Check out our Top Rewards Cards to boost your points earning and travel more!
Hotels.com is offering 9% cashback through TopCashBack through April 30, 2016. These rates change frequently, typically ranging 4-6%. I find TopCashBack consistently among the highest, most reliable to pay, and with fewest exclusions of cashback portals.
Update: reader Brian pointed out the referral offer mentioned here expired shortly after post, current offer through August 11, 2016 is $15 for me and $0 for you, similar to a new sign-up they currently are not offering any bonus for new customers. If you still use my link, I appreciate it. I don’t know the pattern of prior sign-up bonuses, they may have a different offer from August 12, 2016 when the current expires. If you are not a TopCashBack member, support this blog by registering using my referral link, you’ll get $10 and I’ll get $15 once you have earned minimum $10 in cashback.
You can use all valid Hotels.com coupons to stack with cashback. Generally their coupons are limited to non-chain properties and require spend of $250 or more. TopCashBack lists many current coupons.
Hotels.com Rewards is a 10% rebate program. Every qualifying 10 nights stayed you get a reward night that is the value of the average of the price of the prior 10 nights. Hotels that participate in earning and/or redeeming awards are shown when booking hotels.
Prices sometimes are lower on the Hotels.com app so compare that to using cashback with the website.
Hotels.com and Booking.com are my two go-to hotel websites. Booking.com I often use for small hotels and guesthouses, while Hotels.com for larger hotels. As with other 3rd-party booking sites, you generally will not get hotel loyalty program benefits or points for the stay.
Hotels.com gift cards are another way to keep stacking, most portals do not pay out on the gift card purchase, though check TopCashBack which at times pays 2%. You will earn cashback through the portal for you actual stays paid with gift cards.
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@Stefan Thank you for the follow-up and updating the post. Overall not a big deal, especially considering your suggestion has saved me much more than $10 in a couple short months.
Resubmitting comment as it looks like my original didn’t post. Note that the TopCashBack referral link in this post doesn’t pay the $10 as described. I signed up using the link in early May, shortly after this post was published, and never received the $10. I reached out to TopCashBack last week and they responded with the following: “when you opened your account I’m afraid we were not able to offer a sign up bonus to new members and instead this would only be paid to the referring member [Stefan] as normal.” I’m still glad I signed up for TCB,… Read more »
@Brian – I have come across this comment and the one prior that got caught in the the SPAM filters which get over-aggressive at times. I have investigated this as best I can. It looks like the $10 was a limited-time sign-up bonus that must have expired shortly after I posted, as you indicated you used the link a short time after posting. Unfortunately, I do not have a screenshot of what was the then offer showing any valid day, and if when you did it, you also do not have a screenshot that the offer was then still valid,… Read more »
I signed up for TopCashBack using the referral link in this post and never received the $10 Stefan describes. I joined in early May, shortly after the post was published, yet a TopCashBack rep told me “when you opened your account I’m afraid we were not able to offer a sign up bonus to new members and instead this would only be paid to the referring member (your friend) as normal.”
I’m still glad I signed up, but be forewarned that you won’t receive a bonus as claimed in the article.
[…] Rewards over 10% Hotels.com.” The post idea was a reaction to Rapid Travel Chai’s post “Hotels.com 9% Cashback + 10% Rewards + Stack Coupons.” Despite the fact that Hotels.com offers the equivalent of 10% back for hotel stays vs. 5% […]
Hotels.com will price match the lowest publicly available rates! I always book through Hotels.com, then call in to price match. There are multiple ways to get a good deal on Hotels.com. Option 1: RapidTravelChai way 9% TCB + 10% Hotels.com Rewards + Price match Option 2: Hotels.com GC Pay with Hotels.com GC — buy discounted eBay GC (~5-10% discount) and when there’s an increase in eBay Bucks (6-10%), buy Hotels.com gift card from Paypal Digital. That’s 10-20% discount right there! You won’t get the TCB cashback if paid via gift card though, but that’s potentially 20% GC + 10% Hotels.com… Read more »
I have been trying to use a 15% coupon I have for hotels.com (so 15%+9%+10%) in Japan. But, when I compare the price to book at the hotel directly it’s 30-40% cheaper. I’ve used hotels.com for years but now I’m wondering if I have been overpaying.
JB
@JB – some do compensate for the fees, often same hotel booking.com cheaper if both have it, good to compare direct, many small hotels don’t have website other than these.