A frequent traveler just learned the most brutal lesson of Girl Math. When planning her trip to Japan, she accidentally spent luxury prices on what could’ve been an Airclub bargain. If you thought saving even just $50 was a lot, wait until you hear about this. As a lesson to travelers worldwide, this woman shares her pain and financial heartbreak as a warning to others.
What Happened?
Ris, who goes by @travelwithris2 on TikTok, is a known travel TikTok creator. On her account, she posts all things related to travel, such as flight deals, travel hacks and now–financial lessons. In just a nine-second clip, Ris has garnered 1.5 million views and a mountain of social commentary.
She begins the clip with distressing sobs and black mascara running down her face. In between hiccups, she says, “I just paid this.” She then flips the camera to show a checkout page with the price showing $2,263.53. She then pans the camera to her phone that has the Airclub app open. She cries out loud, “when I could’ve paid this.” The app shows a price of $659. Meaning she could have saved herself $1,604.53 for the flights alone. The clip ends with her facing the camera and bursting into tears.
What is Airclub?
Among all the travel apps, such as Hopper, Booking.com, or Kayak, Airclub works in a similar fashion. Its goal is simple: finding the best flight deals from your airports and alerting you the moment prices drop. On the Apple App Store and Google Play, it shares how easy the steps are.
“1. Set your airports: Add one or more in seconds, 2. Get alerts: We track prices 24/7 and send you deals and 3. Book and save: Easy booking, no hassle.” This means one can assume that Ris didn’t check the app before she bought her flights the traditional way, i.e, on an airline website. The price difference is stark and explains Ris’s tears wholly.
Is the TikTok an Ad for Airclub?
It should be noted that Ris’ TikTok account has multiple clips of this same exact situation. She posts each one on a different day, and the one covered in this story was the one that went viral. That being said, Ris’s other videos also seem to include Airclub as the subject of the clip. This leads many to believe that it’s just a marketing scheme and not a factual story. Some comments call her out, such as one viewer saying, “me when I lie.”
@travelwithris2 Nooooooooooioo #dummy #fyp ♬ original sound – Ris
Viewers Judge, Empathize, or Problem Solve
Ris’s comment section is primarily filled with viewers giving her solutions to the problem. One viewer says, “If you put it on a credit card they may have a “reduced price” feature and you can file a claim. I know Chase offers that.”
Another says, “You can prob refund especially if you used a travel credit card.” One viewer just simply states, “cancel and rebook.”
Another subset empathizes with Ris. One viewer shares her own horror story, “same we paid $3600 on a flight to japan and a day later i seen flight , suitcases included , no layover direct flight 4 suitcases included for $1100 …..”
Lastly, one simply says, “valid crashout.”
As the holidays roll around, travel hacks are picking up speed. Aside from flight deals, The Mary Sue has covered a hotel hack that can gift a frequent traveler and regular Starbucks drinker some free stays at Marriott Hotels.
The Mary Sue reached out to Ris for comment via TikTok direct message and to Airclub via email.
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