How to find cheap flights: Hacks to get the best deals
Airfare prices have risen more than 30 percent in the past year, leaving many households wondering how they can afford a summer vacation.
This is despite service standards plummeting – Dailymail.com revealed earlier this week that delays have reached their highest point in a decade.
But there’s good news: There are plenty of easy hacks online that can help you cut costs.
Last month, travel blogger Sam Jarman went viral on TikTok after revealing that customers should never buy flights directly from an airline, but should instead use the Google Flights price-tracking service.
It’s just one of dozens of websites and apps designed to help travelers find the best deals — and some even offer a refund if your fare drops after you pay.
Here Dailymail.com collects the best online hacks to help you find the cheapest flights…
According to data from the American Automobile Association, the cost of international travel has increased more than 200 percent in the past year
Google flights
Google Flights claims to find the best fares and ranks them.
It also provides customers with insight into what kind of deal they are getting. For example, it will let a user know if the prices for the flight they are looking for are higher than normal.
You can then ask Google to alert you when prices for your trip start to drop.
A representative of the travel blog Going revealed on TikTok that she saved $141 off the price of her trip with this tool.
She told the blog’s followers that she was initially offered $350 but ended up taking down $209 after being warned by Google about a cheaper deal.
Earlier this month, Google Flights also announced its Price Guarantee program that monitors fares from purchase to departure. It will then refund the difference between the price you paid and the lowest fare offered in that period.
Those using the price guarantee must have a Google Pay account, and refunds to users are limited to $500 per year.
Hopper
Hopper is a travel booking app that offers a ‘price freeze’ feature, meaning users can research an airfare and book later.
The price then remains frozen for a period of time – even if rates have increased by the time the customer actually pays.
It offers a similar function for hotel and car reservations.
However, customers must pay a small freeze fee, which depends on the ticket price and the duration of the hold.
For example, when Dailymail.com searched for a flight from New York to Chicago in May, Hopper quoted a $41 freeze fee.
It covers the difference of each raise up to a maximum of $300 per ticket.
Expedia.nl
Expedia offers a Price Drop Protection feature on its app.
Like the Google Flights program, Expedia keeps an eye on the price of a trip after you’ve booked it.
If the rate drops before you leave, Expedia will refund the difference.
But the travel agency charges a non-refundable fee to take advantage of the service – which varies depending on the ticket price.
There is no limit on refunds.
Airline programs
Major companies, including American Airlines and United Airlines, offer services that allow customers to freeze their fares for an agreed-upon period of time.
For example, United has a FareLock program that allows users to lock in the price of a flight for up to 14 days.
However, the company charges a fee of up to $20 for the service, which again varies depending on the price of the ticket and the length of the hold.
Meanwhile, American Airlines holds a price for free for 24 hours. However, any freezes after this period will incur a charge.
A three-day hold costs $7.99, while seven days is $11.99.
Websites that track price errors
Passengers can also use websites, such as Secret Flying, that track fare errors and warn users
This week, dozens of customers booked $10,000 flights for just $300 after a blunder on Japanese airline All Nippon Airways.
Such pricing errors are so common that dozens of travel sites, blogs, and forums are dedicated to highlighting them.
It also helps to follow these sites on social media so that bargains appear on your news feed.
Examples of useful websites are: Going.com, secretflying.com, airfarewatchdog.com and Kiwi.com.
Travelers also share deals they’ve found on a discussion forum called “Mileage Run Discussion” on flyertalk.com.