We checked popular booking-safety tips against official sources from the UK and US. Some are backed by an official rule, some are only partly true, some are contradicted by official sources and some have no official evidence either way. Each answer below gives the verdict, a short explanation and the official page to check.
Check the latest before you rely on it. Rates, limits and rules change, and some figures on this page may be out of date. Each amount links to the official page it comes from: check the current figure there before you travel, pay or declare anything. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice, and to the extent the law allows we accept no liability for any loss or problem arising from its use.
“Never pay for a holiday rental by wire transfer, gift card, payment app or crypto”
Verdict: Backed by an official source. The FTC says only scammers insist the only way to pay is by wire transfer, gift card, payment app or cryptocurrency, because the money is almost impossible to get back. It also describes hijacked and invented rental listings and suggests searching the address with the owner's or company's name.12
In the official wording: They prefer these methods because, once they’ve collected the money, it’s almost impossible to get it back.
1
“Scroll past the ads when searching for a hotel's website or phone number; fake lookalike sites buy ad slots”
Verdict: Backed by an official source. The FTC warns that scammers use paid search ads with their own number next to a well-known company name, or link to sites that only look like a hotel brand or airline, and suggests scrolling to unpaid results or typing the address directly. EU rules require sponsored search results to be labelled.13
In the official wording: EU rules require websites to clearly indicate when a search result is sponsored or made more prominent as a result of paid advertising
3
“Got a suspicious "booking problem" email? Do not click; forward it to the UK reporting service”
Verdict: Backed by an official source. The NCSC asks people to forward emails they are not sure about and not to click links in suspicious emails. The page is about scam emails in general, not booking messages specifically.4
“Apply for the US ESTA only on the official site; third-party sites charge extra and do not speed things up”
Verdict: Backed by an official source. CBP says it has seen an increasing number of third-party sites offering to help with ESTA applications, that using a private service will not expedite approval, and that such sites are not affiliated with the US government. The FTC adds that imposter document sites charge high fees, including for services that are free on official sites.256
In the official wording: Use of a private service to apply for travel authorization via ESTA will not expedite approval.
6
“The UK ETA costs £20 on GOV.UK or the official app; other sites charge more and are not faster”
Verdict: Backed by an official source. GOV.UK states an ETA costs £20, that other websites may charge more, and that you cannot get a faster decision through another website or app. Fees change, so check GOV.UK before you apply.78 Check the latest: GOV.UK (UK Visas and Immigration), Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK
In the official wording: An ETA costs £20.
7 Check the latest: GOV.UK (UK Visas and Immigration), Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK
What these verdicts cannot tell you
Each verdict says what the official sources we read state, for the places they cover. Rules change, and the booking's own terms can give you more than the law requires. This is not legal or financial advice: check the official page, or the authority, before you rely on a rule.
What this page cannot tell you
- Official sources only. We did not use airline, hotel, booking-site or blog claims as evidence.
- Rules change. Check the linked official page before you rely on any of this.
Related: Travel hacks, checked · EU flight delay compensation · Pay in local currency or home currency?.
Key takeaways
- Read the verdict, then the official page linked under each answer.
- Where official sources say nothing, we say so rather than guess.
- What we would skip: any travel hack that does not say which rule or source it comes from.
Sources
Every verdict rests on official pages saved on 5 October 2026; claims with no official evidence say so. See how we research.
- US Federal Trade Commission, How to avoid a travel scam this summer (consumer alert, June 2026). Read it. Accessed 5 October 2026. US government work, public domain.
- US Federal Trade Commission, Avoid scams when you travel. Read it. Accessed 5 October 2026. US government work, public domain.
- European Commission, Your Europe, Unfair commercial practices. Read it. Accessed 5 October 2026. © European Union, licensed under CC BY 4.0; we summarised it.
- UK National Cyber Security Centre, Report a scam email. Read it. Accessed 5 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US Customs and Border Protection, CBP warns against third-party site use for ESTA. Read it. Accessed 5 October 2026. US government work, public domain.
- US Customs and Border Protection, Frequently asked questions about the Visa Waiver Program and ESTA. Read it. Accessed 5 October 2026. US government work, public domain.
- GOV.UK (UK Visas and Immigration), Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK. Read it. Accessed 5 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- GOV.UK (UK Visas and Immigration), Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). Read it. Accessed 5 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Changes made. We summarised the official pages in our own words and gave each claim a verdict: backed, partly true, contradicted (official sources say otherwise) or no official evidence. The verdicts are ours, from what those pages state. US rules are quoted from the Code of Federal Regulations edition of 1 January 2025 unless a later notice is cited.