How to Book Cheap Flights for Beginners
How would it feel to book the cheapest flights and save hundreds of dollars consistently?
I’m not sure about you, but it would be great to never overpay for a flight again and feel proud of the money you could save by spending just 30 minutes of your time.
There are 3 key strategies for beginners that anyone can implement, and this article will show you exactly how to use these strategies to learn how to book cheap flights. They consist of: leveraging Google Flights, taking advantage of mistake fares, and leveraging points and miles. We’ll begin with the most popular method of utilizing Google Flights.
Maximizing Google Flights for Cheaper Travel
Flexibility with Dates and Destinations
Have you ever considered that the cost of your flight could skyrocket simply due to your travel dates? It’s surprising how much your timing can impact the price! Adjusting your travel dates can lead to significant savings.
A tool like ‘calendar view’ in Google Flights makes booking cheap flights easier, allowing you to see the cheapest days to fly over two consecutive months. You can access the calendar view by clicking on the departure date, and then all you need to do is choose the cheapest departure and arrival date. Usually, flights on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are the most affordable. Also, consider the time of day you book the flight to get an even bigger bargain. Finding cheap flights by adjusting dates is a fantastic trick, but don’t overlook another opportunity to save – your airport choices can make a big difference.
Exploring Alternative Airports
Flying into or out of alternative airports can help you book cheap flights, which may save a surprising amount of money. For example, let’s say you’re flying to London. This city has 6 international airports to choose from! Having these many options gives you plenty of choices, which means you have plenty of opportunities to save money. For example, flying to London Luton Airport might be cheaper than flying to London Heathrow Airport. However, research travel costs to each airport because some alternative airports may have more difficult access to your destination. The following method is a little bit more unexpected.
One-Way Search Strategy
A clever hack to book cheap flights is to begin your search with one-way tickets. Airlines sometimes charge different prices for one-way tickets; therefore, you might find a cheaper combination by booking flights separately for your departure and return. Also, don’t forget to set up price alerts on Google Flights to get notified of fare drops on your desired route, and if you’re lucky, you might be alerted to a mistake fare.
Leveraging Mistake Fares
Understanding Mistake Fares
What if I told you that airlines accidentally sell tickets for much lower prices than intended? These tickets are called mistake fares and can occur due to technical or human errors. Getting a mistake fare ticket can be a dream come true, allowing you to book cheap flights.
Tracking and Acting Fast
The secret to making the most from mistake fares is being quick. A recommended and reliable tool for this is going.com, which aims to save you up to 40-90% off flights from your city. Sounds good. It tracks airfare to over 900 destinations worldwide and alerts you when prices fall. It’s free for all economy deals to the continental US, excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and certain US territories. By acting fast with a tool like this, you can consistently book cheap flights before they become sold out.
The best part, is it’s 100% free to enroll and find some of these discount deals from Going.com and you can do that right here to find a deal, like how I traveled from LAX to the Maldives for $517!
Imagine taking your travel savings to the next level—where your journey costs nothing. Yes, it’s possible to travel for free, and the secret lies in points and miles.
Booking Flights with Points & Miles
Accumulating Points Efficiently
One of the best hacks frequent travelers use to book cheap flights is points and miles. It’s a common misconception that you must fly often to rack up miles. Opening credit cards with generous sign-up bonuses can instantly increase your points balance without needing to fly. For instance, many credit cards offer bonuses worth hundreds of dollars in flights after you meet their spending requirements. But always make sure that you’re spending responsibly. Stay well within your means to avoid debt and interest payments while accumulating these rewards – and making the most of them. It’s not just about earning points; knowing how to use them wisely is crucial to reap the most significant rewards.
Maximizing Points Usage
Not all points are created equal. An experienced traveler knows that transferring points to airline loyalty programs often leads to more value per point than credit card redemption. For example, if you book a business class ticket through a credit card, the cost in points is usually linked to the cash price. A $2,000 ticket might require 200,000 points, where each point is valued at 1 cent. However, if you transfer your points to an airline’s loyalty program, that same ticket might only cost 60,000 points. In this case, the value of each point increases to 3 cents, which is 3 times the value per point that you would get with a direct credit card redemption.
Transferring points to airline loyalty programs combined with the other two strategies means booking cheap flights doesn’t have to be a challenge. By making the most of Google Flights, taking advantage of mistake fares, and smartly using points and miles, you can save hundreds on your next trip and thousands throughout your lifetime. Start implementing these tools like a professional for your next flight; you’ll see how simple it is to book cheap flights.
