An honest, deeply researched review of MakeMyTrip, covering how the online travel platform works, whether it is reliable, the refund and customer-service complaints, the price and regulatory concerns, and the verdict for travelers in 2026
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Reviewed Brand: MakeMyTrip | Sector: Online Travel | Base: Gurugram, India | Website: makemytrip.com
MakeMyTrip is India’s biggest online travel site, the app and website millions of people use to book flights, hotels, holiday packages, buses, and trains. Founded in 2000 and now the dominant player in Indian online travel, it owns other big travel brands and processes billions of dollars in bookings every year. This review is part of brands.run’s independent brand reviews, covering the platforms people trust with their money and their travel plans.
For choice and convenience, MakeMyTrip offers something real. Being able to compare and book flights, hotels, packages, buses, and trains in one place, with a huge range of options across many suppliers, is truly useful and saves real time, and MakeMyTrip is the established, profitable market leader with the scale to offer that breadth. That value is real and earns credit. But MakeMyTrip also carries serious concerns that anyone booking through it should understand: a heavy, consistent stream of complaints about delayed or denied refunds, widely criticized customer service, hidden and convenience fees, hotel bookings sometimes not honored, and a regulatory and short-seller controversy over how it displays hotel prices. An honest review has to weigh the genuine convenience against these real concerns, several of which can cost you money and cause real stress, and help you book safely.
This review is built in three parts. Part 1, The Expose, covers what MakeMyTrip actually is: its history, how it works, its products, how it makes money, its scale, and its market dominance. Part 2, The Autopsy, weighs what MakeMyTrip gets right against what to scrutinize: the choice, convenience, and dominance, against the refund problems, the customer service, the fees, and the pricing and regulatory concerns. Part 3, The Killcritic, is the verdict: who MakeMyTrip suits, who should be cautious, how it compares to booking directly and to rivals like EaseMyTrip and Cleartrip, and how to use it safely in 2026.
If you are wondering whether MakeMyTrip is safe, whether it gives refunds, why refunds get delayed, whether it is really the cheapest, or whether a confirmed booking is guaranteed, this is the honest version, written to give you the facts, treat the concerns fairly, and help you protect your money and your travel plans.
| Read This Before You Book or Cancel on MakeMyTrip The most common and serious complaint about MakeMyTrip is refunds. Many customers report that when a flight or hotel is cancelled, often by the airline or for reasons beyond their control, their refund is delayed for weeks or months, comes back with unexplained deductions, or is refused, in some cases even after the airline or hotel has already refunded MakeMyTrip. Before booking, read the cancellation and refund terms and all fees carefully, and understand that options like zero cancellation may not return the full amount. For high-value or international trips, consider booking directly with the airline or hotel, where refunds are often easier. Whatever you book, keep every confirmation, invoice, and message, and if a refund stalls, escalate to the grievance officer and, if needed, your bank’s chargeback process or a consumer complaint. This review is purely informational and is not financial or legal advice of any kind. |
Part 1: The Expose
The expose lays out what MakeMyTrip actually is: where it came from, how it works, what it offers, how it makes money, how big it is, and how dominant it has become.
What MakeMyTrip Actually Is
MakeMyTrip is an online travel agency, an app and website where people in India can search, compare, and book travel: flights, hotels, holiday packages, bus tickets, train tickets, and more, along with related services like visas, foreign exchange, and travel insurance. In plain terms, instead of going to a physical travel agent or booking with each airline and hotel separately, you go to MakeMyTrip, compare options across many airlines and properties, and book them in one place, paying MakeMyTrip, which passes the booking to the airline or hotel. It works as a marketplace or aggregator, connecting travelers with airlines, hotels, bus operators, and other suppliers, and earning money from commissions and fees on the bookings it facilitates. It is the largest platform of its kind in India, owns other major travel brands, and is a publicly listed, profitable company.
What makes MakeMyTrip notable is that it brought the convenience of online booking and comparison to Indian travel, letting people plan and book trips easily from one place, and it grew into the dominant market leader across flights, hotels, and, through the brands it owns, buses. That convenience and choice are real and are why so many people use it. At the same time, because it is a commission-earning intermediary between travelers and suppliers, and because travel involves cancellations, refunds, and things going wrong, MakeMyTrip faces real questions about how it handles refunds, how well it supports customers when trips are disrupted, how transparent its fees and prices are, and whether its search results are neutral, questions sharpened by a regulatory case and a short-seller report. MakeMyTrip is, in short, both a truly convenient, dominant travel platform that made booking easier for millions, and an intermediary with real refund, service, fee, and pricing concerns, and this review weighs both honestly.
For a traveler, the practical thing to understand is that MakeMyTrip is a convenient one-stop place to compare and book travel, which has real value, while it sits between you and the airline or hotel, so when something goes wrong, especially a cancellation and refund, you depend on MakeMyTrip to resolve it, which is where many problems arise. When people talk about MakeMyTrip, they usually mean this online travel platform that competes with booking directly with airlines and hotels and with rival sites. Understanding MakeMyTrip means appreciating both the real convenience it offers and the real need to read the terms, compare prices, keep records, and be prepared for refund and service issues, which is the balance this review strikes.
History and Founding
MakeMyTrip was founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra, along with co-founders including Rajesh Magow and Keyur Joshi, and it began not in India but by serving the Indian diaspora in the United States, focusing on travel between the US and India, at a time when online booking and payments were still new and largely untrusted in India. The choice was practical rather than romantic: the United States had stable internet access, credit cards were widely used, and Indian expatriates had a recurring need to book travel home, which gave the young company a paying market before India’s own online payments matured. Starting with this focused, practical bet on non-resident Indians, MakeMyTrip built early credibility and cash flow, then expanded into the Indian domestic market from the mid-2000s as internet access and online payments grew, adding domestic airline ticketing first, then hotels, holiday packages, bus and rail tickets, and a widening set of other travel services over the following years. It became one of India’s pioneering internet companies, listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the United States in 2010, and grew into the country’s leading online travel platform through a mix of organic growth, technology investment, and major acquisitions.
