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✈️ Flight Booking Price Comparison – SmartBuy vs Travel Edge vs iShop (Delhi, New York, Tokyo)

PointsProfessors

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Hi Everyone!
I recently did a detailed comparison of flight prices across three major platforms tied to our reward ecosystems:
  • HDFC SmartBuy
  • Axis Travel Edge
  • ICICI iShop
  • Goibibo (only for Tokyo)

🔍 Routes compared:
  • Bangalore → New York
  • Bangalore → Tokyo
  • Bangalore → Delhi


💳 I checked fares across SmartBuy, iShop, and Travel Edge, Goibibo (only for Tokyo) and included partner providers like Goibibo, Yatra, and Cleartrip. Here’s a sample snapshot from my analysis:

RoutePlatformProviderFlight No.Base FareTaxesFeeDiscountTotal Fare% Above Lowest
BLR → DelhiTravel EdgeTripjackIX 1116₹3,839₹1,270₹0₹0₹5,1090%
BLR → DelhiiShopYatraIX 1116₹3,646₹983₹540₹0₹5,169+1.17%
BLR → DelhiSmartBuyYatraIX 1116₹3,646₹1,318₹440₹0₹5,404+5.77%
BLR → New YorkSmartBuyCleartripEK 569, EK 201₹80,395₹32,451₹1,299₹0₹1,14,1450%
BLR → New YorkiShopGoibiboEK 569, EK 201₹85,695₹32,411₹1,199₹-2,000₹1,17,912+3.30%
BLR → New YorkTravel EdgeCleartripEK 569, EK 201₹87,581₹32,411₹0₹0₹1,19,992+5.12%
BLR → TokyoGoibiboGoibiboJL 754₹39,481₹0₹750₹-3,159₹37,0720%
BLR → TokyoiShopGoibiboJL 754₹26,260₹13,221₹999₹-2,000₹38,480+3.80%
BLR → TokyoSmartBuyGoibiboJL 754₹25,273₹13,221₹999₹-1,974₹38,506+3.87%
BLR → TokyoTravel EdgeCleartripJL 754₹26,838₹13,221₹0₹0₹40,059+8.06%

🧮 Note: All fares include taxes and fees after applying platform-specific discounts and travel date is 01-Sep-2025.


🔧 Observations:

  • Cleartrip via SmartBuy gave the best rate for US routes.
  • Goibibo + ICICI credit card discount offer provided the cheapest ticket to Tokyo.
  • Domestic Delhi route was cheapest through Travel Edge.


💬 Would love to hear if others have noticed similar trends.
Do you factor in rewards % or go with the lowest fare? Also, LMK if I missed anything.
 
Last edited:
Hi Everyone!
I recently did a detailed comparison of flight prices across three major platforms tied to our reward ecosystems:
  • HDFC SmartBuy
  • Axis Travel Edge
  • ICICI iShop
  • Goibibo (only for Tokyo)

🔍 Routes compared:
  • Bangalore → New York
  • Bangalore → Tokyo
  • Bangalore → Delhi


💳 I checked fares across SmartBuy, iShop, and Travel Edge, Goibibo (only for Tokyo) and included partner providers like Goibibo, Yatra, and Cleartrip. Here’s a sample snapshot from my analysis:


RoutePlatformProviderFlight No.Base FareTaxesFeeDiscountTotal Fare% Above Lowest
BLR → DelhiSmartBuyYatraIX 1116₹3,646₹1,318₹0₹0₹4,9640%
BLR → DelhiTravel EdgeTripjackIX 1116₹3,839₹1,270₹0₹0₹5,109+2.92%
BLR → DelhiiShopYatraIX 1116₹3,646₹983₹540₹0₹5,169+4.13%
BLR → New YorkSmartBuyCleartripEK 569, EK 201₹80,395₹32,451₹0₹0₹1,12,8460%
BLR → New YorkTravel EdgeCleartripEK 569, EK 201₹87,581₹32,411₹0₹0₹1,19,992+6.33%
BLR → New YorkiShopGoibiboEK 569, EK 201₹85,695₹32,411₹1,199₹-2,000₹1,17,912+4.49%
BLR → TokyoGoibiboGoibiboJL 754₹39,481₹0₹750₹-3,159₹37,0720%
BLR → TokyoiShopGoibiboJL 754₹26,260₹13,221₹999₹-2,000₹38,480+3.80%
BLR → TokyoSmartBuyGoibiboJL 754₹25,273₹13,221₹0₹0₹38,494+3.83%
BLR → TokyoTravel EdgeCleartripJL 754₹26,838₹13,221₹0₹0₹40,059+8.06%

🧮 Note: All fares include taxes and fees after applying platform-specific discounts and travel date is 01-Sep-2025.


🔧 Observations:

  • Cleartrip via SmartBuy gave the best rate for US routes.
  • Goibibo + ICICI credit card discount offer provided the cheapest ticket to Tokyo.
  • Domestic Delhi route was cheapest through SmartBuy (Yatra).


💬 Would love to hear if others have noticed similar trends.
Do you factor in rewards % or go with the lowest fare? Also, LMK if I missed anything.
I observed that most of the time IShop flights (domestic) are a bit cheaper in comparison to SmartBuy.
 
So Goibibo is cheaper?

@m4b I couldn’t compare all booking platforms for every route. For Japan, Goibibo showed up as the cheapest on Skyscanner, so I proceeded with the booking to check the final cost and it did turn out to be the most economical option.

Assuming I book through EPM on Goibibo and earn 3% rewards, the effective cost on Goibibo comes down to ₹35,959.84, making it about 12% cheaper than the most expensive option without considering edge rewards.
 
Last edited:
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