Hotel Deals - Major change to Expedia BRG

It looks like Expedia has made a major change to its BRG. Hotels for which you claimed a BRG cannot be canceled anymore, at least not online. I know this has been reported as single incidents elsewhere but it now appears to be stardard practice. Can other people confirm?

Is this in writing somewhere that YOU have seen?
Are you speculating?
Did this happen to you?

Is this in writing somewhere that YOU have seen?
Are you speculating?
Did this happen to you?

it happened to me 3 times in a row. and others have reported it, too. maybe i should have put a "?" in the headline, you are right.

What happens when you try to cancel?

What happens when you try to cancel?

I got a text saying that this reservation could not be canceled online. this has never been an issue before.

Did you try calling to cancel?

I got a text saying that this reservation could not be canceled online. this has never been an issue before.

Is this now the case for cancellations for non-BRG hotel reservations too?

They probably are trying to cut down on the number of people who do the BRG multiple times and then cancel just to get the coupon.

It isn't charity you know

I did 2 last week. I was able to cancel one, no problem, refund on my credit card within a few days. The second one I couldn't cancel. Had a message saying that the hotel cannot be cancelled and to try again later.

It just happened to me. It took 20 minutes on the phone today to finally get my refund after cancelling a booking about 10 days ago. Getting a refund has become as burdensome as actually getting a BRG.

Definitely not worth my time anymore.

has anyone be able to cancel a booking online for which a brg was claimed? i think it is not possible any more, honestly. the it guys must have done some work... i am afraid to cancel over the phone, if possible, because i do not want to loose my coupon...

I've been getting tons of e-mails at the BRG Blog from my readers telling me of this happening to them. All e-mails have been within the past month or two, none prior. They are cracking down big time! This is their way of making you go through such an incredible amount of time and hassle that you'll never want to claim a BRG again, or so it seems.

has anyone be able to cancel a booking online for which a brg was claimed? i think it is not possible any more, honestly. the it guys must have done some work... i am afraid to cancel over the phone, if possible, because i do not want to loose my coupon...

Yup I have. I had already used the coupon to book a hotel, then cancelled the hotel for which it was claimed. I'm having trouble for another one though...but I have till July to cancel. I'm staying at the hotels for which I used the coupon
next week. So I will call them after my stay for the cancellation.

I agree with other members about BRG not worth the time and too much hassle.
I have seen very good deals from booking.com which I have used, especially the 50% off flash deals. It turned out to be around the same price as using a $50 coupon on Expedia.

I've been getting tons of e-mails at the BRG Blog from my readers telling me of this happening to them. All e-mails have been within the past month or two, none prior. They are cracking down big time! This is their way of making you go through such an incredible amount of time and hassle that you'll never want to claim a BRG again, or so it seems.

for me it seem to be clear that expedia will not allow hotel bookings to be canceled online for which brg were claimed. the interesting question is: even if you cancel over the phone (and are able to do do), will you still be able to use your coupon or will you loose your coupon?

The last one I tried to claim a few weeks ago was approved, but I was told that they saw that I had previously cancelled the reservations after I had gotten brg coupons. They informed me that if I cancelled this booking after I received the coupon , they would take away that coupon and possibly the previous coupons. The coupon was never dropped as I cancelled the reservation when I ended the call. They have never touched the coupons already in my account. I think I am done with the Expedia BRG. I am currently doing alot with the Choice BRG...

I think the inability to cancel online is designed as a deterrent for coupon collectors who never intend to keep the booking. However, when you call Expedia to cancel, the agent you reach will usually be clueless as to why the cancellation won't go through and will make every effort to help. The coupon would likely NOT be pulled and the cancellation will be taken care of (just be prepared to spend a long time on the phone!). I've never heard of a case where someone had a coupon actually taken away. Instead, those accounts suspected of coupon "abuse" will be denied future coupons. This happens more than you'd care to know. Also, Expedia loves to give out "warnings" first.

It just happened to me. It took 20 minutes on the phone today to finally get my refund after cancelling a booking about 10 days ago. Getting a refund has become as burdensome as actually getting a BRG.

Definitely not worth my time anymore.

Try being almost 3 hours on the phone with Expedia! I was trying to apply one of my coupons towards a hotel booking over the phone (no computer access at the time) and the coupon wasn't taking .. they kept getting an "error message". Expedia eventually got the hotel to book, but the full rate was charged onto my credit card WITHOUT the application of the $50 credit. I did not authorize that! It was Expedia's fault and they did admit to it. Long story short, the matter was settled but the whole experience was excruciating. Right now, I'm enjoying the Choice BRG .. for awhile at least. Expedia's BRG itself is great, but the way they handle claims and coupons is not what it was just a few years ago. I hope things improve!

talked to expedia about this today. according to them, they now mark all price matched hotels, meaning:

- you cannot cancel online
- once you call to cancel, the expedia system will deactivate the coupon automatically.

