What Is Cancel For Any Reason Insurance?

Typically, the “any reason” coverage is in addition to the traditional coverage that is limited to “covered reasons” for cancellation enumerated in the policy.

Does CFAR Cost More?

Some insurers bundle it into some policies; others treat it as an add-on option. Either way, you pay more than you would for conventional coverage. On a sample trip that a middle-age couple might buy, with a total of $4500 in prepayments, for example, the base cost of the least expensive bundled policy was $220; with 75 percent cancel for any reason, the price increases to $370.

What Does CFAR Cover?

The most common CFAR policies cover between 50 to 75 percent of your nonrefundable prepayments. Coverage kicks in when the typical 100 percent recovery for cancellation due to a “covered reason” does not apply. It does not replace the traditional coverages: You still recover 100 percent for covered reasons.

To qualify for “any reason,” you must:

• Insure the full value of all nonrefundable or at-risk payments

• Buy the insurance within a set period, typically 15 to 21 days, of your original trip payment

• Cancel no less than 48 hours before scheduled departure

Many policies include trip-interruption coverage along with cancellation. That means it covers unanticipated costs of rejoining a departure you missed or unexpectedly returning home early. Interruption coverage is subject to the same 48-hour time limit and 75 percent recovery.

Consumer advocate Ed Perkins has been writing about travel for more than three decades.

The post Cancel for Any Reason Insurance, Explained appeared first on SmarterTravel.

These small changes to your driving habits, combined with free reward programs, can add up to big savings on gas.

Plan Ahead

Getting lost, backtracking when making multiple stops, and not planning your refueling spot ahead of time—these are all small mistakes that can add up to a big gas bill. Nicole Petersen, a spokesperson for GasBuddy, advises, “Long or unfamiliar trips are the most common time that people waste money on gas, stopping at stations simply for convenience. Things like waiting until the next city over or crossing state lines can save you a lot of money at the pump.”

At home, Ellen Edmonds, Public Relations Manager for the American Automobile Association (AAA) recommends combining errands and getting everything done in one spot or shopping plaza if possible, in order to save on mileage.  

Even if you think you know the way around, mapping out our trip ahead of time (especially if you’re making multiple stops) can help you maximize your fuel economy. 

Increase Your Fuel Efficiency

Going faster might save you time on the road, but it will cost you at the pump. “Fuel economy peaks at around 50 mph on most cars, then drops off as speeds increase, says Edmonds. 

Simply slowing down your highway speeds by 5 to 10 mph can help to increase your vehicle’s fuel economy by as much as 14 percent, according to AAA.  

Pay extra attention to your driving behavior as well. Petersen recommends avoiding “aggressive driving habits like speeding, hard braking and fast acceleration, as they waste gas and can decrease efficiency by up to 40 percent.”

Avoid Idling

At a standstill in traffic? Turn off your engine if it’s safe to do so (and if you’ll be stopped for longer than a minute.) “A car engine consumes one quarter to one-half gallon of fuel per hour when idling, but a warm engine only takes around 10 seconds worth of fuel to restart,” says Edmonds.

Skip Stops and Slowdowns

Some stops are unavoidable, but try to skip any unnecessary stops or slowdowns on the highway. According to AAA, this means:

• Using “fast pass” or “express toll lanes
• Avoiding rush hour when possible
• Monitoring traffic on your route ahead of time and during the trip, and rerouting to a more efficient way as needed

Pass on Premium Gas

Check what type of gas is recommended for our vehicle. If your car only requires regular fuel, splurging for premium will not improve fuel economy and will be a waste of money, warns AAA.

Shop Around for Gas

Plan ahead with your gas stops so you’re not forced to buy extra expensive fuel at the nearest gas station because you’re running on empty. Petersen says GasBuddy typically sees “14-30 cent ranges in gas prices even in small areas.”

There are a few ways you can find out gas prices without driving past stations and checking the signs.

• Search “gas stations” on Google Maps, which displays prices for some stations 
• Use the AAA Mobile App, which shows fuel stops nearby along with gas prices
• Download the GasBuddy app, which displays gas prices on a map

Take Advantage of Loyalty Programs & Gas Cards

Now might be the time to take advantage of those loyalty programs you’ve been avoiding the signs for every time you fill up. These are free programs that give members rewards and discounts on fuel. Some examples include:

• Fuel Rewards, an easy-to-use discount card valid at Shell stations
• GasBuddy, a payment card that can save up to 25 cents per gallon at a number of different gas stations
• BPme Rewards, which gives app users up to 5 cents off every gallon at BP stations
• Exxon Mobile Rewards, simply sign up and then use the app, credit card or just your phone number at the pump to save 3 cents per gallon

Rent a Hybrid Car 

Next time you book a rental car for your travels, choose a hybrid car. These vehicles are usually smaller and cheaper to rent. They also require significantly less gasoline than a regular vehicle, which can result in huge savings on a road trip.

Almost all major rental car companies offer hybrid vehicles, however, most companies specify that the vehicle type “isn’t guaranteed” and you might wind up with a non-hybrid when you arrive.

If you want to guarantee a hybrid rental, try Turo, a car sharing site where you can pick the specific vehicle you want to rent.

The post How to Save Money on Gas: 8 Easy Tricks appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Divide Money

Even if you disregard all other advice about carrying money, take this tip to heart: Whenever possible, divvy up your travel cash and even credit cards into multiple safe spots. If you have all your money in one place, it only takes one incident for a thief to totally wipe you out.

