SkyKoda vs Travelstart: booking flights from Nigeria

Last updated 27 October 2026 · Written by the SkyKoda team

Disclosure: SkyKoda runs this page and is one of the services compared. We list other sites' strengths too, link every fact about them to its public source, and date it. Prices and policies change, so check the source before you book.

Travelstart is a large international online travel agency, founded in Sweden in 1999 and run from South Africa. Its Nigerian site, travelstart.com.ng, now redirects to travelstart.com, and Travelstart Nigeria said new bookings move to travelstart.com from 31 July 2026. SkyKoda is a Nigerian flights-only agency.

In short: Travelstart has the better-rated app and a big international group behind it. SkyKoda offers a pay-in-parts plan for Nigerian travellers, shows ₦0 service fee on fares, and takes Naira bank transfers and Verve cards.

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Side-by-side comparison

As of 27 October 2026. Numbers in brackets link to the source list below.
What you get	SkyKoda	Travelstart
Who runs it	SkyKoda, a trade name of Travel24hr Ltd [1]	Travelstart Online Travel Operations (Pty) Ltd, South Africa; founded in Sweden in 1999. Nigerian bookings now on travelstart.com (travelstart.com.ng redirects there) [2]
What you can book	Flights: domestic and international [3]	Flights, hotels, car hire, packages, travel insurance, corporate travel [4]
Pay in parts	FlexPay: deposit 25%–90%, balance due within 1–30 days, fee 6% of the airline base fare; ticket issued when paid in full; fare not held until then [5]	None for Nigeria found; terms say Travelstart "does not offer credit, unless otherwise agreed" [6]
Service fees	₦0 service fee on fares; FlexPay fee 6% of base fare when you pay in parts [5]	Service fees charged, amounts not published; non-refundable on cancellation; separate refund and change fees [6]
How you pay	Visa, Mastercard, Verve, bank transfer [7]	Credit and debit cards (Naira bank transfer or USSD: not publicly stated) [8]
Support	Phone and WhatsApp 0810 782 0069, e-mail hello@skykoda.com [9]	+234 (0)700 2255 876, WhatsApp +27 71 482 7158; Mon–Fri 07:00–19:00, weekends 08:00–14:00 [4]
Offices	One office, Asaba (Delta State) [9]	Travel store at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos (opened 2023) [10]
Mobile app	No app yet; the website is built for phones	Yes. App Store (Nigeria) 4.63 from 433 ratings; Google Play 4.5 from 13.9K reviews, 1M+ downloads [11]
Independent reviews	Trustpilot profile, no reviews yet [12]	Trustpilot (travelstart.com, all countries) 1.2 ("Bad") from 775 reviews [13]
Refund time	By the airline's fare rules; usually 2–8 weeks after the request, sometimes longer [14]	Processing fee; "6 to 8 weeks depending on the airline", can take "6 months to a year or longer" from some airlines [6]
IATA	States IATA accredited (agency number not shown on the site) [7]	Not stated on the About page [2]

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Paying in parts

Travelstart's terms say it "does not offer credit, unless otherwise agreed", and we found no pay-later option for Nigeria. Its Payflex pay-later plan is offered in South Africa.

SkyKoda's FlexPay lets you pay a 25% to 90% deposit and the rest within 1 to 30 days, with a published fee of 6% of the airline base fare. Your ticket is issued once you've paid in full.

Fees and paying in Naira

Travelstart charges service fees that vary by booking; the amounts are not published, and they are not refunded if you cancel. Refunds and changes carry separate fees. Its FAQ lists credit and debit cards; Naira bank transfer and USSD are not mentioned.

SkyKoda shows ₦0 service fee on its fares and takes Visa, Mastercard, Verve and bank transfer.

Support

Travelstart lists a Nigerian number (+234 (0)700 2255 876) and a South African WhatsApp number, open Monday to Friday 07:00–19:00 and weekends 08:00–14:00. It also opened a travel store at Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos in 2023.

SkyKoda supports customers by phone and WhatsApp on 0810 782 0069 and by e-mail, and has an office in Asaba.

Apps and reviews

Travelstart's app is its strongest point: 4.63 from 433 ratings on the Nigerian App Store and 4.5 from 13,900 reviews on Google Play. SkyKoda has no app yet.

On Trustpilot, travelstart.com scores 1.2 ("Bad") from 775 reviews across all its countries. SkyKoda has a Trustpilot profile with no reviews yet.

Refunds

Travelstart says refunds usually take 6 to 8 weeks but can take "6 months to a year or longer" when the airline is slow, and it charges a processing fee. SkyKoda says refunds usually take 2 to 8 weeks after the request. At both, the airline's fare rules decide whether you get money back.

How to check any flight ticket is real

Whichever site you use, you can check the ticket yourself. Your e-ticket shows a six-character airline booking reference (PNR) and a 13-digit ticket number. Enter the booking reference and your surname in "Manage booking" on the airline's own website or app. If the airline shows your name, flight and ticket number, the ticket is real and confirmed.

With pay-in-parts plans the ticket is only issued once you have paid in full, so the airline won't show a ticket number before then. That is normal at SkyKoda, Wakanow and other agencies.

Which should you choose?

Choose Travelstart if you want a well-rated app and you pay by card.
Choose SkyKoda if you want to pay in parts, pay by bank transfer or Verve card, and see ₦0 service fee on the fare.
Compare the final total on both sites for your exact flight.

Frequently asked questions

Is Travelstart still available in Nigeria?

Yes, but travelstart.com.ng now redirects to travelstart.com, and Travelstart Nigeria said new bookings are made on travelstart.com from 31 July 2026.

Does Travelstart have pay later in Nigeria?

We found no pay-later option for Nigeria. Travelstart's terms say it does not offer credit unless otherwise agreed. SkyKoda's FlexPay lets you pay from 25% now and the rest within 1 to 30 days.

Can I pay Travelstart by bank transfer in Naira?

Travelstart's FAQ lists credit and debit cards; it does not mention Naira bank transfer or USSD. SkyKoda accepts bank transfer, Visa, Mastercard and Verve.

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How we compared

We read each company's own website, help pages, terms and contact page, and their app-store listings and Trustpilot pages, on 27 October 2026, and recorded only what is published. Where a company doesn't publish something, the table says "Not publicly available" or "not published". We did not make test bookings. Prices change daily, so compare the final price for your own flight. Companies can ask us to correct anything at hello@skykoda.com.

Person	Number	Net Cost
Adult (+12 Yrs) Child (Upto 12 Yrs)	- + - +	0
Child 1	1	0