4 Ways to Save on Airfare for Your Next Adventure

With a family of seven, we often resort to road trips because of the cost of seven airline tickets. But that hasn’t stopped us from finding ways to save on airfare and take smaller adventures throughout the years. In fact, we’ve been able to snag nearly free flights or even steeply discounted flights to destinations like Los Angeles (for Disneyland), Orlando (for Disney World), New York City, Nashville, and our upcoming trips to Hawaii and Paris.

For example, a typical flight from Salt Lake City to Paris is about $1,400. I booked four tickets to Paris for $800 each on Delta Airlines for a trip this October. I’ve even earned free flights by wisely using the right credit cards. That means paying full price for airfare isn’t a requirement – you just need to know what tools are available and have some flexibility on your vacation dates. 

If you want to fly for a lot less, I’ve put together a few tips that will help you save money on airfare.

Use Credit Cards with Flight Benefits

During a flight to Indianapolis aboard Frontier Airlines, I learned about their Mastercard credit card. By signing up, I would get enough points for a free flight. And with each purchase on the card, I would gain additional miles. I signed up, and so did my wife. We were then able to take a free flight to Cancun for a long weekend getaway, only paying for taxes and airport fees. 

Later, I saw an offer from American Express to sign up for their card and receive 50,000 Delta Skymiles. Plus, you get Priority Boarding and other perks on Delta. As you use the card, you earn miles on every purchase. You can build up miles by paying for everything you can with your credit card, and then paying it off each month so you don’t have to pay interest. 

THAT’S THE KEY. Pay off your credit card each month, otherwise the interest you pay will negate the benefit of having the card.

Sign up for the Delta Skymiles American Express Card

But what can 50,000 miles get you? Depends on the deal you can snag. I flew three of us to Los Angeles for 11,000 Skymiles each. It made a trip to Disneyland so much more doable when airfare was going to be basically free (taxes and fees were about $20 each).

Have Someone Find the Deals for You

I get daily emails from Scott’s Cheap Flights because I signed up for an annual membership (I believe it was about $60). Scott does the deal-finding for me. For example, some of this week’s emails included flights to Europe for $500, Seattle (non-stop) for $199, and other international destinations starting at $400.

Their Flight experts discover flight deals and mistake fares and send them right to your email.  The average savings is $550 per ticket, so you’ll make the fee back (times 12!) with one trip.

Sign up for deal from Scott’s Cheap Flights

It was from one of those emails earlier this year where I discovered non-stop flights from Salt Lake City to Paris-Charles de Gaulle for $800. We already knew we wanted to travel there, so when it came available, I booked it on the Delta website. I had to be somewhat flexible on the departure and return dates, but I am happy with what I found – especially for that price.

Use Google Flights to Discover Your Own Deals

If you want to do the deal-searching on your own, you can check Google Flights. Its simple interface allows you to enter your departure city, destination city and dates of travel – much like a typical airline booking website would. But then it gives you options on airlines and their associated prices. 

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If you aren’t ready to book, but want to watch flights to a certain area, you can sign up for Google alerts for price changes. This option works if you want to do the digging and continual follow up. 

Once you find your flight, you can usually book it directly on the carrier’s website as opposed to booking through Google. Do your research and play with the website so you can get to know its features and how it can help you save money on your next flight booking. 

Stay Loyal to a Single Airline – But Know When to Be Flexible

Over the years, I have consistently flown on Delta Airlines. By doing so, I gain miles for each of my flights. Since I travel for business (at least I did before COVID-19 hit), work pays for the airline ticket and I get the Skymiles. Even for personal travel I’ve flown Delta so I get all the bonus Skymiles and perks associated with my Skymiles membership and travel credit card.

But it’s also good to know when it just makes sense to travel on a different airline. I already mentioned my experience with flying Frontier Airlines to Cancun. A couple years ago my wife and I traveled to Paris. We flew on Air France because it was the least expensive and worked best for our trip’s budget. That said, we now have some bonus miles on Air France that will likely never be used, because they aren’t enough for a free flight, and we have lots of perks flying Delta.

Summary

Check out each of the tips above and find what will work best for you. Have you been able to snag a great flight for less money? Share your successes (and even failures) below so we can all learn from each other on how to travel more, for less.

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