When possible, leave all the cards and cash you won’t need immediately in a secure location in your hotel or vacation rental. And when you’re out and about, keep some of your money attached to your person (see below for ideas about how to wear money securely) and some in a bag you carry. If you’re smart about how you distribute your funds, you’ll still have enough money to get to a police station or back to your hotel in the event your bag gets lost or snatched.

Opt for On-Body Storage

Under-clothing storage accessories have come a long way since neck pouches and money belts came onto the scene. Though those classics are still effective, newer options include boots with zippered stash pockets, normal-looking belts with space for cash, and packs designed for running or working out.

Note that on-body storage isn’t always a good wallet alternative since you don’t want to have to fish around inside your boot for cash while buying something at a store.

Keep Small Bills Handy

Changing or withdrawing large amounts of money minimizes the fees you’ll pay to get local currency, but it also means you’ll be traveling with far more cash—and larger bills—than you’d likely have on you at home. In addition to dividing your money, it’s also wise to make smaller denominations of currency easily accessible. That way, you won’t pull out the local equivalent of a $100 bill while attempting to buy a 30-cent souvenir.

Make money preparation part of your morning routine: As you’re packing your bag, make sure you’ve got a variety of small bills and coins at the ready for purchases such as food, souvenirs, and attraction entry fees. Squirrel away larger bills in your secret on-body stash, or tuck them into a secure part of your wallet or bag.

Carry an Anti-Theft Bag

If garbage-bag commercials have taught us anything, it’s that some bags are tougher than others. The same goes for travel purses, backpacks, and bags—some, designed specifically for travel, have features such as cut-proof, steel-cable-reinforced shoulder straps; slash-proof fabric; and locking zippers.

Since elements like these slow down thieves, anti-theft bags can do a decent job deterring opportunistic pickpockets. Anti-theft bags are available online from Arden Cove, Pacsafe, Travelon, and other retailers. Consider your purchase an investment that might save you some money.

Trim Your Wallet

Are you going to need your library card when you’re 6,000 miles from your local branch? Probably not. Before you leave, take the time to go through your wallet and take out everything except the necessities (a primary credit card and a backup, an identification card, an insurance card, etc.). Not only will it help you travel lighter, but if your wallet does get lost or stolen, you’ll have fewer items to replace.

Use a Decoy Wallet

If you’re traveling in a place known for pickpockets or muggings, consider getting a cheap wallet that looks real enough to use as a decoy that you can keep in your pocket or bag. Pad the wallet with some small bills and make it look more real by slipping in one or two of those sample credit cards you get with offers in the mail. A dummy wallet can stop pickpockets before they get to your real wallet.

Buy a Travel Wallet

In addition to a decoy wallet, you might also consider a wallet that you reserve specifically for travel. There’s one simple reason for this: If you’re the type of person whose day-to-day wallet is packed with cards—gym memberships, prepaid coffee cards, frequent-buyer punch cards, and the like—the card pockets are likely to be stretched out and won’t be able to securely hold just an item or two. By keeping a travel-only wallet at the ready, your cards will have snug pockets that they can’t slip out of accidentally.

As an added bonus, you won’t have to unpack and repack your day-to-day wallet; you can simply transfer what you need for your trip to your travel version.

Adapt to the Local Money Culture

Being prepared to pay your way on vacation means different things depending on where you are. In a cash economy, you’ll need to make sure to have a variety of bills and coins on hand at all times, but your credit cards will likely just collect dust.

However, in much of Europe and parts of Asia, where automation is common and chip-and-PIN credit card technology is standard, having a compatible credit card will come in very handy, especially if you find yourself at an unattended gas station late at night or a train station after hours. Also, keep in mind that in some countries, U.S. dollars are an official or unofficial secondary currency, so it’s wise to keep a few greenbacks ready.

Use Money Alternatives

In high-traffic settings such as metro stations and close quarters like bus lines, it’s nice to be able to forgo cash or credit card transactions and rely instead on a multi-use ticket or other cash alternative. If you’re in a city where the public transportation system offers multi-use cards (for instance, London’s Oyster card or San Francisco’s Clipper card) or where you can buy a bunch of tickets at once for a discounted price, then take advantage. You’ll reduce your chances of losing your wallet simply by retrieving and stowing it fewer times.

Stow Valuables Securely

Sometimes the best way to carry money is not to carry it at all. Hotels’ in-room safes are generally pretty secure, and if you’ve got an item (or a wad of cash) you’re particularly nervous about, check to see if the hotel has a safe-deposit box behind the desk. If you do use a hotel lockbox of any sort, remember to retrieve your items when you leave. In the rush to pack up and depart, out of sight can easily mean out of mind—until you’re on your way to the airport. If you’re a forgetful type, leave a colorful note on top of your suitcase.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2016. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

The post 10 Smart Ways to Carry Money While Traveling appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Focus on Safety First

One of the easiest and most important items on an overseas travel checklist is also arguably the most ignored. Travel insurance and State Department alerts can be incredibly important in emergencies abroad, but many tourists bet they won’t become part of the small percentage of travelers who require evacuation assistance or protection from hotel or flight cancellations.

Subscribing to the State Department’s STEP alerts for your destination can help you stay up to date on upcoming and current travel restrictions, strikes, and areas of political unrest. Any alerts you receive will let you know whether or not to plan for some unexpected obstacles in advance.

Travel insurance can cost as little as a few dollars per travel day and cover anything from lost luggage to emergency medical attention, potentially saving you hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars.

Get Your Travel Documents and Credit Cards in Order

Make sure your passport and any necessary travel visas are up to date. Some countries require a passport to be valid for at least six months after your scheduled return, so make sure you won’t be turned away or delayed at customs because of an old passport. Not sure if you need a visa? Check the State Department’s travel page for your destination.

