Flight prices are so volatile and they change all the time. Aside from knowing the Best Times To Book Your Flights For The Best Prices and the Best Ways To Save Money On Flights For Your Next Vacation, this blog post on the top websites to get the best flight deals will round things up and help you save money when you travel!
Every site offers different options for booking, and although the prices can be similar, their offerings fluctuate between free carry-ons, seat selection, and other add-ons. Each site may also have similar interfaces, while others are a lot more user-friendly toward your goals. Are you flexible and trying to find the cheapest flights in a given time frame? Or are you looking to book with a specific airline and have a preferred flight time?
Whenever I book my flights, I always like to browse a few different websites to make sure I’m getting the best deal. Because who wants to pay more than they need to? I like to shop around for the best prices and it’s no different when it comes to travel!
Note: Below are the top websites I visit when booking a flight for my trips as well as an example of how the prices may differ. The prices may not differ exactly like my example below and may largely depend on your flight route but as you start searching for deals more and more for your vacations, you’ll start to learn which ones are your go-to sites to check for the best prices. I also share both Canadian and American sites.
My Go-To Websites For Finding The Best Travel Deals
1 – Hopper
Hopper is a little different. It’s not technically a website – it’s actually an app that I use on my phone. The best thing about Hopper is that I get to watch all my flights – from alternative airports to time ranges of when I may be traveling. I add that all into my Hopper app and it tells me when the lowest booking price will be, when the flight prices expect to go up, and when they expect to drop. As soon as the price changes, it’ll send me a push notification to my phone and that’s when I go to my usual websites to check for prices. However, you can also book flights (hotels and car rentals too) and get cash back rewards right in the app itself. They also have occasional flight deals and provide coupons for your first flight, hotel booking, or car rental.
I have been checking all of my flight routes on Hopper before I book any flights for the past couple of years and I’ve been able to book some of the cheapest flights possible. When Hopper alerts me of price drops and that it’s a good time to buy, I immediately check my usual flight-booking websites and book my flights that day. I’ve booked on the Hopper app itself once so far for my upcoming flight from Miami to Orlando and it only costed me around $10 USD!
2 a – FlightHub
Out of all the aggregate flight-booking websites, I seem to get the cheapest prices and the best flight deals on FlightHub. You can easily see your flight times and dates as well as the ability to filter out the exact airline, how long you want your flight to be, and nearby airports. The user interface is very friendly and easy to use and even if you mix and match your flights, you can pay for both at the same time.
However, if you do book with them, it can sometimes be hard to connect to customer service (especially during COVID in 2020 and 2021). I believe from my experience, if you need to change a flight if yours got canceled, then they will help you rebook. But if you want a refund, you’ll need to go directly to the airline you booked with. For the most part, there are no refunds – but double-check your options when you book your flight in case you want the flexibility to change your flight and/or have the ability to cancel for a refund.
2 b – JustFly
An affiliate of FlightHub, JustFly is another online travel agency and flight aggregator website. There are new flight deals every day from your location and currently, it has an interactive map that lets you know the latest travel restrictions by destination according to your passport and intended destination. You can sign up for exclusive email-only coupons as well.
3 – Skyscanner
Very similar to FlightHub and JustFly, Skyscanner is also an aggregate flight-booking website and it occasionally costs a little bit more than FlightHub but I still like to check this website to be sure. Plus I like the interface and the filters it allows me to use to be able to see the flights I need at a glance. The only major difference I find with Skyscanner is that you can check how much it’ll cost for your particular flight within a month and which days are the cheapest to book and if you need a destination inspiration or are adventurous and can travel anywhere, you have the option to depart from your preferred airport and just search “Everywhere” for flight deals from your location.
3 – Hotwire
Booking flights with Hotwire is in USD, but I like that they give you the option of having your seat choice and carry-on bag included as part of your airfare. But as of now, there are no filters for choosing your layover destination. The user interface is pretty simple to use and it gets right to the point of you sorting your flights.
