How Does Priceline.com Work?

Priceline.com is a website that lets you search for the lowest available price on hotel rooms, flights, car rentals and vacation packages, including cruises. There are two options for finding low fares: The first is to input the information you are looking for into the forms provided on the website. This information includes traveling dates, hotel types and car rental information. The website will then offer you different options with different prices.

The second option is to simply type in the fare you want to pay for the service. This is called the bidding feature. For example, if you wish to pay a certain amount for a round-trip airline ticket, you would type that information in the space provided, and Priceline will contact you via email if a fare in your price range becomes available. Alternately, you can check on your request and bids through a link on the website.

Once you have selected your trip options, you enter your personal information, such as your address, phone number and payment information. Once your payment goes through, you can print out the trip information and have it sent to your email address as well.

The website has many other features to help in travel planning. A section of the site features reviews of cities, including places to visit with children. It also automatically suggests hotel and flight deals for you based on your past history of searching.

The "Pricebreakers" page on the site lists daily deals chosen by Priceline's travel experts. These deals are usually on last-minute flights or hotels trying to fill rooms at the last minute. They are excellent if you do not have to plan ahead of time and are looking for a spontaneous trip.

Priceline.com even has a section for group trips. The site will search for and find low airfare and hotel rates for people traveling in a group.

Before you can purchase any trip options on Priceline.com or use its bidding feature, you must first set up an account. Click on "Sign In," then "Register Now." Priceline.com will ask you for some personal information, including your email address, zip code and a user name and password. You also have the option of setting up a travel profile at this time as well. The profile helps Priceline.com find travel choices that match your needs and desires.