Keep physical and digital copies of your passport and all your paperwork in case anything is lost. Share copies of your passport, itinerary, and contact numbers with family and friends whom you can contact in case of an emergency.

Notify your bank and credit card companies about your travel dates so they don’t deny your purchases, and ask about international ATM fees so you can find out which ones won’t charge you. It’s always a good idea to bring multiple cards in case one stops working.

Don’t underestimate how helpful a cell phone photo of your passport can be. Whether you have to go to the consulate and report it lost, or are just filling out a customs card and need your passport number, it will likely come in handy. Email the image to yourself to have an extra digital copy in case your phone runs out of batteries or goes missing. You may also want to bring a spare copy of your passport photo on your trip; having it handy will speed the processing of a new document.

Get Vaccinated

It’s best to get the necessary vaccinations out of the way as soon as possible since it can take a few weeks to build full immunity. Some also require multiple doses, which may need to be administered over days, weeks, or even months. Talk to your doctor about getting the CDC-recommended shots, as the protocol for vaccines varies by country. For example, dozens of countries require proof of a yellow fever vaccination if you’ve been to at-risk areas. A travel clinic can help you sort out which vaccinations and medications you might need.

Keep your vaccination certificate in your carry-on in case customs requires you to present it when entering the country.

Study Up on Your Destination

Whether you’re a travel app connoisseur or more of a paperback guidebook person, having some source of knowledge about your destination is invaluable. Read about the region you’re traveling to in advance to gain insight into important information such as currency exchange rates, useful phrases, tipping norms, appropriate clothing, and cultural/legal customs. It’s best to be prepared so you don’t land yourself in a compromising situation.

Make Sure Your Home Is Cared For

There’s nothing worse than realizing once you’re six time zones away that you forgot to stop your mail delivery or ask someone to water your expertly cultivated house plants. Make sure your daily tasks are covered before you leave, or appoint a trusty friend to do them for you.

You can find a house or pet sitter to do your chores if you’re willing to list your home on TrustedHouseSitters.com. Plus, you could find lodging through the site for your trip abroad if you can do the same for someone else.

Stay Connected

Want to stay in touch while traveling abroad? If you haven’t taken your phone overseas before, call your mobile provider to ask about international phone plans that might be available. If your carrier’s plans are expensive, an international SIM card can be a good alternative.

Download the Necessities

Sometimes, the most important thing you’ll pack is in your smartphone rather than your suitcase. Offline maps are your best friend when traveling with limited data or battery. You can find Wi-Fi in many places, but downloading offline maps through Google Maps will allow you to follow your GPS without using up data.

Downloading in-flight entertainment could also save you if your TV malfunctions on a long-haul flight. Streaming won’t be available without consistent in-flight Wi-Fi (which you shouldn’t ever depend on) but you can pre-download movies and TV shows through most platforms.

Don’t forget a portable backup charger. Watching hours of your favorite TV show is sure to drain your battery life, and there’s nothing worse than finally finding a Wi-Fi spot only to have your phone die.

Pack These Essentials

While the contents of your checked bag will largely depend on the climate you’re visiting, you’ll want most of your trip’s essentials easily accessible in your carry-on. Start with this international travel checklist of items to pack:

• Passport and visa
• Medications
• Insurance and ID cards
• Cash, debit cards, and credit cards
• Pen to fill out customs forms
• Portable charger
• Earplugs, eye mask, and sleeping pills
• Electrical converters and adapters specific to your destination
• Headphones
• Antibacterial wipes
• Sweater/scarf in case the plane is chilly
• Cell phone and charger

For more ideas, check out our ultimate packing list.

Consider taking photos of your packed suitcase (both inside and out) in case it gets lost. That way, airline employees will know what to look for, and you’ll know what was inside if you don’t get it back and need to file a claim.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2016. It has been updated to reflect the most current information.

The post The Ultimate Checklist for Traveling Abroad appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Why You Should Always Check Your Credit Card Statement After Stay in a Hotel 

Almost all hotels will put a mandatory hold on your credit card when you check in. This hold is usually for the amount of one night’s stay, plus an extra $50-$100 to cover any incidentals (like minibar charges) or damages that may be incurred. 

The hold is typically released from your credit card within 24 hours after checking out, but you should always make sure it’s actually been removed. Although 24 hours is the standard time for a credit card hold, some financial institutions take longer to remove holds, so you may have to check back again within a week if the hold is still pending after a day.

You want to make sure that the hotel actually removed the hold, and that it hasn’t become an actual charge on your credit card. There could have been a glitch in your system where the hold didn’t get removed, or you might have been incorrectly charged for something you didn’t do—like smoking in your hotel room. Be sure to ask for an itemized receipt when checking out so you can verify that these charges were not valid. 

It’s important to catch this error quickly so that you have time to call the hotel to have the charge removed, or, in the worst case scenario, to dispute the charge with your credit card company before your bill is actually due.

Don’t think you’ll remember to check your credit card? Some banks offer the option to sign up for alerts when charges go through, so you can take advantage of this feature to automatically see any post-trip charges.

The post The One Thing You Should Always Do 24 Hours After Checking Out of a Hotel appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Stashing an emergency credit card back at your hotel room can be a lifesaver if you lose (or are robbed) of your purse/wallet on vacation, as it will give you the funds you’ll need to tide you over until you get home. However, there are a few tips you should follow to make the emergency credit card useful.

Make Sure to Keep It Active

An emergency credit card is, by definition, not to be used very often. However, this idleness can be a red flag to the credit card company. If a card is not used at least once in a year, the issuing company may deem the card as inactive and cancel your account—without even notifying you. This would obviously be a huge problem if you do need your emergency credit card and find that it’s no longer valid. Be sure to use your backup credit card at least once a year (and pay it off immediately, so you don’t forget about the balance and rack up high interest charges) in order to keep it active. 

