We compared two of Australia’s top booking sites to find out which one can save you more.
Flight Centre and STA Travel are two major players in the Australian travel market. We compare them side by side so you can make an informed choice before booking a major holiday or any travel.
Both offer very similar services but with a few differences. Flight Centre has the option to book more luxurious trips while STA Travel focuses on extra discounts for youths, students and teachers who travel.
Flight Centre vs STA Travel
Flight Centre offers a wide range of travel products with top deals around the globe and is one of Australia’s most trusted travel agencies.
STA Travel specialises in travel products for a younger crowd but still has options available for all travellers and is also one of Australia’s most popular travel agencies.
| Feature | Flight Centre | STA Travel | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| What can I book? |
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STA Travel offers a wider variety of travel options. |
| Can I price match? | No. However Flight Centre has a Price Drop Protection which can be added with Captain's Packages from $19. | STA Travel will beat any retail travel agent, airline direct, or call centre travel agent or they give you $1,000 credit. STA Travel will also match online travel agents prices prices up to a difference of $50. This is given as a credit to use toward land products. | STA Travel offers a better incentive. |
| Is there lay-by or a payment plan? | Interest-free finance is available for holidays of $999 or more. A $99 annual fee applies and finance is subject to approval. |
For flights, a $99 deposit is required. A $39 fee is paid when the remainder of the amount is due.Tours require a $100 deposit and packages a $149 deposit. | STA Travel offers finance on more products for a lower cost. |
| Are there booking fees? | Online bookings incur a $9.99 fee for domestic flights and a $21.95 fee for international flights per person, per booking. | Flights originating from Australia don't incur booking fees. | STA Travel is fee-free. |
| Is there online chat? | Yes. | Yes, on select pages. | Both offer online chat. |
| Is there a loyalty plan? | No. | No. | Neither offer loyalty plan incentives. |
| What are my payment options online? |
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Flight Centre has more online payment options. |
| Can I book round the world fares? | Yes, the full list can be found here. | Yes, however you must speak to a round the world expert to book. Some are available to students/youths only. | Flight Centre’s round the world flight options are available to every traveller. |
| Can I book multi-city fares? | Yes, but you can't do it yourself. You must speak to an agent for a quote. |
Yes, but you must speak to a round the world expert to book. | STA Travel offers some prices online and you are able to create your own route. |
| Any features to find the best price? | Some destination pages include a comparison of the cheapest, quickest and most popular flight options. | A list of cheap flights, the most popular flights and top deals is available. | Flight Centre offers a comparison feature for specific destinations. |
Who offers the best price?
STA Travel gives you $1,000 travel credit if it can't match retail agents, airlines direct or call centre travel agents' prices. It will also price match online prices but only to a difference of $50. Flight Centre only guarantees against price drops but you have to pay a fee for this.
Looking at it from an online purchase point of view, we went direct to each site and made the same search to see which could come out on top. We looked at a domestic flight from Sydney to melbourne.
The verdict: Flight Centre came up more than $50 cheaper than STA Travel making it the winner in this instance.
Interestingly we took this one a step further to look at international flights instead and found that STA Travel won that war on a fare from Melbourne to London. This just goes to prove it's worth checking both if price is your driver to see which can come out cheaper.
Which offers a wider range of airlines?
Both sites offer a wide range of airlines to choose from for domestic and international travel.
Flight Centre offers fares from 65+ airlines around the world. Domestic flights booked through Flight Centre include airlines such as Airnorth, Jetstar, Qantas, Rex, Tigerair and Virgin Australia. International flights include airlines that are well known and reputable such as American Airlines, British Airways, Emirates Airline, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Brunei Airlines and Thai Airways.
STA Travel offers fares from over 18 airlines worldwide. Domestic airlines include Qantas and Virgin Australia. International airlines include Delta, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, Emirates Airline, Thai Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines, Fiji Airways and more.
The verdict?: Between the two, Flight Centre offers more airline choices. However, STA Travel has exclusive BlueTicket prices for students and those under 30 which could mean more savings for you.
Any other important differences?
Cancellation policies differ depending on what you are booking through Flight Centre.
STA Travel has an online cancellation fee of $200 plus other fees depending on the type of travel booked. Before committing to either it is best to read the fine print.
What are deals like?
Flight Centre offers deals on flights, holiday packages and cruises that you can find on its deals page which is updated daily. Flight Centre deals can include domestic flights from as little as $55, return flights to Europe for $1,099 and up to 50% off luxury cruises.
