Reader D.B points me to a Canadian Poker forum that’s discussing a Travelocity promotion code which allows you to take $200 off of an air and hotel package of 3 nights or more, with no minimum spending, valid for travel through December 31.
The value proposition here is that you can book a really cheap flight that you don’t bother taking, and have a discount on your hotel stay. Or you book a really really cheap hotel somewhere in the world, and get a nice air discount.
The code is NFB2012 and it must be used by August 4th, although it will end earlier once it has been used 3500 times.
You can find some particularly cheap hotels in Southeast and in Central Asia. When doing an do advance search. then click that you prefer to stay stay in a city other than your destination airport. And if you’re traveling with two people, you’ll still want to set the number of people in the hotel room to ‘1’ and book travel separately so you can each use the coupon for $200 off. Note that the coupon is entered on the checkout page, not during your search.
Here are the terms and conditions:
The promotional code (the Promo Code) for $200 is valid between 12:01 a.m. Central Time on July 2, 2012 and 11:59 p.m. Central Time on August 4, 2012 (the Promotion Period) or until it reaches the redemption limit of 3,500 redemptions.
Your use of the Promo Code on the www.travelocity.com Web site (the Site) is subject to the Travelocity User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
The Promo Code is valid only for qualifying purchases made on the Site. A qualifying purchase means a three-night or longer Hotel+Flight Vacation Package which is offered on the Site during the Promotion Period. Travel dates must be between July 2,2012 and December 31, 2012.
Qualifying Hotel+Flight Vacation Package purchase requires a minimum spend of $200 and should be booked immediately following your qualifying air booking.
To redeem the Promo Code, you simply type NFB2012 into the Promotional Code field on the Checkout Review Page of the Site, and $200 will be automatically deducted from the final price of your qualifying Hotel+Flight Vacation Package .
You may only redeem the Promo Code once and only during the Promotion Period.
You may not redeem or exchange the Promo Code for cash. You may not use or combine the Promo Code with any other promotional codes. If lost or stolen, the Promo Code will not be replaced.
Travelocity prohibits posting the Promo Code on the Internet or any public forum, or forwarding the Promo Code to any other person.
In the event of any violation of these Terms & Conditions, Travelocity reserves all of the rights and remedies available to Travelocity including charging your credit card for the amount of the Promo Code not to exceed $200, canceling your reservation without a refund to you, and all other remedies available to Travelocity.
TRAVELOCITY MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO PROMOTIONAL CODES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN THE EVENT A PROMO CODE IS NOT FUNCTIONAL, YOUR SOLE REMEDY, AND THE SOLE LIABILITY OF TRAVELOCITY SHALL BE THE REPLACEMENT OF THE NON-FUNCTIONING PROMO CODE.
Travelocity reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions from time to time in its sole discretion.
So it’s apparently against Travelocity’s rules for me to tell you about this, except I’m not sure I’ve agreed to those rules. And a Google search reveals that it’s also now been posted on Flyertalk, and on several coupon websites, as far back as the beginning of July..
Update: Okay people I figured this would generate more excitement than it has so far on a Sunday morning. Perhaps I wasn’t explicit enough. Here is Just Another Points Traveler explaining how she used this deal to book New York – Orlando roundtrip for $24.
Update 2: A bit more Googling and it appears that this discount is being promoted by Travelocity to members of the National Federation of the Blind. I leave it to you to determine whether or not that influences your willingness to use the discount. (And as AndyAndy notes in the comments you can join NFB for $10.)
Can a multiple city flight be done?
I want to fly BKK to Chiang Rai, and then Chiang Mai back to BKK, but I don’t see the option in the advanced menu.
To clarify, I only see the option on the flights search, not the flights + hotel
Thanks Gary, I booked a great flight! $24 RT to Orlando
Thanks Gary! Needed to book a hotel in Las Vegas anyways, found a cheap $60 flight, saved me $200. Hopefully I’ll also get the $50 AMEX statement credit from the twitter sync
The flight and hotel don’t even have to be the same destination.
