Odd Experience Booking a Hotel at Amex Travel.

[Renato1]

Earlier today I went to check the price for a night's stay at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok. The price at Booking.com was $326 a night plus $43 for breakfast. Then I remembered that I had an Amex Travel credit and checked the Amex site for the same day and the result was great - an early booking discount led to the price of $302 for the exact same room type, or $310 for the room and breakfast . Bargain!

Then I went off and did my plane booking, and when that was finished, went back to book the room at Amex.
But now there was no early booking discount, just the price for the room only - at $325.
So I kept trying and trying to get the earlier discount up, by trying to get the hotel up through different menus at the Amex site, and logging in and out, but with no success. I was pretty frustrated.

Then I had a bright idea, I was using Maxthon Browser and went and used Edge browser instead.
Suddenly, the early booking discounts were back, and I booked the room with breakfast for $310 less my $200 travel credit. Why the difference between what the two browsers displayed, I do not know.

Have any of you had these early booking discounts showing up at the Amex site all the time? I've never seen any in the past times I've searched the site.
Regards,
Renato

 

[KitKat]

Probably cookies....

 

[Daver6]

You'd think if they're going to the effort of tracking you via cookies, that they would also via your login.

 

[Renato1]

Probably cookies....

Most probably, since I rarely use Edge and it would have hardly any cookies.
But why would there be cookies to only show me the higher prices?
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Must...Fly!]

Booked a flight tonight via AMEX and remembered this.

Handy to have no surcharge for flights and have the insurance included.

But the cookie tracking is there, after >4 hours of testing, I am sure.

 

[Renato1]

Booked a flight tonight via AMEX and remembered this.

Handy to have no surcharge for flights and have the insurance included.

But the cookie tracking is there, after >4 hours of testing, I am sure.

Interesting thanks. You mean getting the free travel insurance with the purchase?

I guess the trick is to have a relatively redundant browser on one's computer, where one doesn't mind clearing the cookies and cache completely all the time.

Since I posted this thread, Amex changed their website a bit. Now I can't access it using my old browser - where it had previously worked perfectly. Instead I have to use Edge to access the Amex site.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Must...Fly!]

Interesting thanks. You mean getting the free travel insurance with the purchase?

Correct, Renato.

And overall I don''t mind their multicity search tool. It's not the best, but it does behave pretty well if I am being creative, which is often. Although there were a few options I could find with OTAs that didn't show via AMEX, there were some paths that AMEX gave me at an acceptable price. Sometimes a few dollars more than elsewhere, but surcharges taken in to account was still less.

The bonus of having no CC or FOREX surcharge is the icing on top for me, plus I made use of my travel credit this time around.

 

[Daver6]

Interesting thanks. You mean getting the free travel insurance with the purchase?

I guess the trick is to have a relatively redundant browser on one's computer, where one doesn't mind clearing the cookies and cache completely all the time.

Since I posted this thread, Amex changed their website a bit. Now I can't access it using my old browser - where it had previously worked perfectly. Instead I have to use Edge to access the Amex site.
Cheers,
Renato

Just use private browsing. No need for a second browser. You can also clear cookies just for a specific site too.

 

[Renato1]

Correct, Renato.

And overall I don''t mind their multicity search tool. It's not the best, but it does behave pretty well if I am being creative, which is often. Although there were a few options I could find with OTAs that didn't show via AMEX, there were some paths that AMEX gave me at an acceptable price. Sometimes a few dollars more than elsewhere, but surcharges taken in to account was still less.

The bonus of having no CC or FOREX surcharge is the icing on top for me, plus I made use of my travel credit this time around.

I hadn't thought about it, but you are right - there is no foreign exchange surcharge.

Unfortunately for me, the Amex Travel Insurance won't insure me for my pre-existing conditions.

The other good thing about the site is the tours/experiences which one can search for at the location one is going.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Renato1]

Just use private browsing. No need for a second browser. You can also clear cookies just for a specific site too.

Thanks. I was wondering what the Pivate Browsing business was about. I've just looked it up.

The Amex site works in Private Mode on the browser where it wouldn't work in normal mode.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Must...Fly!]

I hadn't thought about it, but you are right - there is no foreign exchange surcharge.

Unfortunately for me, the Amex Travel Insurance won't insure me for my pre-existing conditions.

The other good thing about the site is the tours/experiences which one can search for at the location one is going.
Regards,
Renato

Very true. Unfortunately this time, I am visiting a city I lived in for 2 years (London) and 23 years (Perth), so experiences are not high on the cards.

But at $1196 in Y and transiting Sydney on the outbound (A380), and Perth on the inbound (just to say hi to the family) along with a few extra SCs, I am happy. Most places wanted to give me EY flight numbers all the way and dish me a 7 or 21hour transit in AUH, especially on the outbound. AMEX behaved better and spat out VA numbers on the domestic hops, which seemed to have some effect on reducing the transits in AUH to the minimum, EY marketed.

I do wonder what status credits I will earn. Should all be at international rates but you never know with Velocity...

 

[Renato1]

Very true. Unfortunately this time, I am visiting a city I lived in for 2 years (London) and 23 years (Perth), so experiences are not high on the cards.

But at $1196 in Y and transiting Sydney on the outbound (A380), and Perth on the inbound (just to say hi to the family) along with a few extra SCs, I am happy. Most places wanted to give me EY flight numbers all the way and dish me a 7 or 21hour transit in AUH, especially on the outbound. AMEX behaved better and spat out VA numbers on the domestic hops, which seemed to have some effect on reducing the transits in AUH to the minimum, EY marketed.

I do wonder what status credits I will earn. Should all be at international rates but you never know with Velocity...

Thanks, but I wish I was a good enough AFFer to be able to follow what you meant about the flights.

I've just come across the one negative thing about using the Amex site, which I'd also come across in the past. I was checking for hotels in Ravenna Italy for next October, and Amex only threw up a choice of two hotels, whereas Booking.com delivered a lot more hotels and heaps of very luxurious looking Bed and Breakfasts, which had what I wanted, namely free or inexpensive car parking.
Regards,
Renato