Now That's a Bargain

The other day I was reading my favorite magazine again, Budget Travel. I came to a section that I thought I would share with everyone. You can PAY OUT your hotel costs before your trip!! Yes, there are a few sites that allow you to pay out your hotel costs so you do not have to give them a big lump sum at once. They even allow you to pay up until your arrival date. And two of them have NO FEES!!! Greatness, huh? Especially with the economy like it is and more people staying in the U.S and close to home for vacations. This may allow them to travel a bit further.

Gate1Travel.com-you can put down a $100-200 deposit to reserve a spot...and you just go to the website to pay off your balance, in as many installments as you'd like( no required minimum for each one) There is a hitch: The total must be taken care of at least 45 days BEFORE departure for land trips and 4 months in advance for cruises. If not, you will lose your spot and deposit. But the rest of the money you pay will be refunded. There is no fee.

Applecorehotels.com- This website has 5 Manhattan hotels that it operates. All you need is a $20 deposit. The rest of your tab can then be settled in several payments UP TO the date of your stay. Apple Core's got your back too, if the room rates go up, you are LOCKED in at the price you reserved the room at. Most rooms at the 5 hotels start at $130/night......and there is no fee.

Elayaway.com- Last year, Hyatt became the first hotel group to start selling gift certificates on this website. It's a website where users pay piecemeal for furniture, clothes, jewelry, etc. After you decide on a layaway plan( for example, 10 installments of $20/each for a $200 card), the money is deducted from your bank account each month. When you are all paid up, the certificate is redeemable for rooms or meals at nearly 400 of the group's hotels around the world. There is a fee of 1.9% of the cost of the certificate though.

I hope this turns out to be helpful for someone!! Take that trip to NYC that you always wanted now...it CAN be affordable!! And it is well worth the money spent!