A defining move came in 2016, when MakeMyTrip merged with the Ibibo Group in a stock-swap deal, bringing the popular travel brands Goibibo and the bus-booking platform redBus under its umbrella, which cemented its dominance across flights, hotels, and buses and made two of India’s largest travel-booking rivals part of the same company. Over the years it took investment from and partnered with global players, including the Chinese travel company Trip.com, whose stake it later substantially reduced, and it expanded into corporate travel, fintech through TripMoney, foreign exchange, visas, and other ancillary services, while building artificial intelligence tools for trip planning. It grew into by far the largest online travel agency in India, dominant in its core markets, and reached solid profitability, becoming a symbol of India’s digital travel boom.
This history matters for two reasons. First, the long journey from a diaspora-focused startup to the dominant, profitable market leader explains MakeMyTrip’s genuine strength, scale, and the real convenience it offers. Second, the growth into a dominant intermediary that owns multiple brands and sits between travelers and suppliers explains both its market power and the concerns this review examines, since a dominant platform earning from commissions and fees, and handling huge volumes of bookings and cancellations, faces real questions about refunds, service, fees, and neutrality. Both the genuine strength and the concerns trace back to this history of a pioneering startup growing into a dominant, powerful travel platform.
How MakeMyTrip Works
Understanding how MakeMyTrip works helps explain both its convenience and where its refund and service concerns come from.
When you use MakeMyTrip, you search for a flight, hotel, package, bus, or train, compare the options it shows across different suppliers, and book the one you choose, paying MakeMyTrip, which then confirms the booking with the airline, hotel, or operator and issues you a confirmation. For hotels, MakeMyTrip has agreements with tens of thousands of properties and displays them with prices and, in some cases, visibility or ranking that reflects commercial arrangements such as how much a property pays or whether it meets certain pricing conditions. It earns money from commissions paid by suppliers and from fees added to your booking, such as convenience fees, which means the price you pay can include charges beyond the base fare or room rate. When a booking goes smoothly, this is a convenient way to plan and pay for travel in one place. When something goes wrong, however, such as a cancellation, a change, or a problem at the hotel, you generally have to deal with MakeMyTrip as the middleman rather than directly with the airline or hotel, and MakeMyTrip in turn deals with the supplier, which is where delays and disputes, especially over refunds, often arise.
For a traveler, this design explains both the convenience and the risks. On one hand, comparing and booking many suppliers in one place, with packages and added services, is truly convenient and a real improvement over booking each element separately. On the other hand, because MakeMyTrip sits between you and the supplier, when a refund is due or a booking has a problem, you depend on MakeMyTrip to process it with the supplier, and complaints show this can mean long delays, deductions, and disputes, sometimes even when the airline or hotel has already refunded MakeMyTrip. The honest framing is that MakeMyTrip’s one-stop booking is truly convenient when all goes well, while its position as a middleman makes refunds and problem resolution slower and more fraught when things go wrong, which the autopsy examines. Understanding that you are booking through an intermediary, not directly with the airline or hotel, helps you weigh convenience against the risk of refund and service problems.
Leadership
MakeMyTrip is led by co-founder and group chief executive Rajesh Magow, with founder Deep Kalra as chairman, and understanding the leadership helps explain the company.
Deep Kalra, who founded MakeMyTrip in 2000, is its chairman and long the public face of the company, credited with pioneering online travel in India and with building trust in online payments for travel, while Rajesh Magow, a co-founder, serves as group chief executive, leading the company’s day-to-day operations and strategy across its brands. Under this leadership, MakeMyTrip grew from a startup into the dominant, profitable market leader, made major acquisitions, expanded into new services and international markets, and invested in technology including artificial intelligence, reflecting strong long-term execution and ambition. The leadership continues to push the company into ancillary services, corporate travel, and international expansion, and has navigated it to consistent profitability and a strong market position, even as it faces intense competition and the scrutiny this review examines.
For a traveler or observer, the relevance is twofold. On one hand, MakeMyTrip benefits from experienced, founder-led leadership that built and sustained the dominant position in Indian online travel and steered the company to profitability, which reflects real capability and gives confidence in its staying power. On the other hand, leading a dominant intermediary that handles huge volumes of bookings, refunds, and customer issues brings real responsibility for how customers are treated, especially on refunds and support, and for transparency and fairness in pricing, which is where the complaints and the regulatory and short-seller scrutiny arise. The honest framing is that MakeMyTrip’s leadership built a truly dominant, profitable company and also bears responsibility for the refund, service, and pricing concerns this review examines, both of which are part of the picture.
What MakeMyTrip Offers
MakeMyTrip offers a broad range of travel services, and knowing them helps you understand the platform.
- Flights: booking domestic and international air tickets across many airlines, one of its core services, with comparison and add-ons.
- Hotels and packages: hotel reservations and holiday packages, its largest revenue segment, ranging from budget stays to luxury resorts and full tour packages.
- Buses and trains: bus tickets, largely through the redBus platform it owns, and train ticket bookings, covering ground travel across India.
- Cabs and airport services: car rentals, airport transfers, and related ground-transport and airport services.
- Ancillary services: visas, foreign exchange, travel insurance, and tours and activities, a fast-growing part of the business.
- Corporate travel and other brands: a corporate travel platform for businesses, plus the separately run brands Goibibo and redBus that it owns.
This range shows that MakeMyTrip is a comprehensive travel platform, covering essentially every part of planning and booking a trip, from flights and hotels to buses, trains, cabs, visas, and insurance, for both leisure and business travelers. The breadth and the ability to book everything in one place are truly useful and a real convenience. For a traveler, the practical point is that MakeMyTrip can handle most of your travel booking needs in one place, which is convenient, while the reliability of each service and especially of refunds and support can vary, which the autopsy examines. The breadth and one-stop convenience are real strengths, used with appropriate care.
How MakeMyTrip Makes Money
Understanding how MakeMyTrip makes money is essential, because its commercial model shapes both its value and its concerns.
