by Carrie Holmes

Created on: January 18, 2007   Last Updated: April 15, 2007

There are two main ways to research and find the best deals on Priceline and similar sites such as hotwire. The first is the name your own price feature which as of publishing time is for airfare only purchases - not package deals. The second way to get a great deal is utilizing what we'll call the "blind/partially blind package feature." This feature allows you to name your dates and locations and the provider (priceline) picks your exact air itinerary and/or hotel. By learning to navigate both of these options you will be better able to ensure the very best price as well as the the best itineraries. Since most travel sites today are set up to be user friendly you will find that once you have mastered Priceline you will also be able to navigate most other sites as well. This will come in handy when the first site you look at doesn't offer exactly what you're looking for.

First we will look at air only bookings. On priceline there are two options: take what they give you or get what you want. To begin input your dates into the airfare finder to see what the cheapest available published fares are today. If you see an itinerary at your desired times and price, great. If not, and you're flexible, its time to name your own price. Write down the cheapest published fare AND the itinerary. Note that on the name your own price page you are likely to get a similar itinerary- usually early morning or late night departures. Next look at the price. Priceline states that you can find prices around 40% off published fares. This should be your MAXIMUM BID PRICE. Remember that if you bid on Priceline, and they accept, you just bought it so always start your bidding low. Try a bid of 60-75% off the lowest published fare and if its not available increase your bid in $10-20 increments. Now here's a little known trick I stumbled upon: if you bid too low two or three times the system may make you an offer. This allows you to see their absolute lowest fare prior to buying,of course the itinerary is still blind until purchased.

If you need a hotel and/or rental car along with your airfare you can do a similar search in their package section. Most sites will not let you see the hotel name but will give you a general area where its located as well as a list of amminities and a star rating. Want more details? There's no guarantee but just like above you can usually snoop out more information. Start by writing down all of the details listed about the property. Next do the exact same search

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