Priceline, scared to use it!
Jun 25th, 2005, 08:18 AM
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Priceline, scared to use it!
Hi i'm scared stiff off using Priceline.
We need a hotel near San Fran Airport on Friday 9th September for an early flight the next day. Plenty of nice hotels for around 80 dollars but should I give Priceline a go?
I'm scared we'll end up with something rubbish!
Is it best to use it closer to the date to get the best deals?
Thanks for your help, Allan.
We need a hotel near San Fran Airport on Friday 9th September for an early flight the next day. Plenty of nice hotels for around 80 dollars but should I give Priceline a go?
I'm scared we'll end up with something rubbish!
Is it best to use it closer to the date to get the best deals?
Thanks for your help, Allan.
Jun 25th, 2005, 08:24 AM
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Before you bid, read www.biddingfortravel.com, and review tripadvisor for some of the properties that you have a chance of bidding on. Then, you will be a more informed bidder, which should put you more at ease. Good luck!
Jun 25th, 2005, 09:26 AM
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Priceline is very successful for those who have some flexibility with travel and a bit of sense of adventure.
The best advise is study, study, study the information provided on biddingfortravel.com. Unfortunately biddingfortravel.com was hit by a hacker and some of their helpful research information has not been recovered.
I use Priceline about 50% of the time, but also try to have a confirmed, but cancellable, reservation in my pocket just in case it doesn't work out.
It looks like people have been getting rooms near SFO for under $50, but they are last-minute deals.
I vote you book a room somewhere else, spend the next couple of months researching Priceline on bft, then try bidding. While there is no guarantee you won't end up with something rubbish, if you do your research, you will greatly minimize your risk.
The best advise is study, study, study the information provided on biddingfortravel.com. Unfortunately biddingfortravel.com was hit by a hacker and some of their helpful research information has not been recovered.
I use Priceline about 50% of the time, but also try to have a confirmed, but cancellable, reservation in my pocket just in case it doesn't work out.
It looks like people have been getting rooms near SFO for under $50, but they are last-minute deals.
I vote you book a room somewhere else, spend the next couple of months researching Priceline on bft, then try bidding. While there is no guarantee you won't end up with something rubbish, if you do your research, you will greatly minimize your risk.
Jun 25th, 2005, 10:34 AM
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www.elranchoinn.com
Book this place as a backup, you can cancel if you find a deal later on. Nice airport hotel...I think we got it for $59 with our "entertainment card" discount. Call them...they might have an even better weekend rate or AAA rate than is listed online.
Book this place as a backup, you can cancel if you find a deal later on. Nice airport hotel...I think we got it for $59 with our "entertainment card" discount. Call them...they might have an even better weekend rate or AAA rate than is listed online.
Jun 25th, 2005, 01:21 PM
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While I also check the winning bids at biddingfortravel for maximum information, I have found its similar competitor betterbidding.com an overall better site, with not only winning bids (and they're catching up rapidly to biddingfortravel on the volume of these) but better explanations and sounder, friendlier help from both the moderator and other posters.
Jun 25th, 2005, 04:10 PM
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SFO is one of the VERY best locations for Priceline - but first, definitely, carefully study biddingfortravel.
over the last 4 or 5 years, I have many friends/relatives who have "won" either the Hyatt Regency or the Doubletree at SFO for $35 to $40 depending on the day of the week. The most recent were two different stays this May - $37 at the Hyatt Regency and $50 at the Doubletree (The $50 bidder didn't research first and overbid by about $12)
I would always use PL for stays at SFO . . . .
over the last 4 or 5 years, I have many friends/relatives who have "won" either the Hyatt Regency or the Doubletree at SFO for $35 to $40 depending on the day of the week. The most recent were two different stays this May - $37 at the Hyatt Regency and $50 at the Doubletree (The $50 bidder didn't research first and overbid by about $12)
I would always use PL for stays at SFO . . . .
Jun 26th, 2005, 06:25 AM
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biddingfortravel.com is a great help. Check the hotel list under their San Francisco heading and you'll get a good idea of what you might win with a priceline bid. Then go to tripadvisor.com and see what people are saying about those properties.
Once you have an idea of what you want to bid on, study the posts to see about how much to bid. If your bid is rejected, you've lost nothing and you can try again in 72 hours. Sometimes they offer you a free rebid if you change your star level or area, so I've found if you start bidding on the highest star level (even if you are interested in a particular lower-star hotel)it gives you more chances to rebid.
