Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

United Airlines vs Expedia

United Airlines 4.8★ · Free to download 60
Winner Expedia
Expedia 4.8★ · Free to download 75

Expedia is generally preferred for its ease of use in booking and finding deals, while United Airlines' app is more focused on managing flights with mixed reviews on reliability.

Full reviews: United Airlines · Expedia

Expedia offers a more reliable and user-friendly experience for booking various travel arrangements and finding deals, despite some issues with customer service and price changes. United Airlines' app, while praised for some features like check-in, suffers from frequent glitches, slow performance, and inconsistent functionality, especially for international travel and specific features.

Head to head

Features tieR6R7R11R13
United Airlines United Airlines' app offers features like booking, managing check-ins, and in-flight activities R14. Users appreciate the ability to access personal info easily and track flights . However, some features like bag tracking are not prominent R6, PlusPoints upgrades often don't work R13, and scanning passports for minors can be difficult R11. The app also has issues with displaying gate changes on Apple devices R7.
Expedia Expedia provides features for booking flights, hotels, and excursions . Users value the ability to find deals and manage bookings. However, some users report missing options like half-board for hotels , difficulty obtaining hotel invoices , and issues with map view functionality .
Ease of Use edge: ExpediaR5R8R12R14
United Airlines United Airlines' app receives mixed reviews for ease of use. Some users find it intuitive, easy to navigate, and user-friendly for check-in and managing trips R5R8R14. Others describe it as complicated, non-intuitive, busy, and requiring too many clicks . Issues include difficulty finding boarding passes and unclear bag check options R12.
Expedia Expedia is generally praised for its ease of navigation and intuitive interface . Users find everything at their fingertips and appreciate its reliability and simplicity . However, some users find it difficult to obtain refunds or manage changes , and the process for viewing booking messages can be cumbersome .
Reliability edge: ExpediaR7R13R19R22
United Airlines United Airlines' app has significant reliability issues. Users report it being slow R19, crashing , freezing R7, and not loading R19R22. Updates can cause hanging R22, and features like PlusPoints upgrades often don't work R13. There are also reports of boarding passes disappearing and issues with international check-in R25.
Expedia Expedia's app generally performs well, with users calling it reliable . However, some users experience issues such as the app spinning indefinitely while searching , lagging and freezing , and not progressing past the first screen on iOS . Notifications can also be glitchy, resetting to unread after being viewed .
Price/Value edge: ExpediaR1R44R50R56
United Airlines United Airlines users frequently complain about unexpected and high costs, such as outrageous baggage fees ($110 for two bags, R56) and being nickel and dimed R44. Some feel they pay extra for basic services like seat assignments but receive poor seating R1R50.
Expedia Expedia is often praised for offering good prices and deals, with users finding it cheaper than booking directly . However, many users report issues with price changes, where prices displayed initially are higher at checkout R78R94R115. There are also complaints about unexpected charges R111 and high fees for rescheduling flights .
Support edge: United AirlinesR1R2R16R23
United Airlines United Airlines' customer service receives very mixed reviews. Some users report excellent service and helpful staff for flight changes and check-in R2R23R29. However, many others describe poor customer service R1, difficulty navigating to find agent numbers , and unhelpful agents . There are also complaints about AI and offshore call centers making navigation difficult R16.
Expedia Expedia's customer support is a significant pain point for users. Many report horrible customer service , difficulty getting help for cancellations or changes , and an inability to reach a live person . Users also complain about agents being incompetent and being passed between Expedia and vendors .
Pick United Airlines if

You primarily fly United Airlines and need an app for managing your flights, especially if you find its check-in process easy and appreciate timely alerts R5.

Pick Expedia if

You frequently book various types of travel (flights, hotels, excursions) and prioritize finding good deals and an easy-to-use booking interface .

Evidence note: Both apps are free to download, so there is no free-vs-paid asymmetry. Reviews for both apps show a mix of positive and negative experiences, with recent negative reviews for United Airlines often highlighting app instability and poor customer service, while Expedia's recent negative reviews focus on customer service and price discrepancies.

Frequently asked

Does the United Airlines app work well for international travel?
The United Airlines app has specific issues for international travel, including problems with passport scanning R11R25, check-in failures R25, and credit card rejections for non-US addresses R39R40.
Are there hidden fees or price changes on Expedia?
Yes, many Expedia users report that prices displayed initially can increase significantly by the time of checkout R78R94R115, and some have experienced unexpected random charges R111.
How is customer service for United Airlines vs. Expedia?
United Airlines' customer service receives mixed reviews, with some users praising helpful agents R2R29 and others reporting poor service and difficulty reaching support R1R16. Expedia's customer service is widely criticized as horrible, with users struggling to get help for cancellations or changes and finding agents incompetent .