This is terrible, terrible news! i have used this technique several times over the years, so said to see it die!! At least I still have massive opportunities with the Marriott BRG program!

This is terrible, terrible news! i have used this technique several times over the years, so said to see it die!! At least I still have massive opportunities with the Marriott BRG program!

If this is indeed the end of the "easy" Expedia BRG program, we (flyertalkers) have only ourselves to blame. I've been trying (quietly, usually) to get posts taken down that "explain" how easy it is to abuse the program. Let's see now: if you instruct folks how to take advantage of something, what do YOU think is going to happen?

maybe we should try Orbitz or Travelocity or priceline :cool:

talked to expedia about this today. according to them, they now mark all price matched hotels, meaning:

- you cannot cancel online
- once you call to cancel, the expedia system will deactivate the coupon automatically.

So, what happens if the coupon has already been used prior to cancel? Expedia can't turn a cancellable hotel room into an uncancellable room...can they?:confused:

So, what happens if the coupon has already been used prior to cancel? Expedia can't turn a cancellable hotel room into an uncancellable room...can they?:confused:

I guess they could let you cancel less the $50.00 coupon value. They reserve the right to change the terms of the contract sans notice

So I make a BRG reservation for a date in November, use the coupon for a booking next week, complete the coupon stay..... now what? Coupon is used...booking is cancelable.

(delete my posts when/if needed please)

sorry - Darben just brought that up, my response over lapped.
I dunno...can't see them charging you for a coupon value, does it say in the T&C's coupon is void if reservation is cancelled?

I think that may be the future of this trick. No stocking up on them, must do the complete process to use them.

The last one I tried to claim a few weeks ago was approved, but I was told that they saw that I had previously cancelled the reservations after I had gotten brg coupons. They informed me that if I cancelled this booking after I received the coupon , they would take away that coupon and possibly the previous coupons. The coupon was never dropped as I cancelled the reservation when I ended the call. They have never touched the coupons already in my account. I think I am done with the Expedia BRG. I am currently doing alot with the Choice BRG...

I too have had to call to cancel rather than being able to cancel online. You can always use the coupon before you cancel so they can not "take it away from you". Again, you need to ask yourself if it is worth the effort. The BRG world is a crazy one for sure. Had some great luck with Choice BRG initially but that too seems to be coming to an end. The "household" rule is a bummer. There are of course ways around it but is it worth the effort? Priority Club BRG has gone the way of the Hilton - impossible. Let's hope there is a new kid on the block.

has anyone be able to cancel a booking online for which a brg was claimed? i think it is not possible any more, honestly. the it guys must have done some work... i am afraid to cancel over the phone, if possible, because i do not want to loose my coupon...

You deserve to lose your coupon if the only reason you got it was on a BRG hotel that you later canceled.

Yup I have. I had already used the coupon to book a hotel, then cancelled the hotel for which it was claimed. I'm having trouble for another one though...but I have till July to cancel. I'm staying at the hotels for which I used the coupon
next week. So I will call them after my stay for the cancellation.

Hopefully they take the value of the coupon off a refund and/or charge you the value of the coupon if you cancel.

talked to expedia about this today. according to them, they now mark all price matched hotels, meaning:

- you cannot cancel online
- once you call to cancel, the expedia system will deactivate the coupon automatically.

This only makes sense. Why does anyone think they are still entitled to a discount coupon for a BRG if they are not intending to use the hotel? I know "gaming the system" and I am all for that, but this seems so cut and dried that in this instance it is not right.

It was a great "promo". But creativity in this case still pays. :p

Perhaps this thread should be merged with the existing Expedia BRG thread?

talked to expedia about this today. according to them, they now mark all price matched hotels, meaning:

- you cannot cancel online
- once you call to cancel, the expedia system will deactivate the coupon automatically.

I do not have that issue.

as of today, brg reservations can be cancelled online again, and the coupon stays intact. looks like they are experimenting at the moment.

I had three bookings I already paid for A and B, C. A and B had BRG applied. Two months after initial booking I had to change the arrival date for A. so I called the customer service and they helped quickly. Recently I hurt my leg during a soccer game and could no longer make the trip so decided to cancel all three of them. While I was checking both bookings online I notice the travel details look different for these bookings. A had the date changed by CSR was showing the the old none-fancy GUI and it was cancelled and refunded without issues. The second booking B was cancelled but with a message to call Expedia for the refund. So I called again and the customer service was able to process the refund on B and also helped me canceling C. It took them 10 minutes. Last time I checked the two coupons are still on my account. This was different from last time I cancelled and they removed the coupons (over a year ago).

