While planning a vacation, people often struggle to cuts costs, especially when hotel bookings take out a major chunk of their travel budget. You might find great hotel deals online but how do you compare hundreds of options to see which ones give you the best price? The answer is comparison websites. Based on your search, comparison websites narrow down accommodation options to give you the best price. Popular websites include Booking.com, KAYAK, Priceline, Expedia, TripAdvisor, and Trivago.

Check out the following tips to understand how you can save money on comparison hotel bookings.

Sign up and unsubscribe later
Frequent travelers can benefit from memberships. If you are worried that booking websites would spam your inbox with promotions and offers, just do one-time signup. That’s right, you should sign into popular comparison websites to avail of exclusive hotel deals. After signing up, you can simply unsubscribe from the emails from your inbox to stop receiving notifications.

Search smartly
Explore niche websites like Groupon, Expedia, Travelzoo, and LivingSocial to save money and avail great discounts. Some niche sites feature a last-minute deals page where you can find uber-cheap rooms since the hotel just wants to accommodate guests and not let the rooms to be empty.

Book in advance
If you come across a deal that is too good to pass, check whether the hotel has a cancellation and refund policy. If yes, then go ahead and make a reservation in advance. This way, you get to “hold” a good booking with free cancellation available. Read the hotel cancellation policy and ensure there are no charges or penalties. Alternatively, keep options open with other websites where you get even better discounts to book without cancellation. Bottom line, plan ahead to get the best hotel deals.

Check out room charges
You must pay attention to the fine print as cheap bookings may not be all-inclusive. So, check what the hotel is offering for the room charges. Some may charge you separately for even some of the basic amenities including Wi-Fi and local calling facility. Other perks may also not be included in the room charge, so call up the hotel and confirm before clicking that “book now” option. You might end up spending more by taking a cheap hotel deal if you are not careful.