Tip #1: Be Flexible
Priceline.com is best for people who aren't picky about when they travel or other itinerary details, and who are willing to accept more legs in a flight, etc. The more relaxed you are in these areas, the better your chances of having an offer accepted by one of Priceline's partners. In other words, if you are all about the Benjamins and saving money (who isn't these days?) then Priceline may be for you.
According to Priceline's ads, you may even save up to 40 percent on your hotel, and up to 60 percent on your airfare, if you're willing to be flexible (click here for more info).
Tip #2: You get what you pay for.
In other words, be realistic about your bids, and you'll have far better chances. Don't expect to get First Class plane tickets and stay at a Marriott Hotel on New Years Eve in Orlando, all for 10 or 20 bucks. Make it realistic- start with a low bid, maybe 30 percent off a coach fare or the rack room rate, but offer what you think is fair for both parties, and you might be very pleasantly surprised. You probably won't win any deals if you bid more than 50 to 60 percent off the going rate. Research prices first.
If your initial offer is not accepted, don't give up- each time your bid is declined, try adjusting your price slightly higher by, say five or ten percent. Hopefully you'll find a deal for at least 20 or even 30 percent off this way. Who knows? It just depends on demand at the time.
If the previous Disney vacation fantasy appeals to you, try checking some individual rental car and hotel chains first for rates, then do some homework about when you want to go see Mickey and ride the Hulk Roller Coaster at Universal Studios. Then, place your Priceline bid accordingly. If all goes well, you just might be wearing mouse ears and drinking Mai Tais by the pool on New Years Day.
Tip #3: Use the 'Off-Peak' option when you bid
Ask yourself this: Are you traveling during a peak travel day or period? Try not to, if at all possible. Can you be flexible with your departure/arrival days and hours? If so, your chances are far better at getting a good deal. And if you're trying to find an available plane ticket, car or hotel during heavy travel seasons, your chances will be far better if you select off-hours when bidding.
It's always better to travel when other people aren't, which of course usually means a red-eye flight (flights that leave late at night or early AM, and then arrive in early the morning or afternoon).
Also, travel days are important factors in bid approval- Try entering travel dates when most people are working and you'll have much better luck. And forget Mondays- Most airline agents now consider this a 'second' Sunday as many people take Friday and Monday off to create a four day weekend.
For best results, try departing on a Tuesday or Wednesday, stay through at least one Saturday night, and return on a Wednesday or Thursday, and you'll have much better luck. Check out the definitions of 'Off-Peak' times at Priceline.com for more info.
These travel tips not only work great at Priceline.com, they're good for regular airline and rental car websites as well. Try it out by grabbing a quote at www.dollar.com
for a car rental, for a spa retreat or America West Vacations
for a full package with air, and then check out Priceline.
Remember, it's always better to check in several spots first before placing a bid- start your offers low, but be reasonable about how much you want to bid and when you want to travel.
Tip #4: Don't waste your bids
In case you missed one of the first three tips above, here's the best advice we can give you when bidding at Priceline: First check the lowest published rates at travel sites like 
Expedia.com, Orbitz.com
, and Travelocity.com. They all have excellent tips and travel advice as well. You may also want to check: Cheap Tickets, Hotwire.com
, etc, they also have great tools for checking out deals.
Remember, it's free to check prices based on your itinerary at these sites. But when you place a bid at Priceline, it's very important to be committed to the deal- Use a reasonable (yet miserly) price to start with, or you may be wasting your chances.
Why is this? It's because of a built in anti-abuse feature of the Priceline system: Once you've made an offer at a certain price at one airline, car rental agency or hotel chain, if rejected, that particular deal may not be checked again for a certain period of time (72 hours). Double-check their site for possible updates on this, as websites can and do change their policies.
Priceline also operates LowestFare.com, so if your bid is not accepted, try here:
Tip #5: Priceline is great for Last Minute Air Deals!
So what is the best place to look for last minute deals? Well, if you have a ton of frequent flyer miles saved up you could cash these in. This method once saved 'yours truly' here about $2000 dollars on a flight that really should have cost only about $300 (I won't name names). Of course, I was traveling on a moment's notice, and the airlines knew they had me over a barrel. Thank goodness for those double-miles! This is why so-called 'bereavement fares' make many people grit their teeth and stare at their phones in disbelief. Flying last minute is supply and demand in it's worst form.
You ever notice, that unlike a fireworks stand at 10 pm on the Fourth of July or a tree-lot on December 24th at 11:59 pm, the air carriers just aren't as willing to make a deal at the last second? Could be just me...
Well, if you and your bank account HAVE noticed this then turn to priceline.com. Last minute air travel is their specialty, and unless you have enough frequent flyer miles to fly from Baltimore to Sydney, Australia for that emergency client deal, then you better give them a try.
Airlines seem to be a lot more willing to bargain with you when you have a large company like Priceline.com acting as a third party on your behalf. Now you are bringing some clout to the table- this time, when your offer is presented as a bid for a seat that the airlines know they may not sell, they suddenly see you more as an informed customer than as a last minute gouging opportunity for them. Why? They know if they don't take you up on your offer (if it's reasonable), another airline probably will, and they may not sell the seat you were interested in.
Bottom line: When traveling last minute, it is almost always better to use a travel auction or website like Priceline.com, as opposed to simply walking in to a flight counter and saying 'Hi, I'd like to buy a ticket'. If you purchase a flight by walking up to the desk, they know they have you over a barrel. If you have the time, check online a night or two before you travel- your wallet will thank you.
We even found a special link for last minute Priceline deals- check it out below:
