I was always so jealous of people that posted this but...

[Singinglizzie]

The Eprize folks should be able to tell you exactly which company sponsored the contest. For your sake I hope it turns out to be legit but I would want to know which contest I won to make sure it is on the up and up.

 

[secretpantssam]

awesome!!! Congrats!!!

I was just telling my husband we need to enter vacation contests, this give me hope of winning!!

 

[EMHDad]

congrats!

 

[debdreamsofdis]

The Eprize folks should be able to tell you exactly which company sponsored the contest. For your sake I hope it turns out to be legit but I would want to know which contest I won to make sure it is on the up and up.

It was the Hot Topic Wizarding World of Harry Potter Flyaway Sweepstakes.

 

[woowoochick]

That is so exciting!

If you can more time off and want to go to Disneyworld again, you might ask the people arranging the trip if you could pay out of pocket to stay a few more nights. When I won a trip to New York a few years ago I asked them if it would be ok to get the plane ticket for a few days later than the 3 day trip I had won and they had no problem with that. If they are paying for everything else it wouldn't hurt, and that way you could not miss out on the Disney parks as well as having fun at Universal.

 

[seashoreCM]

Start looking and comparison shopping now for hotel rates, airfares, etc. If you can find lower rates and fares among the rates and fares that change almost daily, you can make printouts and use that as proof that the value of the prize was less than the value stated by the prize promoter.

Now I think you can use discount rates from different suppliers, such as tickets from Undercover Tourist, as a price point.

 

[bettymae1121]

congrats!

 

[talulabelle]

My husband won a trip to Vegas once. He didn't remember entering. We were very concerned it was some sort of scam. He asked a ton of questions and had all the papers faxed so we could read fine print. It was totally legit. After we found out more about it, he did remember that he entered some sweepstakes that had come with our cable bill. We had a wonderful trip. The taxes were an unexpected expense for us...but it was still worth it.

For anyone wishing they could win a trip - keep in mind it ends up costing you more than you realize. I didn't have vacation time and lost pay. The cost of the trip is jacked up way more than what you would spend if it was a trip you would book yourself. The contest people weren't pouring over airfares worrying about getting the absolute cheapest fare for us. The cost of the airline tickets was insane alone. We were put up in a luxury hotel we never would have paid for on our own. We ate in expensive restaurants and went to expensive shows . We played golf. Even though the taxes are what seems small percentage...we still had to pay $1200 out of pocket for taxes alone. At the time, it was worth it to us, but it was what we would have spent if we had planned the trip ourselves. It was just that we were enjoying much more luxury and doing more things than we would have had we paid for it ourselves. Still, it was like the cost of a vacation.

Now, I have 5 kids. All trip contests are for 2 to 4 people. I don't even know what I would do if I won. I don't have anyone to stay with my kids and I don't have enough money to pay for the other 3 kids to go along too....I have to be careful what I wish for.

 

[talulabelle]

Start looking and comparison shopping now for hotel rates, airfares, etc. If you can find lower rates and fares among the rates and fares that change almost daily, you can make printouts and use that as proof that the value of the prize was less than the value stated by the prize promoter.

Now I think you can use discount rates from different suppliers, such as tickets from Undercover Tourist, as a price point.

Yes! Do this! My husband and I didn't realize we could do this when we won - wish we had!

 

[daraddg]

Congrats! I would LOVE to see HP but can't justify the cost of getting into universal to just go there and my kids weren't really into the rides there yet last time we went (too little) I'll have to start filling those things out more often

 

[julezdisney]

tHAT'S so awesome. Congratulations!

 

[AllesonWonderland]

How exciting! Guess I need to start entering more sweepstakes!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Thank you! This is great advice. No fees or timeshare requirements, so I feel very comfortable that this legit. When I asked about what I would owe on taxes, they told me the ARV but also stated exactly what you said here, which is that the actual amount owed could vary depending on actual costs. I will definately remember to do my homework and keep records.

You're welcome .

Because you'll be dealing with the IRS, and despite general advice above, I would document the comparable information for YOUR trip: the (lowest) airfare on your specific flights on the airline on which you fly, the lowest per-night room rate including tax*, the ticket price, the ground transport price (shuttle? cab? town car?) can be found or calculated online.

What the trip could have cost you if you'd budget-shopped won't matter as much in an audit as the actual value of the prize.

*may have to get that from the FL DOR website, or your hotel's site may indicate the tax

 

[jgates]

Since you asked, yes - but first, congratulations!

Make sure there are no "conditions" associated with accepting the prize - no upfront fee (immediate scam alert), as someone stated above no timeshare presentation...

Now, the taxes. Research, research, research! When you book your airfare, print out the actual price of the fare for the flights you select. Ditto for the hotel; print out the reservations page for various room levels for the nights you'll be there. Print out thu USF three day ticket pricing. Add it all up, multiply times two. Add $500. Is your total less than the stated ARV? If it is, it's the amount on which you should be paying tax - but you need proof for the IRS!

THIS IS A DEFINITE WITHOUT A DOUBT PRIORITY FOR YOU TO DO. We won two trips - one from Disney/ESPN - they never did send a form at tax time (despite numerous requests), but the original stated value online was about $1500 more than we ended up claiming due to my discount sleuthing. The second trip was from visitflorida or a website like that. They did the calc from Gaylord Palms at 'rack' rate which was around $400 or $500 per night. I was able to find a discount rate for around $129 which I screen printed. Since they were a smaller company, I sent her copies & they actually adjusted the amount on my tax form so no questions at all by the gov't. We also with the second one were able to extend it by a night also. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn at the Marriott Village - so the next morning it was a quick drive down to Gaylord Palms.

Normally e-prize is a definite win, vs. a timeshare. Congrats to you - I entered several recently for Universal, but no luck.

 

[horseshowmom]

OP, you are going to LOVE Harry Potter (best ride I have EVER been on)!