Latest news with #KAYAK
Khaleej Times
7 hours ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
UAE: How you can use ChatGPT to help you save money
There are hundreds of AI tools available now as artificial intelligence and machine learning take off. But ChatGPT dominates the headlines with its 400 million weekly active users. As a highly capable chatbot, many users are experimenting with it for all sorts of help, both professional and personal. So, how does it stack up when it comes to saving money? Cheap flights Saving money when booking flights is topical as many people will be jetting away soon for summer breaks. Plus, we are seeing more social media content about how AI and ChatGPT saved people money when booking flights. I have spoken to many people about these claims and if ChatGPT saved them money on flights, while doing my own research. The platform has a range of Generative Pre-Trained Transformers (GPTs) for booking cheap flights, including Fly GPT, AirTrack GPT and direct access to KAYAK, a popular flight and hotel search engine. The trick is asking the right questions, or prompts. For example, you could ask it to 'Find me the cheapest flight from Dubai to London in July under $500.' Or 'What's the best time to fly from Dubai to Tokyo for the lowest fares?' ChatGPT will use well-known flight scanning platforms like KAYAK, Expedia, and Skyscanner to pull together its answers. These sites have also integrated AI into their own search engines along with other popular sites like Google Flights and Hopper. This allows them to offer features like flight alerts and price predictions. ChatGPT's advantage is that it will search across multiple websites, not just one. Another usefulness of ChatGPT is its ability to explore different hacks and tactics to find the cheapest flight options if your dates and destination airport are flexible. For example, you could ask it 'What days are cheapest to fly to New York?' or 'What airports near Paris are cheaper to fly into?' The cheapest days to book are often Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while midweek is usually the cheapest days to fly. Another popular prompt is to type: 'Act like a travel agent. I want to go to (destination) in August on a budget. Recommend cheap routes, airlines, dates, and tips.' Daily budgeting When it comes to saving money in other areas, ChatGPT says it can help you budget better, asking you upload a bank statement so it can break down your spending and offer advice. I tried this and I was impressed by the results. It listed all my spending into categories (travel, eating out, subscriptions etc) and then gave me some tips on how to save money. For example, I spent money on expensive snacks at the airport and it advised me to buy them cheaper at a supermarket and pack them in my carry-on. Banking If you are looking for the best savings accounts available in the UAE, no one site compares all the latest offers in one place. Using ChatGPT is a good starting point as it will give you names of banks that are offering the highest rates if you type the right prompt. But it is just that – a starting point. You still need to go to each bank's website to check the interest rate, see if the offer is still available and read the small print. Daily deals ChatGPT did recommend some useful money-saving sites that are popular in the UAE such as The Entertainer, Groupon and Cobone. If you've not heard of Cobone before, it describes itself as the Middle East's biggest 'daily deals', or group buying, site featuring discounts on the best things to do, see, eat and buy in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. I checked out all websites and they did feature a wide range of offers across shopping, staycations, dining and more. ChatGPT also offered me sites like Keepa, which tracks millions of products and prices on Amazon. However, this website won't track prices from A better option might be its other recommendation of Honey, a free browser extension by PayPal that automatically searches for discounts and coupon codes during the checkout stage. Smart shopping Supermarket and grocery shopping has become more expensive in the UAE but can ChatGPT help you search for the cheapest products among all the different chains here? In the UK, there's a popular app called Trolley, which is a supermarket comparison tool that finds the cheapest grocery prices across 16+ UK supermarkets. Type in blueberries, for example, and it will tell you which supermarket is selling them at the cheapest price. When asked, ChatGPT said it can give me price comparison tools for UAE supermarkets (e.g., Carrefour vs. Lulu). It recommended Pricena, although this is just for electronics, and Yaoota, which is an Egyptian e-commerce platform. Neither was useful in my quest to save money on my supermarket shop. There is currently no price comparison website for supermarkets in the UAE. Now that's food for thought.
