unleashedmaniac

First bid was accepted and I won Sheraton Fishermans Wharf for $90 a night. Total with taxes was $220. I should have started my bidding lower. :/

Starting bid was for $80 for 3.5 star or better for 5 locations: Downtown - Harbor Island Downtown - Little Italy Downtown - Marina Gaslamp Quarter Gaslamp Quarter South - Convention Center Bid rejected for $80. Added El Cajon - Santee and bid $85 (free rebid) Bid rejected for $85 Added Hillcrest - Balboa Park and bid $90 (free rebid). Bid accepted for $90. The Declan Suites San Diego, 701 A Street, San Diego , CA Room subtotal: $90.00 Taxes & fees: $18.62 Total charged today: $108.62 Hotel fee: $0.00 ----------------------- Update: After winning the bid, I went to the Declan Suites's website. I could have booked the same room for the same night for $77.40 + $9.73 = $87.13 out the door. So, I just overpaid $21.49 by booking with Priceline. LOVELY. Also, on the Declan Suites website, it lists the prices they charge for on Hotels.com, Priceline and Hotwire at $86.

I got $72 a day for a minivan at the Denver Airport with a total of $566 for 6 days (7/10/13-7/16/13). List price on reservation going through Hertz was $2404 for the 6 days, I got it for $566, savings of $1836 (76%). Bid history: $45 Minivan Rejected $50 Full Size SUV Rejected $55 Minivan Rejected $60 Full Size SUV Rejected $60 Minivan Rejected, PL offered me a "one-time" rebid, rebid $64 Rejected, PL Offered $77 per day (didn't accept) $65 Full Size SUV Rejected, offered "one-time" rebid, rebid $70 Rejected $68 Minivan Rejected, PL offered me a "one-time" rebid, rebid $72 bid Accepted James

Used the PRICELINE link to bid! First bid was $16 based on other posts. Bid was not accepted. They offered a 1 time rebid, I tried $18 but PRICELINE said the rebid had to be over $19. I rebid $20 and bid was accepted. $20 a day x 3 days = $60 Taxes & Fees = $52.86 Total = 112.86 This saved me about $60 on the 3 day rental. I spent some time entering coupon/offer codes and searching all of the rental websites, but $170 was the cheapest I could find it before priceline.

First bid was for a 4* in Union Square East & Union Square West for $85... Not accepted. Used free rebids for following bids: 4*, Added South SF, Bid $90 - Not accepted 4*, Added SFO North, Bid $95 - Not accepted 4*, Added Richmond, Bid $100 - Not accepted 4*, Added Marina, Bid $105 - Not accepted 4*, Added Japan Town, Bid $110 - Not accepted 4*, Added Civic Center, Bid $115 - Accepted for SF Hilton in Union Square West. Offer Price: avg. per room, per night $115.00 Rooms: 1 Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $115.00 Taxes & Fees: $26.04 Total Charged to Card: $141.04 Normal "Best Price" from Hilton with tax would be $230. So, I saved about $89.

Please help identify this 4* Chicago Loop - Theater District area hotel We are staying 06/06/2013 - 06/11/2013 Shows: Hotwire Price $214 90% Hotwire Customer Rating 1.0 - 2.2 mi from city center This Hotel features the following amenities: Indoor pool(s) Fitness Center Pool(s) Restaurant(s) Business Center High-Speed Internet Access Spa Services Accessible for the blind Accessible for the deaf Accessible path of travel In-room accessibility Accessible bathroom Handicapped parking Roll-in shower Just a note to anyone looking at going to Chicago on the weekend of 06/08/2013... There is a marathon, a coffee brewfest, the annual Chicago Naked Bike ride, a makeup show, a jazz festival and a huge street festival. So, the hotels are going QUICK. I checked a bunch of the hotels downtown and they are already SOLD OUT and it's still 6+ months away. Thanks, James

I tried to get a 3* West Yellowstone with bids up to $95 with no luck. 3* West Yellowstone $70 (not accepted) Added Livingston (free rebid) $75 (not accepted) Added Gardiner (free rebid) $80 (not accepted) Later tried: 3* West Yellowstone $85 (not accepted) Added Livingston (free rebid) $90 (not accepted) Added Gardiner (free rebid) $95 (not accepted) Looks like I might have to look at a 2* :) Used the PRICELINE link with bidding. -- James

Yeah, I thought bidding a little closer to the date might be a little better. I was talking about the union square park (I know, not really too much of a park). We are going by motorcycle and the parking lot under union square is pretty nice an only like $6 a day to park (for motorcycles). James

