Wowcher Mystery Holiday Review – Is it worth it? Where to?

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£99 for a week in Bali, New York or even Dubai!! This deal is a budget travellers dream… or is it? Here is my full Wowcher mystery holiday review.

When I saw this deal going around on social media, I thought it was a scam. It sounds far too good to be true… the chance to get a week in Bali for £99… NO WAY!

Hence, I had to give it a go! I brought this for my mum and myself as her birthday present and we had an incredibly good time.

What is a Wowcher Mystery Holiday?

So, the company Wowcher offer a holiday to somewhere outside the UK for £99 per person (min. 2 people), it’s sort of like a raffle but you are guaranteed a prize. Whilst the majority of prizes are European city breaks there are a range of potential destinations you can be sent to. From the likes of Dubai and New York to the Costa Brava beach breaks. Plus recently added for 2026, Puerto Rico and South Korea. For your £99 the mystery holiday package includes return flights and hotel stay for a minimum of a couple of days. Wowcher guarantees at least 40 hours at your destination. This means you are going to get at least two-night stays in your accommodation.

When you purchase the mystery trip, you commit to travelling to an unknown destination with flights and accommodation picked and booked for you by a travel agent. This wowcher deal is based on double occupancy therefore in this case it is not possible to pay an additional fee to travel solo. There is a £40 per person additional fee to fly from a range of regional airports. To avoid this charge, you have to be able to fly from London or Manchester. 

Note:

The redemption process has changed drastically since I did this mystery holiday back in 2020. When I purchased this deal, I had to wait for the prize draw to take place and then got a phone call from a wowcher travel agent revealing where I was going and confirming the trip. Over the phone, she did offer me different travel dates included in the £99 but then offer me better flight times and new places for additional fees. I decided to stick with what I was offered, revealed below!

Alternatively the redemption process today is very different. My sister just bought one of these deals and once you’ve paid you can now reveal your destination immediately online and see all the optional extras that you can add on for extra costs. Wowcher offer a 16-day money back guarantee. But once you have revealed your destination, a full refund is no longer possible.

Where did you go?

As much as I was hoping to get New York or Bali, I was very happy with where I was assigned – VENICE! One of the destinations at the top of my bucket list and the one place my mum has always wanted to visit!

We were given pretty good flights and whilst our accommodation was basic it was perfect for our trip. The hotel we got placed in wasn’t in the city centre, rather it was in Mestre but it had good transport links to Venice. We were out all day exploring our holiday destination and only used the room to sleep and shower. Our trip was a Sunday to Tuesday in January, so whilst it wasn’t warm, it didn’t rain, and Venice was nice and quiet. We had a great time!

The flight out was an evening flight at 18.35 (which isn’t ideal) but it was fine. Whereas our return flight was probably the best we could ask for – 10 pm. Hence, we got two full days in Venice which is more than enough time to explore the city and the surrounding islands. I was offered different times for the flights but chose to stick with the original ones offered. 

Is the Wowcher mystery holiday worth it?

£99 for a two-night break to Venice seems like an amazing deal, but I looked at how much it would cost to book a similar trip myself, for the same flights and the same hotel and it actually worked out slightly cheaper. Only a few quid cheaper but still this shows that travelling in off peak seasons is one of the best ways to save money on travel.

Although, the trip may have been cheaper booking it independently, I think you’re also paying for the anticipation and excitement of someone else deciding where you are going. Getting that phone call and having the woman tell me where we were going and when was so so exciting. It took me the rest of the day to come down from the adrenaline rush I got from the call!

Plus, whist the trip that I got may have not been the best deal, any of the long-haul trips would have been more than worth it. Flights and accommodation for £99 in Bali, New York or Vegas, now that is an epic deal!

Any downsides?

The only major downside to the Wowcher mystery holiday is that you can’t pick the dates you travel. I was offered three date choices on the phone, but all were weekdays. Therefore, you have to be fully flexible with when were able to travel. The package you get is very basic. As in the only things included are flights and accommodation so you are on your own for everything else including airport transfers. We had a lovely time on this trip but make sure to read the full terms before buying so you know what you’re getting yourself into and your own experience is as positive as ours was. 

Would I do it again?

10000%!! I absolutely loved the tension waiting to get the phone call. We had told all our family and friends about it and I think they may have been even more excited than we were to find out where we were going. I love this sort of thing and will definitely be doing trips like these again in the future!

Would you ever do something like this? Maybe you’ve already done one? I’d love to hear all about it!