Skift
29-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
AI That Plans, Not Just Chats: What to Expect from KAYAK at the Skift Data + AI Summit
KAYAK's Matthias Keller explores how AI is transforming travel from search-driven clicks to intuitive, intelligent journeys, and what's next in truly personalized, agentic travel planning. As Chief Product Officer at KAYAK, Matthias Keller is at the forefront of reshaping how millions of travelers plan their trips. With over a decade of leadership at one of the world's most innovative travel search engines, Keller has helped pioneer the integration of artificial intelligence into travel. His work on is leading the shift from reactive, form-based search to proactive, personalized travel experiences. At the Skift Data + AI Summit, Matthias Keller will unpack the emerging technologies and real-world strategies that are turning AI into a true co-pilot for travelers, not just another interface. Ahead of his session, Keller offers a glimpse into how smarter AI is reshaping travel and what lies ahead for the industry. How is your company thinking about AI as a tool to drive smarter, more personalized travel experiences? 'At KAYAK, we see AI as a way to move beyond the traditional constraints of predefined search forms and toward truly intelligent, personalized travel planning.' 'With prompts help us better understand what a traveler wants — not just what they click — enabling more relevant responses. As agent capabilities evolve, reasoning and planning open the door to smarter, more contextual recommendations that make trip planning faster, easier, and more tailored to the individual.' What do you think the travel industry still gets wrong when it comes to applying AI? 'It's still early days, and everyone is experimenting — but one thing is becoming clear: simply adding AI for the sake of it doesn't create real value.' 'Too often, the industry treats AI as a surface feature, like adding a chatbot. But meaningful impact comes when AI powers useful capabilities across the full journey. At KAYAK, we believe AI should do more than respond — it should reason, plan, and simplify complexity. That's where it becomes truly valuable to users.' What emerging trends in AI or data are you watching most closely right now? 'We're closely watching the evolution of Agentic AI — systems that don't just provide information, but take action on a traveler's behalf. The ability to delegate planning, booking, and even post-booking management to a trusted AI agent has the potential to transform the travel experience.' 'There's also an interesting space emerging around 'computer-use' agents, like OpenAI's Operator, which can interact with third-party tools or websites on a user's behalf. While still early and relatively slow, this technology could become a powerful way to gather information and complete transactions in real time.' If you had to place a big bet on one AI breakthrough that could reshape travel, what would it be? 'If we had to place a big bet, it would be on AI's evolving ability to perform complex reasoning — moving beyond recommendations to taking action on behalf of the user. The potential to plan and book multi-destination trips through a single intelligent interface has huge potential.' 'One area we're also excited about is how improved reasoning capabilities are being applied to geospatial challenges. For example, we've already seen promising progress in reverse-geocoding from images. Applying that capability to travel — such as identifying optimally located hotels based on user preferences or dynamically mapping multi-stop itineraries — could significantly enhance how people plan their trips.' Unlock Smarter Travel at Skift Data + AI Summit Don't miss Matthias Keller's session, where he'll reveal how AI-powered smarter search and agentic travel planning are redefining the future of travel journeys. This is your chance to hear firsthand from the industry's leading innovators about the technologies shaping tomorrow's travel experiences. Secure your spot now and be part of the pivotal conversation transforming the travel industry. Get Your Tickets 1 Person Solo Ticket $895 Buy Now 2-6 PeOPLE Group Tickets From $815 each Buy Now Who Is Already Joining The Skift Data + AI Summit This June Skift Data + AI Summit in New York City is fast approaching - take a look at who is planning to attend and add your company's name to the list. You won't want to miss this exciting global travel industry event. Read More
Finextra
22-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Affirm and Kayak expand partnership to Canada
Just in time for the busy summer travel season, Kayak, the world's leading travel search engine, and Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM), the payment network that empowers consumers and helps merchants drive growth, today announced the expansion of their exclusive partnership into Canada. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. This builds on the companies' successful collaboration in the U.S., which has empowered consumers to plan and pay over time for their travels since January 2023. By selecting Affirm at checkout on approved KAYAK travellers in Canada can split the total cost of flights, accommodations, and car rentals/sharing into monthly payments. From there, consumers go through a quick, real-time eligibility check. If approved, they can choose the customized payment plan that best suits their needs and never pay any late or hidden fees. 'Consumers are increasingly turning to Affirm when booking their flights, hotels, rides, and more as flexible payment options remain a top priority for travellers across Canada,' said Wayne Pommen, Chief Revenue Officer of Affirm. 'This expansion with KAYAK is a natural next step for our long-standing partnership as we look to offer even more travellers peace of mind when paying for their next trip using Affirm.' 'Our partnership with Affirm opens up possibilities for travellers who are looking for more flexibility in their payment options. With international flight prices averaging $1,2701, travellers can plan and pay for those bucket list trips over time, without any hidden fees,' said Paul Jacobs, GM and SVP of KAYAK North America. Expanding with KAYAK into Canada further builds on Affirm's rapid growth worldwide, with over 350,000 merchants offering Affirm at checkout, including partnerships with Booking Holdings brands Agoda, and Priceline. Leading Canadian retailers, including Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Brown's Shoes, CheapOair, and more offer Affirm's payment solutions to their customers.