I know this might sound a little confusing, but if you take everyone's advice and study up, you can save BIG on lodging with priceline.
I've never been disappointed in a priceline property, no matter the star rating.
Once you have an idea of what you want to bid on, study the posts to see about how much to bid. If your bid is rejected, you've lost nothing and you can try again in 72 hours. Sometimes they offer you a free rebid if you change your star level or area, so I've found if you start bidding on the highest star level (even if you are interested in a particular lower-star hotel)it gives you more chances to rebid.
I know this might sound a little confusing, but if you take everyone's advice and study up, you can save BIG on lodging with priceline.
I've never been disappointed in a priceline property, no matter the star rating.
Jun 26th, 2005, 09:11 AM
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bbjj109, I think all the posts to BiddingForTravel have been restored. It took over a week for this to happen, but I now see some posts that had been gone finally come back.
Yes, with BiddingForTravel.com you can find a likely list of the hotels you'll get in a certain city and zone. If four different hotels have come up in a certain zone on BFT, are any of these hotels acceptable for the price? Factor in the worst-case scenario i.e. parking is not free. You can read about the hotels you could get on their own websites to see what they are like, what the parking costs, etc. You can also read reviews of them not only on BFT but on places like TripAdvisor.com.
I have used Priceline numerous times for myself and relatives. Sometimes you don't want to bid in a certain zone. Last week, relatives visited me in Portland and I was at first tempted to try for a 4-star hotel downtown. But I had seen that the Benson had been coming up a lot on BFT as a 4-star. Nice hotel, but according to reviews the very basic rooms (which you would get with Priceline) are tiny-tiny and are modest at best. I decided it wasn't worth the risk of the Benson at the likely 4-star price, so I saved some money and bid for a 3-star. Evaluated my worst choices and decided they would do. Wound up getting the Hilton (and a room in the new Executive Tower) for $41/night, in a beautiful non-smoking room on the 16th floor with a king bed. But even one of the lesser hotels would have been fine for $41. The alternative was to pay 2-3 times more for the same room or put my relatives at a Motel 6 for the same price.
Andrew
Yes, with BiddingForTravel.com you can find a likely list of the hotels you'll get in a certain city and zone. If four different hotels have come up in a certain zone on BFT, are any of these hotels acceptable for the price? Factor in the worst-case scenario i.e. parking is not free. You can read about the hotels you could get on their own websites to see what they are like, what the parking costs, etc. You can also read reviews of them not only on BFT but on places like TripAdvisor.com.
I have used Priceline numerous times for myself and relatives. Sometimes you don't want to bid in a certain zone. Last week, relatives visited me in Portland and I was at first tempted to try for a 4-star hotel downtown. But I had seen that the Benson had been coming up a lot on BFT as a 4-star. Nice hotel, but according to reviews the very basic rooms (which you would get with Priceline) are tiny-tiny and are modest at best. I decided it wasn't worth the risk of the Benson at the likely 4-star price, so I saved some money and bid for a 3-star. Evaluated my worst choices and decided they would do. Wound up getting the Hilton (and a room in the new Executive Tower) for $41/night, in a beautiful non-smoking room on the 16th floor with a king bed. But even one of the lesser hotels would have been fine for $41. The alternative was to pay 2-3 times more for the same room or put my relatives at a Motel 6 for the same price.
Andrew
Jun 26th, 2005, 10:01 PM
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I think a lot of the pricing posts are back (although I noticed that there are gaps in dates and the dates seem a little mixed up).
However, many of the good hotel reviews are "unrecoverable", so you'll have to try tripadvisor.com or something else to get info on the potential hotels on PL.
However, many of the good hotel reviews are "unrecoverable", so you'll have to try tripadvisor.com or something else to get info on the potential hotels on PL.
Jun 27th, 2005, 05:14 AM
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I just tried my first bid on Priceline a few days ago, for a convertible rental, not hotel. I wish I had read these two recommended websites first because I think my bid was too low and I got turned down. Either that or there aren't that many convertibles available at the time I wanted it. I bid 24 and it told me that would not be accepted, to bid higher, so I bid 28 and they said they couldn't find a convertible for that bid. I saw that you can't bid again without changing the car, dates, etc. Is that forever for those dates, or could I try again a week or two later?
I am going to these websites for answers too, thanks!
I am going to these websites for answers too, thanks!
