5 Ways To Find And Book Cheap Flights
Travel is such a luxury in our lives. Through the increased popularity of people from all corners of the world, connecting to share our lives "on the go" through social media, it sometimes can be hard to discern how much of a privilege it is for us to travel and travel often. Fortunately, the pressures to keep up travels to the latest hot spots or tropical destinations does not always have to break the bank, as we may believe it will.
As an avid traveler, local, nationwide and international, I promise you that I am not paying top dollar for anything I do. Those of you who know me know that I am always looking for the best deals. Here I strive to share with you all my knowledge about how to take all the budget-friendly trips.
Now if I still have your attention, are you living on a budget and still wanting to travel? Look no further, here are my top five (5) tried and true ways of finding the best deals on airline tickets, helping me stay on the go, without having to break the bank.
Check for flights and book on Tuesdays since most airlines release their sales and have the best deals. There is also a rule of thumb, that suggests booking tickets six (6) weeks in advance, on the Tuesday before your trip, as this is generally a day for the best pricing.
Truthfully, with that rule of thumb, I am not sure how accurate that is. I have booked according to this rule of thumb before and found it to be true. At the same time, other trips I have seen that not to be much of a factor. The earlier you can book airline tickets, the better the rate will be. Now, if you’re a month or two out from your trip, I think the size of the “deal” is dependent upon the airline more than anything else.
Flights can get very expensive quickly. Try to book two one-way tickets, rather than booking a round trip flight the next time you travel. Yes, this can be more of a hassle yet totally worth all the savings.
Airline rewards are also a must-have. Over the last few years, I have been flying primarily American and Delta when traveling in the states. The reason is that Dallas, Texas (DFW Airport) is an American Airline airport, making the majority of all domestic flights; American. When living in North Carolina, most flights coming in and out of the airport are Delta Airlines. Regardless of who you fly with most, I recommend making online accounts with the airlines. This is free to do, yet the benefits are endless.
Now how does this work?
Let’s say I am flying into Texas. I hop online to Secret Flying to find a $97 roundtrip ticket from SFO to DFW, flying with American Airlines. After doing all my research, I confirm that this is the best rate for the flight, so I book it. Well, then I can take that flight number and confirmation number over to AmericanAirlines.com (AA.com), but that information into my account, and once I take the flights, I get credit through the airline. Now, so many flights later, I can see that I have collected 200,000 miles in my account. With all these redeemable miles, this means I can redeem the miles for a more expensive flight, for a big trip, in turn not having to come out of pocket for that cost. And before you ask, yes, this is a real-life example.
Let your money work for you. Not against you. Updating your account may take you extra 5 minutes while sitting in the terminal waiting to board your flight but start this process now so your future self can reap the benefits of having free flights later on.
Now repeat this process with any airline you favor.
Here are five (5) websites that find you coupons rates for your flights. These can be used not only for domestic travel but also for international travels to most countries. Some of these may come to you as a complete surprise, while others may sound familiar. Here are my top five (5) sites to search aside from the airlines directly.
Secret Flying
Scott’s Cheap Flights
Dollar Flight Club
Google Flights
Travel Zoo
** Also, be mindful that your internet browser does keep records of how frequently you are checking flights. They monitor which flights specifically you are clicking. This monitoring will cause the sites to start raising the prices on you; in an attempt to trick you into believing the prices are steadily increasing. Do yourself a favor, save the mental stress and worry, search for your flights in peace and do your research in private windows. Working through the incognito windows makes it more difficult for sites to fear of loss you on the “best deals.”
Use your credit card points and rewards!! CapitalOne Venture Card has phenomenal travel benefits (probably my favorite card of all time) as well as Chase. Regardless of who you use, look to see what offers you can take advantage of. This is a great way to quickly compare costs on travel websites versus redeemable rewards through your credit card. Again, look around for the best deal for you.
In case you have never browsed through the rewards section of your credit card companies site, do keep in mind that these companies will partner themselves with particular airlines. These partnerships make it easy to search your favorite airline, check the deals they have with the airlines directly, as well as transfer your points to flights.
The ratios above in the Capital One list are a reminder of exchange rates and inflation. Those numbers will signify what the standard ratio is for each airline.
I am sure that after reading this, you will think this all sounds like way too much. Truthfully, for some, it might be, wherefore others, this may be what you begin doing for yourself. Also, remember to give yourself the time to do the research. Begin looking at things in advance, plan your baggage out accordingly because those bags add up quickly, and of course, see if you can be flexible with your arrival and departure dates this will help you as well.
I can not wait to hear how this all works for you! Don’t be afraid to tell me about your experience; this is all for you.
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