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Priceline.com offers the ability to name your own price as William Shatner says on the commercial. Whether you need a hotel, flight, rental car, or all inclusive package priceline almost always has something to fit the bill. The easiest way to describe priceline is that is is like the ebay of travel agents with some very important catches you should be well aware of that makes this a poor choice of services for some travelers.

Priceline offers something truly unique called the name your price function which allows you to input a dollar amount for whatever it is you are trying to book. While this seems great, and sometimes is if you have a lot of flexibility in your plans it can backfire on you in a heartbeat. The first thing that I noticed was that I did not know right away if my "bid" was accepted. On one occasion this took only twenty minutes or so which wasn't bad. On another it was a matter of a few hours. I've been told by friends it can take longer than that sometimes, even a full business day. If you need to know right away whether you have a booking this isn't going to work out to good for you usually.

The second problem is that when you are bidding you are not bidding on anything specific outside of the date and service you need. For instance you input you are looking for a three star hotel in Dallas. When you place the bid the only thing you know for sure is the hotel will be a Priceline three star hotel and that it is within the city of Dallas, not that it is a Holiday Inn, Radisson, or any such thing or even if it is smack dab in the center of the city or the outskirts. This can be problematic for some people. In one case a friend used the name your own price feature and her hotel was actually several miles outside of the zone she input forcing her to need a rental car which then cost as much as paying the full price for a hotel room exactly where she needed it. You may not like a certain airline but if Priceline assigns it to you then that's what you have to live with.

Another problem is that all too often the fine print concerning use of this function is ignored. "Actual prices and availability are subject to change." There is no guarantee of savings. Your bid is binding and you cannot back out. If you don't like the hotel or the area it is in is too far away for your needs that's just too bad. You are obligated to pay for the room (Or at least pay for a cancellation fee if you are lucky enough to get away with that) which generally means when you re-book any savings you hoped for are gone.

Basically put you have no real control over how you will get where you are going or where you will stay using this function. Sometimes it works out great and others times it is lousy. If you are a gambler this is up your alley. If you don't care about the specifics of your travel this can be ideal for you. If you are a detail oriented person or someone that wants to actually know how your money is spent before you hand it over this is not for you.

Learn more about this author, Amanda Fox.
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