One of the most expensive things about traveling is often getting there (and getting home again), especially if you’re considering international travel. Below are some tips & tricks on how to find cheap flights all over the world – some you’ve likely never heard of! I took the time to review and compare all of the major sites people use when searching for flights, as well as different memberships sites. Make sure you read to the end to see the spreadsheet comparison.
1. Use Credit Card Points
If you do nothing else on this list, you should do this. It is no secret that there are tons of credit cards out there that can earn you points towards flights. I am not going to cover every single option here, but I will tell you that if you are NOT using this tactic, you are seriously missing out. A while back, I wrote a post explaining how I was able to fly my husband and I to Scotland for free & my family to Costa Rica for free using just one type of card (you can read about that HERE).
Since then, I’ve learned even more about how to maximize credit card points and will soon be getting a couple more. Again, there are many cards out there with varying fees and benefits, but here’s what I’ll be doing.
✔PRO TIP: Make sure you grab your free packing checklist! It has everything you'll need in an easy-to-use PDF checklist that you can use over & over!
In case you are wondering, no, I don’t work for Chase. It’s just that I started this credit card points journey with a Chase card. I already know how to use their system and I’m comfortable with it…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Plus, because they are all Chase cards, I can combine all the points. My plan is to get all three of the cards below (I already have the Chase Sapphire Reserve). The Points Guy (the credit card points guru, in my opinion) refers to these as the Chase Card Trifecta.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve:
- Annual fee of $550, but they’ll give you $300 annual travel credit
- Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining
- I will use this one for all travel & dining
- Chase Ink Business Preferred:
- Annual fee of $95
- Earn 3 points for every $1 spent on travel, shipping, cable, phone, internet
- I will use this one for all of the above, except travel
- Chase Freedom Unlimited:
- Annual fee of $0
- Earn 1.5 points on every purchase
- I’ll use this one for everything other than the items listed above
Of course, there are also sign-up bonus points when you first sign up for these as well that will make them well worth your while to look into. Because the sign-up bonus points change from time to time, I have linked to each card so you can get the most up to date info on each.
Basically, once you begin racking up your points, you can go through the Chase Ultimate Rewards site to book flights and use your points (each point is worth $.015). You also have the option of transferring your points to specific partners.
2. Travel In The Off Season
Okay, I know, some of us just don’t have this option. If you have kids in school, you’re probably just going to have to pay those peak season prices. However, if you have the option of going during the off season, you can save some serious cash, plus the places you go won’t be near as crowded.
3. Flight Price Alert Membership Sites
There are a few membership sites out there that charge you an annual fee to alert you to some seriously cheap flights. You sign up, give them your email address & tell them which departing airports you want alerts for. Then, just sit back and wait. You may think these will only be for last minute deals, but that is not the case. Sure, some are, but I’ve seen deals several months out as well. These are great if you want to go somewhere, but you are not set on where you want to go.
Scott’s Cheap Flights
This is my all time favorite! You sign up , choose your departing airports and then they will email you the best deals departing from those airports. There are 2 membership options: The basic membership is free. The premium membership is $49 per year (I recommend tryin out the 14-day trial membership & them paying for premium).
I have been absolutely blown away with the great deals I have seen in my inbox from Scott’s Cheap Flights. I typically get several deals a week from them and they are seriously good deals. I was a little afraid that I would just see the same deals that I had seen through Next Vacay, but they aren’t the same at all. The team at Scott’s Cheap Flight have got something special. I cannot recommend them highly enough! Click the link below and sign up for a FREE 14-day trial of their premium membership – you won’t regret it!
4. Don’t Fly On The Weekends
Tuesdays and Wednesdays are typically the cheapest days to fly. Sundays are typically the most expensive.
5. Look For Layovers
Typically, I try to avoid layovers as much as possible. I’d much prefer a non-stop flight. However, there is one exception. Sometimes you can find a less expensive flight that initially leaves out of a different airport, but has a layover in your chosen departure airport.
Here’s an example: Let’s say I want to fly from Dallas, Texas to Zurich, Switzerland. I hop on Expedia and check prices for a flight from DFW (Dallas, Texas) to ZRH (Zurich, Switzerland) and the price is $1,956. I then check for flights out of Austin, Texas to Zurich with a layover in Dallas. I find one for $1,745. I have no intention of driving 5 or so hours to Austin to get on this flight. But, since I'll get a different boarding pass for each leg of the flight, I can buy the flight and board when the plane stops in Dallas. This technique takes a little digging and you may not always find a cheaper alternative, but it can be worth the effort when you do!
6. Shop Around & Compare
Now we move on to the MANY sites you can go check flight prices (I’m sure there are several I have left out). For the sake of comparison, I decided to check 5 flights on each of these sites. I searched for flights departing from DFW on Saturday 7/11/20 and returning Saturday 7/18/20, but the dates are important. Flight prices fluctuate year to year & season to season. The important thing to notice is that you MUST shop around! For this search, I will show the cheapest flights (rather than shortest, etc). I have some information about each one below and I’ve laid out the results in easy-to-read spreadsheet form at the bottom – where are my fellow spreadsheet lovers at?!?
Momondo.com
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $640
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,523
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $368
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $1,534
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $331
Kayak.com
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $640
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,864
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $392
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $1,534
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $331
Google Flights
One thing I like about Google flights is that it tells you if this is a good time to buy or if prices are currently higher than usual. You can track prices for a destination or a specific flight and Google will alert you when prices are likely to go up.