Business Wire
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
KAYAK and Affirm expand exclusive partnership into Canada
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Just in time for the busy summer travel season, KAYAK, the world's leading travel search engine, and Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM), the payment network that empowers consumers and helps merchants drive growth, today announced the expansion of their exclusive partnership into Canada. This builds on the companies' successful collaboration in the U.S., which has empowered consumers to plan and pay over time for their travels since January 2023. By selecting Affirm at checkout on approved KAYAK travellers in Canada can split the total cost of flights, accommodations, and car rentals/sharing into monthly payments. From there, consumers go through a quick, real-time eligibility check. If approved, they can choose the customized payment plan that best suits their needs and never pay any late or hidden fees. 'Consumers are increasingly turning to Affirm when booking their flights, hotels, rides, and more as flexible payment options remain a top priority for travellers across Canada,' said Wayne Pommen, Chief Revenue Officer of Affirm. 'This expansion with KAYAK is a natural next step for our long-standing partnership as we look to offer even more travellers peace of mind when paying for their next trip using Affirm.' 'Our partnership with Affirm opens up possibilities for travellers who are looking for more flexibility in their payment options. With international flight prices averaging $1,270 1, travellers can plan and pay for those bucket list trips over time, without any hidden fees,' said Paul Jacobs, GM and SVP of KAYAK North America. Expanding with KAYAK into Canada further builds on Affirm's rapid growth worldwide, with over 350,000 merchants offering Affirm at checkout, including partnerships with Booking Holdings brands Agoda, and Priceline. Leading Canadian retailers, including Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Brown's Shoes, CheapOair, and more offer Affirm's payment solutions to their customers. About Affirm Affirm's mission is to deliver honest financial products that improve lives. By building a new kind of payment network—one based on trust, transparency, and putting people first—we empower millions of consumers to spend and save responsibly, and give thousands of businesses the tools to fuel growth. Unlike most credit cards and other pay-over-time options, we never charge any late or hidden fees. Follow Affirm on social media: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X. About KAYAK KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world's leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay, rental car and vacation package. Trusted by millions of travelers, the KAYAK app makes travel planning seamless on iOS and Android, and we also support business travelers with our corporate travel solution. Rates from 0-31.99% APR (subject to provincial regulations). Payment options through Affirm Canada Holdings Ltd. ('Affirm') are subject to an eligibility check and depend on purchase amount, vary by merchant, and may not be available in all provinces/territories. A down payment (or a payment due today) may be required. AFRM-PA
National Post
22-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
KAYAK and Affirm expand exclusive partnership into Canada
Article content Article content TORONTO — Just in time for the busy summer travel season, KAYAK, the world's leading travel search engine, and Affirm (NASDAQ: AFRM), the payment network that empowers consumers and helps merchants drive growth, today announced the expansion of their exclusive partnership into Canada. This builds on the companies' successful collaboration in the U.S., which has empowered consumers to plan and pay over time for their travels since January 2023. Article content By selecting Affirm at checkout on approved KAYAK travellers in Canada can split the total cost of flights, accommodations, and car rentals/sharing into monthly payments. From there, consumers go through a quick, real-time eligibility check. If approved, they can choose the customized payment plan that best suits their needs and never pay any late or hidden fees. Article content 'Consumers are increasingly turning to Affirm when booking their flights, hotels, rides, and more as flexible payment options remain a top priority for travellers across Canada,' said Wayne Pommen, Chief Revenue Officer of Affirm. 'This expansion with KAYAK is a natural next step for our long-standing partnership as we look to offer even more travellers peace of mind when paying for their next trip using Affirm.' Article content 'Our partnership with Affirm opens up possibilities for travellers who are looking for more flexibility in their payment options. With international flight prices averaging $1,270 1, travellers can plan and pay for those bucket list trips over time, without any hidden fees,' said Paul Jacobs, GM and SVP of KAYAK North America. Article content Expanding with KAYAK into Canada further builds on Affirm's rapid growth worldwide, with over 350,000 merchants offering Affirm at checkout, including partnerships with Booking Holdings brands Agoda, and Priceline. Leading Canadian retailers, including Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Brown's Shoes, CheapOair, and more offer Affirm's payment solutions to their customers. Article content About Affirm Article content Affirm's mission is to deliver honest financial products that improve lives. By building a new kind of payment network—one based on trust, transparency, and putting people first—we empower millions of consumers to spend and save responsibly, and give thousands of businesses the tools to fuel growth. Unlike most credit cards and other pay-over-time options, we never charge any late or hidden fees. Follow Affirm on social media: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X. Article content KAYAK, part of Booking Holdings (NASDAQ: BKNG), is the world's leading travel search engine. With billions of queries across our platforms, we help people find their perfect flight, stay, rental car and vacation package. Trusted by millions of travelers, the KAYAK app makes travel planning seamless on iOS and Android, and we also support business travelers with our corporate travel solution. Article content Rates from 0-31.99% APR (subject to provincial regulations). Payment options through Affirm Canada Holdings Ltd. ('Affirm') are subject to an eligibility check and depend on purchase amount, vary by merchant, and may not be available in all provinces/territories. A down payment (or a payment due today) may be required. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
