Step 2: Book Your Flight
Airfare can be the most expensive & stressful part of planning your trip when on a tight budget.
We all know flying in/out of secondary airports can help you save, & everyone knows that myth of Tuesdays being the magic day to book...but
Here are a few other tricks that can help find a cheaper flights
1. Sign Up for a Rewards Travel Credit Card
Ever since signing up for my first travel rewards credit card, it’s helped me travel more and afford flights that were a tad over my budget. The easiest way to start earning miles is to use your credit card on everyday purchases and expenses.
Combine your sign up bonus with a few months of expenses, and you’ll be able to cash in those points for tickets to your dream domestic or international travel destination!
If you have been looking to get a travel reward credit card, I recommend applying for one before your trip to Universal Orlando. Some of the biggest benefits are earning points to use for free flights and hotels. Plus, many cards offer additional points when making travel-related purchases.
Some cards also provide travel protection when you pay for a trip with the card.
My our favorites is the Chase Sapphire Preferred (if you’re starting out)!
2.Take Advantage of Search Engines:
Search engines are great for comparing prices between different airlines. 💸💵
My favorite flight comparison sites are Skyscanner & Google Flights.
Use Flight Insights: You can save even more money on airfare by using Google Flight’s Insights feature.
There are 4 boxes that will give you tips on how to improve your search, whether it’s changing your dates, analyzing price trends, flying to a cheaper airport or combining you're airfare with an accommodation booking.
3.How to Use Google Flights to Find Cheap Flights
Out of all the flight comparison search engines, I think Google Flights is the best tool out there for finding the cheapest flights. You can search multiple airports at a time or pick a departing destination and browse the cheapest cities to visit over a set period of time.
Here are some tips for using Google Flights:
Search Multiple Dates: After entering your departure and arrival to Orlando, click on the calendar icon and you’ll see prices for each day of the month. If you’re flexible with your travel dates, you can use the tool to book the cheapest roundtrip tickets for your trip.
Search Multiple Destinations: Google Flights lets you save time by searching up to seven departure and seven arrival destinations at a time. It’s a great tool if you live in a city like New York where there are multiple airports or if you want prices for all the airports in a country or region.
Use Flight Insights: You can save even more money on airfare by using Google Flight’s Insights feature. There are four boxes that will give you tips on how to improve your search, whether it’s changing your dates, analyzing price trends, flying from a cheaper airport or combining your airfare with an accommodation booking.
4.Clear your cache:
When searching for flights, make sure you clear cache, & or hop onto a different device so that your browsing history doesn’t follow you.
I’ll search on my cell phone, laptop, work desktop, & even Clayton's cell to compare prices.
Why—Airlines can track your search behavior, so prices can go up for flights that are searched frequently, & on the same device.
While you’re at it, set your particular web browser to incognito or private browsing mode when looking for flights.
Take the extra step & make sure you're signed out of all your google accounts too.
5.Don’t book too early:
The average domestic fare booked 6 months before a selected departure date is found to higher than fares searched for 1-2 months in advance.
Feeling lucky? Sometimes you can get a great deal at the last-minute, 1 week or less before a flight, as airlines want to sell the last few seats.
6.Compare round trip price Vs. 2, 1 way tickets:
Sometimes—2, one-way tickets can be cheaper than a full round-trip ticket, so don’t forget to check just to see!
7. How to Find Airfare Deals:
Sign up for various airfare alerts to keep track of deals and discounts. Airfare Watchdog is an amazing resource that will alert you for cheap flights on a specific route you’re interested in.
Just be sure to act when there’s a deal because they tend to sell out quickly. I’d also recommend using Hopper to track flight prices.
8. Social Media:
More and more airlines are taking advantage of social media to spread their web-only fares, promos, and two-for-one deals. Make sure to subscribe to their email lists and follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to get the most offers
9. Consider Extra Fees:
Before purchasing, make sure to weigh in all the end costs and extra fees. Some airlines like Frontier and Spirit charge low fares than charge extra for certain seats, snacks, tickets, luggage, extra leg room, etc.
For example, if Airline A sells a ticket for $150 and Airline B sells the same for $200, but you end up buying seats and paying for checking luggage on your Airline A trip, you will end up spending more than the other flight in the end.
Always triple check and compare prices when purchasing tickets!
10.Check Alternate Airports
Airlines often have lower fares for less popular airports, so if flights into MCO t are too pricey, take a look at nearby, smaller airports like Sanford. Same goes with the city you're flying out of.
