HNL - Convertible $25/day

[tikinyg]

After many unsuccessful weeks of bidding, finally won at $25/day.

Convertible

Alamo

9-12-05 to 9-17-05

Successful! [now waiting out a week for retries at OGG (Maui) and LIH (Kauai)]

[shernuf]

That's great tikinyg!

Would you like to share your bidding strategy to date?

What did you start at before getting the successful bid?

Also, how has the Maui and Kauai bidding been going.

My wife and I have been bidding for a convertible on the big island for the last three weeks with no success. I think we've started too low, but we're going at the beginning of August so we have time.

Thank you and good luck bidding. :)

[tikinyg]

Shernuf,

Unfortunately I did not have any brilliant bidding strategy. I mostly trugged on with dogged persistence. I started bidding what way to soon hoping to catch an early discount. I then bid every week when the 7-day period expired. I made the cheapest, cancellable backup reservations I could (Alamo for me) so that I was protected in the event my bidding came up with nothing. I bid the same $25 for a convertible every time. I probably bid over a period of 10 weeks before getting the successful HNL bid. Have to wait another day to retry OGG and LIH.

I determined the bid amount by monitering this site and another less-preffered site. I looked back at post as far back as 2003, especially focusing on those at the same time of year as I was targeting. I then added a few dollars to the cheapest successful bid I had seen ($22) since there are no free rebids on cars unless you change class. Plus, I figured $3 or $4 more over what may be the lowest possible attainable was worth the price to increase my chances of a successful bid that was less than half of the advertised rate at which I had made my cancellable reservation [This was also to account for potential inflation over the years I was monitering].

I also ingored Priceline's comments/suggestion that $25.00 was a really good price but I should consider bidding higher because the going rate (or the expected discount) resulted in a much higher bid figure. I received this message even on my winning bid, so I feel more confident ignoring its prodding on my OGG and LIH bids.

As for LIH and OGG, I am bidding the same $25 as the limited information I could find suggested a price range similar to HNL (although I think I saw a successful $20 bid a year or so ago in OGG). In OGG I am considering an SUV as well as convertible so I am bidding both of those classes. If I am still unsuccessful when August arrives, I plan to increase my bid to $30 for each location and then increase it by $3-5 each week up to departure [my cancellable reservations at each location is around $55/day].

Good Luck.

[shernuf]

Thanks for the useful info, tikinyg.

I guess priceline gave up finally after rejecting your $25 bid for 10 weeks. :)

Its good to know that you can still have a successful bid despite the warning against bidding too low.

I've got my back up reservations made with thrifty for $313.11 for 7 days which is right in line with hotwires pricing of $331.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get a successfull bid in with priceline before we go. (7/30-8/6)

I got a compact car with budget.com at $85 on maui for 3 days with the Walmart code W810000 I don't know if it will help you or not, but its worth a try.

Have a great trip. :)