Flying nowadays can be so expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Finding good deals takes a bit of research, but we are by no means “travel hackers”. You don’t have to be to score great deals on flights, either!

How to get a good deal on flights

Be flexible

Instead of choosing a destination or date on Google Flights, click on the map. You’ll then be shown airfare prices around the world.

If you have a specific destination or date in mind fill in the information as needed. If you have travel dates in mind, click “Specific dates” to fill in dates as needed or “Flexible dates” to toggle between months and choose from a weekend, one, or two-week trip.

Set your travel dates as needed, or input estimated dates of travel

Click on "Flexible dates” to find the best deals

Select the duration of your trip and press done

To find more information on destinations you’re interested in and flights there, click anywhere you’re interested in visiting. Scroll down the sidebar to find places of interest, hotels, and average weather by month for each location.

For further research into flight prices in one location, click the flight you’re interested in and a new window with flight options will appear.

Next, click on the “Date grid” calendar to adjust suggested dates and get a better feel for the daily and seasonal price changes of each destination.

View the date grid calendar and explore when would be best to fly.

Visit in the off season

Most destinations have high and low seasons. Demand in the peak season increases travel prices, so whenever possible, visit your chosen destination during the shoulder or off seasons. However, off seasons generally happen for a reason, so check the weather and seasonal activities before committing to know what to expect.

We had great weather and major sights all to ourselves by visiting Iceland in the shoulder season!

We generally love visiting hot places in the off-season because, while their temperatures are cooler to locals, they’re still warm to us Pacific Northwesterners! Visiting places during shoulder season makes the most sense when you want to have closer to peak season weather and access to many of the same activities, but without as much crowding.

We took a spontaneous trip to Sedona in Febuary (the off season) where tempatures were 20 degrees warmer than Western Washington!

Book flights in the off season

If visiting during the off-season isn’t possible, then book your flights in the off season. Just like clothing goes on sale at the end of a season, so do flights. This means you should be booking your winter holidays in June and July and summer getaways in December or January.

When to fly

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are typically the cheapest days to fly on. Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays are the most expensive.

When to book

Typically, you’ll find the best deals on domestic flights one to three months out and international flights two to eight months out. If you’re traveling over a major holiday, add more time.

It’s also true that fares can be cheaper the closer you get to your date, but they can jump in the last month or two leading up to the flight. They also tend to have price hikes 21, 14, and seven days out from the date of the flight since business passengers tend to book last minute. If you do want to book closer to the date, book more than 21 days out.

Myth busted: there is no longer an ideal day to book flights like there used to be. Now flight prices change daily, sometimes even hourly, based on algorithms and AI. It’s best to do your research and use resources like Google Flights price indicator or Capital One’s price prediction tool to know if you’re getting a good deal.

The two images above compare a flight on Google Flights and Capital One. Capital One predicts prices won’t go below $340. They suggest waiting to purchase because flights through their website are higher.

At the same time, these flights are being sold on Google Flights for $300. Based on Capital One’s prediction, this is a great deal!

Where to search for flights

Google Flights

We love that looking at flights on Google Flights is free, and when you book a flight here, you’ll be booking directly with the airline, which is always best. If you’re not ready to book yet, opt to track prices and get email updates when ticket prices go down.

Note: Southwest Airlines does not show up in Google Flight searches. Go to their website to search for flights on Southwest.

Capital One

Our Capital One credit card is our go-to rewards card. Not only do we get rewards from spending money, but we get to choose when and where to use the rewards (and they never expire).

When selecting flights, we compare Google Flights price indicator with Capital One’s price prediction tool to see when we should take the plunge and purchase flights.

Note: you should always pay off your rewards credit card immediately, otherwise the accumulated interest defeats the purpose of earning rewards!

If you’re interested in learning about reward credit cards, we suggest checking out Nerd Wallet (we aren’t sponsored by them — we just love their research and tools!).

Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights)

We use Going to see when and where we can fly for less. Their calendar picks out the cheapest dates and destinations, so you don’t have to search through various dates like you would using Google Flights.

Start with the 14-day free trial when you’re ready to book a flight or opt for the $49 annual fee if you travel regularly.

We used Going to find the cheapest destination when we wanted to travel sometime between March and February in 2023, only one month out. We saved 50% on each ticket!

What to watch for when buying flights

Flight details

Often incredible flight deals can have terrible layovers or travel times. Consider how much you value your time and sleep before booking versus how much you’d be saving. See the example below.

This is the flight we compared with Capital One’s price indicator and determined it was a great deal. However, on closer examination, you’ll notice it has a layover and is longer than the flights costing $65 more. It’s up to you to determine if these additional hours spent flying, rather than vacationing are worth the savings.

It’s also possible to find great deals on non-stop flights at ideal times — it just takes patience!

Fare buckets

If you’re booking flights with a group, consider booking them individually. Tickets are grouped into what are called fare buckets — essentially pricing tiers based on availability. There may be tickets left in the lower fare bucket, but if you have a group that goes over that amount, all the tickets get bumped up to the higher fare bucket. This isn’t very common, but it can happen and is worth double-checking.

High prices at your destination

We stumbled into this problem when booking last-minute flights to Phoenix, AZ. Quickly after purchasing we discovered staying within an hour of the city would cost $600 per night — more than double what we paid to fly both of us there!

As it turned out, the U.S. Open Golf Championship AND the Superbowl were happening the week we were arriving (our flights were steeply discounted because we were flying out when the Superbowl was starting). Thankfully our plans didn’t revolve around staying in Phoenix, but we’re planning on checking for major events happening in the area before booking flights next time.

People are often surprised at how much lodging can cost, especially when booking more spontaneous trips. Do research this in advance to avoid going over your travel budget.

Airline fees

Southwest is the only U.S. airline to have free checked bags nowadays. If you’ll be checking a bag or want to choose your seat, you’ll be paying extra fees in most cases.

Cancel your flight for free

If you purchase a flight on impulse, it is possible to cancel it, with exceptions of course. This article explains the 24-hour flight cancellation rule, although to use it, your flights must be purchased directly from the airline, originating in or going to the US on any airline, and booked at least seven days in advance. Since canceling could be a hassle, we always recommend investigating your plans as much as possible before booking.

Happy travels!