If you have been booking your travel via Priceline, chances are you have accumulated a fair number of PricePoints with the Priceline VIP Rewards Visa Card. But now you might be thinking: how do you redeem these points to get the most value for your travel? Here, we will take you through how to redeem your Priceline points effectively, different ways you can use them, and some frequently asked questions that may help you through the process.
What Are Priceline Points?
PricePoints are the rewards that you earn using the Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card, a co-branded credit card issued by Barclays. These points help you reduce the prices of your travels, which can be on flights, hotels, car rentals, and package vacations. As opposed to other loyalty programs, points earned under the Priceline program can be used directly on the Priceline platform to pay for many travel-related expenses.
- Earn 5x points for every dollar spent on eligible Priceline.com purchases.
- Earn 2x points for spending at gas stations and restaurants.
- Earn 1x points on all other eligible purchases.
- You can redeem PricePoints for a range of bookings such as flights, hotels, car rentals, and vacation packages.
How Do I Earn Priceline Points?
Before you can redeem PricePoints, you need to know how to earn them. The Priceline VIP Rewards Visa Card is designed to deliver meaningful rewards for frequent Priceline users. The card earns points for nearly all of your purchases, but some categories add extra value.
- 5 points per dollar on eligible Priceline.com purchases (airfare, hotels, car rentals, etc.).
- 2 points per dollar on gas and restaurant purchases.
- 1 point for every dollar on all purchases with the card.
- Bonus Points: Get 10,000 bonus points if in the first 90 days after opening the account, you spend $1,000.
The more you use the card for travel purchases and personal expenses, the more you will collect points. Earning points flexibility can result in rewards for your spend and save on future trips simultaneously.
Where Can I Redeem Priceline Points?
You can redeem your PricePoints directly on the Priceline website. The points can be used for different travel bookings, such as flights, hotels, car rentals, and vacation packages. You do not need to go through a third-party site or manually request statement credits; the process is streamlined for ease of use.
- Flights: Use PricePoints to lower the price of your flight reservations.
- Hotels: Use points to save on hotels. However, you will not receive any hotel loyalty program points or benefits when you book through Priceline.
- Car Rentals: You can also use points to offset the cost of car rentals, so it’s easy to complete your entire travel experience with PricePoints.Holiday Package: If you book a combined journey, like flight plus hotel and car, you can use price points.
Also, when you use them on Priceline itself, you have more flexibility about how you use those price points-that works for spontaneous travelers who will abhor the suspense and wait to use points accumulated until they have enough.
How do I redeem Priceline points?
Redeeming your PricePoints on the Priceline website is very easy. Regardless of whether it is a flight or a hotel, the steps in booking are pretty simple, thus making full use of your points collected.
- Step 1: Log into your Priceline account and begin the booking process for your desired travel (flight, hotel, car rental, etc.).
- Step 2: When you’re ready to check out, you click the “Redeem Points” button. You will be able to see how many points you have available and apply them directly to your booking.
- Step 3: Enter how many points you would like to redeem.
- Step 4: Then pay for the remaining balance of the booking with your Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card.
- Step 5: After a successful transaction, the cost of your booking will be deducted, and you will get a statement credit for the amount spent within 3-5 business days.
This service ensures you redeem your points without a hassle, and even while using points to redeem, it allows you to earn points on your purchase.
Can I use Priceline Points for Hotel Booking?
You can use PricePoints to book a hotel, but it has some drawbacks. While booking hotels with your PricePoints is convenient You may have to give up some of the privileges that you may be accustomed to with certain hotel loyalty programs.
- Elite Status: If you are a member of a hotel loyalty program (Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors etc., you will still earn no points or in some cases miss out on elite status benefits like complimentary breakfast or room upgrading booking with Priceline.
- Range of Hotels: Priceline offers a wide choice of hotels. This leaves you with a lot more variety than you might have with bookings directly with hotels.
- Discounted rates: Even if you are foregoing your loyalty perks, you will still realize that the discounted rate offered through Priceline by means of your PricePoints might be enough in terms of savings when compared with booking directly with the hotel.
Can I Use Priceline Points with Other Loyalty Programs?
Most of these loyalty programs cannot be used with PricePoints, which means that if you are booking a flight on Priceline. You can only earn miles from the airline, not Priceline points, and you are likely to not get any elite benefits or other benefits.
- Air travel: Flights you book with Priceline accrue miles with the individual carrier you are using, but miles are not awardable against PricePoints
- Hotels: Similarly, you can use PricePoints to buy hotel rooms but will probably give up hotel loyalty points or other benefits at that point.
- Rental Cars: Rental car companies don’t usually allow you to earn loyalty points when booking through Priceline, but the ability to save on rental costs is still valuable.
While Priceline offers flexibility in booking with points, it is essential to understand the restrictions when combining rewards from other programs.
Are Priceline Points Worth the Effort?
The value of Priceline points largely depends on how you redeem them. Normally, PricePoint will fetch about 1 cent. Most travel points programs fall within this standard. How you redeem your points determines its value:
- Flights and Vacation Packages: When you redeem your points for flights or vacation packages, you tend to get a better value for your points because those bookings tend to be more expensive.
- Hotels: The value of the hotel points may be a bit less attractive relative to the booking for the flight, and therefore there are losing hotel loyalty program benefits.
- Rentals: Rental car is a bit less similar to the case of hotel bookings.
Although the redemption rate is standard, with Priceline’s direct redeeming of your points, it makes for an excellent choice for travelers to cut back on their trips.
Frequently Asked Questions About Priceline Points
No, PricePoints cannot be redeemed for cash. They are only applicable to travel bookings made on Priceline.com.
Usually, points earned with the Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card appear in your account within a few days of completing the transaction.
Priceline points do not normally expire, but just as long as your account remains active. Still, it’s always a good idea to check your card terms for any clause that deals with expiration.
You can use PricePoints on flights, hotels, car rentals, and packages through Priceline. But they cannot be used for any form of merchandise or other kinds of purchases outside of traveling.
PricePoints cannot be used in combination with most other Priceline offers or promotions, but you can use them in combination with your Priceline VIP Rewards Visa Card to earn more points on your bookings.
Yes, you can because you can pay part of your booking with the PricePoints, while you will pay the remaining part using your credit card.
Conclusion
Redeeming your Priceline points is very simple and flexible, mostly for frequent travelers who will be booking through Priceline. While at its best, PricePoints allows individuals to save on a round of flights, hotel or rent for a car. Loyalty may carry negative outcomes-most probably within rewards redemption at high-value destinations. This is when learning how to maximize your points can help you enjoy future discounts on your trips more.