How to Book Cheap Flights

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Often, airfare is the most expensive part of any trip. Spending more on expensive plane tickets means you might have to compromise on an affordable hotel or have less money to spend on food and drink during your vacation. Fortunately, airlines have many deals available – if you know where to look. If you want to learn how to save money on airfare whenever you travel, here are some tips and tricks to help you book cheap flights year-round.

Be Flexible with Dates & Times

Airfare prices vary depending on the day of the week, the time of year, and upcoming holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the Fourth of July. If you want to fly with everyone else, your ticket will cost more, so it helps to be flexible with the dates. Once you have a destination in mind, do an extensive search to capitalize on the best time to visit. When I do this, I grab my calendar for a "bird's eye view" of the upcoming weeks and months. It helps me visualize everything before making a decision. 

It's essential to remember that flying on a weekday is almost always cheaper than on the weekend. Airlines raise their prices then because more people want to capitalize on their days off. Also, most people do not want to travel in the early morning or late at night, so flights are more affordable at these times. In short, you're much more likely to find a great deal if your travel plans are flexible.

Use Airline Points & Miles

If you're an avid traveler like me, you must sign up for a travel rewards credit card and airline rewards program(s). Credit cards designed with travel in mind offer unique benefits, including free flights, credit towards baggage fees, double cash back on hotel stays, welcome bonuses, and much more. Some credit cards that offer excellent benefits are the Chase Reserve, American Express Platinum, and IHG Rewards Traveler cards.

Airline rewards programs are a fantastic way to make the most of points and miles, even if you aren't a frequent flyer. Once you join a rewards program and start racking up points, you get access to benefits, including flight upgrades, access to airport lounges, credit toward rideshares, free flights, and other travel perks. And the best part is you don't have to do any extra spending. Just be strategic about spending money; you can travel the world for very little. Some excellent airline reward programs are:

• American Airlines AAdvantage

• Southwest Rapid Rewards

• Delta SkyMiles

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

• United Mileage Plus

Utilize Travel Search Engines

Travel search engines have price predictor algorithms that analyze historical trends to help anticipate when tickets will increase, decrease, or remain the same. While these predictions are not 100% accurate, they are reasonably accurate as they crunch the numbers on thousands of different routes. You can also set alerts on these sites to notify you when is the best time to buy. The following are excellent third-party services to help find the best deals possible:

• Google Flights (website)

• Kayak (website)

• Hopper (app)

• Skyscanner (app)

• Expedia (website)

Book a Connecting Flight

Booking a connecting flight is often cheaper than flying direct for those who aren't in a hurry to get to a specific destination. The search engines will let you filter flight itineraries by non-stop, 1 stop, and 2+ stops. It would be best if you accounted for more travel time and changing airplanes, but the cost can be hugely beneficial. Even flying mixed carriers might be able to save you some cash as well.