How to Score Cheap Flights: Travel Hacking 101
Let’s face it, we’ve all seen an Instagram post of a beautiful travel destination, did a quick Google search, and quickly realized we could never afford to fly there. I’ve been there and I’m guessing you have too if you’re reading this article. Traveling is my favorite thing in the world, but the cost of flights can often deter people, including myself, from exploring new destinations. However, with some savvy travel hacking techniques, you too can learn how to score cheap flights.
Believe it or not, using a combination of these three things, I managed to spend less than $2,000 on long-haul flights during my year around the world. This included flights to Europe from America, to South Africa from Turkey, from Botswana to India, Nepal to England, America to Australia, Vietnam to New Zealand, and New Zealand back to America. All of that for less than $2,000!
In this blog post, we will explore three powerful tools and strategies that will help you find affordable airfare, allowing you to travel more and spend less. Let’s dive in!
Leveraging Credit Cards
I want to preface this by saying I do not encourage anyone to open up credit cards they are not capable of keeping track of or opening multiple lines of credit to unleash benefits if you are not financially in a place to do that.
With that being said, using credit cards strategically can be a game-changer when it comes to getting cheap flights. Many credit card companies offer sign-up bonuses, reward points, and travel perks that can significantly reduce your flight expenses, or make them free. Here’s how to make the most of credit card travel rewards:
Travel-Focused Credit Cards:
Look for credit cards that are specifically tailored to travelers. These cards often offer attractive sign-up bonuses and earn generous travel points on every purchase. These can be used for more than just airline miles as well. They can typically be used for hotels, buses, trains, Ubers, or anything else related to travel.
My favorite card for this is the Chase Sapphire Preferred. I signed up for it last year during my travels and their sign up bonus alone paid for my flight to South Africa from Turkey. It has an annual fee of $95 but if you are serious about wanting to score cheap flights, the sign-up bonus alone pays for itself immediately.
Accumulate Travel Points
Maximize your credit card rewards by using your card for everyday expenses, business purchases, and bills. Over time, the points can add up quickly, helping you earn free or discounted flights.
While I was in school and saving for my trip, I put everything on credit cards (again, I only recommend doing this if you think you are responsible enough to put everyday purchases on credit.)
I put my rent and utilities on one travel card and my everyday expenses on another. I even asked my roommates if they would let me pay off utilities each month and then have them pay me for it so that I could get as many points as possible.
A good starter card with a $0 annual fee that I liked using while I was starting off was the Bank of America Travel Rewards Card. While the sign-up bonus wasn’t as high (if I remember correctly it was 40,000 points vs. the 80,000 I got from the Chase) it was great for the time. I wasn’t in a position to be paying annual fees on credit cards and just needed something to accumulate points with.
Utilize Airline Partnerships:
Some credit card reward programs have partnerships with airlines, which can provide additional benefits such as bonus miles, priority boarding, or access to airport lounges.
My first big girl credit card I got with an annual fee was the Gold Delta Amex. This was another card that I used while I was in school and put my everyday expenses on for two years before I switched to primarily using the Chase Sapphire. Before upgrading to the Gold though, I was a happy user of the $0 annual fee Blue Delta Amex card.
If you are a loyal Delta customer, I do recommend this card but if you plan on traveling internationally long-term, I don’t recommend it. Remember how I said I switched to the Chase Sapphire Preferred during my travels? I quickly realized a lot of places around the world don’t accept American Express and I wasn’t able to use this card. I figured I would be better off getting points from a Visa where I can truly put everyday expenses on it no matter where I was.
I do think my issue with it only applies to a small group of people so overall I do recommend the card to rack up some points with Delta. The $95 annual fee pays for itself if you travel with a checked bag twice in a year and it ended up getting me a flight to Spain for free.
