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Start with what you intend to buy, then use ShopBack Australia's travel discovery page to explore flights, stays, activities or cars. Follow through to the actual merchant listing for the specific product: Booking.com lists stays, attractions and car rental but excludes flights and flight-and-hotel packages; Expedia lists hotels, activities and car hire with separate package terms. The travel search screen is a discovery tool, not a substitute for the merchant's current terms.
Start with the booking, not a percentage
Write a one-line description of the purchase: a two-night hotel stay in Hobart, four admission tickets in Brisbane, a rental car from Adelaide Airport, or flights between capitals. ShopBack Australia's travel page offers search paths for flights, stays, activities and cars. This is useful for discovering options, but the individual merchant listing tells you which product category applies.
A travel platform can appear in several searches without covering everything it sells. Booking.com's Australian page shows Stays, Attractions and Car Rental yet excludes flights, airport taxis and flight-and-hotel packages. Expedia displays Hotels, Activities and Car Hire and also discusses package bookings. Follow the category for your intended purchase, not a rate glimpsed beside another itinerary.
Map a hypothetical itinerary to categories
Suppose a hypothetical long weekend includes A$280 in flights, A$480 for a suitable room, A$95 in attraction tickets and A$160 for a car. That is A$1,015 to budget before any other costs. These are invented budgeting inputs, not live fares or Cashback rates. The room, admission and car are three separate shopping decisions, each with its own checkout and applicable merchant category.
Do not apply one accommodation offer to A$1,015. Booking.com's flight exclusion makes the A$280 flight a particularly clear example: its Stays category cannot be used for that airfare. Compare each product's final price and terms independently. If the itinerary becomes a bundle, revisit the classification; Expedia defines hotel-plus-flight and hotel-plus-car combinations as packages.
Use the listing to settle the shopping route
For accommodation, compare dates, guest count, room and cancellation terms before visiting the Booking.com or Expedia merchant page. For an activity, compare ticket and entry rules. For a car, compare pickup times, vehicle and all known charges. Then find the corresponding category on ShopBack Australia and open its checkout path from there.
Booking.com's checked page excludes taxes, fees and spending outside the room rate. Expedia likewise excludes taxes and service or booking fees and spending beyond the room rate. A total itinerary budget remains the amount you need to fund, while a potential Cashback calculation uses only the applicable product and eligible spend under current terms. The category distinction is more useful than a travel-wide estimate.
Move from discovery to a completed booking
Keep a short comparison sheet with four columns: product, final AUD total, cancellation or use conditions, and merchant category. If a booking includes a code, check the specific merchant's code terms: Expedia's page warns that any promo, coupon or discount code makes the whole order ineligible for Cashback. A definite discount can still be the better purchase.
Once a product and merchant are chosen, visit that merchant's ShopBack Australia page and click through for the relevant booking. Keep the booking reference. ShopBack's Australian travel guide describes completing the booking in the same session and post-trip Cashback confirmation; do not use an anticipated return to pay a charge due before travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should I start if I have not picked a travel merchant?
Use ShopBack Australia's travel page to explore booking types, then read the merchant page for the exact product you select.
Is a Booking.com flight covered by its Stays offer?
No. Booking.com's checked Australian page excludes flights and flight-and-hotel packages.
Can I apply one travel Cashback calculation to the whole itinerary?
No. Split the itinerary into its actual bookings and check each merchant category and eligible component separately.
About this guide
The linked sources document ShopBack processes and merchant terms; any arithmetic examples are illustrations, not verified current prices or cashback amounts. Offers and exclusions can change. Check the current local ShopBack merchant page for the applicable terms before shopping.
Related guides
- Which Australian hotel booking choices can change cashback eligibility?Check room category, payment, codes and changed booking IDs before reserving through Booking.com or Expedia in Australia.
- Book an attraction for an Australian trip with Cashback in mindCompare attraction tickets by entry conditions and AUD checkout total, then find the relevant Booking.com or Expedia activity category.
- Budget a trip from Australia before counting travel cashbackBuild an AUD trip budget for transport, nights, meals and booking fees; keep conditional travel cashback outside the money needed upfront.