you will not receive this promotion.
Payment methods
As payment methods in Viator, you can purchase your tickets using credit or debit cards. They also have PayPal among their payment alternatives.
However, the most interesting option is to pay with Klarna, a special Viator platform. This option allows you to access different payment plans depending on the activity where it is available. However, not all activities feature this payment method.
Is it safe to use Viator?
Viator is a totally secure platform for any type of user. Making payments on the platform does not pose any risk to its customers. They keep you safe and transmit confidence while you choose an activity.
Legality
Viator is not responsible for any inconvenience with the supplier. The platform limits itself to offering you a catalog of options in different parts of the world but does not promote them positively at any time. In certain scenarios, they will be responsible for any damage caused during the booking. On the other hand, you should keep in mind that in case of any damage, fine, or penalty, you will have an amount to pay.
Trust
This is one of the most important platforms to find activities in different destinations. For this reason, your trust in the platform is prioritized at all times. There is no reason to feel threatened during your stay on the platform. At the same time, there are a lot of positive reviews about Viator’s service.
Pros
- Best price guarantee system
- Book now, pay later
- Free cancellation
- Over 300,000 activities in more than 2,500 destinations
Cons
- No responsibility for problems with the provider
Complaints and opinions
In general terms, its users are very satisfied with Viator’s service. They state that it is a platform capable of greatly facilitating the task of finding vacation activities.
However, some users maintain certain complaints related to the quality of the service and the refund system. They state that the company is not responsible when there is non-compliance with the description of an activity. In addition, they indicate that the customer service does not manage to solve their problem.
On the other hand, customers have complaints regarding the time in which reimbursement is made. On certain occasions, it seems that the payment period is too long.
However, these complaints represent only a minority of Viator’s clientele. Moreover, the company has taken responsibility for all these cases and communicates directly with the affected customer to resolve the problem.
At the end
Viator is a highly recommended platform that you should keep in mind at all times. Its extensive list allows you to locate options in different parts of the world. In addition, the style and theme of the activities are as variable as the destinations available.
All this is enhanced by their booking system, best price guarantee and free cancellations. Thus, your Viator experience is virtually guaranteed to be a positive one.
The only negative aspect that the platform may present is problems with its suppliers. However, this company simply offers you a list with which to select economic options very easily. Thus, Viator is not linked to any of the alternatives that you can get.
Thus, we recommend you take a look at Viator the next time you want to take a trip.
With over 20+ years of experience in a variety of corporate and entrepreneurial environments, Diana has developed a great understanding of Marketing Strategy, Brand Development, Customer Success, Public Relations and Management. Her internal drive for developing others and external brands, has allowed her to work in some of the largest cities in the world including Milan, Paris, NY, Mexico, and the Middle East. This experience has been fundamental to Diana’s success and ability to communicate cross-culturally.