MakeMyTrip makes money mainly from commissions paid by travel suppliers, hotels, airlines, and others, for the bookings made through its platform, and from fees added to bookings, such as convenience fees charged to travelers. On hotels in particular, commissions can be a meaningful percentage of the room price and vary with the property and any visibility program it chooses, which is one reason the hotels and packages segment is the largest contributor to revenue. Hotels and packages are its largest revenue segment, where commissions can be substantial and where properties may pay for greater visibility, followed by air ticketing, where margins are thinner, and bus and other services. A fast-growing source is ancillary services, such as visas, foreign exchange, travel insurance, and activities, which carry good margins, and it also earns from corporate travel and from advertising on its platform. This means MakeMyTrip’s revenue depends on the volume of bookings and on the commissions and fees attached to them, and it has a natural incentive to maximize both, which is relevant to how it displays options, sets and presents fees, and, some allege, ranks hotels in its search results based on commercial terms rather than pure value to the traveler.
For a traveler, this model explains both the value and some of the concerns. The commission-and-fee model funds the convenient, one-stop platform, and much of what MakeMyTrip offers is truly useful. But the same model means MakeMyTrip earns more when you book through it and can be incentivized to add fees, promote higher-commission options, and, as a regulatory case and a short-seller report allege, influence how hotel prices and rankings appear, which raises questions about whether you always see the best or a neutral price. The reliance on commissions and fees also sits behind the convenience-fee complaints and the pricing concerns. The honest framing is that MakeMyTrip makes money from supplier commissions and traveler fees, which funds a convenient platform, while the same incentives raise real questions about fees and pricing neutrality that the autopsy examines. Understanding that MakeMyTrip profits from your booking, and from fees and commissions, helps you read its prices, fees, and recommendations with appropriate care.
Who Uses MakeMyTrip and How Big It Is
MakeMyTrip’s scale is dominant in its market, and the numbers explain why it matters, even if they move fast and should be checked against current sources.
MakeMyTrip is used by a very large number of travelers and is by far the largest online travel agency in India, often cited as holding a majority share of the country’s overall online travel market, a leading share of online flight bookings, a dominant share of online hotel bookings, and, through redBus, the large majority of the online intercity bus market, which few competitors come close to matching. It processes billions of dollars in gross bookings each year, draws tens of millions of monthly visitors, and is a publicly listed, profitable company with revenue around the billion-dollar mark, healthy operating profits, and a substantial market value in the billions of dollars, giving it a strong balance sheet and cash reserves. It owns other major travel brands, has a global presence with offices in several countries across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, and serves both leisure and business travelers through dedicated consumer and corporate platforms. By any measure, MakeMyTrip is the dominant, established, profitable leader in Indian online travel.
This scale signals that MakeMyTrip is truly dominant and widely used, which reflects real demand for its convenience, and that it is a financially healthy, profitable, public company rather than a shaky startup, which matters for reliability and staying power. It also frames the autopsy’s concerns, because a platform with this much market power and this central a role in people’s travel carries heightened responsibility for how it treats customers, especially on refunds and support, and for fairness in pricing, which is exactly why the refund complaints, the service issues, and the pricing controversy are significant. For a traveler, the practical point is that MakeMyTrip is a dominant, established, profitable platform that is truly convenient and here to stay, while its very dominance makes its treatment of customers and its pricing all the more important to scrutinize, which this review does. The scale and stability are real, and so is the responsibility that comes with them.
Market Dominance and the Brands It Owns
A defining feature of MakeMyTrip, and important context, is its market dominance and the portfolio of brands it controls, which deserves clear treatment.
MakeMyTrip is not just the largest online travel agency in India; through acquisitions it also owns other leading travel brands, including Goibibo, a major online travel platform in its own right with its own large user base, and redBus, which dominates online intercity bus booking across the country. This means that a traveler choosing between what look like competing sites may in several cases be choosing between brands owned by the same company, which concentrates a large share of Indian online travel under one corporate roof. This dominance gives MakeMyTrip significant market power over both travelers and suppliers, such as hotels, which depend on its platforms for bookings, and it is this power, and how it is used, that lies behind the regulatory case over hotel pricing and the broader questions about fairness and neutrality that the autopsy examines. The company is also expanding internationally and into new services, further extending its reach.
The honest framing treats this as important and balanced. On one hand, the dominance and multiple brands reflect genuine success and give travelers a convenient, comprehensive set of platforms, which is a real benefit, and being the strong, profitable leader adds stability. On the other hand, concentrating so much of Indian online travel under one company reduces real competition, gives MakeMyTrip significant power over suppliers and pricing, and is directly relevant to the regulatory case and the allegations about how it influences hotel prices and rankings, which is a genuine concern for fairness. The fair takeaway is that MakeMyTrip’s dominance and brand portfolio bring real convenience and stability but also concentrate market power in ways that raise genuine fairness and neutrality concerns, which the autopsy examines. For a traveler, this mostly matters as a reason to compare prices across sources, including booking directly, rather than assuming any one platform, even a dominant one, always offers the best deal.
Part 2: The Autopsy
The autopsy weighs MakeMyTrip’s genuine strengths against its real concerns. It is dominant, convenient, and profitable, and it faces genuine concerns about refunds, customer service, fees, and pricing fairness, including a regulatory case and a short-seller report. Both the value and the concerns are real, and because of that, both get honest treatment, with complaints presented as documented patterns rather than universal outcomes, allegations presented as allegations, and the company’s strengths and positions credited fairly.
What MakeMyTrip Gets Right
The strengths are real and explain why MakeMyTrip became and remains dominant.
One-Stop Convenience
Being able to compare and book flights, hotels, packages, buses, trains, and more in one place, with added services like visas, foreign exchange, and insurance, is truly convenient and saves the time and effort of visiting many separate airline and hotel sites. This one-stop convenience is a real strength that many travelers value.
Huge Choice and Inventory
MakeMyTrip offers a vast range of flights, hotels, and other options across many airlines, tens of thousands of hotels, and numerous bus and train operators, giving travelers real choice and the ability to compare fares and properties side by side in one place. This breadth of inventory is a real strength for planning and comparison.
Market Leadership and Stability
MakeMyTrip is the dominant, established, profitable market leader, backed by a quarter of a century of experience, huge scale, and a strong balance sheet with substantial cash reserves. Being a proven, financially healthy leader is a real reassurance for many routine bookings.
