Hotels.com giving $2,741 'tax write off' to Americans who stayed home last year
A file image dated July 14, 2016 shows a bed in a boutique hotel. (Photo by Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Hotels.com wants to make tax season a little more exciting with a new promotion.
On Wednesday, the booking site announced that it will be giving away "tax write offs" that people can use for future travel as a reward for staying home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ten winners will receive $2,741 -- which was the average tax refund last year -- that they can use on their next trips.
According to the contest rules, each prize will be made up of a $2,000 Hotels.com gift card and a $741 VISA e-gift card. The prizes do not expire, so winners can use them whenever they’re comfortable, the announcement said.
Though the tax filing deadline has been extended to May 17, people who want to enter Hotels.com’s contest have to create an account and fill out an "itemized non-travel tax form" before April 15 at 5 p.m. ET, the announcement said.
The form asks entrants how many pounds of sourdough they ate, how many takeout boxes they accumulated and the "number of clothing items tie-dyed and never worn," under the write-offs portion.
The form’s itemizations focus on time spent planning and dreaming of travel, including time spent scrolling through travel Instagram accounts and the "number of dream vacations planned."
Hotels.com also asks entrants about the number of vacations they had to cancel, the number of rewards points lost and the number of months in lockdown.
Entrants also have to describe their dream destination for their next trip.
"For many, 2020 may feel like a lost year of travel," Jennifer Dohm, Hotels.com North America’s head of PR and Communications, said in a statement. "We know an astounding 96% of Americans have already begun the planning for their post-tax season travels so we're rewarding travelers with the funds to reserve stays now, plus the ability to guarantee their getaway with flexible bookings and free cancellations."