A big shoutout goes to my friend, Stephanie, who turned me on to “Honey“, an app that automatically finds coupons for you. Although lately, I’m not a frugal as I used to be, I’m always up for saving money, especially when it’s easy. Honey, a browser extension, is always looking for deals on your behalf. I found this out yesterday, as I was searching for a hotel room in Leipzig.
On July 4th, we will be traveling to the east German city to catch Mark Knopfler in concert on the 5th. I’ve been wanting to see Mark Knopfler for years. Even though he’s also playing in Mannheim, which is a lot closer to where we currently live, and Stuttgart, which is near where we used to live, I chose to get tickets in Leipzig, because we’ve never been there. Ever since we visited Dresden back in 2008, I’ve been wanting to explore more of what used to be East Germany.
July 7th, the day we’re coming home, is Bill’s birthday. I figured, since we usually do fun stuff for my birthday, this year, we’d do something nice for Bill’s. Although I was closely eyeing the Leipzig Adina Hotel, which is part of a great chain of apartment hotels and is a lot cheaper than the ritzy Hotel Steigenberger, the truth is, I like overpriced luxury digs. I’ve stayed in a lot of inexpensive lodgings in my lifetime, so when I can splurge, I do. We stayed in an Adina hotel in Berlin and liked it, particularly because Bill’s mom was with us. The super clean apartment allowed her to have her own bathroom and bedroom. But this time, it’s just Bill and me, and we don’t need a kitchenette, laundry facilities, or other apartment stuff.
I booked us at the Hotel Steigenberger, cringing a little at the price. But then, just as I was about to pay, Honey went into action. It found me a coupon that ended up shaving about $71 off the price of the room! And better yet, I didn’t have to do a thing to get that discount. In fact, I had completely forgotten about Honey and would have missed out on that coupon if it hadn’t worked automatically. Also, looking at Honey’s official site, I see that they have “Honey Travel“, which is a site available only to Honey members. One can use Honey Travel to browse deals and collect “keys”, which can be used to save money on future travel.
I didn’t use Honey Travel yesterday, because I didn’t know about it. I can see how it will be useful, though, when I plan future trips. I can use the dedicated site to compare hotels and find deals. The site appears to compare prices at the major travel Web sites like Travelocity, Expedia, and Booking.com. I already collect points on Expedia and am a Booking.com “Genius”, so I’m not sure how often I’ll also use Honey Travel. It depends on if it allows “double dipping”.
Still, even though I didn’t use Honey Travel, Honey saved me money– about 10% off Expedia.com’s rate. And every time I save money with Honey, I get Honey Gold, which I can eventually trade in for gift cards at stores like Amazon, Macy’s, and Target. I already use other sites, like MyPoints.com, for collecting points that can be turned into gift cards. When I was in the States, I also used MySurvey.com, which was good for a little pocket cash and the occasional freebie. Honey appears to be somewhat similar to MyPoints, only you don’t have to remember to click through any links.
Anyway… I just wanted to share the news and the wealth. I’ll be sure to keep using Honey for all of my online shopping, which is pretty much the majority of it these days. God knows, I can use a little more cash for my travels!