question about Priceline Free hotel stay

We are planning a cruise in januari 2011. Priceline offers Exclusive Free Hotel Stay up to 2 nights for a specific cruise:

"This EXCLUSIVE offer is 2 trips for the price of 1. Book an Oceanview or higher stateroom category on select fleets - sail 5-6 nights and Priceline will give you a 1-Night Hotel Bonus Cash coupon or sail 7+ nights and we will give you a 2-Night Hotel Bonus Cash coupon! Enjoy your hotel stay before or after sailing - cruise deals simply do not get bigger than this."

I have booked hotels via Priceline, but what Hotel Bonus Cash coupon are we going to recieve and can we actually book 2 nights in a hotel ?

Or is it a kind of discount coupon ?

Have you tried calling the customer service number at Priceline? You will get your answer through them.

since we live in the Netherlands and English is not my first language I try to avoid conversation by phone :o

I noticed that offer from Priceline as well before we booked and considered it. I think they give you some kind of limited credit and then you have to go through the actual bid process to get your room.

Have you tried *************.com for cruise quotes? We got better offers than the Priceline deal when we used it and ultimately booked thru one of the TA's who responded.

Wow --censored--I though this forum was to help each other out?!

I booked a cruise during the WOW Sale for Royal Caribbean and went through Priceline as opposed to dealing directly with Royal. It was due in part to the OBC, Specialty Dining for 2, and the "2 Free Hotel Nights."

The offer is for two free hotel nights using "Priceline Bonus Cash" up to a value of $140.00 total. The "Bonus Cash" can only be used for the "Name Your Own Price Option."

The "Bonus Cash" is handled/sent from Priceline Hotels, which is a separate department from Priceline Cruises. I was told that the email from Priceline Hotels informing you how to "activate" and use the bonus cash will be sent

3-4 weeks before my sailing date, so for me, it'll be around the first or second week or December for my January 9th cruise.

The different reps at Priceline always seem to mention that you don't have to user the bonus cash right away, or that it doesnt have to be used in conjunction with the dates you're sailing. Well that's one of the main reasons why I booked with PL was to get the free hotel stay to save on cost!!!

As a note, I have always gotten bonus cash from PL from booking hotels in the past, and have used it for the name your own price option before, so it's pretty good to boost your bidding price. I currently have $25.00 sitting in my rewards/bonus account with PL. For my cruise the average hotel in Downtown Miami has been going for $95-$108, not including taxes or fees for 3 1/2 star or higher hotels, so I'll probably go through most of the bonus cash for one night.

Lastly, I'm looking into the Oasis or Allure for the end of August, and will probably be using PL again to get the free hotel night option, along with OBC.:D

I noticed that offer from Priceline as well before we booked and considered it. I think they give you some kind of limited credit and then you have to go through the actual bid process to get your room.

 

Have you tried *************.com for cruise quotes? We got better offers than the Priceline deal when we used it and ultimately booked thru one of the TA's who responded.

 

Wow --censored--I though this forum was to help each other out?!

@whosyer: thanks for the reply. I am wondering what *****.com you were referring to. Can you sent me a Private message through this forum ?

@sjcruiser: Thank you for the information. On extra question:

If my bid on 2 hotel nights gets accepted for say $ 250 can I pay with the $ 140 Bonus Cash and the rest by creditcard ?

Last week booked our hotel via Priceline with the $140 bonus cash. As a previous poster mentioned you will get an email to activate the bonus cash. We sail in three weeks and recieved this email last week.

The lowest price you can bid is $1 per night and you are responsible for taxes and fees. So if you bid $1 for a two night stay your actual bid will be $71.00. Some bonus cash offers require a minimum night stay.

Bonus cash worked awesome for us. Our $40 bid per night plus taxes and fees for Miami Beach Holiday Inn was accepted for a three night stay beginning on Thanksgiving day.

I should be getting the bonus cash email voucher in the next week or so, so I decided to give a little more information on the process.

If you book the OVC or higher, 7 nights or longer cruise, you'll get the 2 night bonus cash offer up to $140.00 value. In the "fine print" you'll find that you have to bid on 2 consecutive nights, this is also confirmed my every rep I have talked to. Since I'm flying in the day before, I called PL and asked that the bonus cash be split into two different offers/vouchers, which they did after a little complaining in an authoritative tone. So I have I'll have two bonus cash offers/vouchers for $70.00 each to use on two separate occasions. Since I'm looking to stay at a 3.5* to 4* hotel in Downtown Miami, I'm willing to add another $30-$50 to my bid.

