Is Priceline Still Worth It?

I would say so for hotels. Notice that I don’t say flights or car rentals.

For flights, you’re better off downloading apps from the airlines and doing your own price comparisons. When you use Priceline, or any other third party, you may not get miles or points. There are programs available, but the boilerplate seems extensive. You need to really dissect the fine print. Me, personally, I prefer to accumulate miles when it comes to flights. Although hotels offer points, I feel like what hotels will charge you booking direct – or worse, as a walk-in – don’t justify skipping Priceline. I still say that using Priceline for hotel bookings is the way to go. You get to see the hotel, the rooms, and read about the amenities – clearly and concisely. Rarely have I ever had an issue with getting the room I booked. And to the best of my recollection, I’ve never fallen victim to an overbooking situation. Even on the rare instances when I couldn’t get the room I booked, I’ve never been turned away from a hotel with a Priceline booking. Can it happen? It could, but it’s never happened to me.

Another HUGE plus with Priceline is the guest ratings. Stars are one thing, but guest ratings are quite another. DO NOT GO BY STARS! I’ve stayed at 2 STAR hotels that put 3 STAR hotels to shame. I feel like the star ratings can also be more political than factual. One time I stayed at the CROWNE PLAZA COLUMBUS, OH. That’s a 3 STAR and that name “CROWNE PLAZA,” sound super high-end. That’s where the politics play a role, IMO. (I’ve stayed at Red Roof Inns that put this hotel to shame. Just some food for thought). That hotel would be luck to get 2 STARS. Leave the stars in space, listen to the PEOPLE instead!

Guest Ratings on Priceline go 1-10. You never want to stay anywhere with less than a 7. DO NOT DO IT! And to show you how warped the star-system is, you can actually stay at a “3 STAR” with a 5.5 Guest Rating (or lower). That’s basically a roach motel. Sorry, not sorry. Ideally you want to stay at anything with a score of 8 or higher. If you stay anywhere with an 8.3, 8.5, or higher, you will love it. The 7-8 range is acceptable. 8+ is when things get good. If you find a 2.5 STAR, with 8 or higher – YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK!!

When it comes to car rentals, Priceline offers great deals; however, I prefer to use one company and one company only. I usually will go with Enterprise. My second choice is Hertz. One time, I booked with a sketch company in South Florida through Priceline at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Airport (FLL) and they wanted a weird deposit and there were all sorts of strange rules – none of which were worth the savings. I canceled the reservation and walked over to Hertz. I have a solid credit score and while Enterprise also puts a hold, they offer unlimited miles and no weird rules. Even if you use Priceline to book with a major car rental company, I feel like the savings just aren’t worth it. Plus, you’ll prolly get a sub-compact car. I prefer to work directly with car rental companies, earn points, and go from there.

When it comes to flights, you’re not saving any money with Priceline. The only way you could save money – AND TIME – is sometimes you can get on a faster flight, but you’ll notice that that option is only for Economy Basic. Never, ever, ever fly Economy Basic. I made this mistake with Priceline on my 2024 El Salvador trip. I sat in the middle seat of the last row of the plane by the bathrooms. I boarded last, had a crappy seat, it was bumpy as hell and no changes were allowed. You can’t even pay for a better seat. If you’re short, skinny, and don’t mind sitting by the John, then that’s no problem. I, however, am not skinny and I’m 6’4 and change. That was a hard pass moving forward. That said, if you try to find the same flight on the airline, you either can’t or you can’t get in on Economy Basic. Who knows why. If you’re a bigger traveler, splurge a little. I’m going to Nicaragua in two weeks on United on First Class & Business. That’s the way to go – and I’ll earn points. I paid $1300. On Priceline, it would have been astronomically more, I suspect. Sometimes booking direct, cutting out the middle man, saves you money too.

One last thing, not all third party apps are created equal. I’ve looked at others, but Priceline is the only one I trust.

Happy AND SAFE travels!