Google Flights (open in new window)

This is the holy grail flight finder for me. The most important feature is the ability to compare prices between different dates.

You can easily add filters for nonstop flights or maximum flight duration.

You rarely run into phantom prices (where the price you see listed changes after you start the buying process). And it's very clear whether or not baggage is included in the price.

There's nothing inherently wrong with using third party services like Priceline/Orbitz/Kayak/eDreams/etc, but they can be a nightmare if the flight ends up being cancelled or some other unfortunate circumstance.

Booking directly with the airline is always preferred, and Google Flights makes that easy.

Credit Card Rewards

Sometimes your credit card reward program can have access to cheaper flights you won't find by looking up directly through the airline. It's worth looking into, especially if you have plenty of reward points racked up.

Matrix ITA Software (open in new window)

This tool is a bit advanced, but has one powerful feature that can make it worthwhile: selecting the Sales City.

Why is this useful? A lot of people don't realize some airlines offer cheaper tickets to the country they are based out of.

Booking a ticket to fly from Bogota, Colombia (BOG) to New York (JFK) can be cheaper if you are searching for flights while you are physically in Colombia. Changing the Sales City allows you to search for flights based on different locations.

I say this travel hack is more advanced because actually booking the ticket can be difficult. You must book directly through the airline and figure out how to trick the website into thinking you are at the location of the sales city.

You can fool some airlines by changing the country and/or language in the website's preferences. Some might require using a VPN to mask the location of your internet connection. And some might require a local ID number or credit card number to actually finalize the booking.

Skiplagged (open in new window)

This option has some inherent risks, but works if you only buy one-way tickets and don't have any checked bags.

If you are unfamiliar with this service, it helps you search for tickets where the layover is your actual destination.

For example, let's say you are looking to fly from Madrid (MAD) to New York (JFK). The direct flight costs $800.

Skiplagged can help you find a flight that flies from Madrid (MAD) to Raleigh, North Carolina (RDU) with a layover in New York (JFK) for $600. All you would need to do is buy the ticket from Madrid to Raleigh and only fly on the first leg to New York.

This travel hack absolutely works, but can be risky if you are forced to check your bag and it ends up at the final destination, or if the airline catches wind of your intentions and cancels your flight.

I just want to retirate this DOES NOT work if you are checking a bag because it will end up at the final destination. In addition, you CANNOT book a round trip because once you miss a leg of your flight, the airline will cancel the remaining legs.

Going (formerly Scott's Cheap Flights) (open in new window)

Going is an email service that notifies you of great deals at airports close to you.

With its free tier membership, you get email alerts for any nonstop or 1-stop flights that are priced lower than the average. Their premium and elite tiers offer alerts for mistake fares, which would be substantially cheaper than normal, as well as alerts for business- or first-class tickets.

Befriend an Airline Employee

Nobody gets better deals than someone who works at an airline.