Packages and Ancillary Services
MakeMyTrip offers ready-made holiday packages and a growing set of ancillary services like visas, foreign exchange, and travel insurance, which can be truly convenient for arranging a full trip, including the paperwork and money side, in one place rather than through several providers. This breadth of services is a real strength for many travelers.
Technology and AI Tools
MakeMyTrip invests in technology, including an AI trip-planning assistant that handles tens of thousands of conversations a day, and features like AI-generated review summaries and voice booking in Indian languages, which can really help with planning, especially for travelers newer to booking online or more comfortable in a regional language. This technology is a real strength, especially for less experienced online travelers.
Strong Brands and Deals
Through brands like Goibibo and redBus and its own platform, MakeMyTrip offers well-known, widely used services and, at times, truly competitive deals, discounts, and cashback, particularly during sales or on bundled bookings. These brands and occasional real savings are a real draw for many travelers.
These strengths, above all the one-stop convenience and huge choice, are why so many people use MakeMyTrip and why it became the dominant travel platform. The concerns that follow are serious and important, especially around refunds and customer service, but they do not erase the real convenience and choice MakeMyTrip offers when a booking goes smoothly, which is why it remains useful for many bookings when used with care.
The Refund Problem
The most common and serious concern about MakeMyTrip, and the one that causes the most financial harm and stress, is refunds, and it deserves careful, prominent treatment.
Across independent consumer review platforms, by far the most frequent and severe complaint about MakeMyTrip is refunds. Many customers report that when a flight or hotel booking is cancelled, very often by the airline or for reasons beyond the traveler’s control, their refund is delayed for weeks or even months, comes back much smaller than expected due to deductions that were not clearly explained, or is refused outright. Especially troubling are the many reports that the airline or hotel had already refunded MakeMyTrip, sometimes confirmed in writing by the airline or hotel directly to the customer, yet MakeMyTrip did not pass the money on to the customer for a long time, or claimed the supplier had refused the refund when the supplier said it had never even been contacted. These situations rose sharply during travel disruptions such as international airspace closures, when large numbers of flights were cancelled and travelers were left chasing refunds that airlines said had already been paid to MakeMyTrip. Others report that options like zero cancellation, which many travelers pay extra for expecting a full no-questions refund, did not in fact return the full amount, that deductions were taken even from full airline refunds where nothing should have been withheld, and that getting any refund at all required weeks of endless, repetitive follow-up. While many bookings are refunded correctly, the volume, consistency, and severity of these refund complaints across every major review platform make this a genuine and serious problem.
The honest framing keeps this proportionate but takes it very seriously. On one hand, the concern is real, severe, and widespread: frequent, well-documented complaints of long-delayed, reduced, or denied refunds, including cases where the supplier had already refunded MakeMyTrip, are a genuine and serious problem that causes real financial harm and stress, especially when the cancellation was not the traveler’s fault, and this is the single most consistent complaint about the platform. On the other hand, fairness notes that these are complaints on platforms that skew negative, that MakeMyTrip handles a huge volume of bookings of which many refunds are processed correctly, that airline and supplier refund timelines truly can be slow and outside MakeMyTrip’s full control, and that MakeMyTrip provides a grievance process. The fair takeaway is that refund delays, deductions, and denials are a frequent, severe, and well-documented problem with MakeMyTrip that travelers must plan around, even though many refunds are processed fine. For a traveler, the practical point is important: read refund terms before booking, keep every record, follow up persistently and in writing, escalate to the grievance officer, and if a refund is wrongly withheld, use your bank’s chargeback process or a consumer complaint, and for high-value or international trips consider booking directly with the airline or hotel.
Customer Service
Closely tied to the refund problem, and a serious concern in its own right, is customer service, which many travelers describe as poor, especially when a trip goes wrong.
A very common complaint about MakeMyTrip is that its customer service is hard to reach and ineffective, particularly when a booking has a problem or a refund is due and the traveler most needs help. The frustration is sharpest at exactly the moments when travel goes wrong, a cancelled flight, a hotel that will not honor a booking, a refund that has not arrived, which is when a traveler is least able to absorb a slow or scripted response. Customers describe difficulty reaching a human agent, heavy reliance on chatbots and scripted responses, long hold times and dropped calls, promises to call back that are not kept, and a standard line that the team will respond in a day or two without resolution following. For travelers outside India, the problem is worse, with reports that support operates mainly on India time, that there is little effective email support, and that reaching help means expensive international phone calls that can run to thousands of rupees, leaving non-resident and international travelers effectively stranded during time-sensitive disruptions when every hour counts. Against this, some customers do eventually get issues resolved, sometimes after escalating publicly or through the grievance officer, and MakeMyTrip does offer support channels and a formal grievance process, but the pattern of complaints about unhelpful, scripted, hard-to-reach service, especially in emergencies and for travelers abroad, is significant and remarkably consistent across platforms.
The honest framing keeps this balanced. On one hand, the concern is real and consistent: poor, hard-to-reach customer service, especially when a trip is disrupted and money is at stake, is a genuine problem that compounds the refund issues and leaves travelers to fend for themselves at the worst moments, with international and non-resident travelers particularly poorly served. On the other hand, fairness notes that these complaints skew negative, that some issues are resolved, that any platform handling millions of bookings will strain its support, and that MakeMyTrip does provide support and escalation channels. The fair takeaway is that weak, hard-to-reach customer service, especially in emergencies and for international travelers, is a common, real complaint with MakeMyTrip that travelers should prepare for by keeping records and knowing the escalation path, even though some issues are resolved. For a traveler, the practical point is to keep all communication in writing, escalate to the grievance officer when frontline support fails, and, for critical or international trips, consider the more direct support you get by booking with the airline or hotel.
Fees, Pricing, and the Regulatory Case
A further set of concerns involves fees, whether you get the best or a neutral price, and a significant regulatory case and short-seller report, all of which deserve careful, balanced treatment.