So there seemed to be two versions of the system running. The new system is dumb (buggy) and it only knows how to cancel the booking but it doesn't know to automatically refund a booking that has BRG applied. It tries to refund the original booking amount and it fails since BRG already refunded portion of the booking cost. The old system performs everything automatically and apparently the customer service reps use the old system. I think this is a simple migration bug in Expedia's system not a conspiracy to stop BRG. It does make BRG canceling harder, which is not necessary a bad thing.

as of today, brg reservations can be cancelled online again, and the coupon stays intact. looks like they are experimenting at the moment.

Last week, I was able to cancel a hotel that I couldn't previously. The only problem now is that the refund didn't come through on the credit card. You then have to call them, they won't know the problem, put you on hold, ask when it was cancelled, etc...whether it was for a BRG, when was the BRG claimed,...well lots of questions from them trying to figure out why the refund wouldn't come through although it was cancelled.

Anyway, make sure to check your credit card for the refund and keep track of your cancellation (emails, itinerary #, etc..) It's something that might be easily forgotten....

got:

"Your hotel room has been cancelled.

We are unable to process your refund at this time. To receive your refund, please call us at 1-800-EXPEDIA (1-800-397-3342) or 1-404-728-8787."

Received an email 5 min later saying i will get my refund.

will see what happens. hope, i do not have to call to get my refund.

got:

"Your hotel room has been cancelled.

We are unable to process your refund at this time. To receive your refund, please call us at 1-800-EXPEDIA (1-800-397-3342) or 1-404-728-8787."

Received an email 5 min later saying i will get my refund.

will see what happens. hope, i do not have to call to get my refund.

I got the same email but there was no refund processed at all. The CSR had to call their billing dept. to get the refund processed. You can wait for a week to see you get refund and if not then call in.

I have cancellation email but am still awaiting refund process too. That irks me as when I call nobody can explain why still pending. The fact that they changed the rules is understandable as the terms and conditions allow them to change without any written notice.

I think it was a good ride while it lasted and I was pleasantly surprised it lasted so long. Although I can not use my current 50s on their blind hotel offers, I find them to a better deal than Hotwire and less games than Priceline in addition to their frequent sales which seem like everyday in Las Vegas!

I think it was a good ride while it lasted and I was pleasantly surprised it lasted so long. The program works better than ever, Your PM box is full.

As of the other day when I called in to check on an un-refunded, but cancelled reservation that had a BPG processed, the agent did have to contact the Support Desk but came back saying that the Support Desk was able to successfully process the refund. It doesn't sound like anything was done to intentionally screw up the BPG process, but it sounds more like a system upgrade glitch, as yoyo mentioned.

As of the other day when I called in to check on an un-refunded, but cancelled reservation that had a BPG processed, the agent did have to contact the Support Desk but came back saying that the Support Desk was able to successfully process the refund. It doesn't sound like anything was done to intentionally screw up the BPG process, but it sounds more like a system upgrade glitch, as yoyo mentioned.

I can second that - I also had to call for two cancelled and not refunded reservations with a prior BRG. The agent was very apologetic and processes it right away. She mentioned there is a 'fix' underway. It may get back to normal soon.

It may get back to normal soon.

^:cool:

I was just told that my coupons will be cancelled if I cancel the original reservation.

I booked a room, processed the BPG and then due to work I was forced to cancel the reservation. I had the error show up on the page.

Contrary to what the error on the page said, that I would need to call in - I received an e-mail stating that my refund would be processed.

When I called to verify this I was told on the phone that the refund was *not* processed. He then informed me that he would process the refund and would need to deactivate the coupon.

So what does this mean? If you use the coupon prior to cancelling the room you are golden? Will they cancel an active booking that has used a coupon even though the original reservation has been cancelled?

Has anyone received this message and still seen a refund later to their card or is a call necessary?

Its worth a test

Its worth a test

I agree, but is there anyone out there that has positive results with booking on a coupon and then cancelling the original reservation? I don't want to be the guinea pig if someone else already has experience.

I agree, but is there anyone out there that has positive results with booking on a coupon and then cancelling the original reservation? I don't want to be the guinea pig if someone else already has experience.

yes but I called for the refund only after I have stayed at the hotel.

When I cancelled before my trip, I got a message to call for refund, and a confirmation email that it was cancelled and a refund will be processed. I did no bother about it until after our trip and checking whether the refund was processed.
I called and had all info ready (date of BRG claim, amount refunded, dates, etc) because they need these info. Obviously they cannot refund you the full amount because you were refunded a difference at the time you did a BRG claim. It took about 2hrs.

On another occasion, I had an active booking for which I used a coupon. The refund was processed too.

My experience was before May 23 (Hamburglar's post) so I don't know about now...

Would it work to book the room, get the coupon, use the coupon, cancel the original room, get the refund, then stay in the hotel you booked with the coupon? In that order?

Would it work to book the room, get the coupon, use the coupon, cancel the original room, get the refund, then stay in the hotel you booked with the coupon? In that order?

