Have you used Hotwire?

[KTex]

I've used Priceline for car and hotel. Worked great for us. But kinda fear using for air. So what about airlines on Hotwire? I like the idea of seeing the cost before committing. Have the flights been just awful, or were they worth it. It is just DH and myself, no kids. Thanks for any and all help.

 

[DisneyaHolic23]

I've used Hotwire twice - once for airfare and once for car rental. Both worked out great. Although I haven't taken the flight yet, the reservation ended up being great times, great price, and my favorite airlines.

I will use Hotwire again. I have had next to no luck with Priceline, for airfare (great luck with hotels), but I think that is because I bid so low. I figure that if I am taking lots of risk, I want it to be a GREAT deal!

 

[KTex]

I agree with the GREAT deal. That's what I am looking for. That can make the difference between going to WDW or staying home (boo hoo).

 

[TravelSheryl]

Of the 400+ bids I've seen through Priceline for airfare, Hotwire has beaten them only 7 or 8 times. I would definitely try Priceline first and use the $25 bonus money link at the board I administer. Get Hotwire's price first and then bid $20-$30 lower with Priceline.

http://pub4.ezboard.com/bpricelineandexpediabidding

 

[MaryAnn B]

My trip is in June, but I went through Hotwire and got a good deal and the times weren't terrible. Going out we leave Denver at 5:30 pm and arrive in Orlando at 12:10 am after an hour stop over in Memphis. ON the way back it is 8:40 am flight getting into Denver at 2:30 with a stop over in Minneapolis. My son is 20 and would prefer leaving later and my daughter is 11 and sleeps on the plane and also is a late night owl so they didn't care about the time going out. Denver is a hard airport to get discounts on airfare and we usually have to change planes no matter what. But TravelSheryl had a good idea in getting the amount from Hotwire and then trying Priceline, because Hotwire gives you 30 minutes to decide on your purchase.

Also, I have used travelocity and am hooked up with their fare watcher. When the airfare goes below what I put in I will get an e-mail on it and can buy a ticket. This past November I got a great deal of 131.00 round trip for February travel to Orlando but unfortunately had to change plans because of surgery.

 

[Luv2Roam]

We used Hotwire to reserve our car on our upcoming CA trip. We reserved a SUV (Budget Car) at a price that couldn't be beat by any other.
The only downside with Hotwire -- you pay up front -- with no refund if you cancel.
We will be using the SUV the last week of this month. I'll post if there are any problems.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

Hotwire is much better because if you don't like what they give you you have 30 min to cancel it. when we did it for my friends FIL he didn't like what he was given so we cancelled it and no problem. the next few times he was happy with it.

 

[1Venus]

Yes, I have used Hotwire for airfare & have been pleased. I thought about using Priceline, but I was SO afraid I would be on a non-jet flight. (Needless to say, I'm not comfortable with flying!) I noticed that I could specify "jet only" at Hotwire, so I did that. I checked rates on various airline sites in addition to Expedia first in order to know the going rate for my flight. My flight is listed on Continental's site as costing $219 per person. I got it for $135 per person. We do, however, have a 3 hour layover on the way to our destination. If there is a negative, that is it. Also, Hotwire does not assign seats. I called the airline directly and although they tried to give me seat assignments, the computer would not allow it since it was a HotWire reservation.

 

[TravelSheryl]

Hotwire is completely non-cancellable just like Priceline. There is no 30 minute cancellation policy.

"ALL PURCHASES ARE FINAL. Airline tickets cannot be cancelled, refunded, exchanged or transferred to other individuals. Credit will not be given for any unused tickets and cannot be used toward any future purchases. Change fees are not an option."

As to being afraid of getting a non-jet with Priceline, that can never happen because the only way you can get a non-jet is if you place a check in the box allowing Priceline to search for flights on a non-jet.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

you have 30 min to change your mind...gee how come we get that option but not you?

 

[keenie524]

I have used Hotwire for airfare, hotel and car. The 30 minutes comes in on the time you have to purchase an offer. After Hotwire searches and comes back with what is available and how much it costs you have 30 minutes to decide whether or not to purchase. If you do not purchase in that 30 minutes that exact search is locked out for a certain period of time before you can inquire again. So you are not locked in to anything until you hit purchase. We had great flights and times when I used Hotwire. I purchased tickets on a Tuesday to fly from Spokane WA to Chattanooga TN that Friday (Championship football game). Paid only $230 per ticket (which is very cheap considering where we were flying from). I included no red eye and no jets in my search. I indicated that 2+ layovers were okay but only had one stop each way. It worked out great. Hotwire shows you exactly what you pay. I used Hotwire for our hotel in Orlando for our first trip to the World this July. We got the Wyndham Palace. That is first time using it for hotel so I can't say for sure there. I really like Hotwire. For some reason I'm afraid to use Priceline but wouldn't hesitate to use Hotwire.

 

[Beverly Lynn]

thanks you explained it better than I did!

 

[TravelSheryl]

Hotwire now gives you 1 hour to accept their price.

 

[pw2pp]

Did they just start giving 1 hour (instead of 30 min)? Two days ago they only gave me 30 min.

 

[TravelSheryl]

Yes, they did a site update on Wednesday night. Among the changes is the 1 hour time period in which you have to purchase.

 

[pw2pp]

That's good news. Thanks for the info.

 

[TrudyZ]

I just used Hotwire for a rental car for our trip to Disney last week. We flew in and out of Tampa. We were able to get a full size car for 7 days for $160 total--that was with all taxes, etc. It was though Hertz--which was right in the airport.

At the time I booked it, I could get nothing even close to that price through the rental companies direct (even trying every code I could find from Dollar, National, etc.)

There were no problems whatsoever. I would do it the same way again: try and find my best price through the various rental car websites direct; then go to Hotwire and see what you can get.

Remember though, many of the car rental sites (Dollar being one of them) don't include all the taxes and fees. Those can really add up!! Make sure you know your final cost from the car rental agencies. At Hotwire, the price quoted includes all fees. It is your total cost.

 

[Thmacs]

"Also, Hotwire does not assign seats. I called the airline directly and although they tried to give me seat assignments, the computer would not allow it since it was a HotWire reservation"


I purchased airfare on Hotwire from West Palm Beach to Chicago for theis friday. It is non-stop on Americcan with great times. I phoned American for a seat assignment and had no trouble getting one. Perhaps it depends on the airline as to whether or not you can get an advanced seat assignment. American seemed pefctly happy to asign me to a seat even though I had purchased the airfare through Hotwire.