Travelers report several pricing concerns with MakeMyTrip. Many describe convenience fees and other charges added to bookings that they feel are unclear or excessive, and some report the final price being higher than expected or extra charges appearing late in the process, only becoming visible at the payment step. A few also describe being quoted one fare-difference amount for a date change on the app and then being asked to pay a much higher amount, or the change failing with an error. Beyond fees, there is a deeper concern about whether MakeMyTrip shows the best or a neutral price. India’s competition regulator previously found against MakeMyTrip over hotel price-parity arrangements, which restricted partner hotels from offering lower prices on other platforms or on their own websites, and imposed a substantial penalty running to hundreds of crores of rupees, though that penalty was stayed by a court and the matter has been contested on appeal. More recently, in 2026, a United States based short-seller firm alleged that MakeMyTrip continues to indirectly influence displayed hotel prices through a rebranded internal scoring system and buries hotels that do not comply lower in its search results, effectively circumventing the regulator’s ruling, and also alleged customer-harming practices and accounting concerns designed to flatter its profits. It is important to note that this firm is a short-seller, meaning it stands to profit if MakeMyTrip’s share price falls, so its allegations are contested and must be read as allegations rather than established facts, and MakeMyTrip disputes such claims.
The honest framing weighs this carefully and fairly. On one hand, the concerns are real and worth taking seriously: unclear or excessive fees are a genuine, common complaint, and there is a documented regulatory finding against MakeMyTrip over hotel price parity plus serious, if contested, allegations that it influences hotel prices and rankings, which together raise real questions about whether travelers always see the best or a neutral price on the platform. On the other hand, fairness requires important balance: the regulatory penalty was stayed and is being contested, the recent allegations come from a short-seller with a financial interest in the share price falling and are disputed by MakeMyTrip, and none of this means the platform is not useful for comparison or that its prices are always uncompetitive. The fair takeaway is that there are genuine concerns and serious allegations about MakeMyTrip’s fees and pricing neutrality, some contested and from an interested party, which mean travelers should not assume its price is always the lowest or fully neutral, and should compare across sources. For a traveler, the practical point is to compare prices directly with airlines and hotels and on other sites, watch for added fees, and treat MakeMyTrip as one option to compare rather than an automatic best price.
| Important: Compare Prices Yourself, and Reconfirm Your Booking Do not assume MakeMyTrip always shows the lowest or a neutral price. A competition regulator has found against it over hotel price-parity arrangements, and there are serious, though contested, allegations that it influences hotel prices and search rankings, so compare the price directly with the airline or hotel and on other travel sites before booking, and watch for convenience fees and other charges added late in the process. Separately, some travelers report that a confirmed booking was not honored at the hotel, with the property having no record of the reservation despite a confirmation and payment, so for important stays, reconfirm your booking directly with the hotel a few days before travel. Also check that add-ons like extra baggage actually appear in the airline’s own system, and watch for being auto-enrolled in loyalty programs or add-ons at checkout. This is informational and not financial advice. |
Bookings Not Honored and Package Quality
Two further concerns, reported by a meaningful number of travelers, are hotel bookings not being honored and holiday packages not matching what was promised, which deserve fair treatment.
Some travelers report arriving at a hotel to find that it has no record of their booking, even though MakeMyTrip had confirmed the reservation and charged their card, leaving them to sort out the problem or arrange alternative accommodation on the spot, sometimes late at night and sometimes with young children or elderly travelers in tow. In several accounts, the hotel and MakeMyTrip pointed at each other while the traveler stood at the reception desk without a room, a stressful position to be in far from home. Others report that the room delivered did not match what was advertised, for example a shared or lower-grade room instead of the deluxe room booked, or a room in a much worse location than the pictures suggested, or that a hotel included in a package fell well short of the star rating and standard promised at booking. For holiday packages, some describe paying large sums upfront, sometimes lakhs of rupees, under strict non-refundable terms for hotels and services that did not meet what was promised at booking, with limited recourse afterward, and with package agents accused of overpromising on hotel quality to close the sale. Against this, many bookings and packages are delivered correctly and enjoyed without issue, and MakeMyTrip does offer support to try to resolve such problems, but the reports of confirmed bookings not honored and packages not matching promises are serious, since they can strand or badly disappoint travelers far from home at exactly the moment they were meant to be relaxing, and often involve significant sums already paid.
The honest framing keeps this proportionate. On one hand, the concerns are real and serious: a confirmed, paid booking not being honored at the hotel, or a room or package falling well short of what was promised, is a genuine problem that can leave travelers stranded or badly let down at a vulnerable moment far from home, and the strict upfront, non-refundable terms on packages raise the stakes. On the other hand, fairness notes that these are individual complaints alongside many correctly delivered bookings and packages, that some issues arise at the hotel rather than with MakeMyTrip itself, and that MakeMyTrip does provide support to try to resolve them. The fair takeaway is that a meaningful number of travelers report confirmed bookings not honored and packages not matching promises, which travelers should guard against, even though many bookings are fine. For a traveler, the practical point is to reconfirm important bookings directly with the hotel before travel, keep all confirmations and communication, screenshot what was promised, and be especially careful with large, non-refundable package payments.
What You Cannot Fully Verify
In the interest of honesty, here is what is hard to assess definitively about MakeMyTrip, and which depends on your booking, your situation, and factors that are not fully transparent.
- How smoothly a refund will be handled for your specific cancellation, since experiences range from correct to badly delayed, reduced, or denied.
- Whether the price you see is the lowest or fully neutral, given the fees, the regulatory case, and the contested allegations about pricing and rankings.
- Whether a confirmed booking will be honored exactly as booked, since some travelers report hotels with no record or rooms not matching.
- How well you will be supported if a trip is disrupted, since support experiences vary and are reported as weak, especially for international travelers.
- The precise, current figures for the company’s revenue, market share, and profitability, which move fast and should be checked against the latest sources.
This is not a list designed to dismiss a truly convenient, dominant platform so much as a reminder that booking through an intermediary involves real uncertainty, especially when things go wrong, that you should account for. A review can tell you that MakeMyTrip is a truly convenient, dominant, one-stop travel platform with huge choice, and that it carries serious concerns around refunds, customer service, fees, pricing neutrality, and bookings honored, some backed by a regulatory case and contested allegations. It cannot guarantee how your specific booking or refund will go. The honest guidance is to use MakeMyTrip for its real strength, convenient comparison and one-stop booking, while comparing prices across sources, reading the terms, reconfirming important bookings, keeping records, and being prepared for refund and service problems, so you get the benefit while protecting your money and your plans.
