Premise
Ah, Orbitz. How times have changed since a couple years ago, where my loyalty brought me to pay cash rates (gasp!) on your site. Now, everything is points, points, points.
I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while, to commemorate the wonderfulness that was Orbitz’s Best Rate Guarantee (BRG), now called simply Orbitz Price Guarantee. Years ago, it was a lucrative security blanket, ensuring that I was getting the best available rate, or compensating me with their Orbucks currency if not. Read on for more on how awesome it used to be!
Orbitz Best Rate Guarantee – Simply Bountiful
Originally, when I discovered its magic a few years ago, it was offering the below benefits for Orbitz members:
- Silver Member (free registration) – Difference + $100 in Orbucks
- Gold Member (4+ nights per year) – Difference + $150 in Orbucks
- Platinum Member (12+ nights per year) Difference + $200 in Orbucks
Needless to say, this was very generous, and I only used the BRG once or twice as a Gold member, netting $150. Imagine booking a hotel at ~$160, finding a slightly lower price at $155, and getting the difference ($5) and a bonus $150 back in Orbucks. This means an outlay of $160, and a credit good for $155 off your next hotel booking! Additionally, You are able to stack these with Orbitz promotions
Roughly two years ago, this benefit was scaled back, to simply Difference + $100 in Orbucks for customers regardless of level. I still managed to eke out small wins, booking hotels at close to $100 and applying BRG to them, for free stays. I remember an epic weekend where I had two or three back to back hotels all “paid” for by Orbitz’s program.
Orbitz Price Guarantee – Long Overdue
Up until about one and a half years ago, it was amazing. However, it has since been scaled back even further, most likely due to rampant overuse by savvy consumers, and changed its name.
Now the benefit of Orbitz Price Guarantee is merely the Difference + $50 in Orbucks for consumers. And while that may be better than the good majority of competing companies, who may offer only the Difference, or $25-$50 discount, it pales in comparison to what it used to be. Additionally, I find many of the hotel best price guarantees attractive as well (especially IHG). It’s incredibly hard to maximize the benefit by booking a hotel at just above the bonus price of $50, and so it no longer has become an exciting enterprise. However, it was long overdue, a loss leader for the company, and most likely heavily abused.
Conclusion
Over the years, I’ve earned well over a thousand dollars in Orbucks, which I then turn around to mitigate the damage of cash rates, or treat my parents to a getaway. The last bonuses I got were at the end of 2015, and I still look upon those days fondly, even though now I get travel another way.
Have you used the Orbitz Best Rate Guarantee or Price Guarantee? How about guarantees at other aggregators or hotel websites? Let me know your experience in the comments!
Featured Image is a beautiful Cyprus villa, an example of where you can redeem Orbucks. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which, should you click through and/or make a purchase, grant me a commission. I only post in the best interest of my readers. Lastly, thank you for supporting my blog and my travels.
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