I'll post again after I get the email to validate, and use the bonus cash in bidding, and how I made out with my desired location, star # and price.

The only thing I don't like about this offer is that you have to wait 3-4 weeks before departure before they send the bonus cash to you. I like to have everything in place by now. I do have two backup hotels confirmed, which are cancellable. I'm flying into FLL, and want to use SAS shuttle, but can't book ground transportation until I have my hotel location with PL. I also have a one-way rental with Hertz, just in case, when I bid with PL, it's to late to book a shuttle.

mhaverla, I got a little sidetracked, and meant to ask you a question before I started ranting and posting my message. lol

So, did your bonus cash email come in the fourth or third week prior to your trip? Was the email, and validation/activation pretty straight forward?

Thanks

Yes, you can do this. I haven't done the email bonus offer, yet. They normally put $25.00 in my account about once or twice a quarter, and they add that to the hotel zone/* level I want. Most of the hotels I stay in are 3-4 stars, so most time I add $50.00 max, but Miami is a little more expensive since it's peak season. I've been searching a few other bidding sites, and the downtown locations have been going on average for $95-$108, although the prices have risen lately.

I am so sorry to jump in here - but I am VERY confused:confused:

I have booked MANY Hotel rooms with name your price [Priceline] and I have seen the offers that priceline has offered for free rooms when you book a cruise with them...what I don't understand is : what is and How you get Bonus cash??:confused:

One of the posters said "they put $25. in their account once or twice a quarter" Can you explain this please.:o

Thanks so much

I book hotels with Priceline for myself and family, roughly one or two rooms a quarter. During this time, if I check my rewards on PL.com, I'll have $20-$25 dollars in bonus cash to add to my bidding offers. Right now I have a $20 bonus cash and a $25 dollar bonus cash in my account to use for bidding on rooms of two nights or longer.

WOW!! I am really confused as to why I don't have any. I booked 14 rooms last year alone...:rolleyes:

Did you book your rooms on priceline[their regular prices] or did you put in your own price?

i've got an email into Priceline right now and am waiting on a reply about my status , hopefully all have some extra bucks soon LOL!;)

Ive done both ways on PL. Sometimes I bidded as the hotel didn't matter, just the general vicinity, and other times I paid the regular price of I, or they needed a specific hotel. I don't know how they figure out who or when you get them, but they've never emailed me to let me know the bonus cash was in my account. I just signed on and it was there. As I mentioned before I had $25 in there earlier in the week, and then I has another $25.

Good for you- glad someone is getting a surprise package when they log on.:D

Hopefully I'll get one someday too!;)

Okay, I just got an email that says expect "the email" containing the bonus cash/hotel voucher offer. Thursday will be a month away from the cruise, so I'll post back with more information.

@copper6606, how did you make out with your email into PL?

Priceline wrote back saying " Thank you for your inquiry and we will look into it and get back to you in 24 hours" -- NOTHING since???

Today I made some changes to our travel plans. Instead of flying into FLL, we're going to fly into MCO instead (still the day before) the cruise. We're going to rent a car, visit family and then drive down to Miami later that evening/night. I was able to keep my rate with National Car when I changed airports also, so we'll be looking at MIA airport locations in place of downtown Miami, since we'll be arriving late night, and will need some place to lay our head. I still have LQ Airport East and the Courtyard MIA as backups.

With changing airports, SW made it easy. We're still on an early morning flight, the price was the same, and we kept our early bird check in for the new flight.

Since I know I'll be definitely renting a car now upon arrival, I contacted SAS for return transportion from the Port of Miami to FLL.

Still waiting on the cruise bonus cash from Priceline, but since we're going to be staying at the airport, I probably won't have to spend any of my own money.

Date: January 8, 2011

Nights: 1

Location: Downtown Miami

Star: 4****

Offer #1: $70.00 Priceline Bonus Cash, plus $30.00. Total $100.00

Rejected

Date: January 8, 2011

Nights: 1

Location Downtown Miami + Miami Airport

Star: 4*** + 3.5***

Offer #2: $70.00 Priceline Bonus Cash, plus $30.00 Total $100.00

Rejected

Date: January 8, 2011

Number of nights: 1

Hotel: Courtyard by Marriott Airport South

Stars/Rating: 3***

Area: bid Miami Downtown, Miami Airport

Site: Priceline

Offer: $75.00

Taxes, Service Fees and Insurance: $27.87 Out of Pocket

Total: $97.87

Started with using the $70.00 PL Bonus Cash, increased bid by $5.00 to $75.00, and was accepted after about 10-15 minutes wait.