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $640
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,384
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $358
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $1,467
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $331
Skyscanner
Similar to Google, you can get price alerts from Skyscanner. I have personally had really good luck with Skyscanner price alerts. Search for the flight you want, then click on the ‘Get Price Alerts' button. They will send you updates when prices for that flight changes. A word of caution: Once you select the flight you want, you will be given choices of different agencies to buy your tickets through (including the airline). If you go with an agency, make sure you read their reviews and stay away from any that look suspect. Personally, I would ALWAYS buy through the airline. I’ve just heard too many horror stories of going through some of the agencies.
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $790
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,392
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $353
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $1,245
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $331
👍ARE YOU TRAVEL OBSESSED? Join ‘Our Travel Obsession' Facebook group!
Hopper (phone app only)
Hopper is not available on desktops or tablets. One thing I like about it is when you first begin searching for your flight, the calendar will show each day in colors ranging from green to red. Green is when the flight prices are the lowest and red is when they are the most expensive. So, you can see at a glance when the most and least expensive times to fly are.
Once you choose your dates, it will show you the least expensive flight at that moment. There will also be a “price prediction” as you scroll down. This can be a great way to make sure you don’t buy when prices are at their highest.
Some flights will also pop up options to select “price freeze.” This allows you to put down a small deposit (like $25 per person) to lock the prices for 5 days to give you more time to decide/look around. Once you buy the flight through Hopper, you’ll get your deposit back.
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $752
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,948
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $444
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $1,553
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $331
StudentUniverse
According to their website, “StudentUniverse empowers young adults to experience the world with discount travel. For students and those under 26, our cheap flights, hotels and tours make it affordable to travel anywhere you want to go. Although we specialize in student and youth discounts, most of our promo codes apply for all ages.”
As with many others, you can add your email address to receive alerts when prices change. To be fair, I am not under 26, so I did not create and account and log in. When you do, you give your birth date and the site says it will unlock hidden discounts.
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $640
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,696
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $467
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $1,453
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $331
Kiwi
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $762
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,114
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $421
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $965
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $452
Cheap O Air
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $549
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,477
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $407
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $1,439
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $305
Jetcost
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $633
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,447
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $370
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $1,168
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $289
Expedia
In the past, I have used Expedia a lot to search prices, but after this, I’ll be checking around a bit more.
Dallas to Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii – $640
Dallas to Zurich, Switzerland – $1,956
Dallas to Calgary, Alberta, Canada – $397
Dallas to Edinburgh, Scotland – $1,562
Dallas to Flagstaff, Arizona – $331
Shop & Compare Results (for my spreadsheet lovers):
I’ll be honest, I haven’t done a lot of shopping around. I always assumed all the different sites were finding basically the same flights and prices. Wow, was I wrong. I will definitely be checking around in the future. Just think about it, using this information, just by spending a little extra time, you could save $3,368 to fly your family of four to Zurich. That could be another vacation! By being a bit more informed and using these tips to find cheap flights, you’ll be able to travel even more!
Flying Within Europe?
Do you have a great way to save on flights that I haven’t mentioned? I’d love to hear it – leave it in the comments!
Now, before you board, be sure to read these posts as well:
Until next time…
Until next time…
About The Author
My mission is to inspire and empower families to prioritize travel now, creating unforgettable memories and deeper connections with their loved ones.
I provide guidance and practical solutions to help busy parents integrate travel into their lives, fostering joy, fulfillment, and stress-free adventures. Don’t wait until it’s too late; the time to travel is now.
Learn more about me & My Travel Obsession here.
My Favorite Travel Booking Apps & Websites
⭐MY TRAVEL OBSESSION:
- Products & Services – My Travel Obsession's travel planning products, services, and freebies!
- What To Pack – See all of my personal favorite travel items.
- Travel Resources – Resources that I use most when planning, booking & traveling.
🏡FOR FINDING GREAT PLACES TO STAY:
- VRBO – My #1 recommendation for family-friendly lodging options.
- Expedia – My favorite for hotel bookings.
🚗FOR CAR & RV RENTALS:
- Discover Cars & Sixt – My favorite sites for rental cars worldwide.
- Turo.com – Rent a car from an individual owner – It's like VRBO for cars!
- RVShare – Rent an RV for your next family road trip!
🚁FOR ACTIVITIES, EXCURSIONS, & TOURS:
- Viator & Get Your Guide – The best sites to find and book activities & excursions.
- Gypsy Guide – An AWESOME audio tour app. ALWAYS check to see if they have a tour available.
🩺FOR TRAVEL INSURANCE:
- SafetyWing – The lowest-cost travel insurance out there. Several options starting as low as $42 for 4 weeks of coverage.
✈FOR FINDING GREAT FLIGHT DEALS:
- Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights) – My #1 recommendation for saving big $$$ on flights. Sign up for a free 14-day trial.
🥾FOR HIKING:
- AllTrails – THE APP for hikers. I recommend paying for the pro version so you can use the navigation feature while hiking.
Once you're done here, head to the homepage to explore or jump to one of these categories: Texas Travel ~ US Travel ~ International Travel ~ Travel Tips & Tricks ~ Travel Gear & Gadgets ~ What To Pack ~ Travel Planning ~ Shop
Pingback: Motion Sickness? - 20 Remedies ⋆ My Travel Obsession
Great Stuff in here! I can’t wait to try some of this out!!
I’m so glad you found it helpful!