The Total Cost of a Priceline Bid

Although Priceline can net you fabulous rates on great hotels, you should know that they also add in some “hidden” fees. Basically, Priceline adds a $7 fee for themselves and possibly another 1% on top of the hotel tax.

So, if you purchase a hotel at $80, you will also have to add in the hotels taxes and surcharges (varies with hotels but sometimes as high as 18%) plus $7 for Priceline. The $7 is charges per booking so if you book 2 nights, the fee stays at $7 or essentially $3.50 per night.

Even with this $7 fee (Hotels always charge the taxes and surcharges), you will get some amazing deals if you use Priceline correctly.

In Conclusion, Make sure when bidding:

Check out BetterBidding.com and BiddingForTravel.com to see if their are people getting bids accepted in the city your looking at. These sites will often show winning bids and give you a good idea of what you might expect to pay. If all looks well, start the bidding process. If bids don’t work and your desperate for  a hotel, give Hotwire a look, followed by other hotel booking websites.

Good Luck!

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