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R6] United Airlines 3/5 · US Bag tracking not front and center: Bag tracking is hidden in my opinion as I have to go back to Home Screen to find link. Why can’t I do it when I’m at the Boarding Pass screen which is where I’m at when waiting on a flight
  2. [R7] United Airlines 2/5 · US United and Apple don’t play well: I use both Android and Apple products, and when using the United app on my Apple devices I have nothing but problems. The app glitches and freezes when navigating to seat upgrades. The boarding pass defaults to the first flight of a trip even when selecting the second flight. When gates change it doesn’t show in the app but only on the Apple version. On android al
  3. [R11] United Airlines 4/5 · US Scanning passports for minors: Everything went smooth except for scanning my kids passports for early check in
  4. [R13] United Airlines 1/5 · US Plus points upgrade not working: The app has a persistent issue with PlusPoints upgrade requests. For at least the past two weeks, that feature hasn’t worked at all. We’ve tried multiple devices, different networks, and even in different countries, but every time we attempt to request a PlusPoints upgrade, the app just spins indefinitely and never completes the request. Everything else seems to wo
  5. [R5] United Airlines 5/5 · US Check In Process: Using the app was easy and intuitive.
  6. [R8] United Airlines 5/5 · US The best: Made my life easier
  7. [R12] United Airlines 3/5 · US Bag check: Bag check options are not clear. No real instructions on how to check your bags if you’ve tried to do it through the app.
  8. [R14] United Airlines 5/5 · US Super convenient app for booking and managing trips: Love the latest version of the app. It is so much modern and cleaner UI wise. I use the app for booking trips, managing check-in’s and activities on the day of travel like boarding passes and inflight wifi.
  9. [R19] United Airlines 1/5 · US Slow: The AP is slow and sometimes won’t load at all. I have yet to see a baggage benefit from my United Club membership so I likely won’t renew it. Free checked bags was how I justified the membership fee.
  10. [R22] United Airlines 2/5 · US Update hangs and does nothing: I updated the United app while waiting for my flight. Now it keeps hanging when I try to open anything past “flight status” or “home page”. I asked for a paper boarding pass printout to be sure to be able to board. I was looking forward to using StarLink on the flight.
  11. [R1] United Airlines 1/5 · US Poor customer service cancelled flight.: I’ve never been more frustrated than I am with United Airlines. Here’s what happened: ✈️ Seattle → Chicago: We booked without checked bags, then paid to check them at the airport. Despite paying extra, we were assigned some of the worst seats on the plane, the row directly in front of the exit row. No reclining seats and noticeably less legroom than standa
  12. [R44] United Airlines 1/5 · US Hate consumers: They hate their consumers and nickel and dime them at every opportunity
  13. [R50] United Airlines 1/5 · US Seating problem, paid extra $ to have my travel mate to sit w/ me and upon checking in in Nice not g: Doing ticket approaches I Paid extra dollar to have my Travel sit with me because I am disabled
  14. [R56] United Airlines 1/5 · US United Airlines Baggage Fees Outrageous: $110 for two bags (not oversized) is ridiculous.
  15. [R2] United Airlines 5/5 · US CHA to ORD: United makes it easy every time. Even after my cancellation with my family late at night. They did us right and got us going next morning.
  16. [R16] United Airlines 1/5 · US Bring Humans Back: It is difficult to navigate with AI and call centers off shores.
  17. [R23] United Airlines 5/5 · US Flight Change: We had to change our flight plans due to Super Typhoon Bavi and airport closures. We had no problems making the change. Excellent customer service. Thank you.
  18. [R25] United Airlines 2/5 · US Weird bugs for international travel: It asks four a scan of your passport, but then the camera won’t work in-app, even with permissions granted. It also won’t let us check in for an international flight and tells us that my phone doesn’t have a connection (it clearly does, as I’m posting this right after trying)
  19. [R39] United Airlines 3/5 · GB Credit card: Why wouldn’t accept my credit details with a uk address?
  20. [R40] United Airlines 1/5 · US Check in credit card issues: Crazy, I’ve spent over $3000 in the last month on United on my credit card but when I try to check in the app asks for my credit card again and it’s rejecting my credit card so I can no longer check in using this app. How dumb is that?
  21. [R78] Expedia 3/5 · US Stop price gouging please :): The site itself is intuitive and easy to use but the prices and price jumps are ridiculous all companies use our data and raise prices accordingly. Your website will tell me one price and I will go to checkout and the price is vastly different
  22. [R94] Expedia 2/5 · US Gives you one price but always is higher in the end: The past few times I went to book it gives you one price but when you check out it always seems to go up by a lot had good luck before but now it’s just a joke
  23. [R111] Expedia 3/5 · GB Random charges: Recently booked a break in the USA through Expedia but I found an additional random pending charge for £1500 on my credit card which I didn’t have a clue was for, currently in the process of finding out what it’s for, positive note I haven’t been charged yet
  24. [R115] Expedia 1/5 · US Higher Prices Changing so quickly: Why publish prices only to have them change so quickly before you check out. Such unfair practices. I'm reporting Expedia. Very misleading
  25. [R29] United Airlines 5/5 · US Ace did a great job at customer service: Ace was our customer service representative and he did a fantastic job getting us on our flight. Many thanks to him. He did a great job.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store