Has anyone tried get 2 rooms using the the PL bonus cash? I too, booked with priceline and have the $140 bonus cash and was wondering if we could book 2 rooms for just 1 night. Will the bonus cash work out the same?

I had long forgotten about this post. The best thing to do is to call Priceline. Sometimes they will divide the voucher up into two separate vouchers, and I'm sure you could use both for the same night. Remember though that you are bidding on the rooms, and any difference is price will be charged to your credit card. Also, you have a year to use the vouchers. I still have one of mine left for my cruise, and will probably use it for a weekend getaway late spring or early summer.

Best regards, and happy cruising.

Here's Priceline's recent e-mail (July 2011) to me about this:

Dear Valued Customer,

Congratulations! You have qualified for our “Free Hotel Stay” promotion with your recent Cruise purchase.

We will be emailing you shortly a link to redeem your Priceline Bonus Cash coupon for a Name Your Own Price® Hotel reservation.

For more information on Priceline’s Name Your Own Price® service click here: http://www.priceline.com/customerservice/faq/howitworks/hotel.asp For more information on using Bonus Cash click here and search for “bonus cash” in our frequently asked questions (FAQ) https://travela.priceline.com/customerservice/customerservice.do?session_key=661810AC400011AC2011072520083137e231219513&plf=pcln&INIT_SESSION=true&productlist_faq=AIRLINE&continueLink=0&_offer_num=&_reason=&_status=&selectedTab=faq To redeem your Bonus Cash, submit a Name Your Own Price® Hotel request and enter as little as $1 as your offer price. We will submit your offer price as the bonus cash plus the offer price you entered. If your request is accepted, you will be charged your offer price plus taxes and fees. For example, if you enter $1 as your offer price, we will submit the bonus cash plus the $1 you placed as your offer price. Each Bonus Cash coupon must be used to book consecutive nights in one single transaction. Customer is responsible for taxes and fees. Priceline's Name Your Own Price® reservation service is different from fixed-price travel sites whereby the exact hotel is shown only after purchase, but our customers typically save up to 50% over other leading online sites*.

If you apply the Bonus Cash to a one night stay, the entire amount of the Bonus Cash will be added to your offer price. If you apply the Bonus Cash coupon toward a longer stay, the Bonus Cash will be divided evenly over the number of nights requested. Bonus Cash coupon must be used to book consecutive nights. The Bonus Cash has no future value.

Keep in mind that depending on the location you wish to stay in as well as the Star Level you select, the cost of the hotel will vary; a four star hotel in New York costs considerably more than a two star hotel in Miami! You can use your Bonus Cash toward any destination and star rating you choose, but you may need to increase your offer price to get an accepted hotel.

The email containing your Bonus Cash will come from PricelineCruiseDeals@email.nlg.com. Please read the content of the email carefully as it contains important information regarding additional terms and conditions that apply to Name Your Own Price Bonus Cash offers.

Thank you for choosing priceline.com for booking your travel needs.

Sincerely,

Priceline.com

This thread still lives!!! lol

Just as a follow-up to this thread, the free hotel nights can be reserved in anyones name!!! I used my free hotel vouchers to extend my sister's vacation by an extra day this past weekend. I logged into my PL account, clicked on use this offer/cash voucher, and bid for the night she wanted, which would extend her 6 night vacation by an extra day/night. I knew it would be impossible to get the hotel she was currently in due to it being the summer, and peak season, but it didnt matter to her. When I placed the bid, I made the reservation in her name, but used my cc on file with PL to add a few extra dollars to the bid. After it came back that she had won, I called the hotel and confirmed that everything was in her name, and check-in was flawless on Friday afternoon. As a note, the hotel room was a king room, and couldnt be changed to a double either at time of reservation or at check-in.

So my three nights/days hotel stay are all used up, and now I can't wait til the next WOW sale by Royal, or any other line, and hopefully they'll offer the 3 or even the 7 nights free hotel stay that I've been seeing lately when booking an ocv or higher cabin.