Traditional
auctions are public sales where the items for sale go to the highest
bidders. Online travel auctions follow this same principal. While
each site each has its own rules, they have more similarities than
differences.
- Registration is usually required before placing a bid.
- You are generally required to buy the item in the event you are
the highest bidder.
- If you win, you will be notified by the e-mail address you
provided in the registration process.
Find a good auction site, and you may find just the bargain you're
looking for. Find a bad one, and you could waste unnecessary time
and money. One of our readers shared with us that he recently scored
a real steal on a trip to New Zealand: round-trip airfare, nine days
lodging, and a nine-day car rental for $1799. So, these sites are
definitely worth a look!
Your Best Bets
eBay Text Link
is the most well-known auction site on the Web. They have a large
section dedicated to travel, including tickets, trips and
accessories. Ebay is easy to navigate, and there are various ways to
access the particular items you want. Give yourself some time on the
site; at a first glance it can be overwhelming, but chances that
you'll find something worthy of a bid are favorable.
SkyAuction.com
is a great
place to bid on airline tickets. There are dozens of listings, with
an international section and even a special section for student
travel. They have an auction watch" which lets you immediately
access bidding histories.
Hotwire
negotiates with airlines for the best possible fares on your route,
then you can choose to accept or reject the results they give you.
You will not be shown your departure/arrival times or the name of
the carrier until after purchasing your tickets. If you can't be
flexible, therefore, Hotwire isn't the best option for you.
Caveats & Tips
- Don't forget to check the "official time" on the site,
and don't forget about time zone differences. Waiting too long and
missing the final bid could destroy weeks of hard work!
- Some sites charge a fee for bidding. Make sure to read the rules
carefully.
- Always look at the travel dates of a trip or ticket. Many are what
industry types would call "capacity controlled," which
means you may not be able to travel on particular days, or at
particular times of the year.
- Be careful if you are bidding on tickets for more than one person.
It's possible to secure one ticket and get outbid on the others. If
there is more than one ticket available, you will be asked what
quantity you would like. Make sure you specify that you are not
willing to accept a lesser quantity.
- Don't overbid! There are times when the highest bid on the online
travel auctions is higher than the lowest fare available from the
airlines. You may think you are getting a bargain, but you should
find out for certain. Be sure to shop around with all the major
airlines before bidding.
