The Internet offers a number of ways to help you obtain discounts on airfare, cruises, hotel rooms and travel packages. Priceline.com offers discounted fares on travel, as well as a "Name Your Own Price" feature that compares your bid to undisclosed prices within its database and gives you the exact details (such as the name of the hotel or time of the flight) only after you have paid for the travel. By doing some preliminary research, you can make an educated, informed bid that allows you the best chance to save significantly on your air travel.
Visit priceline.com and click on the "Name Your Own Price" area that allows you to bid on airline travel.
Choose the best dates for your trip. For the lowest fares, elect to travel on off-peak days such as Tuesdays, Wednesdays and (occasionally) Saturdays. You can also decrease your ticket price by including a Saturday night stay in your trip.
Check to see if you can fly into alternative airports within the geographic area. Smaller cities might offer fewer airline choices, while larger ones only an hour or so away can offer more variety and better discounts.
Use the Internet to look at comparable fares for similar dates/locations on discount travel websites. Try Travel Zoo's super search, which allows you to simultaneously search multiple travel sites (see Resources for the link).
Look for information on your desired air travel destinations at websites like BiddingForTravel.com or BetterBidding.com, which reveal secret bids and post user-generated tips for finding the best airfare prices.
Enter your dates of travel, destination and location into the priceline.com site and make your offer for the tickets; wait a few minutes to determine whether priceline.com accepts your desired fare. If the website declines your bid, you can rebid using the same details in 24 hours.
