# Priceline.com- a tricky merchant to get points from



## dlagrua (Dec 3, 2012)

Had a recent experience with Priceline that I want to share with all. We booked lodging in August for Oct 17-19th in Lancaster PA on Priceline.com through the Amtrak shopping portal. The terms and conditions called for 3 points per dollar spent and that "the points will be awarded after the stay is completed" . The accommodations were very good but after the Oct stay we noticed that Priceline decreased the points offer on the portal to only one point per dollar spent so we only received that amount today rather than the three points that were in effect at time of booking. IMO this was a very underhanded tactic.


----------



## benjibear (Dec 4, 2012)

I just noticed I have an issue with priceline. I think I agreed 1 point per dollar. However my bid was $74+16.74 (taxes and fees) = $90.74.

So how many points should I have gotten?

91 - NO

90 - NO

74 - NO

I got 71 points. How did they get there? At the least, I would think I would get 74.

I don't care. I am not using Priceline again. I stayed in the same area at a "1 star" priceline hotel that was alot nicer than this "3 star".


----------



## Bruce-C (Dec 5, 2012)

dlagrua said:


> Priceline.com through the Amtrak shopping portal. The terms and conditions called for 3 points per dollar spent and that "the points will be awarded after the stay is completed" . The accommodations were very good but after the Oct stay we noticed that Priceline decreased the points offer on the portal to only one point per dollar spent.


I have gotten in the habit of taking a screen shot of the vendor and points paid on the date that I am doing business with them. This is more of a CYA on my part, but it is proof of the rate of bonus points.


----------



## OlympianHiawatha (Dec 5, 2012)

Points or no Points I have never used any of the so-called Hotel Consolidators because the rates I have always gotten have at best matched rates I can get booking straight through the Hotel. And it's not worth a few extra Points to bid Blind Kitty and have no idea where you're going to be dumped at.


----------



## dlagrua (Dec 9, 2012)

I believe that Priceline is now paying 1 point per dollar on the hotel cost less taxes and fees. As for good hotel deals, we've gotten some really great 4 star luxury hotel accommodations in Chicago from Priceline at around $100 per night. We've stayed at the Millennium Knickerbocker, the Omni, and the W for that price. That's about 1/2 of what these hotels charge. The secret is to book in January and February for a summer trip. On the Dead of winter days when it is very cold the occupancy is light and hotels are short of revenue. Put out a reasonable $100 bid and its usually accepted.

On a positive note ( on a tip from the traveler) , I received 25 points per dollar from Magazines.com. With four magazine subscriptions I received 2200 points. Not bad!


----------



## musikdude (Dec 11, 2012)

I have booked several Priceline stays via the AGR portal and I have always gotten my points in a timely matter (about 6 weeks after I booked the trip).

Priceline was paying 4 points per dollar up until just a few months ago and now it is only 1 point per dollar. I don't know why they went down but it was really unfortunate. Before that change, I was earning probably at least two or three thousand AGR points per month by booking Priceline via AGR. They even had it paying 8 points per dollar back in August for that "back to schoool" promo. That was a real score!!! Over five thousand points I earned!!

Now that it only pays 1 point, I have decided to instead earn a 5% cash back rebate on my Priceline purchases by going through EBATES. I feel that this has more value than the 1 point per dollar.


----------



## boxcar479 (Dec 12, 2012)

I just checked AGR's website, and Priceline is no longer a shopping partner with AGR :angry2: I myself gained several thousand points with PL, and saved a bundle doing so! I never had trouble with points posting either timely, or correctly. I will really miss leaving this partner out of my travel plans. :angry:


----------



## musikdude (Dec 25, 2012)

boxcar817 said:


> I just checked AGR's website, and Priceline is no longer a shopping partner with AGR :angry2: I myself gained several thousand points with PL, and saved a bundle doing so! I never had trouble with points posting either timely, or correctly. I will really miss leaving this partner out of my travel plans. :angry:


I am very disappointed about this- I was earning 20k AGR points or more per year via Priceline when it was 4pts per dollar. It seems like everytime I find a "great deal" thru the AGR shopping portal it gets taken away as soon as I start really using it. Lame!


----------



## boxcar479 (Dec 26, 2012)

Yep I know what you mean! I used to make a killing thru AGR and Walmart's site to store pick up. Now I using the Home Depot for my major go to point getter, I just hope they keep that one for awhile


----------



## RSG (Jan 1, 2013)

The best reason to use Priceline isn't because you get AGR points (which I never utilized) or other rewards, but because of the deals. The proper way to think of Priceline travel is getting your frequent traveler reward up front. For example, I've gotten far more value staying at Hilton properties via Priceline than I ever would have by staying at points-accumulative rates and subsequent redemptions via the Hilton HHonors program (unless, perhaps, I was using their affinity credit card).

If you think you can stay at any Priceline property for less going through the hotel directly, then you don't understand either the methodology behind Priceline, or the correct way to use blind-booking services (and it isn't because you love the mystery of where you'll be staying). And while you can snag a good deal for summer travel in winter, often the acceptable rates (outside of resort areas or always-booked properties) will be more the farther out the check-in date.

Blind booking services exist to sell otherwise unsold inventory (kind of like Big Lots! for travel). Many hotels do not consistently sell out from night to night and this is where services like Priceline and Hotwire come in. Occasionally one can obtain a very low walk-up rate at a particular hotel, but most hotels are wary of discounting rates too heavily, even if it means not selling a room at all due to the possibility of setting up a future unrealistic expectation, particularly in these days when word-of-mouth is actually at the speed of electrons. This is where the middleman services come in and fill a need on both ends of the lodging spectrum.


----------



## musikdude (Jan 1, 2013)

I felt that when AGR was giving 4 points per dollar spent via Priceline, that it was a very good deal, almost like a rebate.

If I spent $1200 in a month via Priceline (to stay mostly at a lower level extended stay type hotel that offers no bonus points or status of its own), then I knew I would be getting 4800 AGR points. That is almost one third of a one zone roomette trip, so I value that as like getting $200 back in value.

And that was ON TOP of the great discount (paying $45 a night instead of $90 a night if I went directly thru the hotel website) by using Priceline.

I miss that - Only option now is to get 5% rebate thru ebates. But $60 cashback on a $1200 stay is not as good as almost 5k AGR points, that is for sure!!!



RSG said:


> The best reason to use Priceline isn't because you get AGR points (which I never utilized) or other rewards, but because of the deals. The proper way to think of Priceline travel is getting your frequent traveler reward up front. For example, I've gotten far more value staying at Hilton properties via Priceline than I ever would have by staying at points-accumulative rates and subsequent redemptions via the Hilton HHonors program (unless, perhaps, I was using their affinity credit card).
> 
> If you think you can stay at any Priceline property for less going through the hotel directly, then you don't understand either the methodology behind Priceline, or the correct way to use blind-booking services (and it isn't because you love the mystery of where you'll be staying). And while you can snag a good deal for summer travel in winter, often the acceptable rates (outside of resort areas or always-booked properties) will be more the farther out the check-in date.
> 
> Blind booking services exist to sell otherwise unsold inventory (kind of like Big Lots! for travel). Many hotels do not consistently sell out from night to night and this is where services like Priceline and Hotwire come in. Occasionally one can obtain a very low walk-up rate at a particular hotel, but most hotels are wary of discounting rates too heavily, even if it means not selling a room at all due to the possibility of setting up a future unrealistic expectation, particularly in these days when word-of-mouth is actually at the speed of electrons. This is where the middleman services come in and fill a need on both ends of the lodging spectrum.


----------

