The Fangirl Guide to Cheap Flights

No one likes paying full price for anything. We search all options, use coupon codes, and count coins to find and secure the best deals, and searching for travel solutions should be no different. Check out some of the ways we like to find the best deals to get to the best shows.

DECIDE YOUR TIME TO FLY

Try to book weekday travel - Weekends tend to be the most expensive time to fly, but we know as well as anyone that work can get in the way of this cheap option.

Fly early or late - The first and last flights out tend to be cheaper than mid-day flights. Losing a bit of sleep is always worth it to spend time with your faves.

Check out the city - If a big event is happening around the same time and place as your show, flight prices may go up because of demand. This factors into the next tip.

BOOK EARLY

Trust us, WE KNOW things come up last minute and can't be helped, but the beauty of being a fangirl is that tour dates are ~usually~ announced way in advance. This gives you more time to plan and save mad cash on travel.

More options - Booking early gives you waaaay more options to be picky about flight times and airlines, since most prime times haven’t had a chance to sell out, yet. We like to cross-check prices between Google Flights, Hotwire, the main airline sites, and Skyscanner.

Develop a better budget - Looking ahead at the flight prices can help you make your budget for the tip. Even if you don’t book when you look, you will have a good idea of what to save up, with plenty of time to do it.

USE POINTS

That feeling of book a ~free~ flight is THRILLING.

Rewards programs - Whether you are loyal to one airline and one airline only, or you tend to book whatever works best at the time, join the loyalty program of that airline. You can even use these programs to earn points when you aren't flying. For example, Southwest has a dining program that earns you points when you eat at their partner restaurants. Plus, Delta and JetBlue have partnered with Lyft to earn you points on rides to and from the airport. Booking your hotel or rental car through the airline can earn you some extra points as well! All these points can add up and result in a free flight or two. +21 Pro-Tip: Southwest will send four drinks tickets a year to their Rapids Rewards members.

Credit Cards - The Chase Sapphire** card is a favorite among us Fangirl Guides (which can definitely get confusing when trying to split the check at dinner) but their point system is KILLER. If you already have a credit card that gets you points, take advantage.

**Shameless Plug: if you want a referral link for this card, hit ya girls UP.

HANDHELD HELP

As someone who spends a large portion of my day on my phone, I do most of my searching for bargain flights on said phone. Here are some of my favorite resources.

We follow airfarewatchdog on Twitter and it's a great tool to use to keep your eye out on popular destinations and airlines that are having sales. You can also set up fare watcher alerts!

Hopper is an awesome app that allows you to set a destination to watch and it will send you notifications on when the prices drop or raise. It can also tell you around how long the prices may stay low, so you know how long you can procrastinate (we all do it) before buying your ticket. You can set specific days to watch, or if you are a more flexible with your travel you can select a group of dates and it will show you the cheapest times.

Scott’s Cheap Flights is a great resource for international travel. All you have to do is set your departure city and they take care of the rest! The best deals - and instructions on how to book them - are sent right to your email.