Part 3: The Killcritic
The killcritic is the verdict. Who MakeMyTrip suits, who should be cautious, and how it compares to the alternatives.
Who MakeMyTrip Is For
MakeMyTrip suits many booking needs well, especially simple and domestic ones, with the fit depending on how you use it and how carefully you protect yourself.
One-Stop Comparison and Booking
If you want to compare and book flights, hotels, buses, or trains in one place, MakeMyTrip is truly convenient, as long as you compare prices elsewhere too and read the terms, and keep records in case of problems.
Domestic Travel and Buses
If you are booking domestic travel, especially buses through its redBus platform where it is particularly strong, or simple domestic flights and hotels for uncomplicated trips, MakeMyTrip is a practical, widely used option, provided you check prices and terms and reconfirm important stays before you travel.
Holiday Packages and Planning Tools
If you want the convenience of a ready-made holiday package or planning tools like its AI assistant, MakeMyTrip offers that in one place, provided you scrutinize the package terms closely, especially large non-refundable upfront payments, and independently verify the specific hotels and services promised before paying.
Travelers Who Read Terms and Keep Records
If you are a careful traveler who reads cancellation and fee terms, compares prices, keeps every confirmation, and knows the escalation path, you can use MakeMyTrip’s convenience while managing its risks, which is the right way to approach it.
For these needs, especially simple, domestic, and well-documented bookings, MakeMyTrip offers real convenience, as long as travelers compare prices, read terms, reconfirm important bookings, and keep records.
Who Should Be Cautious
Others should approach MakeMyTrip with real care or consider booking directly, depending on their needs.
Anyone Who May Need a Refund
If there is a real chance your trip could be cancelled or changed, be very cautious given the frequent, severe refund complaints, and consider booking directly with the airline or hotel, where refunds are often easier, especially for flexible or uncertain plans.
International and Non-Resident Travelers
If you are traveling internationally or are a non-resident Indian who may need support across time zones, be cautious, since support is reported as India-centric and weak for international travelers, and booking directly may give you better help in emergencies.
High-Value or Non-Refundable Bookings
If you are making a large, high-value, or strictly non-refundable booking, especially an expensive package, be very careful, scrutinize the terms, verify what is promised, and consider whether the convenience is worth the refund and quality risk.
Those Who Want the Guaranteed Lowest Price
If getting the lowest possible price matters most, be cautious about assuming MakeMyTrip is cheapest given the fees and pricing concerns, and always compare directly with airlines and hotels and on other sites before booking.
MakeMyTrip vs the Alternatives
The most practical comparison is MakeMyTrip against booking directly and against rival travel sites, and the honest answer is that it wins for one-stop convenience while booking direct often wins for refunds and support.
| Option | Best For | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| MakeMyTrip | One-stop comparison and booking | Refund, service, and fee concerns |
| Booking airline or hotel direct | Easier refunds and direct support | Less one-stop comparison and packages |
| EaseMyTrip | Often lower fees, an OTA rival | Compare service and coverage yourself |
| Cleartrip or Yatra | Other OTA alternatives to compare | Similar intermediary trade-offs |
| Booking.com or Agoda | International hotels and comparison | Compare price and refund terms |
For most travelers, the honest approach is to use MakeMyTrip for what it does best, convenient one-stop comparison and booking, while comparing prices and considering booking directly with the airline or hotel, especially for high-value, flexible, or international trips where refunds and support matter most. Booking directly with an airline or hotel often means easier refunds and more direct support in a crisis, since there is no middleman to pass the refund through and no third party to blame, at the cost of less one-stop comparison across suppliers and fewer ready-made bundled packages. Among online rivals, EaseMyTrip is often noted for lower or no convenience fees on flights, while Cleartrip, Yatra, and Ixigo are alternative platforms worth comparing on price and service, and for international hotels, global sites like Booking.com or Agoda are worth checking on both price and, importantly, refund flexibility. The honest take is that MakeMyTrip is the most convenient one-stop platform but not always the cheapest or the safest for refunds and support, so comparing it against booking direct and against rivals is wise. Use it as one strong option to compare, not as an automatic choice, and lean toward booking direct when refunds and support are likely to matter.
Is MakeMyTrip Safe, Legit, and Reliable?
Three questions people ask most are whether MakeMyTrip is safe, legitimate, and reliable, and the honest answers are nuanced.
Is It Safe and Legit?
Yes, MakeMyTrip is a safe and legitimate company: it is the dominant, established, publicly listed, profitable market leader, and booking through it is legitimate, not a scam. It is a real business that delivers many bookings correctly. The real concerns are not about whether the company is genuine but about how it handles refunds, support, fees, and pricing, which is where the serious problems lie.
Is It Reliable?
This is the weak point. For smooth bookings it is reliable and convenient, but when a trip is disrupted and a refund is due, reliability drops sharply, with refunds, support, and problem resolution being the most common and severe complaints. So it is reliable for simple bookings but not dependable when things go wrong, which is exactly when reliability matters most.
The Honest Call
MakeMyTrip is a safe, legitimate, and truly convenient platform for comparing and booking travel, with real value for one-stop booking and choice, but it is not reliable when trips are disrupted, and it comes with serious concerns around refunds, customer service, fees, and pricing fairness. Use it as a convenient way to compare and book, but compare prices elsewhere, read the terms, reconfirm important bookings, keep records, and lean toward booking directly for high-value or refund-sensitive trips. Used that way, MakeMyTrip is a useful tool; relied on blindly, especially when a refund is at stake, its problems can cost you money and cause real stress, so use it carefully rather than blindly.