I've been trying to get a USE hotel for the past week with no luck. I was thinking about trying USW, but I didn't want to be too far from the park. Here is my bid history: $65 USE (Optimistic, but I've gotten it before.) $67 Civic Center $69 Fishermans $71 Marina $73 SFO N $75 SFO S // All Rejected // Next Day, $77 USE $79 Civic Center $81 Fishermans $83 Marina $85 SFO N $87 SFO S // All Rejected // Next Day, $87 USE $89 Civic Center $91 Fishermans $93 Marina $95 SFO N $97 SFO S // All Rejected // Next Day... I found the $10 Bonus $ coupon $85 + $10 = $95 USE $87 + $10 = $97 Civic Center $89 + $10 = $99 Fishermans $91 + $10 = $101 Marina $93 + $10 = $103 SFO N $95 + $10 = $105 SFO S // All Rejected //

I've had the same luck for the same weekend. I wonder if something is going on in SF. I bid from $65 (optimistic) to $90 for a 4* in USE for 07/16 with no results.

It just depends. I was able to get a 4* a few years ago for about $50 a night. I do agree that the prices in SF have been going up a little on PRICELINE. James

Using other posts for similar timeframe, I started bidding at $65 for both North and South City Center. I increased my bid by $2 and went up to $80 with no luck. I also did some searching on Hotels.com, bookings.com, Travelocity.com, hostels.com and hotwire.com and found that a lot of hotels in Munich during this week were filled or only had a limited number of room available. So, I was thinking that there might be something going on in the city that week. Anyways... I only wanted to bid 4* in Munich and didn't want to roll the dice on a 3*. I read a lot of reviews on 3*'s in Munich and some seemed pretty shady. I ended up using Hotels.com and booking a Bed & Breakfast just outside the city.

I used BetterBidding for suggestions from other bidders. I won on first try. I used the PRICELINE link when bidding. Now, all I need to do is win my Munich hotel tomorrow and my vacation with be set. Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $74.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 2 Room Subtotal: $148.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $26.12 (USD) Total Room Cost: $174.12 (USD)

I used betterbidding as a reference... I got my hotel on the first bid. I used the PRICELINE link when bidding. Room Cost (avg. per room, per night): $65.00 (USD) Number of Rooms: 1 Number of Nights: 1 Room Subtotal: $65.00 (USD) Taxes and Fees: $12.87 (USD) Total Room Cost: $77.87 (USD)

I followed other bidders bids for Zurich.... I bid 4* for both Glattbrugg & Central Zurich and won at $70 first bid. I'm very happy. Other 2 or 3 star hotels on other travel websites were going at a minimum of $110 a night. Total price for my stay is $158 for two nights. I checked the cheapest rate on the hotel website and it was $485 (US)... So, I figured I saved about $327. I used the PRICELINE link when booking. I love your website!

Thanks Romelle, the link you provided is a great resource. James

Thanks Thereuare.... that is good information... I searched most of the flights on regular priceline and most of the flights have a 1 to 4 hour layout, then it jumped up to 12-13 hours. So, I think that it's worth a try. I'll let you know how things work out. James

I also had another question about Europe and wanted to get some insight by the other BB members. I've been told that it's better to use your credit card for purchases instead of changing large amounts of US dollars to Pounds or Euros. People say that you get the actual daily exchange rate and you don't lose a bunch of money by doing a currency exchange. I called my credit card company (chase visa) and they give you the actual exchange rate, plus a 3% service charge. Are they any better credit cards to use over there? Thanks, James

I'm looking at going from Sacramento (SMF) to London (LHR) in April/May. The cheapest flights I could find were about $800 out the door. I was thinking about naming my own price, but I'm a little leary about what I might get as far as tickets. I don't mind having a stop and a short layover, but I don't want to least Sacramento and go to North Carolina for a 12 hour layover and then fly to London (total travel time 24 hours)... Anyone have good/bad experiences bidding on flights? I'm flexible on the time of day, but I really don't want to get stuck with a 12 hour layover. (A ran a search on priceline and the cheapest flights has a 12-13 hour layout). Also, what would be a good starting bid? 25% off, 30% off, 40% off the normal price? Thanks.

