A Review of Travel Auction Websites

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One of the queries we get most here at Excellent Romantic Vacations is advice on the best places to bid for travel online. So we’ve put together reviews and ratings of some of the most popular online travel auctions. Let the bidding begin...

Priceline.com rating: 4/5
Not a true travel auction website in the usual sense – you are actually placing an offer on a flight/hotel/package, and it’s up to the airline, hotel or tour company to decide if they will accept your price. And when they do, you usually end up saving alot. Priceline’s website is simple, well designed and produces results quickly. Hotel, car and package bids are Priceline’s strongest suits - you can See Winning Hotel bids in Top Cities from $28 per night!

Air fares are so ultra competitive right now that there seems to be very little room to move on most of the lowest published fares available. But we agree with many other priceline reviews: Overall it's a very effective site and one of the true innovators in travel auction websites.

CruiseCompete.com rating: 4/5
Although they deal only with cruises, Cruisecompete deserves mention as an excellent example of a "reverse travel auction": You browse through their cruises (hundreds to select from in well laid-out categories), pick one that you like, and Cruisecompete goes to work and submits that sailing to over 70 cruise agencies who reply to the site with their lowest bids. You can return to the site at your leisure to examine all the bids, and pick the one you like.

A smart idea, easy and functional design, privacy protection, and toll-free support.

LuxuryLink.com rating: 3/5
Not a dedicated travel auction site, but Luxurylink includes a special section on auctions available to the Caribbean, Europe, North America, South Pacific, Mexico, Central & South America, U.K., Asia and Africa. A well-designed, very usable site with excellent photos and good descriptions, etc. Like they say, these are luxury vacation packages at some incredibly posh 4 and 5 star resorts and hotels in all kinds of interesting and unique places worldwide. Just take a browse through some of the current auctions and see what we mean!

If you're shopping for a luxury getaway, it is possible to land a deal at one of these for much less than the brochure price, and their customer service is rated good in other Luxury Link reviews. However some of the airfare inclusive packages prices seem somwhat expensive (business class air add-ons can do that). So we recommend sticking to the land-only auctions. And before you bid on anything, double-check the same hotel or resort property on Expedia or Travelocity and compare the rate. There’s no point bidding higher than the advertised price somewhere else!

SkyAuction.com rating: 3/5
Home of some truly sensational bargains on a whole array of travel auctions. Many reports of travelers winning bids on packages and hotel rooms at jaw-dropping prices. While some travellers have reported some quality-control issues, our experience with Skyauction has been good. Unfortunately, their site only lists an e-mail address for contact/support, so make sure any queries are looked after well in advance.

You can register with Skyauction for free for a closer look at all the deals. We also suggest going through the fine print carefully, being exactly sure what you’re bidding on, and even contacting the resort or hotel to confirm the details about the room/package before you bid. If you’re an experienced, flexible traveler who can handle the suspense of online travel bidding, the potential is there for huge savings.

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