STA Travel offers deals on flights, tours and sales on accommodation (including hotels and hostels) which can be found on their deals page. Markdowns can include 30% off last-minute tours with Contiki or an early-bird discount of 15% off of tours with a selection of companies to destinations around the globe. Deals on flights include the Price Beat Guarantee which offers you a refund of the difference if the price of your flight lowers.
The verdict?: Flight Centre offers bigger discounts but STA Travel has deals on accommodation.
Current deals with Flight Centre and STA Travel
Flight Centre - International
AirAsia sale: Asia flights from $216 return
Valid for travel between October 2019 - February 2020. Destinations include Singapore, Phuket, Ho Chi Minh City, Bali, Shanghai, Delhi, Bangkok and more. Sample fare is Perth-Lombok.
Last verified
Deal ends
Flight Centre - International
Asia flights from $555 return
Valid for travel between October 2019 - June 2020. Sample fare is Perth-Singapore. Destinations include Manila, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Phuket, Koh Samui, Bangkok, Delhi, Tokyo, Maldives and more.
Last verified
Deal ends
Flight Centre - International
Europe flights from $1,149 return with Singapore Airlines
Valid for travel from November 2019 - June 2020. Destinations include Rome, Paris, London and more. Sample fare is Sydney-Amsterdam.
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Deal ends
Flight Centre - International
Japan flights from $679 return with Qantas
Valid for travel from 17 May - 18 June 2020. Sample fare is Sydney-Osaka.
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Flight Centre - International
Bangkok flights from $496 return
Valid for travel between October 2019 - February 2020. Sample fare departs from Brisbane with AirAsia.
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Flight Centre - International
Delhi flights from $679 return
Valid for travel between October 2019 - February 2020. Sample fare departs from Gold Coast with AirAsia.
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Flight Centre - International
Maldives flights from $535 return
Valid for travel between October 2019 - February 2020. Sample fare departs from Gold Coast with AirAsia.
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Flight Centre - International
Kuala Lumpur flights from $337 return
Valid for travel between October 2019 - February 2020. Sample fare departs from Perth with AirAsia.
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Flight Centre - International
Lombok flights from $216 return
Valid for travel between October 2019 - February 2020. Sample fare departs from Perth with AirAsia.
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Flight Centre - International
Bali flights from $285 return
Valid for travel between October 2019 - February 2020. Sample fare departs from Perth with AirAsia.
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Flight Centre - International
Bali flights from $213 return
Valid for travel on select dates from July - November 2019. Sample fare departs from Darwin with Jetstar.
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Flight Centre - Domestic
Australia flights for ski holidays from $155 each way
Valid for travel on select dates. Sample fare is Sydney-Canberra with Virgin Australia. Other nearby ski resorts include Thredbo, Charlotte Pass, Jindabyne, Snowy Mountains, Perisher and Selwyn Snowfields.
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Flight Centre - Domestic
Australia flights from $67 each way
Valid for travel on select dates in 2019 with Virgin Australia, Tigerair and more. Sample fare is Brisbane-Sydney with Jetstar. Other destinations include Newcastle, Cairns, Melbourne, Townsville, Darwin, Prosperine, Gold Coast and more. T&Cs apply.
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Flight Centre - International
Fiji flights from $520 return
Valid for travel between 10 October 2019 - 15 November 2019 with Jetstar. Sample fare departs from Sydney.
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Flight Centre - International
Hawaii flights from $603 return
Valid for travel from 10 October - 15 November 2019. Sample fare is Sydney-Honolulu with Jetstar. T&Cs apply.
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Flight Centre - International
Qantas sale: China flights from $675 return
Valid for travel from 10 October - 14 November 2019. Sample fare is Brisbane-Shanghai with Qantas. T&Cs apply.
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Flight Centre - International
New York flights from $1,293 return
Valid for travel from 10 October - 15 November 2019. Sample fare departs from Sydney. T&Cs apply.
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Flight Centre - International
Thailand flights from $551 return
Valid for travel from 10 October - 15 November 2019. Sample fare departs from Sydney to Phuket with Scoot. T&Cs apply.
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Flight Centre - International
Asia flights from $451 return: AirAsia sale
Available on select AirAsia flights. Sample price is for Perth-Ho Chi Minh City.
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Deal ends
Popular Flight Centre - International coupon codes
| Last checked | Code description | Code |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Aug 2019 | AirAsia sale: Asia flights from $216 return | ******** |
| 19 Aug 2019 | Asia flights from $555 return | ******** |
| 16 Aug 2019 | Europe flights from $1,149 return with Singapore Airlines | ******** |
| 16 Aug 2019 | Japan flights from $679 return with Qantas | ******** |
| 12 Aug 2019 | Bangkok flights from $496 return | ******** |
