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Used it for hotels with good results, probably wouldn't ever use it for flights, I need more control with when I leave/arrive. Hotels, just research the areas first. You can easily see what 3 star or 4 star hotels are available in the area you want and use that info to your advantage.
Likewise I wouldn't use it for flights because they can route you in all sorts of crazy time-wasting ways that aren't worth the aggravation.
The Name Your Price hotel option is a gem though & once you study the Bidding strategies & current prices from the previously mentioned Bidding sites you can get some great deals on 4 star properties, you won't accrue frequent guest points though.
Never did but have friends who did that.. it ended up a red eye flight with couple stops. My time is more valuable than saving $50, I rather arrive at a decent hour and have a good night rest than be all tired and lose a day of my short vacation.
Well, those are both choices they made. They won't give you red eye flights or 2 stop flights unless you check the boxes saying that's okay.
I've used the name your price for hotels and car rentals. The only negative about booking a hotel room with them is if you have ANY problem the hotel can't help you out - for example, I was staying at a Hilton in Houston where the hotel had rented out an entire floor for a graduation party - the noise came right up through the floors - I complained multiple times to the front desk - they offered to change my room (which I couldn't because my husband and kids managed to sleep through the noise). The next morning, my room was comp'd - and removed from my bill. The guy next to me, was complaining too, but the hotel couldn't comp him since he had paid through Priceline. So be sure to know exactly what hotel you'll be staying at. I did do a hotel in Houston on another visit, and gave Priceline the area - Galleria, 4* hotel, and knew that it was between the JW Marriott and the Westin. We ended up with the Westin at 1/2 the price.
With car rentals, I have been refused MULTIPLE times trying to rent a car through them. In some cities the car rental companies are all in cahoots with each other (Canada), and Priceline asks me to bid higher - and usually gives me the same price that car rental companies are charging. In more competitive areas - you can get great deals with car rentals. But - you can't change your mind, no refunds, so you have to be satisfied with your decision - which is why they ask for your credit card information before they tell you if you won the bid.
I believe it rejects your request if it can't find any fitting flight. But sometimes I have seen friends who got great deals due to many connections to the destination.
Bid on hotels and cars only, and having less tolearance for not knowing the hotel, zones that are too big, no refunds, and generally getting more of a second-class-citizen vibe at the hotels lately. Stepped back to Express deals in many cases, if I use Priceline at all. Car bids don't seem to work like they used to, and again - - you have that no refund thing, and "maybe my imagination" poor treatment....
I'm talking about their feature that let's you name your price for airline tickets.
I went to their site and input $40 and then put in $1500 and both seemed to work, but I can't go any further without entering in CC information and buying the tickets.
The cheapest flight is about $1000, so I don't see how an airline would actually sell a ticket for $40, but Priceline gives no indication that $40 is too low. When you bid on Hotels the website tells you if you are bidding too low and shows a price that is much closer to what the Hotel wants.
You are putting a $40 bid and just because Priceline lets you move on to the next step does not mean it will work. They are simply letting you move on to the next step so they can process your bid. I guarantee you that if you proceed with your $40 bid for a $1000 airfare, your bid will be rejected once processed. A bit of common business sense is required here. A general rule when bidding for airfare is to bid roughly 35% less than the going air fare costs and then increase your bidding number if your initial bid is rejected.
As someone has said, go to BiddingForTravel.com - The informed Priceline Travel Bidding Forum to see recent winning bids posted by Priceline / Hotwire users as your bidding baseline. Another trick I use is to go to Hotwire and plug in my itinerary, and use the number Hotwire gives me as my baseline (I usually bid less than Hotwire's number when bdding on Priceline).
I personally would not use them for airfare, simply because I have a firm schedule when traveling and can't afford any deviation from it. For hotels and car rentals, I use them always, except when traveling to some relatively remote places.
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