4 – Priceline
Priceline is also another great website to get the best flight deals. The website is very simple and quick to use and if you join their VIP loyalty program, you’ll get additional rewards and loyalty perks.
5 – CheapOAir
Well, who doesn’t get sold by the name already? CheapOAir provides rewards for joining their program as well as have promo codes more often than other booking companies from what I have seen. They have pretty good prices and you can also have the option of choosing which connecting city you want a layover to be. This is especially helpful if you want to visit more destinations in one trip.
6 – Skiplagged
An airfare search engine, Skiplagged is one of the best websites to look for the best flight deals. Their take is that they like to look for loopholes in airfare pricing to help you save money. Their deals are very neatly organized with photos and with original pricing compared to Skiplagged rates. You can also earn travel credits every time you book a flight or hotel with them too.
7 – Booking.com
Like other flight aggregators and online travel agencies, Booking.com has filters to help you customize your flight a bit more, but it does have more of the basic filter options. Of course, you can also sort flights by price to see the cheapest flights first while considering the departure and arrival times, price range, length of layovers, and more. Booking.com also advises you of the popular destination flights from your home city should you have a more flexible travel itinerary.
Other Website Options To Get The Best Flight Deals
1 – Kayak
The good thing about Kayak is that once you start searching for your flight route, they provide their advice on when to book and whether or not flight prices are going to decrease within a certain time frame. You can also have the option to track flight prices which can help you save money. Another helpful tool is that you can filter your flight with a carry-on or checked bag to estimate how much you will pay for your trip. I also really like that you can choose which aircraft you want to fly with since some are more comfortable than others as well as the flight quality (red eyes, Wi-Fi, transfers, and more). Bonus: a very similar website is Momondo except it shows you at the top that price fluctuation between the days of the week.
2 – Travelocity
Travelocity is very similar to all the other websites listed, but the helpful thing about this website is that it has the change or cancel a trip, use a credit or coupon, and track your refund options right on the home page.
3 – Expedia
One of the most popular travel booking sites is none other than Expedia. They’re great at providing you with ideas for your next trip and deals for both domestic and international destinations. They provide you with cheap flights to multiple destinations, but it is all in text with no photos so they don’t stand out as much and you’ll need to take your time reading through the destinations. Some of their deals can be very good and some are not as cheap as the previously listed websites. That’s why I always recommend checking a few of your favorite travel sites to do price comparisons just in case.
4 – Google Flights
Google Flights is convenient and super simple to use. Their filters are also placed right at the top of the site so that you can quickly filter out what you’re looking for in a flight before you even start your search. Aside from it being another flight aggregator site, it also tells you about the carbon emissions for a particular flight. If you are more conscious about eco-friendly travel, any little piece of information like this will give you piece of mind as well as let you be aware of which flight you may be more inclined to take. Google Flights also lets you know if prices are low or high during your travel dates, if separate tickets are booked together, and the best departing flights.
Aside from also being able to book accommodations, Google Flights provides you with information on things to do in the area that you’re visiting as well as helpful travel articles. Another thing I like about Google Flights is that it offers you the best flight deals from your departure location and provides you with some options of where you may want to travel at a great price. You can explore destinations around the world and it’ll give you a price in each location. From there (if you’re looking for a cheap destination to visit), you can just click on the lowest amount of money you’d like to pay and explore that city.
Overall, when it comes to finding the best flight deals, I think it’s always great to shop around and these are some of the best websites you can use to book your flights. In addition, I love using Rakuten (formerly Ebates) to save additional money and get cashback on a lot of my purchases. For Canadian users, here is $30 CAD to get you started on additional savings. For American users, here is $30 USD to get you started on additional savings. I’ve been using Rakuten since 2014 and have received over $800 CAD in cashback. They can either send you checks or directly deposit the money into your PayPal account every quarter and especially if you are booking big vacations or spending on large purchases, you’ll get quite a bit of money back!
For more travel tips, read these blog posts.