THREE TIPS FOR FINDING CHEAP FLIGHTS
Photo by Alyssa Bell
When you’re looking for cheap flights, the name of the game is flexibility. Flexibility with your travel dates, your destination, and your airline. My husband and I fly frequently -- but only when the price is right. Here are my top three tips for finding good flight deals.
1. Google Flights
My number one secret for finding cheap flights is to use Google Flights. You can compare prices from different airlines and the algorithm is wicked good. Search by destination, dates, or use the Explore option to see what deals are out there at any given time. My favorite part of Google Flights is that once you’ve found a good deal or itinerary, you can have Google send you emails if the price goes up or down.
If you’ve purchased a flight, you can also use this tool to get a price comparison. If the price goes down and you’ve purchased at least a main economy ticket, you can cancel and rebook your seat for the lower cost. You’ll receive the difference as a credit, but if you’re a frequent traveler, those are as good as gold.
📍 Roatan, Honduras
2. Be flexible with travel dates
Often, changing your travel dates by a few days can save you a significant amount of money. Use the calendar view on the comparison or airline websites to find the cheapest days to fly. Even better if you can open up your options to anytime in a specific month or even anytime during the year.
When we plan a trip, I usually start with a loose destination (Europe, Caribbean, etc) and a month and look for cheap flights that match up with our availability. Usually we find the best fares pretty far out in advance, but there are always deals to be had in the next three months if you’re booking on a whim.
📍 Brooklyn Bridge, NYC
3.Sign up for travel newsletters
My favorite travel newsletter is from Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights). You can sign up for a free subscription on their website, list your home airport and destinations you’re interested in, and they’ll send you emails when flights are low from your hometown. This option is great if you don’t have time to sit around checking Google Flights for travel ideas because they do all the heavy lifting for you! The best part is that the newsletter is completely free! Going does have a paid subscription for $50 a year, but the free newsletter should suffice for most travelers.
You can also find deals through airline newsletters. I haven’t particularly found this route helpful, but many people do.
📍 Jardin des Plantes, Paris
Bonus Tip: Brand Loyalty
There are ways to go about choosing which airline to travel with on any given itinerary, but I prefer carrier loyalty. For example, my home airport is Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. DFW is an American Airlines hub so we find the best deals and most direct flights flying American. After making a conscious choice to fly with American, we opened up an AA credit card for the bonus and started earning status. I find that with American, their customer service is always extremely helpful and they’re quick to jump in with credits and policy exceptions. I’m not sure if it’s due to how often we fly with them, but I’m sure it doesn’t hurt.
Of course, if we found a great deal with another airline, we’re not likely to pass it up, but building status with one airline can be beneficial if you travel often from a large airport with an airline hub.
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