Friday, September 08, 2006

computer cookies and buying plane tickets online

The Washington Post has a consumer awareness blog on its website, and had a post this morning about computer cookies when you buy a plane ticket - or really, anything - online. Here's the gist of the blog post:

When you're looking for plane tickets online, you look at various airlines to get the best price. You decide the one you want and go back to it, and the fare has jumped. It is suggested that before you go back to the website of the plane fare you want, that you clear out the cookies cache in the computer. A cookie is the tag that a website associates with your computer - it knows how many times you've been back and forth to it ... unless you clean out the cookies. Airlines deny making fares jump for people who have been to their website multiple times, but more most of the time, if you clear out the cookies, the airfare will hold at the lower level.

So next time you're buying plane tickets or anything else online, and the price takes a jump after you've looked it a couple of times, clear out the cookies before purchasing and see if it goes back to the original lower price.

I did not know this and thought it very applicable, especially after Jared's plane ticket fun this past summer when getting their tickets for the family reunion ... so I thought I'd pass it on. (See? The Washington Post does have useful stuff!)

Original post if you want to look at the whole thing (you may need to do an online Post subscription, which is free):

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thecheckout/2006/09/cookie_monsters.html

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interesting. I did not know that. I'll have to bear that in mind when I come up for Clarissa's wedding. Thanks, Trina! (See? Trina's blog posts do have useful stuff!)

Michelle said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Michelle said...

"But I like the cookie!" -Hammy

Frank and Evelyn said...

Great Hammy - you can take the cookies and eat them.