Jun 27th, 2005, 08:04 AM
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I have used Priceline to rent a car only once. In my experience, you don't save very much and must do it very carefully if you want to save anything. Unlike a hotel, where you can save over 50% in many cases, you're probably not going to save more than about 20% on a car rental. And you lose flexibility by reserving a Priceline car. If you need to extend your rental or don't want to wait around for a car to be available, you can do that if you reserved a car on your own. With Priceline, you're stuck with the company they assigned you to.
There are lots of ways to get good rental car deals such as AAA and Costco discounts. Poke around the web and you can find discount coupon codes for various car companies. If you do this homework, it's pretty easy to get a fairly good deal without Priceline.
It's worth risking a tiny bit of inconvenience when you are saving a bundle on a Priceline hotel but not so much if you're only saving a few bucks on a car rental.
Andrew
There are lots of ways to get good rental car deals such as AAA and Costco discounts. Poke around the web and you can find discount coupon codes for various car companies. If you do this homework, it's pretty easy to get a fairly good deal without Priceline.
It's worth risking a tiny bit of inconvenience when you are saving a bundle on a Priceline hotel but not so much if you're only saving a few bucks on a car rental.
Andrew
Jun 27th, 2005, 08:12 AM
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Priceline has been very good to us.
We've used it for hotels only so far.
The advice you've been given about using it with biddingfortravel and tripadvisor is good.
I only wanted to chime in as another voice that's had great success with Priceline. Research is the key.
We've used it for hotels only so far.
The advice you've been given about using it with biddingfortravel and tripadvisor is good.
I only wanted to chime in as another voice that's had great success with Priceline. Research is the key.
Jun 27th, 2005, 09:17 AM
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I think I am beginning to see what you mean about car rental. I tried 35 a day for a convertible and got turned down again. I found a very good price for 8 days on Dollar rental- 462.00 including all tax and fees.
Jun 27th, 2005, 09:29 AM
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Two comments:
1. You can get around the 72hr rebid rule by having someone bid for you, or perhaps set up a different user account with a seperate email and different credit card.
2. About Andrew's Portland example. He can still technically get the Benson if he bids 3*, as Priceline can give you free upgrade. But of course, at 3* prices, the Benson may be acceptable then.
1. You can get around the 72hr rebid rule by having someone bid for you, or perhaps set up a different user account with a seperate email and different credit card.
2. About Andrew's Portland example. He can still technically get the Benson if he bids 3*, as Priceline can give you free upgrade. But of course, at 3* prices, the Benson may be acceptable then.
Jun 27th, 2005, 09:35 AM
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My experience renting cars from priceline has been vastly different from Andrew's.
Timing is key -- if you're trying to get a great deal over a holiday, or from an extremely busy, touristy destination where everyone drives (Las Vegas comes to mind), then you probably will save very little.
However, on a family trip to Disney World recently, we flew to Tampa (saved $) and rented a car to drive to Orlando. The lowest price I could find on a full-sized vehicle was 35.99 per day through Dollar. But my $18.00 per day bid was accepted, and, even better, we were upgraded to an SUV at no additional charge.
As an addtional side note: busy airports with large inventories of rental cars also seem to come through. Had very good luck at the Atlanta airport a few weeks ago -- $14.00 per day for a midsized.
I second the advice to read biddingfortravel. Their hotel reviews are right on the money. Then, determine what's important to you: saving some bucks, with a few unknown variables and zero recourse if you're unhappy with the results? Or are you more comfortable paying a little more for a known quanitity?
Timing is key -- if you're trying to get a great deal over a holiday, or from an extremely busy, touristy destination where everyone drives (Las Vegas comes to mind), then you probably will save very little.
However, on a family trip to Disney World recently, we flew to Tampa (saved $) and rented a car to drive to Orlando. The lowest price I could find on a full-sized vehicle was 35.99 per day through Dollar. But my $18.00 per day bid was accepted, and, even better, we were upgraded to an SUV at no additional charge.
As an addtional side note: busy airports with large inventories of rental cars also seem to come through. Had very good luck at the Atlanta airport a few weeks ago -- $14.00 per day for a midsized.
I second the advice to read biddingfortravel. Their hotel reviews are right on the money. Then, determine what's important to you: saving some bucks, with a few unknown variables and zero recourse if you're unhappy with the results? Or are you more comfortable paying a little more for a known quanitity?
