Introduction
Finding cheap vacation packages, car rentals, flights, and hotels is one of the ways we can save big time during holidays or even just a short getaway. There are many sites on the internet that have inexpensive deals, but one of the sites that offers good prices on travel products is Priceline com.
Step 1
The Priceline com website is an easy one to use and navigation should not be a problem. Think what information you need on Priceline com. If you just want to compare deals and prices on the site, input your dates of travel and see what it comes up with.
Step 2
The next page will show you what flights, hotels, car rentals, and holiday packages are available in your chosen destination. For example, when you put in queries for flights from Las Vegas to New York, it will show you the list of available fares. All of the displayed prices seem high, so you use the Priceline com price negotiator tool to get a good deal. Customers are encouraged to put reasonable amounts. You then use the Name Your Price button and put your own price. The lowest amount for Las Vegas-New York flights is $479. You can try cutting it more than half or $150. You have also to choose the destination airport and put your first and last name as well as the number of passengers.
Step 3
At this point, you might want to check other websites or price comparison sites to see if there are differences in air fares offered at Priceline com. You can try Expedia and put the same dates and information. A quick check will tell you that the lowest priced flight on Expedia is still a few dollars higher than the cheapest fare offered at Priceline com. This should be your baseline to see whether Priceline com offers lower fares than other sites. You can check a few more sites to get a good overview of price differences using the same route and dates.
Step 4
Continue with the price negotiation process on Priceline com and name a price that's half of the lowest displayed fare. The system will tell you that the price you want is too low, showing you the lowest fare of $479 in red letters. You can jack up the price a bit and you will get a fare which you can take or leave. In this case, when the price was raised to $250, Priceline com was able to negotiate for $280 which was still lower than the lowest fare offered before the 'Name Your Price' button was used.
Step 5
No other prices are proposed on Priceline com, so you can take this offer and proceed with the payment details. Note that you don’t know anything about the routes, flying time, or airline company until you have entered your credit card details and the sale has been made. It is this risk that you have to take when you use Priceline com for tickets or any other travel product such as hotels, car rental, and vacation packages. In contrast, using price comparison sites such as Expedia gives a clearer picture. You know the carrier, flight schedule and route.
Tips
Priceline com had a huge success when it first started as a price negotiator for all types of travel products. However, it is a risk that clients have to take when looking for ways to save on vacations. There are people who were satisfied with the savings made using Priceline com while others had horrible experiences. The number one complaint was that bookings negotiated through Priceline com cannot be cancelled and if you don’t like the deal, your holiday is already ruined before it has even started.
Sources and Citations
Priceline.com
