Hi to all Bostonians and very helpful folk. We are having trouble finding cheap, approx ($90US-100) accommodation in Boston Sept6&7th,have tried hotwire and found great deal only to find can't use Aussie credit card over internet.Would love a solution if anyone has one.Cheers,Nola

Hi, Aussie Nola!

You must be using Bankcard... surely all the others are acceptable! We (Aussies also) had an old Bankcard before we started booking on the net, but when we realised no one had heard of it, we swapped for a Woolworths Ezy card, which is a MasterCard... better in every way, and acceptable world-wide.

I am glad you found a great deal on Hotwire... frankly, I seldom found a deal over the net that I couldn't have bettered by just choosing a hotel from the web lists (type "Boston Hotels" into google) and ringing them. Certainly you should be able to better $US100... our family of four stayed in Manhattan for less than that! Have you heard of Priceline... many Fodorites swear by it, though we couldn't use it as it only caters for double rooms, not family rooms. Before you go with Hotwire (which I found fairly dismal), give Priceline a go. Might be wise to do a "priceline" search on this site to learn how to use it, as apparently a bit of study can save you big bucks.

Alan, Would think that Visa card was world wide accepted.How do you get around the billing address if you don't have US address?Cards do not work because of this fact.
Cheers,
Nola

Have you tried priceline.com? I just secured a 4 store hotel in Back Bay area for $150 a night. I'm sure you can get 2 or 3 star for $100. Not sure what their credit card policies are.

I have found that Boston is certainly one of the most expensive American cities for hotels. Priceline, at your budget, may put you in an area you may not want to be. I have found that joining a hotels "members club" can get you discounts and specials. Joining is free and can be done on the internet. I have also used Travelocity and Expedia with some success. You may find less expensive places to stay outside the downtown area such as over by Harvard. Hopefully Bostonians can give you a better idea of nice easily accessable areas from downtown.

I have found that Boston is certainly one of the most expensive American cities for hotels. Priceline, at your budget, may put you in an area you may not want to be. I have found that joining a hotels "members club" can get you discounts and specials. Joining is free and can be done on the internet. I have also used Travelocity and Expedia with some success. You may find less expensive places to stay outside the downtown area such as over by Harvard. Hopefully Bostonians will give you a better idea of nice easily accessable areas in and around downtown. Good luck.

OOOPS! That wasn't even your question, was it, Nola? AND I don't have an answer for the credit card issue...sorry. Oh well, it got your post topped so all is not in vain.
A.M.

Nola-
Try doing a search on this site for cheap places in Boston - a number should come up. If you don't have any luck post again.

I think Priceline doesn't "put you in places," you get to specify the geographic area. Anyplace in the Back Bay/Copley area with 4 or even 3 stars should be fine.

Hi Stormy,AM,Charles & xxx3,
Thank you all for your time and replies.Have accessed the thread on hotels(thank you Charles)and have found a couple of places that I will try.I still believe I am going to have trouble with my card because of the billing address and also the extra 3digits that Hotwire need for security.Here in Australia those extra numbers are not required and the bank here has said that is why our card is not working.Hotwire gave me a great rate in Back Bay,only couldn't use card over the internet and their computer system.I wonder how other Aussies get around this problem?
Cheers
Nola

Hmm. If hotwire gave you a price, perhaps you could call up the hotel directly to see if the would give you the same price?

Or do you have a friend in the US who could reserve the room for you?

Otherwise we can suggest some other cheap places. Most have probably already been listed in your search, however.

Nola, I had the same problem until I decided to buy a Liberty Pass in Australia and then get a Boston Hotel ( well a bit out of Boston) which is costing us 79US or one voucher. This may not suit you though but you could check it out. One word of warning though, make sure that there is a hotel in the area you want to be that accepts the Liberty Pass. They have an 1800 number here in OZ and you can check with them first.
Good luck

Hi Liz,
Thank you for the information.Will try that pass, if we can get a hotel closer to Boston it would be great.Cheers Nola