Randy Greencorn

5 Tips For Better Bidding On Priceline

Priceline is a great way to save money on hotel reservations.  Follow these 5 tips to save even more money next time you travel and reserve on Priceline.

By now, you have probably seen the Priceline advertisements featuring William Shatner.  Although the ads are a little over the top and considered by some as corny, Priceline's "Name Your Own Price" feature is a powerful way for travelers to save money on accommodation and other travel reservations.  In order to save money and get a great hotel, travelers would be well advised to follow these 5 Priceline tips the next time they reserve a hotel with Priceline.  These tips will not only save you money but will help you ensure you get the best hotel possible while avoiding some of the common pitfalls many Priceline novices fall into.  

Priceline Tip #1:  Only use Priceline if your travel itinerary is set and finalized.  Priceline reservations are final and dates cannot be changed. As such, it is best to avoid Priceline if you may need to cancel for any reason (sick, weather, emergencies, etc).  It is possible to buy third party travel insurance that may cover Priceline cancellations under the terms of the policy.  However, as a general rule, avoid Priceline if you think you may need to cancel or change a reservation. 

Priceline Tip #2:  Only use Priceline if you are flexible on your location.  When you reserve a hotel room on Priceline, you will receive a hotel within a certain geographical area. This area may be small (a few city blocks) or large (a mile or more). Las Vegas is a good example to illustrate why you should use this tip.  In Las Vegas, many visitors want to stay at a hotel directly on the Las Vegas Strip but end up 2 or 3 blocks away from the Strip.  Understandably, they are disappointed with their non-refundable room reservation at a hotel 10 minutes walk from the Strip. 

Priceline Tip #3:  Only use Priceline if you do not require a specific hotel amenity (e.g., swimming pool, airport shuttle, casino, internet).  When you reserve a hotel room through Priceline, there is no guarantee a hotel will have a particular amenity, regardless of the star-rating.  In fact, Priceline reservations are only guaranteed to accommodate a maximum of 2 people, although the hotel will usually accommodate more.  If a particular amenity is important to you,  Hotwire might be worth considering instead of Priceline.  One of the main differences between Hotwire and Priceline is that Hotwire lists the hotel amenities before you purchase, a great feature that Priceline does not offer.

Priceline Tip #4:  Before you use Priceline to bid on a hotel room, research other websites to find out the market prices for similar hotel rooms.  Since Priceline relies on you to 'name your own price', it is important to not overbid.  Priceline customers should determine the price other websites are charging for similar rooms, then bid low.  A good rule of thum is to bid no more than 50% of market value on the first bid and work your way up by instantly rebidding.

Priceline Tips #5: Use the internet to find out what others paid for winning bids on Priceline.  Before you bid on Priceline, consider visiting the Priceline Forum from HotelDealsRevealed.com.  Forum members post their winning Priceline bids so you can find out the price others paid for Priceline hotel reservations in advance of placing your own Priceline bid.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR