- Feb 17, 2009
- 1,739
- 9
- 38
Tingo is a new option for hotel bookings. The site monitors prices up to 24 hours before check in. If it drops, it automatically rebooks at the lower rate and refunds your credit card. If you find a cheaper rate on your own, just cancel your Tingo reservation.
How it works: This new hotel reservation site, which monitors prices up to 24 hours before check-in, allows you to book refundable rates, marked as “money back.” If the price drops after you reserve — which happens on almost a third of two-night stays, according to Smarter Travel — it automatically rebooks the lower rate and then refunds the difference to your credit card within a few days after checkout. (You can still book nonrefundable rooms through Tingo as well, without the option of getting money back.)
Pros: Tingo offers an extensive hotel inventory (powered by the Expedia Affiliate Network) of tens of thousands of hotels in major destinations. The automatic refund process means travelers do nothing but reserve and then wait for a refund if the price drops. There are no booking fees involved. Tingo doesn’t charge a cancellation fee, either; only the hotel’s cancellation policy applies.
Cons: You may miss out on a cheaper price that the hotel offers directly. For example, a search on Tingo for a three-day mid-May hotel stay in Miami turned up 125 hotels, including the Hotel of South Beach for about $312 a night including taxes and fees — about $35 a night more than the hotel itself was offering for the same “designer” standard room. Refunds are not available for prepaid, nonrefundable hotels, which are also listed on the site.
Bottom line: It’s a no-brainer. Even if you later find a cheaper nonrefundable rate on the hotel’s own Web site, you can cancel your Tingo reservation without being charged if it is within the refund time frame, and go with the cheaper rate.
Right now, you can book The Highland Inn for $53/night for 9/12-9/16!
~Jen
How it works: This new hotel reservation site, which monitors prices up to 24 hours before check-in, allows you to book refundable rates, marked as “money back.” If the price drops after you reserve — which happens on almost a third of two-night stays, according to Smarter Travel — it automatically rebooks the lower rate and then refunds the difference to your credit card within a few days after checkout. (You can still book nonrefundable rooms through Tingo as well, without the option of getting money back.)
Pros: Tingo offers an extensive hotel inventory (powered by the Expedia Affiliate Network) of tens of thousands of hotels in major destinations. The automatic refund process means travelers do nothing but reserve and then wait for a refund if the price drops. There are no booking fees involved. Tingo doesn’t charge a cancellation fee, either; only the hotel’s cancellation policy applies.
Cons: You may miss out on a cheaper price that the hotel offers directly. For example, a search on Tingo for a three-day mid-May hotel stay in Miami turned up 125 hotels, including the Hotel of South Beach for about $312 a night including taxes and fees — about $35 a night more than the hotel itself was offering for the same “designer” standard room. Refunds are not available for prepaid, nonrefundable hotels, which are also listed on the site.
Bottom line: It’s a no-brainer. Even if you later find a cheaper nonrefundable rate on the hotel’s own Web site, you can cancel your Tingo reservation without being charged if it is within the refund time frame, and go with the cheaper rate.
Right now, you can book The Highland Inn for $53/night for 9/12-9/16!
~Jen