Wow, Thanks Gary. South Asia seems to have the cheapest hotel addons.
Thanks Gary! Used it to book a weekend for my wife, daughter and I in Washington D.C (from BOS). Free for me and $20/each for my wife and daughter for the flights. T&C says good only once, but does anyone think it may work a second time to save money on the hotels?
Thanks, Gary! Does your return flight get cancelled if you don’t check into the hotel?
@ML – i can’t imagine so, no
Thanks, I hope not as well! One more question, I suppose Travelocity never had or may have gotten rid of the “need hotel for only part of the trip” option? I recall seeing that before on Expedia.
@ Update #2: Guess that explains the code that starts with ‘NFB’. Thanks for the extra research Gary – Gonna pass here, hope the National Federation of the Blind folks who this code was intended for already booked their trips.
It’s been around for over a month.
How do you book the flight and hotel for different destinations?
Any thoughts on multiple bookings and how they track it?
Also, I’ll wait until the 4th so the NFB can use them up and if I don’t get in, so be it!
Anyone happen to know an ultra cheap RT flight city pairing to try and use this deal for the hotel?
Is there a way to book a 4 or 5 night trip and just 3 nights hotel?
Anyone having any luck for flights out of Houston?
@RH, try kayak’s explore feature and change up your departing airport. good luck!
Just checked back here to look for additional info before I purchased. Glad I did…I’m gonna pass on this…….
I had a flight tee’d up, but checked back here before I pulled the trigger. While it’s a great savings, I can’t in good conscience use it given who it’s intended for.
Thanks for the update on that, Gary.
Awesome!! Thanks so much Gary. With Angelin’s hotel tip for Bangkok, I booked a flight to Orlando for $60, and will be staying at a the Radisson Orlando for 9K Carlson points a night.
They have cancelled a lot tickets that are not qualified, please stop using this code if you are not one of the blind.
this appears to be dead… keep getting an error at checkout.
I just booked my husband’s best friend to fly in from LA to Boston for a week in September for 200 RT – pretty good deal!
Code has been cancelled. Just tried and it said invalid.
You can join the NFB for $10, FWIW.
https://nfb.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2
Booked one for me and one for fiance. Then we each joined the NFB. We’ll be sleeping well in anticipation of our trip to the Keys!
It’s not dead, you need to do it correctly. Folks, don’t listen to these claims, it works.
DEAD!
So I actually would like to use this for a discount on hotel stay in thailand (since my flight to HKT is already booked w/ miles) If I book a throwaway flight and don’t show for it do you think it will have any impact on my hotel reservation?
@John it shouldn’t be a problem
Seems dead:
We’re sorry, we could not complete your request at this time.
Possible Causes:
Invalid code was entered.
The length of your trip does not qualify for this promo code. Please make sure that your trip includes a stay of the valid number of nights.
You do need to have a 3-day minimum stay. I just checked seconds ago and it’s still working, taking $200 off a flight+hotel stay for 1 person where the hotel is in a country other than where the flights are.
Not working for me , was working 20 minutes ago couldn’t find any cheap hotels or flight in oz
Still works for me….doesn’t appear dead.
Gary, are you sure about the $200 minimum spend? I was able to price out an itinerary for $185, before the discount. At check out, said my credit card would be charged $0.00
According to the DOT they can’t charge you more.
Gary, you’re right. I changed my dates from a 2 night to a 3 night stay and coupon worked. It’s still working as of now!
Yeah, Gary, why don’t you steal from a blind person on the street next time? Really shameful to see what FT has come to. First, it was that senior citizen, Rick, with the UA deal and now you.
This is ridiculous – especially your update that you can sign up for $10. I didn’t know that it was possible to become blind for $10.
