Priceline question

[cruisinpan567]

Has anyone used price line for booking rental car or hotels? I have heard that it is pretty good. Looking to rent a car and every time I go to check out I chicken out. Please help me to get past that. Thanks

 

[quentina]

Many, Many times. Amazing deals to be had. 4 star hotel for 70$, mini van rental for 15$ a day.....try it!

Also- I tend to get better deals just a few days prior. I always have a cancel-able reservation available and PL about 2-3 days prior to trip.

Need a car rental beginning Thanksgiving for 10 days....going to wait until a day prior to book. Rates are high due to holiday.

 

[cjnix29]

Love priceline. Especially for rental cars. I won't use it for hotels unless I am familiar with the area. I usually check out hotwire for my dates to get sort of an idea, and then bid less. As PP stated, I always try to find a rate I can live with to make a cancellable reservation, as a back up, then start bidding about three weeks or so before my trip. And if you use a cash back site or rewards site, they are usually on those, so you can double up your savings!

 

[cruisinpan567]

Thanks for the replies sounds pretty good.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I have booked rental cars numerous times through Priceline. I do not do the bid for it and pre-pay thing. I just price them out, pick the best price and reserve it. You can cancel at any time and you pay when you return the car.

I have gotten a full sized car for $16 a day through them. First time we chose Advantage rental cars (when they use to still be in terminal at MCO) and the second time we picked EZ car rentals. Had good service with both. But Advantage is no longer in terminal so we wouldn't use them again.

 

[msd1776]

Many years ago we used a site, cannot recall which one, we had to prepay for the car rental and when we arrived at Reagan National in DC they had no cars and since we prepaid we couldn't cancel. (A car rental company with no cars?!?!) Anyhow, it makes me think twice about using someplace like this. Has anyone had this problem at MCO? I love the prices I have seen on priceline so I am thinking about book a car reservation but would like to hear more experiences as well.

 

[Fratthouse]

I have used priceline (as well as orbitz, hotwire, and expedia) for car rentals, hotels, and flights with great success! I never book travel without checking these sights for the cheapest rate and wouldn't hesitate to book it if you found a good deal!

 

[DSNY4ever]

We have used it multiple times for hotels and twice for a car rental. It is essential to understand the process and how to get a bargain. Check out sites like better bidding. com and I think there is another one called something like bidding for travel.com. They will help you know what to bid and possibly figure out which hotel you might win.

It is non-refundable so make sure you are all in and then do it! We have gotten great bargains around Disneyland when we aren't too worried about being in walking distance. Also pay attention to extra hotel fees like "resort fees" or parking fees that aren't listed in the regular price. Usually they will have a warning that says something like "this hotel may have additional fees"

Good luck!

 

[wolf29]

LOVE Priceline! $11 a day for Hertz full size...always about the same for us every visit. They only deal with rental companies IN THE terminal, so not shuttling off-property, and only Major companies. Think I paid $18 a day for car at JFK/NY. Staying Westin Imagine for $58 a night before heading to WDW this year. Have not used for airfare, since flying in/out of here can be tricky.

 

[cruisinpan567]

LOVE Priceline! $11 a day for Hertz full size...always about the same for us every visit. They only deal with rental companies IN THE terminal, so not shuttling off-property, and only Major companies. Think I paid $18 a day for car at JFK/NY. Staying Westin Imagine for $58 a night before heading to WDW this year. Have not used for airfare, since flying in/out of here can be tricky.

Priceline only deals with in terminal rentals? That was going to be my next question.

 

[wolf29]

Priceline only deals with in terminal rentals? That was going to be my next question.

Correct. At MCO, I believe they only deal with Avis, Hertz, National, Alamo and Enterprise...definitely only in-terminal, National chains...no L&M or similar.

 

[cruisinpan567]

Correct. At MCO, I believe they only deal with Avis, Hertz, National, Alamo and Enterprise...definitely only in-terminal, National chains...no L&M or similar.

Thanks that helps me with my decision.

 

[pigletto]

We've used both Priceline and Hotwire. I will only use Priceline for rental cars, because they only use car companies in the terminals. I will generally only use Hotwire for a hotel bid because I am guaranteed a room for four, where Priceline only guarantees a room for two.
We have used Priceline for a night here or there, but only in hotels where I knew the chances of getting a room for four was very good. Then we call ahead and make our request.

 

[secretpantssam]

My husband and I used Priceline for 3 hotels when we took a road trip across Tennessee. It worked out well because we got really good deals on nice hotels. I even used the Express Deals and just researched which area I'd like and got great hotels for even cheaper.

The one thing I heard when I first used them and did seem to come true- they sometimes give the Priceline buyers rooms that are closer to the elevator (which is noisier) and on the lower levels. It's not that big of a deal, but just a warning.

 

[cruisinpan567]

I just used priceline for the first time yesterday. Got a full size rental car for the last week in August in Orlando for $12 a day. I think that's pretty good.

 

[momofEAP]

I am so glad that I read this thread!! I went to check on my reservation and saw that it was only that. Since I hadn't paid for it yet I went from $32 per day to $12 for a full size car!! I have now canceled my other one and am trying to wait patiently for the last 20 days to go by!!

 

[ekatiel]

We have used it multiple times for hotels and twice for a car rental. It is essential to understand the process and how to get a bargain. Check out sites like better bidding. com and I think there is another one called something like bidding for travel.com. They will help you know what to bid and possibly figure out which hotel you might win.

It is non-refundable so make sure you are all in and then do it! We have gotten great bargains around Disneyland when we aren't too worried about being in walking distance. Also pay attention to extra hotel fees like "resort fees" or parking fees that aren't listed in the regular price. Usually they will have a warning that says something like "this hotel may have additional fees"

Good luck!

This is great advice. We use both Priceline and Hotwire a lot, but you need to be savvy on how to book to get the absolute best deal and to make sure you're not getting a dump!

Here are some tips:
*For Priceline hotels, learn what a "free re-bid" is (it's a little complicated to explain, but google it before you bid-- it involves a "glitch" in the Priceline system that will allow you to bid multiple times on the same day by only raising your price) and how to properly bid to get the best deal.
*Also, remember that when you bid with Priceline, you are only guaranteed a room with one bed-- when we travel with our family, I usually either use Hotwire or Priceline's new Express Deals (make sure the Express Deal listed says "bed choice" on it-- that means you'll be able to choose 2 beds in the room).
*When using Priceline or Hotwire for hotels, use www.betterbidding.com and www.biddingfortravel.com to try and figure out what hotel you're getting. Usually, you'll be able to narrow it down to just a couple of places. Check those places out on Trip Advisor to make sure you're willing to live with all of the possibilities, then book.
*When using Priceline for cars, be sure to look at the *total* rental price after you bid "per day", but before you commit to the bid. Compare the *total* with Hotwire or any other rental agencies before you commit. $12 per day at Priceline is often more than $12 per day at Hotwire because they handle taxes and fees differently. So, don't compare the per day rates, compare only the totals with taxes and fees included.

That's all I can think of for now. You can get some great deals, just make sure to do your homework! --Katie