That's what we all would like to know.

Oh, gosh, either they opened a new call center somewhere or they hired extremely dumb agents. When you call late at night, you are transferred to that particular location, and I tell you they are clueless. They ask you the same question once, disappear for a couple of minutes and come back to you with the same question. They are hectic, not following the script, and then start the whole process over again. Whatever you do, once they ask you to spell your simple name name like "Ted", just hang up and call some other time. 50 minutes on the line with no result.

I canceled a BPG and I got a confirmation email about the refund, but the refund never posted to my bank. I called Expedia and it took about 45 minutes for them to credit it back

I canceled a BPG and I got a confirmation email about the refund, but the refund never posted to my bank. I called Expedia and it took about 45 minutes for them to credit it back

Did you use the $50 coupon?

Is anyone else having trouble using BRG coupons right now? Whenever I try to apply a coupon, it tells me "Please provide a valid coupon code."

Update: The only way I was able to book is by calling in and having an agent apply coupon on her end.

Is anyone else having trouble using BRG coupons right now? Whenever I try to apply a coupon, it tells me "Please provide a valid coupon code."

Update: The only way I was able to book is by calling in and having an agent apply coupon on her end.

This is ridiculous. Did the agent say why we are unable to use our coupons online at the moment?

Is anyone else having trouble using BRG coupons right now? Whenever I try to apply a coupon, it tells me "Please provide a valid coupon code."

Update: The only way I was able to book is by calling in and having an agent apply coupon on her end.

Have you tried using a different credit card? I find that I can only use one credit card 3 times. If I try using it on the 4th time, I have problem with my $50 BRG coupon.

Have you tried using a different credit card? I find that I can only use one credit card 3 times. If I try using it on the 4th time, I have problem with my $50 BRG coupon.


The message comes before you enter credit card info, when you try to apply the coupon.

This is ridiculous. Did the agent say why we are unable to use our coupons online at the moment?

No, she didn't have any info on that. She consulted her lead before she made the booking on her end. And instead of 2 min. it took me half an hour for the whole process.

This is a really disturbing tendency.

No, she didn't have any info on that. She consulted her lead before she made the booking on her end. And instead of 2 min. it took me half an hour for the whole process.

This is a really disturbing tendency.

When did you earn the coupon and when did you cancel the related reservation?

When did you earn the coupon and when did you cancel the related reservation?

The coupon was earned in early May, and the related reservation isn't cancelled.

The same problem again, when cancelling the BRGed booking, they require you to call them in order to process the refund. The refund is NOT posted automatically. So they are adding more hassle in order to deter cancellations.

The coupon was earned in early May, and the related reservation isn't cancelled.

Given the related reservation isn't cancelled, there is no reason why you couldn't use the coupon even with their current "policy". This looks more like a programming change that has gone bad and causing very legit coupons also not being usable online. Very bad development indeed.

I have a couple coupons earned in last year and will expire in Sept. Will report back if there any issues redeeming them.

Given the related reservation isn't cancelled, there is no reason why you couldn't use the coupon even with their current "policy". This looks more like a programming change that has gone bad and causing very legit coupons also not being usable online. Very bad development indeed.

I have a couple coupons earned in last year and will expire in Sept. Will report back if there any issues redeeming them.

Four days ago, I used 2 BRG coupons (June 30, 2012 expiry date) and had no problem redeeming them. I had to use a different credit card to redeem those BRG coupons.

Four days ago, I used 2 BRG coupons (June 30, 2012 expiry date) and had no problem redeeming them. I had to use a different credit card to redeem those BRG coupons.

How do you even get to using a credit card when the error comes up before you even try to pay :confused: when applying the coupon.

Sounds like a bad programming change to me as well - Expedia did recently switch to the new uglier interface

How do you even get to using a credit card when the error comes up before you even try to pay :confused: when applying the coupon.

I don't know - maybe because I had my $50 BRG coupons for almost a year?

In the past, when I tried to use a credit card that was used 3 times previously for BRG claims, I would get a message that my coupon has been used before or is invalid as soon as I click on the "proceed to pay" button.

This time, I knew I had to use a different credit card and my 2 separate bookings went through without a hitch.

Yes, this is an expedia programming error for sure. But what is strange is that it is also happening on the expedia.ca website and there website has not been updated to the new verison yet. It seems to be some kind of back end problem and not with the webpage itself since expedia.com has the new webpage and expedia.ca has the old webpage and both have the same issue.

As someone posted it started on the 13th of june and still is not fixed. Also it is happening with every expedia coupon and not just the bpg ones. I also had an expedia travel coupon and it happens with that as well.

Four days ago, I used 2 BRG coupons (June 30, 2012 expiry date) and had no problem redeeming them. I had to use a different credit card to redeem those BRG coupons.

Looks like coupons earned in last year are not affected?