@abcx – umm, this isn’t a “discount for the blind” it is a deal marketed at members of an organization that sells membership to anyone for $10. The deal has been around for about a month, has only a few days left, so members of that organization were made aware of it weeks ahead of anyone else. And what is being taken from them? The coupon hasn’t reached its intended number of uses yet so anyone who wishes can still use it.
That said, as soon as I had more information on what it was, its background, I updated the post so anyone can have as much information as I do in deciding how to approach this..
And for what it’s worth, I haven’t made a booking using the coupon.
Thanks. Booked a weekend flight to NYC for $6.47 less 4.5% (Topcashback).
Seems dead now @ 3 pm EDT. I was only able to book 2 of my 3 family members
@abcx:
Strictly speaking it’s possible to become blind for much less than $10.
Is it unethical to take advantage of AARP discounts if you are not retired? NFB seems to target membership at blind people, but I see no limitations. I’m sure they would be happy to accept sighted members.
dead for anyone else?
The deal is still alive at 3:41pm EST. Just booked TPA-LAS LAS-TPA for $171.69 total including taxes. I will be redeeming 20,000 United miles to fly out there first class (one-way redemption of miles is available on United). I’m only staying at “Terribles” but considering I got an upgraded tower room, plus they have a free shuttle to and from the airport, plus they give you free WIFI with no resort fee…..I really can’t complain.
While in Vegas I plan on redeeming my IHG one free night certificate for the Venetian or Palazzo, if they are still allowing the certificate redemption for either of those properties. Anyone?
I will NOT be using the return red-eye flight and will get back on my own. Still, I consider this to be a great, great bargain for very little money. While in Vegas I also plan on redeeming my Priority Club free night certificate for either the Venetian or the Palazzo, if IHG is still allowing the redemption for either of these properties.
VEGAS BABY!
geez why bother paying at all…
Seems purely dead now. Here’s the message that appears:
“We’re sorry, we could not complete your request at this time.
Possible Causes:
This discount is no longer available. Each promo code can only be redeemed by a limited number of users, and this one has reached its maximum. We recommend that when you see a code for a trip you’d like to take, you book your travel as quickly as possible.”
Sorta glad that it’s dead and over, no amount of money worth saving when yours or others conscious comes into play. If you did get in on this, please find a way to give back to this amazing world in some other manner.
Life needs to stay balanced, in the end we will all balance out!. Congrats to those who got in, congrats also to those who didn’t get in because of conscious. It’s win win everywhere.
DEAD
Doesn’t seem to be working for me either as of 5PM Eastern. Isn’t populating the “stay in alternate city” results. Only gives hotel options for area the flight goes to. Bummer
Not working for me either as of 429 CDT
dead
taking from the blind… how crass..
Agreed. What an incredible lack of moral fiber around here.
it just worked right now, it works at random
This is shameful. This is a promotion for those who are blind or dedicated to those who help the blind (and not just a 10 dollar donation). You can try to justify it all you want. Gary, you question what if there is any harm is being done. Well, maybe travelocity will be reluctant to give them this discount in the future. In any case, we should always avoid any possibility of hurting a charitable organization.
I seen this in Canadian forum few days ago.While I would take any mistake price or legit coupon anytime I passed this deal altough it was very tempting.
I was thinking how long will take until bloggers will advertise it. Not too much it seems…
Sorry Gray but while appreciating your blog and promoting good deals this is a shame for your blog
@polarbear – I’m not following, why is it a shame exactly, it was a deal that you said was tempting for you?
And with that, the deal is dead.
Gary I was temting until I read more and found it was intended for blind people.
@polarbear – i posted this before i knew whose discount it was, but to be clear, it isn’t “intended for blind people” it’s marketed at members of an organization that provides advocacy for the deaf which anyone can join.
Gary, with the deal now dead, people who are blind or have spent their lives working for the beterment of the blind now cannot use this discount. I still think this is wrong
I donated $1,000 tonight to the National Federation of the Blind in honor of View from the Wing to acknowledge the hard work that Gary puts in to share deals with us. NFB appears to be a worthy organization (http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4177); administrative expenses are low, the cause seems to be an admirable one, and I like that the executive director does not draw an exorbitant salary.