The Final Verdict
| MakeMyTrip Final Rating: 3 / 5 A truly convenient and dominant travel platform, MakeMyTrip lets people compare and book flights, hotels, packages, buses, and trains in one place with huge choice, and it is the established, profitable market leader that owns other major travel brands. It is held back from a higher score by serious, consistent, and well-documented concerns: a heavy stream of complaints about long-delayed, reduced, or denied refunds, including cases where the airline or hotel had already refunded MakeMyTrip, widely criticized and hard-to-reach customer service that is especially weak for international travelers, unclear or excessive fees, reports of confirmed bookings not honored and packages not matching promises, and a regulatory case plus contested short-seller allegations over hotel price parity and search rankings. Truly useful and convenient for simple booking, and safe and legitimate as a company, but not reliable when trips are disrupted, so it is best used as one option to compare, with prices checked elsewhere, terms read, bookings reconfirmed, records kept, and direct booking preferred for high-value or refund-sensitive trips. |
Use MakeMyTrip if you want convenient one-stop comparison and booking of flights, hotels, buses, and trains, you are booking simple or domestic travel, or you want holiday packages and planning tools, and you are prepared to compare prices, read the terms, reconfirm important bookings, and keep records. For simple, well-documented bookings that are unlikely to change, it offers real convenience and a very broad choice of options.
Be cautious or book directly if there is a real chance you will need a refund, you are traveling internationally or as a non-resident needing support across time zones, you are making a high-value or non-refundable booking, or getting the lowest price matters most. In those cases, booking directly with the airline or hotel is often safer for refunds and support, and comparing prices is essential.
MakeMyTrip earns genuine credit for bringing convenient one-stop travel booking and huge choice to millions, for its dominant, profitable market position, for the strong brands and services it offers, and for its planning technology. The 3 out of 5 reflects that real value, tempered honestly by serious, consistent concerns: severe and widespread refund complaints, including money withheld even after suppliers refunded MakeMyTrip, weak and hard-to-reach customer service that is especially poor for international travelers, unclear or excessive fees, reports of confirmed bookings not honored, and a regulatory case plus contested allegations over hotel pricing and rankings. As a convenient tool for simple booking, MakeMyTrip is truly useful and safe to use. The keys are to compare prices directly with airlines and hotels and on other sites, to read the cancellation, refund, and fee terms carefully before booking, to reconfirm important bookings directly with the hotel, to keep every confirmation and message, to escalate through the grievance officer and, if needed, a chargeback or consumer complaint when a refund is wrongly withheld, and to lean toward booking directly for high-value or refund-sensitive trips. Used carefully as one option among several, MakeMyTrip truly helps; relied on blindly, especially when a refund is at stake, its problems can cost you money and cause real stress, so the smart approach is to use its convenience while protecting your money and your plans at every step.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section answers the specific questions people search for about MakeMyTrip. Each answer is structured for direct factual extraction.
What is MakeMyTrip?
MakeMyTrip is India’s largest online travel agency, an app and website where people can compare and book travel: flights, hotels, holiday packages, bus tickets, train tickets, cabs, and related services like visas, foreign exchange, and travel insurance. Founded in 2000 and publicly listed, it works as a marketplace connecting travelers with airlines, hotels, and other suppliers, earning money from commissions and fees, and it owns other major travel brands including Goibibo and the bus platform redBus. It is the dominant, profitable leader in Indian online travel, used by tens of millions of people. MakeMyTrip makes booking travel convenient and offers huge choice, though its handling of refunds, customer service, and fees draws serious and consistent complaints.
Is MakeMyTrip safe and legit?
Yes, MakeMyTrip is a safe and legitimate company. It is the dominant, established, publicly listed, and profitable leader in Indian online travel, and booking through it is legitimate, not a scam, with many bookings delivered correctly. The real concerns are not about whether the company is genuine but about how it handles problems: frequent complaints of delayed or denied refunds, hard-to-reach customer service, unclear fees, and disputes over pricing. So MakeMyTrip is safe and legitimate to use for booking, but you should compare prices elsewhere, read the cancellation and refund terms carefully, reconfirm important bookings directly with the hotel, keep all records, and lean toward booking directly for high-value or refund-sensitive trips.
Does MakeMyTrip give refunds, and how long do they take?
MakeMyTrip does give refunds according to the fare or booking rules and its refund policy, but refunds are the single most common and severe complaint about the platform. Many customers report refunds taking weeks or even months, coming back reduced by unexplained deductions, or being denied, sometimes even after the airline or hotel had already refunded MakeMyTrip. Timelines vary widely by the type of booking and the supplier’s rules, and can be much longer than expected. To improve your chances, read the refund terms before booking, keep every confirmation and message, follow up persistently in writing, escalate to the grievance officer, and if a refund is wrongly withheld, use your bank’s chargeback process or a consumer complaint. For refund-sensitive trips, booking directly with the airline or hotel is often faster.
Why is my MakeMyTrip refund delayed?
MakeMyTrip refunds are often delayed because the company sits between you and the airline or hotel, so a refund usually has to pass from the supplier through MakeMyTrip to you, and complaints show this can take a long time, sometimes with MakeMyTrip citing that it is awaiting the supplier’s confirmation even when the supplier says it has already refunded. Deductions, disputes over who is responsible for the refund, and weak customer service that struggles to give a clear answer all add to the delays, and travelers often describe being told the same thing on every call without the refund actually moving. If your refund is delayed, contact MakeMyTrip in writing with your booking details and any proof that the airline or hotel has refunded, escalate to the grievance officer if the frontline team does not resolve it, and if it remains wrongly withheld, raise a chargeback with your bank or a complaint with a consumer forum, keeping full records throughout.
Is MakeMyTrip cheaper than booking directly?
Not necessarily. MakeMyTrip can offer competitive prices and deals, especially with discounts or on packages, but it also adds fees such as convenience fees, and there are real concerns about whether it always shows the lowest or a neutral price, including a regulatory case over hotel price parity and contested allegations that it influences hotel prices and rankings. Because of this, you should never assume MakeMyTrip is automatically the cheapest. Compare the price directly with the airline or hotel and on other travel sites before booking, factor in any added fees, and remember that booking directly can also make refunds and support easier. Treat MakeMyTrip as one option to compare on price rather than an automatic best deal.
Does MakeMyTrip charge hidden or convenience fees?
MakeMyTrip does charge convenience fees and other charges on many bookings, and a common complaint is that these fees are unclear, feel excessive, or appear late in the booking process, making the final price higher than expected. Some travelers also report being auto-enrolled in loyalty programs or having add-ons applied at checkout. To protect yourself, review the full price breakdown carefully before paying, watch for fees added at the last step, uncheck any add-ons or memberships you did not choose, and compare the all-in price against booking directly or on other sites. Being vigilant during payment helps you avoid unpleasant surprises, since the attractive headline price advertised on the search results is not always the final all-in price you actually end up paying at checkout once fees and add-ons are included.