The different credit card issue has long existed - sometimes even that would not work but it would once I changed the IP address.

Just wanted to chime in that I am also experiencing a problem using Expedia coupons. When you try to add the coupon (even before you add the credit card info) it says "Please enter a valid promo code" or something like that.

My theory is that this is just a programming glitch because my BPG reservations have not been canceled and this error occurs with both BPR coupons and Expedia Travel Coupons.

Looks like coupons earned in last year are not affected?

The different credit card issue has long existed - sometimes even that would not work but it would once I changed the IP address.

The credit card issue has existed for years. You say however that it works when you change the IP address? Other than signing onto another computer how would you change the IP address?

Would love to know because it's a pain to call them to process. I've informed them multiple times of the issue but it never get fixed so I would really like to know how the IP address plays into it and how it can be changed.

The credit card issue has existed for years. You say however that it works when you change the IP address? Other than signing onto another computer how would you change the IP address?

Would love to know because it's a pain to call them to process. I've informed them multiple times of the issue but it never get fixed so I would really like to know how the IP address plays into it and how it can be changed.

There were times even using different credit cards the stupid site would not let me use the coupon - but once the IP address is changed, it then took it.

How to change IP address depends on what your computer is set up and what type of connection to the net you are using.

Google the topic you will find enough info on How To that applies to your own setting.

There were times even using different credit cards the stupid site would not let me use the coupon - but once the IP address is changed, it then took it.

How to change IP address depends on what your computer is set up and what type of connection to the net you are using.

Google the topic you will find enough info on How To that applies to your own setting.
Thanks for the response. I always thought the IP was a unique ID for your computer and could not be changed. I'll take your advice and google it. Not having to call Expedia to process coupon would be great. Thanks.

I don't even see how to use the coupons? I've got some in my account from various times over the past 6 months. When I go to the credit card page, there used to be a pull-down menu that let me choose to apply coupons? Its not there. Also, when I go to my coupons and click "Use this now" no discount has been applied on the credit card info page.

What should I do? Should I just call them and book over the phone?

I don't even see how to use the coupons? I've got some in my account from various times over the past 6 months. When I go to the credit card page, there used to be a pull-down menu that let me choose to apply coupons? Its not there. Also, when I go to my coupons and click "Use this now" no discount has been applied on the credit card info page.

What should I do? Should I just call them and book over the phone?

You probably chose a "Direct Pay" hotel, i.e a hotel where the payment is made directly to hotel at time of stay and not through Expedia.

You probably chose a "Direct Pay" hotel, i.e a hotel where the payment is made directly to hotel at time of stay and not through Expedia.

Yes, if the coupon doesn't show at all, the room probably doesn't qualify. Unfortunately, at the moment, it appears that even when the coupons show up you can no longer apply them. Hopefully a temporary bug.

Thanks for the response. I always thought the IP was a unique ID for your computer and could not be changed. I'll take your advice and google it. Not having to call Expedia to process coupon would be great. Thanks.


I think people are unnecessarily confusing the current issue with old ones.
The current one has nothing to do with credit cards or IP addresses.

The issue is that at this point - there is no way to apply ANY Expedia coupons (BRG or other) to hotels, no matter what one does, you just get the Please enter a valid promo code message.

So how do we use our coupons? Just call?

I think people are unnecessarily confusing the current issue with old ones.
The current one has nothing to do with credit cards or IP addresses.

The issue is that at this point - there is no way to apply ANY Expedia coupons (BRG or other) to hotels, no matter what one does, you just get the Please enter a valid promo code message.

So how do we use our coupons? Just call?

Obvious, as posted by several posters a few days ago since June 12 or June 13. The last time someone could book online based on the poster's posted time line, was June 11. (See Post 60 He posted on June 15 said 4 days ago he was able to use his coupon(s) that expiring this month.)

Also check related thread and this post:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18771318-post506.html

As well as the poster's bad experience in his next post.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18771925-post507.html

Something is totally messed up in Expedia's system in its attempt to modify the programming to monitor the BRG coupon - it essentially prevents any online redemption of any Expedia coupons not just the BRG.

Just booked a reservation using a coupon - Was unable to do it online, so I called to do it with customer service. No problem at all. Was booked and complete in less than 5 minutes. No problems or waits. Agent directly applied the coupon and charged the balance.

Just booked a reservation using a coupon - Was unable to do it online, so I called to do it with customer service. No problem at all. Was booked and complete in less than 5 minutes. No problems or waits. Agent directly applied the coupon and charged the balance.

I'm trying to figure out why all these posts are falling into the "Major change to Expedia BRG" thread. This has been a problem occurring intermittently for 3-4 years now.

I needed to use another coupon today so I called expedia. The rep looked in some problem database and she said that expedia is aware of the problem with no coupons working and is working to fix it but has no date on when it will be fixed. She said maybe 1 week so I think this fix might take away.

