Groupon's $199 mystery vacations give only 6 out of every 2,000 buyers a gold-tier trip -- the rest get weekend getaways.

Groupon is selling “mystery vacations” priced at $199 to $299 that use blind flight-and-hotel packages and a lottery system. The report says only about 6 out of every 2,000 buyers receive a “gold-tier” trip, while most end up with weekend getaways to U.S. cities. One buyer from Ringgold, Georgia, bought a domestic Groupon package and wound up in Orlando, skipping theme parks for a boat tour and shopping, though she said the resort assigned was disappointing. The article connects the trend to higher travel costs: U.S. Travel Association data shows July travel prices were 7.1% higher than a year earlier, with airfares up 25.5%. It cites fuel shortages tied to the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and reduced competition after Spirit Airlines shut down in May.