Is a MakeMyTrip hotel booking guaranteed?
A MakeMyTrip confirmation usually means your booking is made, but some travelers report arriving at a hotel to find it has no record of the reservation despite a confirmation and payment, or that the room did not match what was booked. This is not the norm, but it happens often enough to be a real risk. To protect yourself, especially for important stays, reconfirm your booking directly with the hotel a few days before travel by calling them with your confirmation details, keep your booking confirmation and payment proof, and screenshot the room type and amenities that were promised. If a confirmed booking is not honored, contact MakeMyTrip immediately, escalate to the grievance officer, and keep records, since you may need them to get a refund or compensation for a booking that was not delivered.
Who owns MakeMyTrip?
MakeMyTrip is a publicly listed company, trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the United States, so it is owned by its public shareholders. It was founded in 2000 by Deep Kalra, who is its chairman, with co-founders including Rajesh Magow, who serves as group chief executive. Over the years it took investment from global players, including the Chinese travel company Trip.com, which was for a time a major shareholder but whose stake MakeMyTrip later substantially reduced by buying back shares. MakeMyTrip also owns other major travel brands, including Goibibo and the bus-booking platform redBus, which it acquired through a merger, making it the parent of several leading Indian travel brands under one publicly listed company.
What is the MakeMyTrip short-seller report and price parity issue?
India’s competition regulator previously found against MakeMyTrip over hotel price-parity arrangements, which restricted partner hotels from offering lower prices on other platforms or directly, and imposed a substantial penalty, though that penalty was stayed by a court and the matter has been contested. In 2026, a United States based short-seller firm published a report alleging that MakeMyTrip continues to indirectly control displayed hotel prices and buries non-compliant hotels in its search results, effectively circumventing the regulator’s ruling, along with allegations of customer-harming practices and accounting concerns. Importantly, a short-seller profits if the share price falls, so these allegations come from an interested party, are contested, and are not established facts, and MakeMyTrip disputes them. For travelers, the practical takeaway is simply to compare prices across sources rather than assume MakeMyTrip’s price is always the best.
Common Mistakes and Tips When Using MakeMyTrip
This section captures the most common mistakes people make with MakeMyTrip and how to avoid each. Following these helps you get the convenience while protecting your money and plans.
Mistake: Not reading the cancellation and refund terms
Mitigation: Refunds are the biggest problem, so before booking, read the cancellation and refund terms and all fees carefully, and understand that options like zero cancellation may not return the full amount. Knowing the terms up front helps you avoid nasty surprises and gives you a basis to challenge wrongful deductions later.
Mistake: Assuming MakeMyTrip has the lowest price
Mitigation: Do not assume it is cheapest, given fees and pricing concerns. Compare the all-in price directly with the airline or hotel and on other travel sites before booking, and factor in convenience fees, so you actually get the best deal rather than paying a premium for habit.
Mistake: Not reconfirming important hotel bookings
Mitigation: Because some confirmed bookings are not honored, reconfirm important stays directly with the hotel a few days before travel, keep your confirmation and payment proof, and screenshot the room and amenities promised, so you are not stranded on arrival.
Mistake: Not keeping records for refunds
Mitigation: Refunds can be delayed or disputed, so keep every confirmation, invoice, and message, and any proof that the airline or hotel has refunded, so you have clear, dated evidence to push a refund claim and to escalate to the grievance officer or a bank chargeback if needed.
Mistake: Relying on MakeMyTrip support in an emergency
Mitigation: Support is hard to reach and weak in emergencies, especially for international travelers. For critical or international trips, consider booking directly with the airline or hotel for more direct support, and keep supplier contact details so you are not dependent on MakeMyTrip alone when a trip is disrupted.
Mistake: Overlooking fees and add-ons at checkout
Mitigation: Watch for convenience fees added late, and for being auto-enrolled in loyalty programs or add-ons. Review the full price breakdown before paying, uncheck anything you did not choose, and confirm that add-ons like extra baggage actually appear in the airline’s own system.
Final Notes on This Review
This review was built using a query fan-out approach designed to answer the questions people actually search for about MakeMyTrip, organized into topic clusters that map to how Google’s AI Overview surfaces answers. Every claim is grounded in a source: MakeMyTrip’s public information, independent reporting on its business, market position, and the regulatory and short-seller matters, and consumer reviews and complaints across multiple platforms, with complaints presented as documented patterns from platforms that skew negative rather than as universal outcomes, allegations from interested parties presented clearly as contested allegations, and the company’s genuine strengths and positions credited fairly.
Figures for the company’s revenue, market share, and profitability reflect publicly available information as of mid-2026 and change fast, and the regulatory and legal matters are contested and ongoing, so verify the current situation against the latest reliable sources before relying on it. This review is informational and is not financial, legal, or investment advice; it is not a recommendation about MakeMyTrip’s stock, and the short-seller allegations referenced are contested and unproven. Above all, use MakeMyTrip for its real strength, convenient one-stop comparison and booking, while comparing prices across sources, reading the terms, reconfirming important bookings, keeping records, and leaning toward booking directly for high-value or refund-sensitive trips, so you get the benefit while protecting your money and your plans at every step.
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Review of MakeMyTrip | Last updated: June 2026 | Reviewer: brands.run editorial team | Independent review. Figures and the regulatory and legal matters can change, and the short-seller allegations are contested, so verify current details before relying on them. Not financial, legal, or investment advice.
MakeMyTrip is a trademark of MakeMyTrip Limited. Other names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners. All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of these names here does not imply any affiliation or endorsement. This review is for general informational purposes only and reflects publicly available information, reputable reporting, and consumer feedback as of mid-2026. It is not financial, legal, or investment advice. Consumer complaints are drawn from public review platforms that tend to attract dissatisfied users and are presented as reported patterns rather than verified or universal outcomes. Allegations by third parties, including a short-seller with a financial interest, are presented as contested allegations rather than established facts, the company’s stated positions are noted, and regulatory matters referenced are subject to appeal.
