How to Save Money on Flights? 11 Ways
Here are eleven of the best ways to reduce your out-of-pocket costs when booking flights.
- American Express International Airline Program
- Save on Flights Using Amex Offers
- Up to $200 Off British Airways by Using AARP Discount
- 10% Off British Airways Flights by Using a British Airways Visa Signature® Card
- Use Points and Miles
- Book With a Credit Card That Doesn’t Charge Foreign Transaction Fees
- Be Flexible With Your Dates and Locations
- Use Any Loyalty Points That You Might Have
- Sign Up for Newsletters
- Travel in the Offseason
- Set a Price Alert
Are you a seasoned traveler eager to board that constricting metal tube once more, or is this your first time flying? Regardless of the cause, there are ways to reduce the cost of airline tickets.
Here are some tips for finding the best flight deals as well as other ways to save money on flights.
American Express International Airline Program
There is yet another way for holders of American Express credit cards to save hundreds, if not thousands, on airfare. Amex’s International Airlines Program allows cardholders to book expensive flights at a discount when using The Platinum Card® from American Express (Terms apply), The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (Terms apply), or Centurion® Card from American Express*. Terms and other information are available on your American Express card.
Discounts are valid on over twenty participating airlines for tickets in premium economy, business class, and first class. Flights must begin in the United States. and Canada; typically, to receive a discount, you must book a round-trip. There could be many different discounts. On some premium economy flights to Europe, you might save less than $100 round-trip, for instance. However, you are at least saving some money.
Alternatively, for premium economy flights to Asia, you may save over $800 round-trip—like in this example in Japan Airlines premium economy.
Save on Flights Using Amex Offers
Amex Offers are targeted offers for American Express cardmembers offering cash back or bonus points for making eligible purchases with select merchants. Cardmembers may be targeted for up to 100 Amex Offers at once.
Most American Express cards have access to Amex Offers, including favorites like the American Express® Gold Card (Terms apply) and The Platinum Card® from American Express.
A number of Amex Offers might be connected to travel at any given time. We have seen several lucrative airlines offers in the past, including:
- Alaska: Get $40 cash back for spending $200 or more
- Delta: Get $120 cash back for spending $600 or more
- Air France/KLM: Get 20,000 bonus points for spending $1,000 or more
- Air New Zealand: Get $300 cash back for spending $1,500 or more
- Qantas: Get $200 cash back for spending $1,000 or more
- China Eastern Airlines: Get $200 cash back for spending $1,000 or more
- Aerolineas Argentinas: Get $100 cash back for spending $500 or more
By logging into your Amex account and visiting this page, you can view your most recent travel-related Amex Offers.
Up to $200 Off British Airways by Using AARP Discount
Contrary to popular belief, you can join the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) when you are still actively working and only 30 years old. Why might you want to? You can get discounts on flights with British Airways by becoming an AARP member for a yearly fee of $16.
Any age AARP member can receive up to $65 off a round-trip ticket in the economy (World Traveller) or premium economy (World Traveller Plus). Alternatively, members can get up to $200 off a round-trip in business class (Club World).
There are numerous restrictions on this offer that you should be aware of. The ultra-discounted Basic fares offered by British Airways are excluded from the discount, to start. A U.S. citizen is required. resident, pay in U.S. dollars; begin your journey within the U.S. and return to the same airport; no open jaws (stopovers) are allowed. Flights must be flown by Iberia, American Airlines, or British Airways. American Airlines and Iberia flights must be booked using a British Airways codeshare flight number.
You must search and book flights through a special British Airways discount page after logging into your AARP account. The discount doesn’t apply to flights booked over the phone.
AARP members can currently use this discount on flights booked by January 31, 2023. However, some variation of this discount has been offered for years, ordinarily being prolonged for an additional year as the expiration date approaches.
10% Off British Airways Flights by Using a British Airways Visa Signature® Card
By using a British Airways Visa Signature® Card and booking a British Airways flight from the US to London through www.ba.com/Chase10, travelers can also save 10% on British Airways (BA) flights.