If you got a good deal as a result of the NFB promo, here is a chance to pay it forward if you want to. Likewise, if you’re one of the folks crying foul in this comment thread, this is an opportunity for you to take matters into your own hands and restore justice a la Batman, and in the process burnish the reputation the Boarding Area community.
Cl, because of this deal, there have been a lot more $10 donations to the group. Not many blind people may appreciate the idea of sight-seeing, and $10 may have a more direct positive impact on their lives than a travel package.
FYI, I missed out on this deal, but you cannot blame people who took advantage and donated $10.
Well, say what you’d like, but I don’t think it’s fully accurate to say that you “can’t blame people who took advantage of this deal” for whatever reason. When deals like this crop up, those who get in on them know that they aren’t the intended audience for these offers.
With that said, however, I don’t know the nature of why Travelocity offered this deal to this particular group — it may or may not have had anything to do with the nature of their work, so let’s not jump to conclusions.
Regardless, I find myself straddling the fence ethically on these sorts of things. It’s absolutely NOT a cut and dried matter.
I really take offense to what some have been saying – robbing from the blind and such. It is only 10 bucks to join and support the organization. Furthermore, this promo is 100% legit and focuses attention on the organization. One does not have to be “blind” to be part of an organization like this. One can still join and support it. The organization is also for visually impaired people and not just 100% blind people.
And if it matters to the naysayers – I do provide audits to business owners for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (this includes blind people).
C’mon all those who jumped on the bandwagon – support the cause:
https://nfb.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=2
I know that you will.
Than P , this is no reasonable excuse, most of the mile junkies are turning to dishonest people, looking for every way to abuse the system, miles and hotel points can be collected in so many legitimate ways.
thanks Gary! booked a few
So I guess it is dead then? If it is working, please let us know.
My partner and I were going to book this until we learned the source of the code. I’m all for a deal, but taking from an organization that supports blind people? We would have felt dirty. There’s bargain hunting, and then there’s just being decent.
emails now going out that travelocity is cancelling the packages apparently.
Got the cancellation email.Flights are still intact.
This is bs:
Dear ******,
Recently you booked a vacation package at http://www.travelocity.com using the promo code NFB2012. Based on our review of the details of your reservation, we have determined that you were not eligible to use the promo code and, therefore, we have cancelled your reservation.
If you received the promo code when you attended the 2012 National Federation of the Blind National Convention in Dallas, and feel you have received this message in error, please contact us at 1-866-211-1731.
Sincerely,
Travelocity Customer Care Team
“Got the cancellation email.Flights are still intact.”
Both flights & hotels are still intact too.
It could be that they will be waiting for people to contact them regarding the legitimate use of the code first. Perhaps a cancellation to be executed 3-5 days from now to give that buffer time.
Same here. Got the cancellation email.
got the same e-mail, however, flights and hotels are still intact. Possibly it takes a day or so for them to actually be canceled? I thought after a ticket is issued they couldn’t revoke it, but I guess with the United HK situation a couple weeks ago, apparently companies can.
got the same email. @ travelocity nobody knows anythink. so was ensured that everythink is fine. Put a note down in my reservation. Asked for the name of the registed agent.
regards
JR
At this point, I just want them to cancel my stuff. I leave on Sunday morning – I can’t wait 24-48 hours for them to contact me. I’ve rebooked my own flights on an airline that allows cancellation within 24 hours of booking if needed, as well as my hotel (which in Vegas this time of year I got for $15 a night). I just want to get started on getting a refund of my $232 whether I have to do it through my credit card or keep pestering Travelocity. I will NEVER be booking with them again…
My ticket was just canned. Will call ua and see if they reinstate the ticket …
Hi,
Need Details to travelocity integration.
Please Answer anyone ASAP