Strange for being such a big company you would think they would want to fix this asap so customers will make purchase. Since it is affecting all coupons I would think they are lossing sales over this from people not wanting to call in and they just book else where.

At $50.00 off maybe they do not want to make the sale.
But at $50.00 off you will call and not go elsewhere

Called in to book with a coupon and everything went OK, but about 10 hours later the itinerary changed from "Booked" to "Canceled". I did not receive any email about this either.

To make matters worse, it shows that the full amount paid went towards the "cancellation penalty" even though it was prior to the cancellation deadline and the reservation was fully refundable?!?!

To sum up, Expedia cancelled the reservation and kept the money I paid them. Sounds a bit like stealing to me.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part: they gave me the coupon back! Maybe they're hoping I'll use it again so they can steal more money.

Called in to book with a coupon and everything went OK, but about 10 hours later the itinerary changed from "Booked" to "Canceled". I did not receive any email about this either.

To make matters worse, it shows that the full amount paid went towards the "cancellation penalty" even though it was prior to the cancellation deadline and the reservation was fully refundable?!?!

To sum up, Expedia cancelled the reservation and kept the money I paid them. Sounds a bit like stealing to me.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part: they gave me the coupon back! Maybe they're hoping I'll use it again so they can steal more money.

If you have a screenshot of the hotel rules you sure can contest this with your CC issuer. However I would think contact Expedia first is a more appropriate first action.

Have you called Expedia about this incident?

Called in to book with a coupon and everything went OK, but about 10 hours later the itinerary changed from "Booked" to "Canceled". I did not receive any email about this either.

To make matters worse, it shows that the full amount paid went towards the "cancellation penalty" even though it was prior to the cancellation deadline and the reservation was fully refundable?!?!

To sum up, Expedia cancelled the reservation and kept the money I paid them. Sounds a bit like stealing to me.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the best part: they gave me the coupon back! Maybe they're hoping I'll use it again so they can steal more money.

I called Expedia and they said that the reservation is still confirmed in their system so I have no explanation for why it shows as cancelled in my itineraries (and neither did they).

It could be because when I called to book the reservation, I was having trouble with the first person and they transferred me to a second person. Perhaps the first person still had it on their screen and closed it after the second person booked it. Honestly, I have no idea. It's the strangest thing I've ever encountered.

My reservation is in a week so I'll report back on whether everything went OK after that. Fingers crossed....

This Please provide a valid coupon code. notice is really annoying. I refuse to call in for a booking, but I guess thats their point.

Anyone successful adding other coupons, not just BRG?

Has anyone called a USA HQ telephone number and spoken to a supervisor asking why they have not fixed the on-line redemption option ? If someone does calls I would suggest that they say that this problem is discouraging a number of people to make new reservation ( LOST BUSINESS) because we are in the online generation where speaking to an agent is a major obstacle, especially if they are in Philippines. Maybe even tell them that many of us are booking on CLUBCARLSON directly because of their excellent system and super points promotions.

Has anyone called a USA HQ telephone number and spoken to a supervisor asking why they have not fixed the on-line redemption option ? If someone does calls I would suggest that they say that this problem is discouraging a number of people to make new reservation ( LOST BUSINESS) because we are in the online generation where speaking to an agent is a major obstacle, especially if they are in Philippines. Maybe even tell them that many of us are booking on CLUBCARLSON directly because of their excellent system and super points promotions.

Have you?

Have you?No because if I had I would not have asked the question. :rolleyes: and I would have made a posting here explaining the outcome.

I had to call them to book a room with the coupon. Took 15 minutes which is a pain in the neck but worked. When I complained the CSR said they want to monitor the coupon usage or something. Good thing that was my last coupon. Unless they fix this online glitch, I am done with BRG thing.

I had to call them to book a room with the coupon. Took 15 minutes which is a pain in the neck but worked. When I complained the CSR said they want to monitor the coupon usage or something. Good thing that was my last coupon. Unless they fix this online glitch, I am done with BRG thing.

Let me understand 15 minutes work to get coupon and 15 minutes to redeem coupon.
1/2 hrs work for $50.00 = $100.00 hourly rate.
sounds good to me

except sometimes it takes half an hr or longer to get a coupon and it could very well happen that it takes half and hr to book. Not that a great deal to me as before.

I had 3 coupons in my account and I wanted to book 3 hotel itineraries.

I called in and the agent was able to apply the coupon tothe first itinerary, and it took about 15 minutes. For the second two, the agent got errors and was able to apply them. So I was put on hold, and she talked to customer service who removed the 2 remaining coupons and replaced them with 2 new ones which were supposed to work. Well she couldn't apply those either. She waited on hold for her supervisor, who couldn't apply them either. Finally the supervisor's solution was to charge me for the full amounts, and issue two refunds of $50 to me.

