Hi, I am trying to find the website that explains how to get the best prices by using either priceline or Hotwire. Can you help ?

For Priceline, you want to go to www.biddingfortravel.com . You'll need to read and understand the information there to understand how to bid wisely on Priceline. It is well-worth the effort.

The site is www.biddingfortravel.com for advice on using priceline.

The above site does NOT support Hotwire. Both services are supported at:

www.BetterBidding.com

Which service is right for you depends upon your needs.

I have used www.betterbiding.com several times and am impressed. It is really valuable for hotwire. I am new to the priceline site and have used it to get good prices.However, I still feel a little uncomfortable about bidding "blind".With hotwire I can get a little more info before I have confirm.
When I first used BB I had a question which was answered quickly by e-mail..
Good luck.

You're right, Hotwire is much easier to use than Priceline. However, in my experience (if you are willing to take the time) I can get better prices with Priceline at least for hotels. I always check Hotwire before a Priceline bid; if I can't get my bid accepted at a price lower than Hotwire, I'll surely take Hotwire's offer, but that has yet to happen. (I did use Hotwire once - best price was not my object there - and would use Hotwire again.)

You still need to do comparison shopping with Hotwire, however, so be careful. Don't assume the prices they offer you are cheaper than you could get on Orbitz or Travelocity. Many times I have checked airfares and rental car rates and found the Hotwire offers higher than I could book on my own through conventional means. Other times airfares have seem like great deals, but I have never booked an airfare when I didn't know the times/airline.

Andrew

Andrew makes some good points. I'll also mention that in some cases Hotwire is more generous with their star ratings than PL is. Fort example, in some cases Hotwire may call a hotel a 4* when PL rates it as a 3*. In all cases, you're buying or bidding blindly and must be willing to accept the element of risk. I have gotten such great deals that I'm willing to accept that risk.

Here's another vote of support for the BFT alternative at www.betterbidding.com - I use and support the concept of BFT but they are completely focused on PL. The new site has categories for Hotwire info and also space for related topics such as deals you may have found for rental cars and parking. It's great to share these things with other so we can all save money! I have no affiliation with the new site but am posting my winnning bids and some other info there in the hopes of helping build up their database so it's useful to people - I encourage other PL and Hotwire users to do the same (yes I still post my info at BFT also).

Please remember that these web sites only work if you post your bidding info to help others as you've been helped!

As a frequent user of Priceline I urge you all to give back.

Wendy

Wendy makes a GREAT point. I just bid on (and won) a room in Myrtle Beach for my GF's son and his fiance. Few people have posted in BFT with info on Myrtle beach area bids and I had to bid blindly. I did okay under the cirumstances but it would be sooooo much easier with current comparisons (not to mention real user reviews of the properties - even fewer peope bother to post back about how the hotel was). I realize that it takes time to do all of this but I save so much money that it's the least I can do to share the info with others, as they ahve freely shared it with me.

Hello, just wanted to put my 2 cents in. I have checked out "hotel's" new site and I think it's great - and no, I am not associated with the website! Good information and friendly assistance, next time I "win" a travel product with hotwire or PL I will sure to post my results.

Also, wanted to tell Owen that I LOVE his new coffee website! For those who haven't seen it, it's at http://espressotravelguide.com.4t.com/index.html Very informative - I especially enjoy the "Trip Reports"! (Did you recently add travel-related pop-up ads? Had trouble today accessing the cozumel report . . .) Will you be adding any NYC or San Francisco info to the trip section? I think you did a great job on the site, nice layout & really useful information!

Thanks for the compliments Margie. It's my first website effort and has a long way to go but is certainly fun to work on.

The ".4t.com" URL is now gone and I have rolled over the content to a real domain http://espressotravelguide.com

There are no pop-up ads or any other type of ads now that I'm paying for Web server space and bandwidth (yes... it is strictly a labor of love). The Cozumel trip report was lost in the rollover to the new domain but it will be back up by the weekend.

Next report to post will be much meatier in content (both text and pictures) and will detail an espresso odyssey in the Seattle area last summer.

An NYC section is obviously in order but I need to get the time to get over there and do the research (it's all of six miles from here to Manhattan but finding the time is the challenge!).

Suggestions for future content will definitely be appreciated - I can be contacted through the email link on the website.

The reason some people do not post results on biddingfortravel is that they are a little put off by tone of owner (Sheryl) and don't want to get slammed for not posting in the correct manner or scolded for not getting a better price or following her rules.

Agreed that site has much good info, so you have to make your own decision about whether or not to use or post there.