There’s nothing that makes me more anxious than talking to a human on the phone, so believe me when I tell you this advice comes from a place of love: it’s worth calling the hotel before you book a room online. You could save yourself a lot of money and even a little heartache.

While comparing hotel prices for a trip recently, I decided to use Priceline and had everything ready to book in my shopping cart when I saw a clear bubble on the screen advertising to “call for great rates.” At first I thought it must be a scam, but since the flights for this trip were exceptionally expensive, I was curious too. I called and the man on the line said, “You absolutely did the right thing by calling,” as if he were my doctor telling me that I would have died if I hadn’t come.

I was sure he was going to oversell me, but instead he booked the exact same room that was in my online shopping cart, but for $200 less for four nights… and $200 is definitely worth five minutes of talking to a stranger on the phone.

Tripsavvy recommends calling the hotel directly to ask about deals and offers a few phrases to try to charm hotel managers into better deals. As with many things, being a sociable and friendly person can get you a lower rate, upgrades, or hotel perks.