Total time on the phone was 2 hours and 36 minutes, and on top of that I have to hope the refunds actually come through.

It was great while it lasted, but now it's no longer worth it.

I'm trying to figure out why all these posts are falling into the "Major change to Expedia BRG" thread. This has been a problem occurring intermittently for 3-4 years now.With historical insight, could you fill us in with details on what happened at previous occasions? thanks. We are all very interested.

Has anyone called a USA HQ telephone number and spoken to a supervisor asking why they have not fixed the on-line redemption option ? If someone does calls I would suggest that they say that this problem is discouraging a number of people to make new reservation ( LOST BUSINESS) because we are in the online generation where speaking to an agent is a major obstacle, especially if they are in Philippines. Maybe even tell them that many of us are booking on CLUBCARLSON directly because of their excellent system and super points promotions.

After spending so much time in the trick it thread it feels WRONG to call an agent. ;)

I called in and the agent was able to apply the coupon tothe first itinerary, and it took about 15 minutes. For the second two, the agent got errors and was able to apply them. So I was put on hold, and she talked to customer service who removed the 2 remaining coupons and replaced them with 2 new ones which were supposed to work. Well she couldn't apply those either. She waited on hold for her supervisor, who couldn't apply them either.

That sounds like the long-standing issue that you cannot redeem more than a few BRG coupons with the same credit card before it starts throwing an error. This errors exist even for the Expedia agents; there is no way to get around it.

This issue is being confused a lot with the newer coupon issue because the error says that there was a problem with the coupon but in actuality it is the credit card/coupon combination. If you use another credit card, the coupon should work fine.

Last thing before I go, here's a really good trick: If you have a Bank of America Visa card you can use the ShopSafe feature to generate a new credit card number on the fly. If you do this you will NEVER, I repeat NEVER experience the error you described. Just generate a brand new credit card number every time and voliah! Hope that helps some people here. I know the same issue has driven me a crazy on a couple of occasions.

That sounds like the long-standing issue that you cannot redeem more than a few BRG coupons with the same credit card before it starts throwing an error. This errors exist even for the Expedia agents; there is no way to get around it.

This issue is being confused a lot with the newer coupon issue because the error says that there was a problem with the coupon but in actuality it is the credit card/coupon combination. If you use another credit card, the coupon should work fine.

Last thing before I go, here's a really good trick: If you have a Bank of America Visa card you can use the ShopSafe feature to generate a new credit card number on the fly. If you do this you will NEVER, I repeat NEVER experience the error you described. Just generate a brand new credit card number every time and voliah! Hope that helps some people here. I know the same issue has driven me a crazy on a couple of occasions.

Nice. I had been using the paypal card generator until they did away with it for just these occassions. Thank you for this input, guess I"ll try out a BRG today...

Is expedia taking the coupons away after you cancel the room?

That sounds like the long-standing issue that you cannot redeem more than a few BRG coupons with the same credit card before it starts throwing an error. This errors exist even for the Expedia agents; there is no way to get around it.

This issue is being confused a lot with the newer coupon issue because the error says that there was a problem with the coupon but in actuality it is the credit card/coupon combination. If you use another credit card, the coupon should work fine.

Last thing before I go, here's a really good trick: If you have a Bank of America Visa card you can use the ShopSafe feature to generate a new credit card number on the fly. If you do this you will NEVER, I repeat NEVER experience the error you described. Just generate a brand new credit card number every time and voliah! Hope that helps some people here. I know the same issue has driven me a crazy on a couple of occasions.

Except the current issue is you can NOT apply the coupon online - you get an error message of the coupon code is invalid BEFORE you can even input a credit card!

Once you call in, then I assume you would need to use different card number for each coupon you redeem.

This inability to use coupon online even for very legitimate, long-obtained coupons way in the past, is extremely annoying. I am afraid Expedia has succeeded to drive me away from trying to find a BRG match of its offering. Instead I would try to find a Marriott LNF instead!

Once you call in, then I assume you would need to use different card number for each coupon you redeem.
!

I have used the same CC for the last 3 bookings that I had to phone in to have them apply the $50 coupon.

regards
cal

I have used the same CC for the last 3 bookings that I had to phone in to have them apply the $50 coupon.

regards
cal

Did you use all 3 coupons on the same phone call?

Did you use all 3 coupons on the same phone call?

No 3 calls over 24hrs

I used 2 coupons on one call for reservations at one property for 2 separate rooms. I thought I might have to make 2 calls for 2 separate reservations but the rep just applied each coupon separately to each room.

I have used the same card over and over using coupons... Never had an issue in at least 10 bookings.... This not being to use coupons online for over a month now is ridiculous.

Hi,
I wanted to use a coupon BRG. On-line not possibly. So I called. The agent tried it 8 times. Unfortunately, unsuccessfully.

After 60 minutes he gave me a Refund for the credit card of 50$.

