I will be going on vacation next month with my family to visit my grandparents so they can see their new great-grand baby.  I had heard that you could get great deals on travel, so I went searching.  I also now have to pay for my daughters plane ticket since she just turned 3, so traveling is even more expensive.

I want to give major Kudo's to American Express and Priceline.com.

Priceline is the real deal when it comes to saving money. Check it out- I bid on a full size rental car for 8 days. I got it for $26 a day, which is usually econo-car pricing.  Next, I needed to book a hotel.  I first did my research on Priceline. You can book a hotel w/o bidding like you would on any other site. They have a great matrix that shows cities close to where you are staying.  I decided to go for the big enchelata with my bid- going for an upscale hotel for economy pricing.  Priceline was showing that the Hilton and Marriott Residence Inn were $179 a night.  I placed a bid for $59 a night. Guesse what? It got accepted. I am staying at the Hilton, which also has tennis, raquetball, a weightroom, walking trails, and an indoor pool.

Now to American Express. I use my Sky Miles Card to purchase everything on a day to day basis. I was able to use my miles for one ticket, use my free companion coupon for the other ticke and paid for one. My total outlay was $220 for 3 plane tickets!

Shopping around really pays off.