How to score the best Flights
There are several ways to ensure you get the most bang for your buck when booking flights.
Price Tracking Tools: There are a series of tools to help you find the best price and time to book.
My favorite tool is the Google Flights Explore Map. It lets you enter your home airport and then put a broad destination like “Europe,” so you can see the options for multiple airports populated on the map with fare prices. You can search for specific dates or by time frame.
If you know where you want to go, set up flight price tracking. I use Google most often, but I also recommend SkyScanner.
Remember that a good rule of thumb for flights is to book international flights 3-5 months in advance and domestic flights 1-2 months in advance for the best deals.
When Booking With Points: Whenever possible, I save my points to use on flights. Airlines are less likely to offer value ads or deals like hotels.
If you're a credit card points collector like me, look for point transfer promotions. For example, Chase Ultimate Rewards currently offers 30% bonus points if you transfer to Virgin Atlantic.
Use an award search tool like Seats.aero or Point.me. Both are great if you are flexible on dates—they pull in both credit card and airline rewards programs. They offer free and paid service options depending on your needs.
Sign up for points specific email alerts. Thrifty Traveler and Points Analyst are two options that offer subscriptions and send out alerts when huge batches of award seats are available. The key to getting in on these deals is booking immediately when you see it. Most award programs will let you cancel or change for a minimal fee, so you can feel confident grabbing a deal when you see one. I also like Straight to the Points.
Use these tips to book your next flight, then contact me to book your hotels and activities!