Used the PRICELINE link from this site. I've used better bidding about 10 times to help me get deals on PRICELINE. Went for 4* hotel in USW area, hoping to get Parc 55 like I have seen other people get. Yesterday, I bid 4* hotel in USW area. I bid $70, $75 and $76 based on other bids for similar dates. None accepted. Tonight, I bid 4* hotel in USW area. I first bid $75 and it was accepted. $75 is better than 160 through Parc 55's website or Travelocity. James

I was trying to get a 3* in Orange County, but couldn't find one in my budget range. I have gotten 3* in Orange County (Buena Park) for $47, but not this time. I finally broke down and went with a 2.5* hotel. I used the posting on BetterBidding by "nicoee" (8/14/08) to start my baseline bidding as it was during the same week I was going. Hey, nicoee and I will be there at the same time. (hehehe... BetterBidding Bidders Unite!) Disneyland Area 2.5* $45 - Accepted Previously rejected bid was $46. (See all of my bidding below.) Note from hotel's website: The Public Areas of the property will be closed & under renovations from September 20, 2008 - December 07, 2008. The Public Areas include....Pool & hot Tub Area,Restaurant & Bar, Business Center, Gift Shop,Fitness Center, Banquet Space, & the Game Room (this area will be completely removed). Also, Rooms will be under renovations a section at a time from October 01, 2008 - January 01, 2009. **** My Hotel **** Holiday Inn And Suites Anaheim Disneyland Area 1240 South Walnut Street Anaheim, California 92802 Number of Nights: 4 Subtotal: $184.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $30.69 Total Charges: $214.69 (* Free parking) **** Disneyland Hotel Parking Notice **** Just an FYI, I made this same trip a few years ago and there are many hotels in close proximity of Disneyland that charge for parking. This information is not given on Priceline. (eg. "By selecting this area, there may be an additional $10-$20 for parking a vehicle") A few years ago, I got a 3* hotel for $35 per night and ended having to pay $18 a night for self-serve parking. **** My Bidding **** 7/31/08 (All Rejected) 3* Disneyland $40 3* Buena Park $42 3* Costa Mesa $44 3* Fullerton Area $45 3* Anaheim Hills $47 3* Seal Beach $48 3* Newport $50 8/3/08 (All Rejected) 3* Disneyland $40 3* Buena Park $45 3* Costa Mesa $47 3* Fullerton Area $50 3* Anaheim Hills $52 3* Seal Beach $54 3* Newport $56 8/13/08 (All Rejected) 3* Disneyland $40 3* Buena Park $45 3* Costa Mesa $47 3* Fullerton Area $50 3* Anaheim Hills $52 3* Seal Beach $54 3* Newport $56 8/25/08 (All Rejected) 3* Disneyland $40 3* Buena Park $45 3* Costa Mesa $46 3* Fullerton Area $47 3* Anaheim Hills $48 3* Seal Beach $49 3* Newport $50 9/1/08 (All Rejected) 3* Disneyland $40 3* Buena Park $45 3* Costa Mesa $46 3* Fullerton Area $47 3* Anaheim Hills $48 3* Seal Beach $52 3* Newport $54 9/1/08 ($46 Accepted Disneyland Area) 2.5* Disneyland $38 2.5* Buena Park $45 2.5* Fullerton Area $46

Are you renting a car, using public transit or shuttles? I've used PRICELINE a number of times when going to Disneyland. I personally rent a car, but stay away from the "Disneyland Area" hotels. 1) The hotels through priceline in the Disneyland area are not that nice. 2) You end up paying $18-$35 per day for self-parking. I usually try to stay in a 3* in Buena Park or Fullerton Area. In the past, I have been able to get a room for $45 - $55 a night. The drive from those areas are only about 10 minutes from Disneyland. Buena Park Hotels are also close to Knotts Berry Farm, Medieval Times, etc. I have been trying to bid on Anaheim Hotels, in all areas, for the week of 10/14/08. I've bid on 3* up to $56 and no wins yet.

Thanks for the tips through this forum. I saved about $300 by going through Priceline. **** Disneyland Hotel Parking Notice **** Just an FYI, I made this same trip last year and there are many hotels in close proximity of Disneyland that charge for parking. This information is not given on Priceline. (eg. "By selecting this area, there may be an additional $10-$20 for parking a vehicle") Last year, I got a 3* hotel for $35 per night and ended having to pay $18 a night for self-serve parking. :) **** Notice on Smoking Rooms **** If you are a non-smoker, after you make your reservation, contact the hotel to see if you can arrange a non-smoking room. I was stuck for 3 days in a smoking room last time I used Priceline. Buena Park Area 3* $47 - Accepted Previously rejected bid was $46. *** My Hotel *** Holiday Inn Buena Park 7000 Beach Boulevard Buena Park, California 90620 Number of Nights: 6 Subtotal: $282.00 Taxes and Service Fees: $44.62 Total Charges: $326.62 (* Free parking) Retail Hotel Cost if booked through the hotel: $663 Priceline Price: $326 Savings: $337 !!!!!