The HOBZ Playbook · Chapter 2 of 7

‘Free’ vacation offers: what to check first

Certificates, gift trips and “free” cruises can be fine, or can cost more than a normal booking. Here is how to tell before you hand over your number or card.

Updated October 23, 2026 · One-page guide · About a 5-minute read

How these offers usually work

A “free” vacation certificate, a cruise for filling out a quote, or a gift trip for attending a presentation is usually a marketing offer. The certificate is real paper; the cost shows up later as redemption fees, nightly taxes, blackout dates, deposits, or a long sales presentation. Some are honest promotions with clear terms. Others never deliver.

Six questions to ask before you give your phone number

1. Who provides the trip? The certificate should name the company that books it. If nobody can tell you, stop.
2. What do I pay, in total? Ask for redemption fees, taxes per night, port fees and deposits in writing.
3. Is a sales presentation required? Timeshare and vacation-club pitches can run for hours.
4. What dates are actually available? “Subject to availability” can mean almost none.
5. Is airfare included? Many offers include only a hotel, or require you to buy flights from them.
6. Why are they giving it away? If the answer is “so we can sell your information” or “so you’ll buy a membership,” decide whether that trade is worth it.

Red flags

• You “won” a trip you never entered to win.
• You must pay a fee now to “release” or “reserve” the prize.
• They ask for payment by wire, gift card, payment app or crypto.
• You must decide today, or the offer “expires.”
• The terms aren’t available in writing before you pay.
• You are asked to request quotes or sign up for services you don’t need to “earn” the trip.

What the official sources say

• FTC: Avoid scams when you travel
• New York Attorney General: summer scams, including vacation certificates
• Georgia Consumer Protection Division: vacation scams
• FTC Guide Concerning Use of the Word “Free” (16 CFR Part 251)

If you already paid and something went wrong, report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and with the Illinois Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division (or your state’s).

Considering an income offer instead of a travel offer? See Chapter 7: Check an income opportunity before you join or pay.