Jun 27th, 2005, 01:56 PM
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rkkwan, although it's technically possible that I could have gotten upgraded to a 4-star hotel (Benson) when bidding for a 3-star in Portland, the reality is that Priceline has an unwritten minimum price for 4-star hotels. $41 is far too low to be accepted for any 4-star hotel according to bid history on BFT. If for some reason I was bidding above that 4-star minimum price (probably about $55 in Portland right now), then yes, I could have gotten the Benson or a 4-star upgrade.
Even so, for $41 I would have been OK with the Benson. I probably would have preferred bidding for a 4-star and paying more for it, had I thought I'd get the Vintage Plaza or a hotel in that caliber. But it wasn't worth paying probably $60+/night to risk getting the Benson. It would have been worth $41 however.
As for car rentals: I have tried bidding for them on several occasions and gotten one only once. In that case I did save a little money but not much, and I bid very carefully (probably not too high). As with hotels, it's probably a good idea to do your research and set limits. I like first of all to find the lowest possible rental I can get on my own after taxes and fees. Then I use that, not the $$$ per day, to set my Priceline bid. Priceline tells you what the total with tax-and-fee is before you bid. If the total with all taxes/fees on my own is $140 for the whole rental, I'll arbitrarily decide that I need to save at least $40 to make it worthwhile, so my Priceline maximum can be only $100. By trial and error I then punch in per-day numbers and get to the last screen before bidding to know if it's about $100 with tax/fee. That's my MAXIMUM bid. I'll probably then go back and bid lower than that and work up.
Andrew
Even so, for $41 I would have been OK with the Benson. I probably would have preferred bidding for a 4-star and paying more for it, had I thought I'd get the Vintage Plaza or a hotel in that caliber. But it wasn't worth paying probably $60+/night to risk getting the Benson. It would have been worth $41 however.
As for car rentals: I have tried bidding for them on several occasions and gotten one only once. In that case I did save a little money but not much, and I bid very carefully (probably not too high). As with hotels, it's probably a good idea to do your research and set limits. I like first of all to find the lowest possible rental I can get on my own after taxes and fees. Then I use that, not the $$$ per day, to set my Priceline bid. Priceline tells you what the total with tax-and-fee is before you bid. If the total with all taxes/fees on my own is $140 for the whole rental, I'll arbitrarily decide that I need to save at least $40 to make it worthwhile, so my Priceline maximum can be only $100. By trial and error I then punch in per-day numbers and get to the last screen before bidding to know if it's about $100 with tax/fee. That's my MAXIMUM bid. I'll probably then go back and bid lower than that and work up.
Andrew
Jun 27th, 2005, 05:42 PM
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We bid $38.00 on priceline for a hotel at the Airport and got the Doubletree. My friend who was going on the same trip, bid $38.00 and got the Sheraton.
Both hotels at the airport are very nice. Total cost with fees and tax was $50.77.
Both hotels at the airport are very nice. Total cost with fees and tax was $50.77.
Jun 27th, 2005, 07:20 PM
#20
Allmoo only wants one night and fears the unknown features of Priceline.
He would be much better off with a known hotel at half price using the Entertainment card. This would also eliminate Priceline's service fee. which can add 20% to a one night bid.
There is a link on Biddingfortravel.com that gets the Entertainment book for $9.99 plus shipping. The card is good for hotel discounts nationwide, so get your local book and get your money back with local coupons and use the included card for travel. The book expires Nov. 1, so the price may continue to fall, but then you won't have time to use the local coupons. Also, I do not know when they stop selling the book nead the end of its validity. However, many places will not release rooms for the Entertainment card until 30 days before use. That means you will still need a cancelable backup reservation.
In short, Priceline is not the best bet for a single night for an inexperienced bidder, but the Entertainment Book and card lets you pick your place and book through the hotel for similar savings.
He would be much better off with a known hotel at half price using the Entertainment card. This would also eliminate Priceline's service fee. which can add 20% to a one night bid.
There is a link on Biddingfortravel.com that gets the Entertainment book for $9.99 plus shipping. The card is good for hotel discounts nationwide, so get your local book and get your money back with local coupons and use the included card for travel. The book expires Nov. 1, so the price may continue to fall, but then you won't have time to use the local coupons. Also, I do not know when they stop selling the book nead the end of its validity. However, many places will not release rooms for the Entertainment card until 30 days before use. That means you will still need a cancelable backup reservation.
In short, Priceline is not the best bet for a single night for an inexperienced bidder, but the Entertainment Book and card lets you pick your place and book through the hotel for similar savings.
