| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| Conventions Used in This Book | |
| |
| |
| Foolish Assumptions | |
| |
| |
| How This Book Is Organized | |
| |
| |
| Icons Used in This Book | |
| |
| |
| Where to Go from Here | |
| |
| |
| |
| What Priceline Can Do for You | |
| |
| |
| |
| Have We Met? Getting Acquainted with Priceline | |
| |
| |
| What Priceline Is and How It Works | |
| |
| |
| How Priceline Stacks Up to the Competition | |
| |
| |
| The Pros and Cons of Using Priceline | |
| |
| |
| The Bidding Process | |
| |
| |
| What to Do if You Have a Problem | |
| |
| |
| |
| Is Priceline Right for You? | |
| |
| |
| Airline Tickets: Bending Over Backward | |
| |
| |
| Sleeping Tight in Priceline Hotels | |
| |
| |
| Driving Away for Less with Priceline Rental Cars | |
| |
| |
| Vacations: Paying for Knowledge | |
| |
| |
| Priceline Mortgages | |
| |
| |
| |
| Knowing the Rules and Your Rights | |
| |
| |
| Your Rights as a Traveler | |
| |
| |
| Buying Priceline's Travel Insurance | |
| |
| |
| Priceline, Privacy, and Security | |
| |
| |
| When Something Goes Wrong | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Basics of Bidding | |
| |
| |
| Knowing the Two Easy Steps of Priceline Bidding | |
| |
| |
| Bidding for Flights | |
| |
| |
| Bidding for Hotels | |
| |
| |
| Bidding for Cars | |
| |
| |
| Priceline's Other Stuff | |
| |
| |
| If You're Not in the United States | |
| |
| |
| |
| Up, Up, and Away! Buying Plane Tickets on Priceline | |
| |
| |
| |
| Straighten Up and Fly Right: Knowing Your Options | |
| |
| |
| Priceline's Airlines | |
| |
| |
| Knowing Where You're Going | |
| |
| |
| Connecting the Dots | |
| |
| |
| Leaving on a Jet Plane? | |
| |
| |
| Knowing When You'll Be Flying | |
| |
| |
| Understanding "Nonrefundable" | |
| |
| |
| |
| Building an Airline Bid Strategy | |
| |
| |
| Knowing When to Bid | |
| |
| |
| Checking Competing Rates | |
| |
| |
| Creating a Bid Grid | |
| |
| |
| |
| Bidding On and Winning a Flight | |
| |
| |
| Beginning to Name Your Own Price | |
| |
| |
| Making Your First Bid | |
| |
| |
| Check, Check, and Check Again | |
| |
| |
| Oh, No! A Counteroffer! | |
| |
| |
| Bidding Again and Again | |
| |
| |
| You Won! Now What? | |
| |
| |
| |
| Dealing with Air-Travel Problems | |
| |
| |
| I Made a Mistake! | |
| |
| |
| I Didn't Hear Back from Priceline! | |
| |
| |
| I Didn't Get What I Asked For! | |
| |
| |
| Something's Wrong with My Airline! | |
| |
| |
| My Flight Is Delayed or Cancelled! | |
| |
| |
| I Got Bumped! | |
| |
| |
| |
| Nabbing a Hotel Room with Priceline | |
| |
| |
| |
| Taking Control of Your Hotel Options | |
| |
| |
| Understanding Priceline's Hotels | |
| |
| |
| Choosing a Hotel | |
| |
| |
| |
| Bidding Smarter for Hotels | |
| |
| |
| You're a Star! Understanding Priceline's Star Levels | |
| |
| |
| There's No Place Like Zone | |
| |
| |
| Deciding How Much to Bid | |
| |
| |
| Making a Bid Grid | |
| |
| |
| |
| Bidding On and Winning a Hotel Room | |
| |
| |
| Figuring Out When to Bid | |
| |
| |
| Beginning to Name Your Own Price | |
| |
| |
| Making Your First Bid | |
| |
| |
| Oh No, a Counteroffer! | |
| |
| |
| Bidding Again and Again | |
| |
| |
| I Won! Now What? | |
| |
| |
| |
| Solving Common Hotel Problems | |
| |
| |
| I Made a Mistake! | |
| |