This offer’s discount on the entire flight cost, including taxes and airport fees, is a great perk. You can apply the discount to any fare in any class of service. Additionally, the discount is valid for up to eight travelers on the same reservation.
You must choose an itinerary where all flights are run by British Airways in order to qualify for the discount. This implies that you won’t be able to connect domestically in the United States., and you’ll have to transit through The taxes and fees in London are infamously high. Afterward, in order to redeem this discount code, you must be logged into your British Airways Executive Club account.
Use Points and Miles
One of the simplest ways to reduce the cost of a flight is by using awards. You can get discounted plane tickets, even in first class, by using airline miles or credit card points to travel. Of course, you’ll need to find available reward seats — which can take some finagling — but the savings can be well worth it compared with paying cash.
Book With a Credit Card That Doesn’t Charge Foreign Transaction Fees
Some airlines, especially budget carriers like EasyJet or RyanAir, only accept payments in the local currency. If your credit card charges foreign transaction fees (and if you’re Canadian, it most likely does), you’ll end up paying an additional 2.5% fee which is rolled right into the exchange rate. As an illustration, I recently paid $534.51 in total for some airfare that I purchased in Euros. Had I used a credit card without foreign transaction fees, I would have paid $521.14.
Although it may seem like a small distinction, in Europe that would be sufficient to purchase a fancy dessert or a fine bottle of wine for dinner.
Be Flexible With Your Dates and Locations
Flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday will probably be less expensive than, say, a Friday or a Sunday because airfare is determined by supply and demand. The time of day can also make a difference: flying overnight usually has lower fares since that departure time is much less desirable compared to a flight that takes off at 10 am.
You can get some great deals if you’re completely flexible. The “explore” tool on KAYAK will display the lowest prices for flights all over the world, which you can filter based on your spending limit and preferred flight duration.
Use Any Loyalty Points That You Might Have
Before deciding on a flight, check to see if you already have any loyalty or rewards points tucked away that you can use to redeem for a discount. But keep in mind that different programs have different redemption processes and minimum point redemption requirements.
For instance, MBNA Rewards requires a minimum of 10,000 points to be used toward travel. On the other hand, Amex Membership Rewards lets you redeem as few as 1,000 Amex points for travel. And every little bit counts.
Sign Up for Newsletters
I know your inbox is overflowing with spam, but subscribing to newsletters is one surefire way to get you a discount on flights. Every time a seat sale or deal occurs, airlines, tour operators, and deal websites always notify their devoted fans first. You should make a reservation as soon as possible because these discounted rates frequently only last a short while.
Travel in the Offseason
Flying in the off-season will almost always result in lower airfare, though planning a trip with family may make this more challenging. The cost of your ticket can almost be cut in half by changing your dates by just a few days, as we previously demonstrated. Even on multi-city flights, this may enable you to save money.
When traveling in the off-peak seasons, the same is valid. It could be either the spring or the fall, depending on where you’re going. And flight tickets won’t be the only thing that’s cheaper — hotels will cost less, restaurants won’t have trotted-out tourist menus and tours can be less crowded.
Set a Price Alert
When the cost of the ticket you want to purchase decreases, price alerts can notify you. Once more, a feature in Google Flights will alert you when airfares are less expensive. Do your research first to set this up. The toggle to enable price tracking is then located in the toolbar on the results page.
Conclusion: Save Money on Flights
Although it doesn’t have to be, air travel can be expensive. Whether you’re paying cash or using reward miles, being savvy about when and how you book can save you tons of money. Although it is true that airfare can be pricey, by using some of the tips we’ve provided, you’ll never have to pay full price again.
- American Express International Airline Program
- Save on Flights Using Amex Offers
- Up to $200 Off British Airways by Using AARP Discount
- 10% Off British Airways Flights by Using a British Airways Visa Signature® Card
- Use Points and Miles
- Book With a Credit Card That Doesn’t Charge Foreign Transaction Fees
- Be Flexible With Your Dates and Locations
- Use Any Loyalty Points That You Might Have
- Sign Up for Newsletters
- Travel in the Offseason
- Set a Price Alert
By doing this, you might be able to get hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars back from the purchase, avoid paying other fees, or both.