Hi,
I wanted to use a coupon BRG. On-line not possibly. So I called. The agent tried it 8 times. Unfortunately, unsuccessfully.

After 60 minutes he gave me a Refund for the credit card of 50$.

Wow, this looks like the situation is getting worse.

You mean the call took 60 minutes long, before he did the workaround for a CC refund?

I assume you received an email from Expedia confirming the refund with a reference to the booking ID and the refund so in case the refund does not show up on your CC you could dispute the charge difference.

I don't know if the terms and conditions to expedia have been amended, but I just got off the phone with an expedia rep and she mentioned that if I cancelled my reservation for a BPG claim that they would remove the 50 dollar coupon. I was not even refunded my amount of cancellation yet the case has been referred to a higher up for a call back. I have experienced the same problems everyone is talking about not being able to cancel reservations online, but in the past they have refunded the amount right after I called them. This is an unfamiliar procedure and I have a feeling that it's going to be the last BPG I claim. Good Bye Expedia, it's been a good run.

For verification of stand alone car rental and non-prepaid hotel bookings, the customer service representative will instruct you to mail a copy of your car or hotel receipt to Expedia within thirty (30) days after you have completed the rental or hotel stay. Verified requests will receive a credit to the credit card used for the booking, within approximately 7-10 days of verification. Limit: one (1) $50 coupon per entire booking, and three (3) coupons per customer per calendar month (regardless of the number of accounts used by the customer). Each coupon is valid for one (1) year from month of issuance. Click here for complete coupon terms and conditions.
No change in the Best Price Guarantee will affect any coupon that has already been issued to you. The failure by Expedia to enforce any provision of these Terms & Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

For verification of stand alone car rental and non-prepaid hotel bookings, the customer service representative will instruct you to mail a copy of your car or hotel receipt to Expedia within thirty (30) days after you have completed the rental or hotel stay. Verified requests will receive a credit to the credit card used for the booking, within approximately 7-10 days of verification. Limit: one (1) $50 coupon per entire booking, and three (3) coupons per customer per calendar month (regardless of the number of accounts used by the customer). Each coupon is valid for one (1) year from month of issuance. Click here for complete coupon terms and conditions.
No change in the Best Price Guarantee will affect any coupon that has already been issued to you. The failure by Expedia to enforce any provision of these Terms & Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Non prepaid have always had those T&Cs

Expedia took away the coupons from reservations I had cancelled.

Expedia took away the coupons from reservations I had cancelled.
I don't usually cancel but on the rare cases when I needed to I made sure I used the coupon BEFORE cancelling. How can they take it away if you already used it? Haven't done an Expedia BRG in months and it sounds like it's gotten very iffy but if cancelling was my goal I would make sure I do it AFTER coupon is used. Don't know if there are any problems with this approach now since it looks like they have changed all the rules.

Brg coupons were only avail to call in the last moth. But you are able to redeem online again. I use about 15 of these a months. Im me with any questions. There are easy aroundthe one credit card booking per Month also

i was able to book online and apply brg coupons without calling in, today, twice. original reservations had long been canceled.

Yep, worked for me today, as well. I just hate calling in to Expedia, so figured it would work again some day.

i was able to book online and apply brg coupons without calling in, today, twice. original reservations had long been canceled.

Worked for me, too.

Anyone know if they fixed that glitch when you try to cancel online and it cancels the itinerary but doesn't refund the money. I think that was the issue that started this thread if I recall correctly.

So you can now apply a BPG to a new booking according to what people are saying. Are there still issues with cancelling and refunds?

They are taking the brgs away when you cancel the room. is this something everyone else is experiencing as well?

They are taking the brgs away when you cancel the room. is this something everyone else is experiencing as well? I have not done any BRGs recently but I am not surprised if they are starting to do this. Are you saying they took away your coupon after you cancelled? Did you call in to cancel or did you cancel online directly? Did you cancel immediately or waited days/weeks before you cancelled?

I canceled online like 10 minutes after callingto get the brg. Perhaps theres a length of time I should wait?

I canceled online like 10 minutes after callingto get the brg. Perhaps theres a length of time I should wait?
I don't know if waiting makes any difference. BTW, did you automatically get your refund after you cancelled on line or did you have to call in? I thought cancel online was not working.

I don't know if waiting makes any difference. BTW, did you automatically get your refund after you cancelled on line or did you have to call in? I thought cancel online was not working.

This will be the true test to see if it's working like it used to. AnitaBryant63, have you seen the refund come back to your credit card yet?

everything back to normal. refund just showed up in my credit account after canceling online (no call-in).

Refund posted to card automatically, no call needed. Is anyone else experiencing their coupons disappearing after canceling?

Refund posted to card automatically, no call needed. Is anyone else experiencing their coupons disappearing after canceling?
yeah. that happened to me before but it was a couple of years ago.