This deal pops up every now and then on various websites like Groupon etc. Normally “mommy” bloggers are pushing it as a great way to save money to generate cash through their affiliate links. This is similar to the Groupon’s Airfastticket (not) deals in Europe.
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You can buy $100 Travelocity Incentives gift card (note that this CANNOT be used at Travelocity) for $50 using one of the numerous daily deal sites. The current deal is that you need to book on www.travelocityincentives.com a hotel for two nights and the total needs to be $250.
- Expires March 31, 2013
- Limit 1 voucher per reservation, may buy up to 10 vouchers
- Must be booked at www.travelocityincentives.com
- Minimum pre-tax package purchase of $250 required
- 2-night minimum reservation required
- No additional charges. No cash value. No cash back
The key thing here is to realize that the prices that you can find on Travelocity Incentives website are not always competitive. Also, booking a prepaid stay on the website doesn’t earn you points or stay credits on most hotel programs. Some of them do, however, extend the elite benefits, regardless of the booking channel used, like Hyatt does.
I am going to be back in Bangkok early next week and was looking at the hotels there. I have always wanted to try the new Sofitel hotel in Sukhumvit.
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The price that you can get on Travelocity Incentives is the same as on Sofitel’s own website. So, you could save $50 on a two night stay. Ok. Decent.
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Here’s another example for Yangon for the 8th of July for two nights. The price on Travelocity Incentives is $392.
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And on Agoda $356 + 10% service charge. The prices are thus identical.
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Conclusion
I don’t believe that these “voucher” deals are real DEALS. The real deals are discounted flash sales that all the hotel chains are offering once in a while, or using a discount codes that you are eligible for to bring the price down. These Travelocity Incentives vouchers offer at most 20% discount if the cost of your stay is exactly $250.
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