Travel Deals & Hacks

20 proven strategies to slash your travel costs.

Cheap Flight Hacks

Google Flights data shows this is the sweet spot. Too early or too late and prices rise.

Business travelers fly Mon/Fri, driving up prices. Mid-week flights are 15-25% cheaper.

Set alerts for your route. Google will email you when prices drop. Also try Hopper and Skyscanner.

Flying into a secondary airport (e.g., Oakland instead of SFO) can save $50-200 per ticket.

Sometimes two one-way tickets on different carriers is cheaper than a round-trip on one airline.

Many airlines let you pay partially with miles. Even 5,000 miles can knock $50-100 off a ticket.

Airlines may track your searches and raise prices. Start fresh searches in private browsing.

Spirit, Frontier, and Allegiant offer $30-80 fares if you travel light (carry-on only).

Hilton, Marriott, and IHG all guarantee the lowest price when booking direct. Plus you earn loyalty points.

Get 4-star hotels for 2-star prices by booking blind (you see the area and rating but not the name).

Hotels slash prices on unsold rooms. Save 30-60% by booking the day of your stay.

Free perks: room upgrades, late checkout, free WiFi, and points toward free nights.

Book a refundable rate, then check back weekly. If the price drops, cancel and rebook.

Chase, Amex, and Capital One travel portals often have exclusive hotel rates 10-20% below retail.

Costco members consistently get the best rental car rates — often 20-40% below direct booking.

AutoSlash monitors your reservation and automatically rebooks if a lower rate appears.

Off-airport locations (even a mile away) can be 30-50% cheaper. Take the shuttle.

Many credit cards (Chase Sapphire, Amex Platinum) include rental car insurance. Check your card benefits.

If the economy car is sold out at pickup, you get a free upgrade. Book small, hope for big.

Rental companies charge 2-3x gas station prices to refuel. Always return with a full tank.

Travel savings + daily deal savings = more money for experiences.