Cheapest ways to fly?

Hey Monkeys,

Just got back on a long distance relationship and it seems like I'm going to be flying quite often. Was wondering if one of you could share tips on flying cheaper. I already have a CSR to get some points but would be nice to know if there are other options that pays off better.

Thanks,

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28 Comments
 

im in the same boat, im in nyc, gf is in nc. i got the venture card from capital one, spend 3K in first 90 days and you get 500$ in flights, 2x miles per dollar spent. i also created mileage accounts wit delta and united and try to only flow those and build up points with each of them. after a few trips it all builds up fast

 

to be honest i have never really found significantly cheaper flights on expedia or orbitz etc. i think i have only ever booked one flight and it was from orbitz. and by significant i mean like $20 or more. i have noticed a pattern tho. as long as i book around two weeks in advance, barring a holiday, the flights are as cheap as they get. so i try and make sure not to wait to the week of. good thing about venture tho is u can still earn 2x miles etc from booking on those sites.

 
Most Helpful

You'd fly a hell of a lot cheaper if you got a local girlfriend and started flying to her house via subway.

in it 2 win it
 

search for conferences and large events in the smaller cities that you will be flying to/from....try to fly in on the morning of (or the afternoon the day before) the start date of the conference/event..and try to fly out the mid-afternoon of the last day of the conference. This will increase the odds that you will get bumped off your flight, due to over booking. When you get bumped, you are offered a flight credit up to $1200 (you can ask for cash instead). I've gotten a $1200 cash card for getting bumped off a $150 flight (bumped to a flight 4-6 hours later). Do this enough times, and you can actually make a profit off your travels.

just google it...you're welcome
 

^^^ yup. and sometimes when one is checked in they ask if you want to be put on a volunteer list to be bumped and you name your price. $1200 is sick tho. i got $500 last week wit delta. gotta luv getting bumped!

 

Oh snap, I actually have a contribution. Have you tried CheapOAir? I used to se them frequently when I was younger and traveled more often. They'd have killer deals when other sites were trying to kill me.

in it 2 win it
 

Chase Preferred card. 4k in 3 months $625 for travel 2x points on travel + bonus rewards for adding someone as a joint card holder (they only have to make one purchase with the card). First year no fee $95 / year thereafter). Get the points and cancel before 2nd year or just keep the card. You can end up netting like $750+ travel from just spending what you might normally spend in 3 months.

 

There is an app/website called Skiplagged, It's where you get connecting flights. Say for example you're in NY and your gf in Chicago, you could go on the app and get a flight for a DEEP discount but it is a flight that is going to Dallas but laying over in Chicago.

It is somewhat risky and I personally experienced the risk flying from SF to Chicago. This flight was $120 roundtrip (normally like $500). About 3 hours before takeoff they said they were changing the layover location to Atlanta from Chicago and I shit my pants. Luckily I got the airport early. The first woman behind the check-in counter was scolding me for using the app and said I had no choice but to fly to ATL. I walked away. I went up like 10 mins later and got a different woman without telling her about the app and told her I wanted to go to Chicago because I was meeting a friend there during the layover. She was cool about it and gave me the right ticket. In the end it worked out, but you get an overall sense that the airlines do not like this practice. So it's somewhat risky business but certainly a way to get cheap flights.

Another disclosure is that you can only bring a carry on, no checked bags.

 

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