A Card Can Help Verify Identity

If you lose your driver’s license or passport, you’ll still need to prove your identity in order to get temporary identification issued so that you can fly home. Having a credit card in your name can help with the verification process.

If a passenger on a domestic flight has lost their ID card, there are some ways the airline and TSA can work with the passenger to prove their identity and let them fly. Showing a credit card in your name can help with this. 

Only Hide It in the Hotel Safe if You’ll Remember It

An emergency credit card is easy to hide in your hotel room. Although the safe is the most secure option, you could stash it in the pages of a book, in your luggage, or even in a shoe that you’re not wearing. If a single credit card is the only thing you’re stashing in the safe, it’s highly likely that you’ll forget it upon checking out. If you do utilize the safe, set yourself a reminder in your phone to empty it, tape a note to yourself on the inside of the hotel room door, or put something that you know you won’t leave without in the safe along with the card.

Make Sure to Set a Travel Notification if Needed

You don’t want to use your emergency credit card only to have your transaction blocked because it’s coming from outside of the country. Before you travel, be sure to notify your credit card of your trip in order to reduce the chances of getting flagged. You can usually do this online via your credit card portal or by calling customer support. 

However, some credit card companies have moved away from travel notifications, meaning you can skip this step. (Capital One, for example, tells customers “You don’t need to notify us about your travel plans anymore thanks to the added security of your Capital One chip card. You can use your card abroad the same as you use it at home. Please check that your email and phone number are up to date in case we need to reach you.”)

The post The One Item You Should Always Hide in Your Hotel Room When Traveling appeared first on SmarterTravel.

The 6 Best Flight-Price Trackers

Several options generally rise to the top of most evaluations. Here are the top five, in no particular order, plus what makes each one stand out, followed up by some broader flight-tracking options:

• KAYAK
• Skyscanner
• Hopper
• Airfarewatchdog
• Google Flights
• Going

KAYAK

KAYAK (part of the Booking.com empire) is a robust flight price tracker. You can tailor the tracking filters as tightly as you want: by destination, class of service, number of stops, and more. KAYAK can also track hotel prices. Both are possible by selecting the “Track Prices” switch on the left side of the results page once you’ve searched for your specific dates.

Pros of Kayak: It shows Southwest if it is an option for the route you are searching, but does not show you the price is, have to click through to the southwest website. 

Cons of Kayak: Does not offer a loyalty program, so if you book through them there is no incentive for points. 

Skyscanner

Skyscanner, a London-based metasearch system, operates in much the same way as KAYAK. The “Get Price Alerts” button on the search results page enters your trip(s) into the system, and you can manage your account for details. 

As with KAYAK, this flight price tracker doesn’t include Southwest fares. And although it can search hotels, it does not offer a tracking function for them. Skyscanner’s “Get Price Alerts” option on the left side of the results page allows you to choose from email, Facebook, and Google to create an alerts account and start getting emails easily—all you have to do is enter an email address for them to be forwarded to.

Pros of Skyscanner: Real time fare comparison is like no other site, advanced search options. 

Cons of Skyscanner: Displaying of ghost fares that are no longer valid. 

Hopper

According to SaleCycle, the majority of travelers browse for flights on their phones but book them on their computers. Hopper may change that as a mobile app for iOS and Android phones, perfect for those glued to their phones. When the price of a fare drops, you will receive a notification directly on your phone, which you can click on to review the fare. There are no emails to check; just click on the alert. 

They have a great prediction model that tells you if the fare is high and when they think it will drop, so you know when to be on the lookout for those alerts and get ready to book. 

Pros of Hopper: Best tracking when using your phone to book airfare. 

Cons of Hopper: Filters are not as extensive as other sites. 

Airfarewatchdog

Airfarewatchdog, SmarterTravel’s sister site, will send you an alert the instant a price goes down so you can snag it before it is gone. Choose from a specific route or all deals from a specific departure city. 

Adding cities and routes is straightforward and simple, even after you have signed up- you can easily update your alerts without having to dig around. You can choose how often you want to get alerts, either up to seven times a week, three times a week or once a week.

Pros of Airfarewatchdog: Their Do-Not-Send Airlines option. Hate Spirit? Have a disdain for American? You can easily add the airlines you don’t want alerts from under your account settings.

Cons of Airfarewatchdog: Some fares you get alerts for are hard to find on the site.

Google Flights

Lastly: Not a website so much as a broader platform built into the internet giant Google, Google Flights provides an outstanding range of choices for tracking flight prices. For any trip of interest, you can enter an origin/destination, travel dates, how many tickets you want, and class of service, plus screening for the number of stops and other variables to track as many individual flights as you want. notifies you if the fare goes below the value when you first entered the search. It covers most airlines except for Southwest, which does not provide its fares to any metasearch systems. It notifies you by email on as many specific searches as you set it to. Google Flights does not include hotels. As an added bonus, Google Flights will also tell you the cheapest time to fly to a given destination, or the cheapest place to fly in a given time period, if you’re unsure of where and when to travel.

Pros of Google Flights: You can choose if you want to get alerts for specific dates or just for the route you are searching for in general, no matter the date – you just want the best price. 

Cons of Google Flights: They don’t always display the lowest price available. 

Going

Going, (previously Scott’s Cheap Flights) is a membership-based model. You can choose from three tiers: free, premium, and elite. The higher your status, the more deals you will be sent, and the more likely you will get the best deal for the routes/cities you choose. The paid memberships only make sense for people who travel a lot, otherwise, if you are just looking for a good deal, there is no need to pay for a membership. 

