If you’ve ever spotted a good travel deal, but haven’t been able to take it because you just couldn’t get away in time, here’s an idea that could save you money. Next time you see a great travel deal advertised in the paper or online, but don’t think you can take advantage of it before it expires, don’t just move on, save it. If it’s online, don’t just save the web address, save a copy of the actual page on your computer.

Then, with the expired deal in hand, you can call up hotels and other travel providers and ask them to honor the promotion. It works best if the deal isn’t too old, and if you aren’t trying to use a low-season discount during a peak travel season. Now, they still might refuse, but especially in the case of hotels, this puts you in a good starting position to still get some kind of discount. Remember, an unsold hotel room is money a hotel will never recoup once the sun rises. The moral to the story is, if you don’t ask, you’ll never receive.