| |
| No Reservation? | |
| |
| |
| This Isn't the Room I Bargained For | |
| |
| |
| What's This Charge? | |
| |
| |
| Getting Walked | |
| |
| |
| |
| Hot Wheels: Renting a Car through Priceline | |
| |
| |
| |
| Driving within Priceline's Lanes | |
| |
| |
| Priceline's Rental-Car Partners | |
| |
| |
| Picking Up and Returning Your Car | |
| |
| |
| Bidding with Class | |
| |
| |
| What's Included - and What Isn't | |
| |
| |
| |
| Bidding On and Winning a Rental Car | |
| |
| |
| Figuring Out When to Bid | |
| |
| |
| Choosing a Car | |
| |
| |
| Figuring Out How Much to Bid | |
| |
| |
| Making Your First Bid | |
| |
| |
| Bidding Again and Again | |
| |
| |
| You Won - Now What? | |
| |
| |
| |
| Fixing Rental-Car Problems | |
| |
| |
| I Made a Mistake! | |
| |
| |
| I Didn't Hear Back from Priceline! | |
| |
| |
| Hey, Where's My Reservation? | |
| |
| |
| My Flight Was Delayed/Cancelled! | |
| |
| |
| The Car I Picked Wasn't Available! | |
| |
| |
| The Rental-Car Desk Has No Cars at All! | |
| |
| |
| Oh No, I'm Late! | |
| |
| |
| |
| More Priceline Products | |
| |
| |
| |
| No Bidding Required: Buying Priceline Vacations | |
| |
| |
| Judging Priceline's Package Prices | |
| |
| |
| Checking Out Priceline's Hotels | |
| |
| |
| Buying a Vacation | |
| |
| |
| |
| Bidding for Mortgages | |
| |
| |
| The First National Bank of Priceline? | |
| |
| |
| Preparing to Bid for a Mortgage | |
| |
| |
| Deciding How Much to Bid | |
| |
| |
| Placing Your Bid | |
| |
| |
| Now What? Waiting to Hear whether Your Bid Has Been Accepted | |
| |
| |
| |
| Using Priceline around the World | |
| |
| |
| Priceline for Canadians | |
| |
| |
| Priceline for Europeans | |
| |
| |
| Using Priceline Asia | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Part of Tens | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Rules for Bidding | |
| |
| |
| Know Priceline's Restrictions | |
| |
| |
| Research Competing Prices | |
| |
| |
| Ignore Priceline's Price Suggestions | |
| |
| |
| Remember That Last-Minute Flights Are Best | |
| |
| |
| Study the Zone Maps and Hotel Lists | |
| |
| |
| Be a Happy Pessimist | |
| |
| |
| Check, Check, and Check Again | |
| |
| |
| Maximize Your Rebids | |
| |
| |
| Be Patient | |
| |
| |
| Share the Wealth | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Web Sites to Check before You Bid | |
| |
| |
| BiddingForTravel.com | |
| |
| |
| Orbitz.com | |
| |
| |
| Expedia.com | |
| |
| |
| Travelocity.com | |
| |
| |
| Travelweb.com | |
| |
| |
| SideStep | |
| |
| |
| Hotwire.com | |
| |
| |
| Airline Web Sites | |
| |
| |
| Hotel Web Sites | |
| |
| |
| Car-Rental Web Sites | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Top Domestic Hotel Cities | |
| |
| |
| Boston | |
| |
| |
| Chicago | |
| |
| |
| Las Vegas | |
| |
| |
| Miami | |
| |
| |
| New Orleans | |
| |
| |
| New York City | |
| |
| |
| Oahu | |
| |
| |
| Orlando | |
| |
| |
| San Francisco | |
| |
| |
| Washington, D.C. | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Top International Hotel Cities | |
| |
| |
| Amsterdam | |
| |
| |
| Barcelona | |
| |
| |
| Hong Kong | |
| |
| |
| London | |
| |
| |
| Montreal | |
| |
| |
| Paris | |
| |
| |
| Rome | |
| |
| |
| San Juan | |
| |
| |
| Toronto | |
| |
| |
| Vancouver | |
| |
| |
| Glossary | |
| |
| |
| Index | |