Going is by far the most aesthetically pleasing airfare site out of all the ones we have mentioned. Each deal is accompanied by a photo of the destination (or of an airplane) and has a generic price range listed, making fares seem cheaper than they might be but making the user feel like they are getting a deal. 

Pros of Going: Easy step-by-step alert sign-up. 

Cons of Going: They make it seem like you need a paid membership to continue, but you don’t. A Skip button is in the upper right-hand corner of all the sign-up pages as you set up your account. 

For premium fares (premium economy, business, and first-class), you can use any ITA Matrix-based site, which covers all fare classes. Those who want more detailed information on first—and business-class deals, however, can subscribe to several paid sources like First Class Flyer and Notiflyer, starting at $99 per year. Read more about where to find deals on premium airfare here.

Additional Tips for Finding Cheap Flights

• Be flexible with your travel dates and times. Weekdays and off-peak hours are generally cheaper than weekends and holidays.
• Consider flying into budget-friendly airports or nearby regional airports.
• Sign up for email newsletters from airlines you prefer to receive updates on promotions and sales.

Following these tips and leveraging flight price trackers can significantly increase your chances of scoring the best deals on your next airfare purchase.

The post Flight Price Trackers: 6 Sites That Will Find the Cheapest Airfare for You appeared first on SmarterTravel.

Hotel Checkout Mistake #1: Failing to Double-Check Your Bill

Hotels are notorious for tacking on hidden fees. While some are unavoidable, you’ll want to scan your bill for anything that looks fishy—such as charges for snacks or drinks when you didn’t touch the minibar, or a dinner in the hotel restaurant that was charged to the wrong room number. Be sure to dispute these charges and get an updated copy of the receipt before you check out.

Hotel Checkout Mistake #2: Leaving Something Behind

My parents once made it all the way to the airport in Paris before realizing they had left their passports in the hotel safe. Needless to say, they missed their flight—and had a stressful ending to an otherwise pleasant trip.

Their story isn’t uncommon. In addition to leaving things in the safe, travelers often forget about toiletries in the shower and phone chargers in out-of-sight, out-of-mind electrical outlets.

Pack as much as you can the night before, when you’re not stressed for time. Then, right before hotel checkout time, do one last sweep of your room. Peek under the bed for things that might have fallen, pull back the shower curtain, check all the outlets, and open up the safe.

One trick long recommended by savvy travelers: Put one of your shoes in the safe the night before so you can’t leave without opening it. Another option is to bring along your pre-trip packing list and go over it to make sure you have everything before you leave the hotel.

Hotel Checkout Mistake #3: Forgetting to Leave a Tip

Don’t forget your hardworking (and often underpaid) housekeeper in your rush to get out the door. If you don’t have small bills handy, the front desk can make change for you. Consider leaving the equivalent of $2 to $5 each night of your stay, depending on local tipping norms and how messy you are.

Keep Your Money & Travel Documents Organized

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Hotel Checkout Mistake #4: Not Allowing Enough Time

In an ideal world you’d step out of the elevator, hand the keycard to a front desk staffer, and complete your hotel checkout in about 90 seconds. Don’t count on that—especially if you’re staying at a large hotel that caters to conventions and/or tour groups. Such properties often have long lines at the front desk during the most popular checkout times.

If you’ve got a plane or train to catch, allow yourself plenty of extra time to check out—just in case.

Hotel Checkout Mistake #5: Letting the Hotel Call You a Cab

Yes, it’s convenient, but travelers on a budget should order themselves an Uber or Lyft instead. Not only will the fare likely be cheaper, but you’ll also save a few bucks on tips for the hotel staff.

Hotel Checkout Mistake #6: Failing to Reserve a Spot on the Airport Shuttle

If you’re staying in an airport hotel before an early flight, chances are the property offers a free shuttle—but don’t assume you can just show up at 5:30 a.m. and hop on. Shuttle spots can be limited, and many hotels recommend (or even require) that you reserve your place the night before.

Once you make a reservation, be sure to arrive on time. The front desk might give you a courtesy call if you aren’t in the lobby when the van is ready to leave, but with other passengers in a hurry to make their flights, the shuttle might not wait long.

Hotel Checkout Mistake #7: Overstaying Your Welcome

Normal hotel checkout time for most properties is 11:00 a.m. or noon so housekeepers have time to clean rooms for the next guest. Be sure you know the deadline at your hotel so you can plan accordingly.

If you need a little extra time, call the front desk as far in advance as you can and see if they can accommodate you. Don’t just stay in the room beyond the checkout time; you will disrupt the housekeeping schedule and could face extra fees.

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3 words: lightweight, durable, & multi-functional. The Carry-On from Away makes traveling that much easier, especially with its removable, TSA-approved battery for your electronics.

The post 7 Things Not to Do at Hotel Checkout appeared first on SmarterTravel.

If you’re interested only in evading the main cabin, you won’t find any deal alert services that don’t charge a fee. A bunch of free information sources can help you hunt down your own deal, but no premium airfare service is as automatic as Airfarewatchdog.

Why Are Premium Airfare Deals Difficult to Find?

One reason for the lack of a simple premium airfare system is that, for many travelers, premium flying is inextricably bound to frequent flyer programs. The best way to get into a front cabin is often by using frequent flyer miles. And for some, the game is to apply for a bunch of credit cards that offer huge initial bonuses if you meet an exorbitantly large monthly charge threshold for the first few months. So the problem of finding outright premium airfare deals isn’t easy, but it’s not insurmountable, either.