Unleashing the Power of the Hopper App:
The Hopper app is an essential tool for travelers seeking the best deals on flights. With its innovative price prediction feature and customizable alerts, you can ensure you never miss an excellent fare. Here’s how to use the Hopper app effectively
1. Set Up Fare Alerts:
After selecting your destination and travel dates, set up fare alerts on the Hopper app. This feature will notify you when prices drop or rise, allowing you to book your flight at the most opportune moment.
2. Utilize the Color Calendar:
The Hopper app’s color calendar provides a visual representation of the cheapest and most expensive days to fly. This feature helps you identify the most budget-friendly travel dates
3. Take Advantage of Price Predictions:
Hopper’s algorithms analyze historical flight data to predict future prices accurately. Use this information to decide whether to book now or wait for potentially lower fares.
I do want to note that I will never use a third party to book my flights except for a credit card portal. This applies to the Hopper app as well. I like to browse here to find a cheap time to go, see their unique way of getting there (they will show that the cheapest way to get to Miami is to take a Spirit flight to Orlando and then an American flight to Miami, etc…)
I used this app to find my cheap flight to Madrid. I was messing around with departing airports and found a $200 flight via Delta from JFK to Madrid. Circling back to my Gold Delta Amex card I mentioned earlier, I redeemed my points to book that flight and then here’s where it gets really good. If you spend $10,000 or more per year on that card, they gift you a $100 flight voucher, basically reimbursing you for your annual fee. A one-way, first flight out of the day flight to New York is only $100.
All in all, I spent $22 to get from Atlanta to Madrid using a combination of the Hopper app and accumulated credit card points. $11 in tax on my flight to New York and $11 in tax on my flight to Madrid. Booking these flights was the first time I was truly reaping the benefits of putting in effort to travel hack and I was so excited! I got on that flight and couldn’t help but look around and think, “I’m flying to Europe for $22. I bet hardly anyone else on this flight is doing that.”
Explore Great Deals with Google Flights
Some people prefer to spend their evenings with a glass of wine and a good episode of Friends. I prefer to spend my evenings exploring Google Flights… Google Flights is a powerful flight search engine that enables you to explore various travel options and find the best deals. Here’s how to make the most of Google Flights:
1. Flexible Date Search:
Use the “Flexible Dates” feature on Google Flights to view fare variations over a range of dates. This flexibility allows you to adjust your travel plans to take advantage of cheaper flights.
This tool is great if you know you want to travel in September for example, but don’t necessarily have to leave on a specific date. You can explore roundtrip flights over a weekend, a week, or 2 weeks and see the cheapest date to leave and return.
I’ve used this feature loads of times. I knew I wanted to head to Turkey at some point in August but it didn’t matter when. With this tool, I was able to find the cheapest flight in August and booked it!
2. Explore Destinations:
If you’re open to multiple destinations, use the “Explore” feature to discover affordable flights to various locations based on your departure airport and budget.
This is my absolute favorite tool in the world and I recently introduced my mom to it. It’s seriously addicting to come check this out. Atlanta is my home airport so I’ll just put Atlanta into the departing airport section, choose flexible dates, and explore the entire world.
Now that I’ve been to so many countries, I don’t necessarily have a specific country I need my next trip to be in. This tool makes it so that I can just find the absolute cheapest flight to somewhere, anywhere in the world, and book it.
For example, I haven’t been to South America at all. I know that ideally my next big trip would be somewhere on that continent. I constantly check Google Flights to try to find the cheapest flight possible down there.
3. Track Flights and Set Price Alerts:
Keep track of your preferred flights by using the “Track Prices” feature on Google Flights. You’ll receive email notifications when prices change, helping you make timely booking decisions.
I set this up when trying to find cheap flights to Istanbul and I still get notifications about price changes on flights to Istanbul. I don’t use this feature nearly as much as the other two but it is a nice little add-on.
Conclusion:
Hopefully after this, you can begin to score cheap flights. Travel hacking can turn your dream of affordable travel into a reality. By using credit cards wisely, leveraging the Hopper app, and exploring deals with Google Flights, you can score cheap flights and embark on unforgettable adventures without breaking the bank. Happy travels!
