Friday, March 2, 2007

Saving Cash on Travel Series: Hotwire.com (Article 2/4)

A similar - but different service that can save you money on travel is Hotwire.com. Hotwire provides consumers with the ability to purchase hotels, airfare, packages and cruises at a discounted fixed price. Hotwire like Priceline lets you purchase excess inventory at many major chain hotels (except you won't know what you are getting till the deal is over). The catch also like Priceline is that you won't know exactly what carrier, chain or service you are purchasing and your purchase will be non-refundable. The difference is that you don't bid with Hotwire, the prices are fixed. The site will give you a quote usually good for an hour but will not reveal details about the itinerary until you confirm your purchase.

If you want to take the guesswork out you can again use Better Bidding for Travel to see what hotels other people have purchased by the state.

Things to keep in mind before using Hotwire:

  • I have heard mixed stories of success with the service and heard reports of people buying a room on Hotwire only to find that they could have purchased a room directly from the source for less money, but have also heard people raving about a deal they got there.

  • Hotwire lets you see amenities on hotels before you confirm, the quality, and general area. This makes it easier to pin down what hotel you are looking at.