Where to Find Premium Airfare Deals

Still, premium deals are available. Airlines offer flash sales and special promotions in premium cabins just as they do in economy. A few years ago, I found (and bought) a round-trip business class ticket to Asia for just $1,500—which was less than half the nominal first-class rate.

How to Find Premium Airfare Deals

First, set yourself up for success on your hunt for the best premium airfare deals by following these booking tips.

Set Up Fare Alerts

Ideally, you’d be able to monitor every booking site at all hours of the day, ready to pounce on the best deal as soon as it goes live. Unfortunately, few of us have the time to spend hours sifting through fares. This is where airfare deal alerts come in handy. Many top flight search sites allow you to track certain itineraries and will send you alerts when fares drop on your preferred travel dates. Expedia’s “Price Tracking” and AirfareWatchdog’s “Deal Alerts” are among the best options. Setting up multiple alerts on multiple travel dates increases your chance of scoring a great rate.

How to Set Up Flight Price Alerts: Flight search sites make it easy to set up fare alerts. Oftentimes it’s as easy as searching for the route you want and toggling a switch on the flight results page. From there, you’ll be prompted to enter your email or create an account so the site can send you the latest fares. On our sister site, Airfarewatchog, all you have to do is click “track this route” to be alerted to price drops and great deals to your destination. 

Listen to the Data

Some flight search sites use predictive analysis and historical booking data to let travelers know when the best time to book a certain route may be. Momondo’s “Our Advice” section on their flight search results page offers recommendations for when travelers should buy and predictions for future price changes. On a flight search for business and first class fares from Los Angeles to New York, Momondo let me know that I should buy now and that “prices [were] unlikely to decrease within 7 days.”

Travel on Tuesdays

While there is some debate about whether Tuesday remains the peak day to fly, it can’t hurt to take into consideration. According to NerdWallet, airfare can be roughly 24% lower for flights departing on a Tuesday. This applies across fare classes, so try snagging a business or first class airfare deal.

Book on Off Days and During Off Season

If traveling during a high air traffic season, like around Christmas or spring break, booking flights on less popular travel dates can lead to better fare deals. According to Hopper, international flights that departing on Christmas Day this past holiday season saw airfare up to 17% lower than flights departing the previous Friday. Additionally, travel during your destination’s off season will see cheaper fares across the board.

Shoot for an Upgrade

Gone are the days when free upgrades were (relatively) easy to obtain. However, for those willing to do their due diligence there’s still hope. Follow our guide on how to really get an airline upgrade to try your luck.

Expand Your Horizons

Traditionally, the most luxe fares were business and first class and the rest of the cabin was stuck in coach. But recently, the emergence of fares like premium economy have made it possible for a budget traveler to fly in comparative style. Expand your search to include these alternate classes to get the same benefits at a much lower price.

Paid Services to Find Premium Airfare Deals

If managing your own fare alerts and flight searches sounds daunting, don’t worry. There are services dedicated to doing the legwork for you.

First Class Flyer

First Class Flyer is the gold standard for finding deals on premium airfare, for both performance and membership price. The minimum Silver level costs $97 per year, and gets you a daily bulletin that covers special deals for both cash payments and use of miles. Higher levels of membership cost $197 and $297 per year and add on a bunch of additional information that’s useful, but not essential, if you’re just looking for flash sales.

MightyTravels

MightyTravels’ premium option is $69 per year and offers daily bulletins on economy class deals from your home airport. Their Premium Pro ($199/year) membership includes bulletins on economy, premium economy, and business class deals from your home airport, including unpublished and “mistake fares”, while Premium Max ($159/year) adds on additional tiered benefits, such as Travel Concierge Assistance.

Going

A membership with Going—formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights—works similarly to those listed above, however the first two membership tiers are less expensive than the either MightyTravels or First Class Flyer. A Limited Membership is free and gets you access to economy deals within the continental United States from your home airport. The Premium membership is $5.99 per month ($69 annually) and unlocks both domestic (all 50 states) and international economy deals. The Elite tier is where you’ll find premium economy, business class, and first class airfare deals, for just $16.58 per month ($199 annually). Both Premium and Elite members have access to points and miles deals, mistake fares, and custom destination alerts.

Free Blogs to Find Premium Airfare Deals

A handful of free blogs also cover the full gamut of airfare deals with a minor focus on premium cabin options. All or most of the free blogs often find the same deals—so you’re probably ok finding one you like and sticking with it. Options include AirfareSpot.com, Godsavethepoints, No Mas Coach, One Mile at a Time, The Points Guy, and View from the Wing. There’s a lot about credit cards, hotels, and other stuff in them, too, but they do dig out some good premium deals.

FlyerTalk also has an online forum on premium flying. It’s not organized for easy search, but it’s especially good for deals that originate outside of the U.S.

So unless you spring for the First Class Flyer or MightyTravels paid services, you’ll have to do your own digging through blogs and websites. But that’s a lot easier than spending hours on a metasearch engine, yourself. The amount of money you’ll save warrants a bit of extra effort, anyways.

Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The post Where to Find Premium Airfare Deals on First Class and Business Class appeared first on SmarterTravel.

In addition to the option of booking directly with your airline, there are dozens of flight booking websites, also known as online travel agencies (OTAs), to choose from. The uncomfortable truth is that no one flight search engine can guarantee the best price 100 percent of the time, but using a mix of the right resources can help ensure you’re not overpaying.

The Best Flight Booking Sites

One important thing to remember about booking sites/OTAs is that Southwest fares are not sold on them. Some other airlines have also pulled their fares from some booking sites, but most airlines do make their fares available.

