Refund and Bounty With Priceline Guarantee

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: The Trtl Pillow. It's easy to pack and comfortable, and makes it so I can actually sleep on flights.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: Seeing the Aurora Borealis from the comfort of somewhere warm, like a glass igloo or hot spring.

Travel Motto: Curiosity is an amazing compass.

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Aisle all the way.

Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

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There are plenty of trends I don’t like in the travel industry: airline fees, shrinking legroom, and hotel Wi-Fi charges to name a few. But one I do like is the evolving world of online travel agencies’ price guarantees. Last year, Travelocity and Orbitz both rolled out new programs offering travelers price difference refunds on hotel rooms, with varying restrictions.

Now Priceline is doing something similar with car rental bookings, though at least for now, it’s only for a limited time. Between now and June 2, when you book a Name Your Own Price rental car, if you find a cheaper rate up to 24 hours before you pick up the car, priceline.com will match the price and throw in a $20 bounty (for tracking down the cheaper price) and give you a $50 vacation package coupon.

This seems particularly useful for the “book now or wait for a lower price” crowd, which I’m definitely a part of, especially when it comes to car rentals.

If you book a car rental in the next few weeks using this offer, please share your experience. Did you get a good initial price? Were you able to find a lower price after booking? Was the effort you put into keeping an eye out for a lower price worth it?

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