New Browser Extension Lets You Compare Hotel Prices Across Different Countries To Find the Best Rate

In-the-know travelers have long been fans of comparing prices for flights, hotel stays, and more across different countries using a VPN to find the best rates. Maybe that hotel room costs less if the website thinks you’re in Thailand instead of California.

Now, one of the most popular VPN providers has launched a new tool that does the work for you. NordVPN’s new PriceMice browser extension compares prices across countries for a given hotel stay. This way, travelers can confirm they’re getting the best possible rate.

Here’s how this exciting new feature works.

What Is NordVPN PriceMice?

It’s not true 100% of the time, but hotel prices (or airline tickets) can be less expensive when booked from another country. Savvy travelers know to verify this before booking a flight or a hotel stay, but it can be cumbersome. It requires checking prices country by country and reseting your VPN location a few times.

Now, thanks to PriceMice, the guesswork will be removed from the equation. The new browser extension from NordVPN works alongside Booking.com (with support for more platforms coming soon) to display hotel booking prices from foreign websites for the search you’re running.

Once you install the free PriceMice browser extension, you can head to Booking.com and search for hotels as you normally would. Once you’ve settled on a property and a room, you can tell PriceMice to compare prices, and it will automatically check the exact room type from multiple locations worldwide to see if — and from where — there’s a lower price to be found.

PriceMice will display the final booking price, inclusive of taxes, when booked from a different country.

NordVPN said in a press release that “roughly 1 in 4 hotels was at least $20 cheaper per stay when booked from another country. The largest single saving we recorded was over $500.”

There are some caveats to be aware of, however:

• This technique doesn’t work all the time; savings depend on a number of factors.
• Exact pricing can shift due to currency fluctuations.
• PriceMice cannot display any additional discounts from elite status or hotel-specific promotions.
• Individual hotels sometimes add taxes and additional fees at checkout or add them at check-in, which PriceMice doesn’t capture.

Finally, note that if you do find a lower price via PriceMice, it can’t complete the booking for you. You’ll need to use a VPN to set your IP address to that country and complete the booking manually.

Final Thoughts

NordVPN’s PriceMice is a new, free browser extension that helps you quickly scan hotel prices from sites worldwide. The goal is to help surface a lower price for the same stay you’re planning to book, though it won’t work in every instance. However, we’re looking forward to trying the tool out for ourselves, especially now that it takes the guesswork out of this process.