Priceline limits you to one bid every 24 hours.  However, if you change something about your bid (add an area, or add a star rating) you are allowed to bid again.  So if you get a little bit creative you can find ways to make several bids every 24 hours.  Lets go through an example to explain how this works.

Lets say I’m going to Las Vegas, and I want to stay at a 4 star hotel right on the strip (south).

First I’ll go to Las Vegas / Nevada Priceline hotel list to see what hotels are available.

Las Vegas (Strip South)
5* TheHotel at Mandalay Bay
4* Luxor
4* MGM Grand
4* NYNY
4* Planet Hollywood
4* The Westin
3.5* Monte Carlo
3* Bills Gamblin’ Hall
3* Hooters Casino Hotel

Now scroll down to the bottom of the page to see recent successful bids in Nevada – this will give you an idea of what these hotels are going for.

Once you have gathered the information you need,  go to priceline.com and enter the dates and city you’d like to stay in.

For the purposes of this example, lets say I’m heading to Las Vegas – Aug 27 -28 and  I want a 4 star hotel on the south strip.

Look for the name your own price box – click it.

You’ll be taken to a page that has a list of areas within Las Vegas along with a map.  Click each one of the areas to see which star ratings are available for each one.

Notice that only 1, 2, 2.5, and 3 stars hotels are available when “Boulder Strip” is selected. (I cannot select Resort, 3.5, 4, or 5 star hotels)

After looking at each of the areas individually, I’ve noticed that “Boulder Strip” and “Nellis – Las Vegas Speedway” do not have 4 star hotels available.  Just make a note of this information – you can use it later to get a few more bids in. (if you need to)

Ok, so now I am going to select the area that I want (Las Vegas Strip South), the star rating I want (4 stars), and the price I want to pay (lets say $45).

Click Next.

You are now taken to a confirmation page that looks like this:

Here you are told what the total charge (including all taxes and fees) will be.  You also have to enter your credit card information here.  Remember, if your bid is accepted, your card is charged immediately.

Click the “Buy my hotel room now” button.

Priceline will let you know in 30 seconds or so, if your bid is accepted or rejected.

If your bid is accepted - congratulations! You just booked a room (and saved abunch of $$). Your hotel is revealed to you, and your credit card is charged.   All you have to do is show up at the hotel on the days you specified.

If your bid is rejected, you have to wait 24 hours before trying again (with that exact same bid).  However, the trick is, if you change something about your bid, you can bid again right away.

Recall that “Boulder Strip” had no 4 star hotels.  So if I change my bid by selecting both “Las Vegas Strip South” and “Boulder Strip” I can bid again.  If I keep my star rating at 4 star as seen below, then there is no chance I can get a hotel in Boulder Strip (There are no 4 stars in Boulder Strip!)  So essentially, I’m placing another bid for a Las Vegas Strip South 4 star hotel.

This time try a $47 bid. If this bid is rejected, this process can be repeated again by selecting “Las Vegas Strip South”, “Boulder Strip”, and “Nellis – Las Vegas Speedway”.  (Remember, “Nellis – Las Vegas Speedway” didnt have any 4 stars available either)

At this point if you are still being rejected, you can try the whole process again 24 hours later.

The example we just went over was a very specific example to see how it all works.  Each combination of location and star rating will be different, so get creative and find a way to bid more than once!

If you need help, feel free to ask here.  Just put up a post saying when and where you want to stay, and we’ll help you out with your bidding strategy