Here’s why these 14 are the best flight booking sites and metasearch options out there, and the best defining feature of each. Since it’s impossible to know which site will provide the best price for your particular trip, you should always compare fares from a few sources before you book.

Best Flight Search Site for Comparing Flight Types: Travelocity

It should be noted that Expedia owns Travelocity, so this flight booking site basically gives you Expedia price results with a different color scheme and organizational preferences. Travelocity’s homepage is streamlined but doesn’t offer a flexible-dates search. On the results page, bag fees are revealed by a pop-up screen that activates when clicking each fare, which makes it a little difficult to compare fees (you will likely have to scroll a bit). Travelocity charges booking fees for some but not all flights.

Best Feature: Travelocity displays all fares for a selected flight in a convenient pop-out window, allowing you to compare fares on a given itinerary while still scrolling through options from the search results on the same screen.

Best Flight Search Site for Comparison Shopping: BookingBuddy

Editor’s note: BookingBuddy is owned by SmarterTravel Media, SmarterTravel.com’s parent company.

Compare multiple airfare sites with one click to find the best flight deals on BookingBuddy. This metasearch site lets you easily compare prices from other sites (like Priceline) without having to do a bunch of different searches. You can choose which flight search sites you want to compare, and BookingBuddy opens up a new tab with your selected flight dates and destinations already filled in.

Looking for a flight and hotel? BookingBuddy offers a combination flight and hotel search that can save you some decent money by bundling.

Best Feature: Sign up for a price drop alert, and BookingBuddy will email you when costs drop on your route.

Best Flight Search Site for Transparency: Expedia

As previously mentioned, Expedia is nearly identical to Travelocity, but fares did vary between the two sites on some of my searches. As with Travelocity (and to be fair, a number of other OTAs), Expedia will try to up-sell you on adding a hotel to your itinerary. This can save you money, but be sure to compare prices before you book. Expedia charges variable booking fees (and they are not always the same fees that Travelocity charges). When you select your fare from the list of options, there’s an interstitial step that displays what is and isn’t covered in the fare, including seat selection, cancellations, changes, and baggage rules.

Best Feature: Like its subsidiary Travelocity, Expedia basically double-checks that you understand what sort of fare you’re choosing before you click “select” again. It’s a helpful bit of transparency in today’s cluttered airfare landscape.

Best Flight Search Site for Nonstop Flights: CheapOair

Much like Travelocity and Expedia, flight search sites CheapOair and OneTravel (discussed later in this article) are versions of the same product, owned by Fareportal Inc. Though the sites are owned by the same company, the fare results are not always identical, so it’s worth checking both. CheapOair shows some “Super Saver Fares” for which you don’t find out the airline you’ll be flying until after you book—which means you also don’t find out what baggage fees apply until after you book. However, the savings might be worth it. CheapOair charges a service fee on air travel transactions, from $0 to $35 per ticket.

Best Feature: CheapOair prioritizes nonstop prices over itineraries with stops, organized in an easy-to-read chart that’s organized by airline.

Best Flight Search Site with Flight Reviews: Tripadvisor Flights

Tripadvisor is known for its hotel reviews, and now travelers can apply their ratings to airlines, plus search for airfare on Tripadvisor Flights. On testing this flight booking site it’s clear that Tripadvisor doesn’t always serve up the cheapest fares, but sometimes it did. It always, however, gives you the option to surface Expedia, Travelocity, and other flight booking sites’ results, so you can compare right away with one click. Tripadvisor Flights also has some helpful search options up front, like a checkbox for prioritizing nonstop flights.

Best Feature: Tripadvisor’s flight search tool is unique from others in that it offers review-based FlyScores of airlines alongside their fares, so you’re less likely to book with an obscure, poorly rated airline without realizing it.

Best Flight Booking Site for Environmentally-Conscious Flyers: Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a popular metasearch site that works with hundreds of other travel providers to find the best fares. You can specify nonstop-flights-only right from the homepage, and there’s also a handy “everywhere” option if you don’t have a particular destination in mind and want to see what’s available. Search results show the “best” option (based on a combination of price and speed) as well as the fastest and cheapest, and you can filter by airline, alliance, number of stops, and flight times. When you select a result, you’ll see a variety of places to book that particular flight. Skyscanner casts a wide net, so you’ll often see very cheap fares from booking sites you’ve never heard of; to help you figure out how trustworthy they are, Skyscanner shows user star ratings for each.

Best Feature: For flyers concerned about the environmental impact of their travel, Skyscanner has a unique “Greener flights” filter, which shows only itineraries with lower-than-average CO2 emissions based on your search. The site also highlights certain itineraries in your results as a “greener choice.”

Best Flight Booking Site for Flexible Travel: OneTravel

OneTravel has a similar interface to CheapOAir, with a convenient chart prioritizing the best nonstop flight options at the top of the results page. The search results automatically populate similar but cheaper flights on alternate dates close to the user’s original search date, which is great if there is flexibility in your plans. If you are committed to your arrival and departure dates, however, you can toggle off alternate dates in the filters section. One major drawback: OneTravel charges a steep service fee of up to $50 per ticket.

Best Feature: The search results page is subdivided into Recommended, Cheapest, Shortest, and Alternate Date tabs, making it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for at a high-level and continue to filter down from there.

Best Flight Booking Site for People on a Budget: Travelzoo

Travelzoo is quite different from the other sites listed here. Instead of booking specific itineraries, you can search broad timelines (this week, next month, this summer, etc.) for deals in your desired destination by either month or season. This makes Travelzoo a good fit for people with a budget and time frame, but no firm idea of when or even where they want to go. The downside is that if you do have specific plans in mind—for example, you need a flight to Omaha in March—Travelzoo is not likely to be helpful.

