Your biggest expense on a trip can be airfare. To keep your spending limits in check, you will need to travel to a less expensive destination or spend less at your vacation spot. These 10 tips will make it easier to book cheap flights.
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Book Early to Get Cheap Flights
Typically, plane tickets go up in price within the last three weeks before departure. The best way to get the lowest price is to book as soon as you can. The best rates will be secured if you book between three and thirty days before departure.
You can also use a search engine such as Google Flights and Kayak to predict whether ticket prices will rise, fall, or stay the same. Although they may not be 100% accurate, these predictions are often quite accurate as they analyze thousands of routes and compare them to determine if they will increase, decrease, or remain the same.
You should also book early to guarantee you get the seat that you want, especially on peak season flights. A seat next to the bathroom may cost you the same as one in the middle of the cabin. You will have to wait to book a seat that you want.
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Set price alerts
You don’t have to look for flights today. The prices will go up if the flight is sold out. You can set up a price alert to be notified when the ticket price changes or increases. Tickets prices are subject to change daily. Even a slight drop in price can mean a significant savings, especially if you have to purchase tickets for all members of your family.
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Flexibility is key
Flexible travel plans are another way to save money. Flying mid-week and on holidays (i.e. Because fewer people travel on these dates, it is easier to find cheap flights. Consider flying to another airport. Flying into Tampa, instead of Orlando, can help you save $30 per ticket. Although you might not have the option of flying to an alternate airport or traveling on different dates, flexibility can help lower airfare costs.
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Book a connecting flight
A connecting flight is often cheaper than booking a nonstop flight if you’re not in a rush to reach your destination. Search engines allow you to filter flight itineraries by stop, non-stop, or 2+ stops. You might even be able save some money by flying mixed carriers.
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Take a look at Discount Airlines
Although a major airline may be able to get you almost anywhere, it can also cost significantly more. These airlines can help save you money on international and domestic flights.
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You can use more than one travel portal
You should compare prices on at least one other booking site before you make a booking directly with the carrier. Sometimes, a third-party site will offer a better deal than the carrier. There are many to choose from. However, Momondo and Google Flights are the best. Priceline is also available.
Momondo is the largest portal, as it compares prices from over 30 travel portals. You can also find low-cost routes with their excellent research tools. They also list Southwest Airlines flight prices, which is something that most airlines don’t.
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Check out our Airline Specials
You might be able find last-minute deals if you wait until the last weeks of booking.
It is up to the airline how keen they are to sell their remaining seats. This can make it a risky option. If they have recently launched a new route or are trying to attract interest. These specials don’t necessarily require you to fly a redeye flight to save some money.
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To avoid baggage fees, use an Airline Credit Card
Most airline rewards cards allow you to waive baggage fees for up to one companion if you have to check a bag. You can check up as many bags as you like with the Delta Amex credit card. There are two conditions: you must book your flight directly with the airline and use the credit card to pay for it. It shouldn’t be a problem.
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Use Award Miles
You may prefer to spend miles rather than cash or a combination of both, but miles are most valuable when they can be redeemed for cash flights. You have many award flight options. You can combine your points from a cobranded airline mile credit card such as one of the Southwest credit accounts with the Chase Sapphire Preferred points.
To redeem your miles, you can either transfer them to your airline loyalty programme or use the credit card portal to redeem them.
Here’s an additional tip. Delta is a great option if you have to book an award ticket last-minute. They don’t charge any “close-ins” for award flights.
- Get Travel Credits with Your Credit Card
You earn bonus points for every airline tickets, which can be used to redeem for future award flights. Additionally, you may be eligible to use your credit card benefits such as your $200 travel credit to pay baggage fees with the platinum Card from American Express, while earning 5 points for each $1 spent on airfare.
You can also enjoy some fringe benefits such as complimentary access to airport lounges and reimbursement of Global Entry fees if you have a lengthy layover (lounges), or wish to skip the long security lines at Global Entry when you return to the U.S.
