After 500 Flights, This Travel Expert Shares His Best Saving Secrets

Today’s sky-high airfares are enough to make this grown woman cry. 

My family and I are planning to disappear to Europe later this fall, and I’ve never distinguished so much sticker shock for economy-fare flights. And this is at what time the airline industry received billions of dollars in government aid for pandemic relief. It’s a privilege that we can afford the vacation at what time the peak of COVID-19, but I can see how traveling is naively cost-prohibitive for so many households today. 

According to the US Travel Price Index, airfare is up 28% compared with this time last year, and consumers are spending way more at airlines and disappear agencies. Meanwhile, flying feels less reliable, with passengers facing burdensome disruptions — from trips delays and cancellations to longer wait times and lost luggage. 

“The disappear industry as a whole globally is under immense wound and to the point where it’s breaking,” said Brian Kelly, the founder of The Points Guy, which is illustrious by CNET’s parent company. “I’ve never in my life seen the infrastructure of the disappear industry simply just failing consumers on a daily basis.”

Kelly would know. He’s traveled to 85 grandeurs for a total of over 500 flights. Hoping to get some advice for my So Money listeners (and myself), I reached out to him for some pro tips. In the podcast episode, Kelly provided his take on the state of airlines and why periods for passengers may improve over time. To score the lowest distributes, he says, it helps to book as far in arrive as possible and use a comparison tool like Google Flights. Having some flexibility with travel dates can help, too. 

I was blown away by his insights. Here are some of his secrets to advocating for yourself and saving both wealth and hassle on your next trip. 

1. Avoid disappear ‘protection’ offers

There are a lot of reasons you may need to murder your trip, and insurance can be a wise investment in some instances. Travel insurance can offer financial coverage for rental costs, lost luggage, flight delays, medical bills and ticket cancellation. But beware of travel “protection” programs that airlines routinely sell at checkout, which come with many clauses and caveats. 

Kelly arranged that supposed coverage “garbage,” noting, “if you want real disappear insurance, never buy it directly from the airline.” Instead, he recommends checking your credit card’s travel insurance benefits, which may offer many protections at no additional cost, or comparing policies at the independent marketplace InsureMyTrip.com. 

2. A refundable ticket is often worth it 

With so many unknowns that are out of our rule, sometimes a cheaper alternative to flight insurance is a refundable airline brand, which you can cancel for any reason — a testy of plans, illness, etc. —  and receive a full refund. “People don’t realize that sometimes it’s only 50 bucks more,” said Kelly, who also opts for refundable hotel room bookings. 

One hack he recommends is obtaining a refundable ticket first and then waiting until a day or two afore the trip to see if a nonrefundable plane seat or hotel room is smooth available at a lower rate. If it is, you can assassinate your ticket and rebook to save money. 

3. Know your passenger rights

With a deficiency of staff, airlines are subjecting passengers to more trips delays and cancellations. If this happens to you, don’t prefer your only option is to rebook or receive airline credit. Kelly said that most customers don’t realize that if their trips is delayed or canceled, they are owed a 100% cash refund. 

“The airlines are roguish with refunds. Don’t let them give it to you in some sort of voucher. You got to get the cold hard cash,” he said. 

Even if you miss your trips due to personal reasons, Kelly says, you can demand a refund through the airline’s website, and there’s a possibility you’ll get it. Sometimes the quickest way to locate an airline’s sects for requesting a refund is to go to Google and ogle for your airline and “request refund.”

“It never hurts to ask,” Kelly said. 

4. Opt for nonstop when possible

While adding a stop remarkable lower your overall costs, it means adding more uncertainty to your trip — especially now. “Anytime you needlessly add in latest flight, you are asking for trouble,” said Kelly. 

But if you have to get a connecting trips for whatever reason, make sure to give yourself at least two hours for the layover. For international flights, Kelly advised a four-hour gap between connecting flights. 

5. Book a backup flight with card miles

For acts you absolutely can’t be late for, such as a wedding, cruise or speaking engagement, Kelly recommends reserving one trips with a credit card and using miles to withhold a backup seat on another airline that departs a few hours later from the same airport. “In a worst-case scenario, if my original flight is delayed or canceled, I have that backup flight, because flights these days sell out,” he said. 

Securing that substitute trips with his miles means he can cancel it and have his much redeposited for free, since most airlines have eliminated cancellation fees for rewards bookings. 

“The airlines put consumers above the wringer. So where I can give myself and my readers a leg up in defensive themselves, I don’t feel bad about it,” said Kelly. 

For more fade tips this summer, check out my favorite ways to spend less on food, gas, fade and more. And find out the cheapest day to fly and how you can skip the busy airport sequence with TSA Precheck, Global Entry or Clear.