Best Feature: Travelzoo’s flexibility requirement can afford some great deals you won’t find elsewhere, like cheap business-class flights and multi-city itineraries that will make a dream trip a lot more affordable than you’d think.

Best For Where You Don’t Care Where You Go, You Just Want a Good Price: Google Flights

Google Flights is a powerful, simple metasearch site that comes free of ads and distractions. After you enter your departure and arrival airports, the calendar pre-populates with prices so you can target dates with lower fares. Once you have your results, you can track fares on your selected dates and receive updates by email. You can also view fares over various dates using the “Price Graph,” which shows you a bar graph that makes it easy to see when the lowest fares are available.

Best Feature: Instead of putting in a certain city as a destination, you can put in a larger region such as Europe or South Africa. You’ll then see fares to various cities within that region displayed all at once on a map. This can be helpful if you want to go to Europe in April, for example, but don’t have a particular destination in mind.

Best Flight Booking Site for Filtering: Kayak

Often imitated and frequently duplicated, Kayak was a game-changer when it launched back in the mid-2000s. And it’s still one of the most powerful metasearch tools available. You can also set up fares alerts to track prices over time. The interface is noisier than Google Flights thanks to a preponderance of ads, but still easy to use. Like Google, it has a flexible search feature that lets you search for good deals to a region like Europe or even simply put in “anywhere.” Another handy feature available on many itineraries: an “Our Advice” box that lets you know whether you should buy now or wait, depending on whether Kayak thinks fares will go up or down over the next seven days.

Best Feature: Its Hacker Fares claim to piece together separate one-way tickets, potentially saving you money compared to similar itineraries, and its wide range of filters, sorting options, and predictive technologies put a lot of tools at travelers’ disposal.

Best Flight Booking Site That Included Southwest: Momondo

Like Kayak, Momondo is a metasearch site that takes you to other sites to make your purchase. One plus: Momondo surfaces results from Southwest, including flight times and other details from the carrier … but no prices. Only by clicking through to Southwest could I see the fare. Still, it’s nice to have a reminder that Southwest is an unlisted option. Another plus: Momondo searches for fares from a ton of smaller OTAs, which could lead to a deal that other metasearch tools miss.

Best Feature: The mention of Southwest is unique to Momondo.

Best Flight Booking Site for Multi-Stop Itineraries: Nomad from Kiwi.com

Kiwi.com is an OTA like many others; you book directly on the site (as you would on Expedia) rather than being linked off to a different site (as you would on Kayak or Momondo). But what sets it apart is its Nomad search engine, which lets you find cheap itineraries for multi-destination trips. You enter the starting and ending places of your journey as well as the cities where you want to stop along the way, including how many nights you want to spend in each place. Hit “find routes,” and the site will put together an itinerary that mixes and matches airlines and routes for the lowest possible price. (For example, I was quoted a route involving four flights—New York City to Rome to Moscow to Tokyo and back to New York—for a measly $1,031 round-trip.) You can filter your results to weed out routes with multiple layovers or flights that don’t include checked baggage.

Best Feature: This is by far the easiest tool I’ve used to research around-the-world and multi-stop itineraries.

Best Flight Booking Site for Fare Alerts: Airfarewatchdog

Full disclosure, airfarewatchdog is a sister site to SmarterTravel, so we are slightly biased with this one, but promise it is worth your while. Airfarewatchdog is the best for flexible travelers who are just looking for a great deal on airfare. Search fares from a city, to a city, or you can “choose an adventure,” which will show you fares from your city to various hotspots depending on what you are looking for – castles, caves, coffee, you name it, airfarewatchdog will point you in the right direction. Their blog features great travel tips, and one of the best features is the fare alerts you can sign up for. If you know you want to travel somewhere, but all you want is a cheap price, sign up for an alert, and you’ll find out as soon as the price dips so you can book it right away.

Best Feature: The fare alert—it allows you to stop searching daily for that perfect price! Let airfarewatchdog do the work for you.

Best Mobile-Friendly Flight Booking Site: Hopper

Hopper is primarily an app for your phone (although it can be used as a website) but it is worth putting on here just the same. Have you ever been scared to book a flight because it might go down, or afraid to not book it in case it goes up? One of the features of Hopper that makes it shine is its price predictor, which means you never have to worry about making the wrong booking decision. Another bonus is it shows you the price with all of the fees and taxes included, so there is no sticker shock when you finally go to book. After you search, if you aren’t ready to book, you can set up an alert to watch that trip, dates and all. 

Best Feature: Hands down the price predictor. 

Which Flight Booking Site is Best for Me?

In determining which of these sites are the best ones for you to compare prices with, it’s helpful to determine which sites meet your trip-booking needs. Do you want to clearly see bag fees up front? Do you want an easy “flexible dates” function, or are your dates firm? If your travel plans are loose, do you want to see prices for multiple destinations? Different flight booking sites have different capabilities.

Once you determine which site is worth your time depending on the trip, compare prices with a few to make sure you’re getting the best deal. And always check the airline’s own site: OTAs are good at displaying fees associated with an individual flight, but it’s trickier to compare fare options (classes like basic economy vs. economy) on that flight.

Lastly, it’s important to remember that this list can be separated into two main types: booking sites (also called OTAs) that you book directly with as a third party, and aggregators otherwise known as metasearch sites that’ll send you to a booking site to make your transaction. The latter are better if you want to use any frequent flyer programs you might belong to and acquire points.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2019. It has been updated to reflect the most current information. Sarah Schlichter and Megan Johnson  contributed to this story. Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The post The 14 Best Flight Search Sites for Booking Cheap Airfare appeared first on SmarterTravel.