By Sadie Whitelocks for Dailymail.com
21:43 04 Jul 2024, updated 21:45 04 Jul 2024
- Los Angeles-based travel expert Geoffrey Fuller has revealed his top tips
- All of its recommended travel services and apps are free
- He says the first step is to “always start with Google Flights”
Want to take advantage of a cheap flight for your next vacation? Read on.
Los Angeles-based travel expert Geoffrey Fuller has revealed his top tips for getting the cheapest plane tickets, with all of his recommended travel services being free.
Before revealing his specialized apps and websites, he explains that “the first step is always to start with Google Flights, which is the gold standard for searching for most airlines and routes.”
Explaining his reasoning, he writes on his wife Emily Schuman’s “Fwd: from a friend” subreddit: “With the exception of a few carriers, you’ll find the best options for both domestic and international flights.”
Next, Geoffrey notes that timing can have a big impact on the types of deals available.
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If you’re booking an award flight, he says it’s best to book 11 to 2 months before your trip.
This is because these two windows “generally have the best rewards availability and redemption rates.”
He adds, however, that “as airlines often offer seasonal promotions, it is essential to use search tools to cover all dates.”
Continuing his list of cheap flights, he lists his favorite “freemium” travel services, ranked from “best” to “okay.”
At the top of his list is a site called Seats.aero which “helps frequent flyers and travel enthusiasts find the best seats in business and first class using their airline miles/points.”
According to Geoffrey, the main selling point of this free site is the fact that it provides “very fast (i.e. real-time) results across many airline and rewards programs that allow you to find reliable availability and multi-regional searches.”
The second site on his list is PointsYeah, which he describes as “a versatile, free reward travel finder that has quickly gained popularity among points and miles enthusiasts.”
In addition to “free, real-time” flight award searches, this website also provides hotel award availability.
The globetrotter’s third favorite bargain-hunting tool is the Points Path browser extension.
Detailing how it works, he writes: “The extension integrates with popular travel booking sites, providing users with real-time information on points availability and redemption options.
“If you’re still wondering whether to use points or pay for a ticket, this extension makes the question incredibly clear and simple.”
The fourth site Geoffrey supports is Thrifty Traveler, which he says also comes in the form of a newsletter.
He says the company’s three biggest advantages are its “reliability,” its daily email delivery “based on your set preferences,” and “well-researched reward travel offers that a normal search might miss.”
The penultimate site listed is Roame.travel, which Geoffrey says is “designed to help people discover unique travel experiences and destinations.”
In addition to a “clean interface” and expert-curated advice, he likes how the site offers a “nice selection of rewards redemptions based on your departure city and travel dates.”
To round things off, Geoffrey says the Point.me platform is worth checking out if you’re looking for a flight deal.
The main selling point is that you can “centralize all your reward points, from airlines and credit cards, in one place.”
You can also “track almost every airline and import data from all major credit cards, including some smaller ones like Brex and Bilt.”
Backing Geoffrey’s prowess as a cheap flight finder, his wife Emily writes in the introduction: “G and I have been together for 17 years, and he has planned, almost to perfection, every trip.
“Not only does it search for all the must-see places and make the bookings, it also finds the best travel deals.
“He is an obsessive researcher who uses specific newsletters, websites and browser extensions.”
