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How to Use Google Flights to Save Money on Airfare

Guides2 years ago
Plane flying in the air

Google Flights is an incredibly handy online tool for finding the best and cheapest flights for your next trip. When you are planning your vacation or business trip, this is definitely a tool you should consider utilizing in order to get the cheapest possible price for your seat.

Below, we will look at how to use Google Flights Search to save money on your next trip and will detail our tips and hints for getting the most out of this powerful, online travel tool.

What is Google Flights?

Google Flights is part of the Google Travel online application. You can use this tool to both search for and book flights from third-party travel and flight providers. Using Google Flights, you can carry out quick and comprehensive searches to discover the best and cheapest deals on offer. The Google Flights Search app also allows you to track certain destinations and receive alerts when a particularly good deal comes on the market.

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How Can You Save Money With Google Flights?

Increased search capability – Instead of limiting your search to flights from a certain airport or to a certain destination, Google Flights Explore will allow you to search for flights to and from an entire continent. This will enable you to find cheaper flights, especially if you are flexible with your vacation destinations or would consider taking an initial flight to a hub airport to enjoy a cheaper travel cost overall.

You can check extra costs before you book – As well as prices, Google Flights will give you lots of important and easy-to-digest information about your flight, including whether there are extra costs for carry-on luggage. If you are looking to save as much money as you can, this is valuable information to have before you book.

Get alerts for last-minute deals – This is ideal if you are flexible in your travel plans and are in the position to take advantage of deals for last-minute getaways as and when they appear on the marketplace. You will be able to take advantage of some surprisingly good deals for dream destinations, which the app will alert you to.

Check for airlines you can earn frequent flyer miles on – If you are a member of a frequent flyer scheme with an airline and would prefer to book your flights with their partners, Google Flights Explore can highlight the appropriate airline partners based on your membership scheme, during your search.

Check the deals which are offered on other sites – If you come across an offer on an Online Travel App or website, before you commit to a purchase, you can take advantage of Google Flights' search engine to see if the same seats are available cheaper elsewhere.

Check the comfort level on your flights – Make sure you are getting your money's worth when you book by checking the Google Flights App for information such as chair size and leg room. If you book an incredibly cheap flight without checking the specifics, you could find yourself experiencing a great level of discomfort during your journey.

You can get alerts for Flash Sales and even Flight Fare Mistakes – Using Google Flights, you can set up alerts on certain travel paths so that when a flight dips below a certain price, you will have the opportunity to quickly make a purchase before they rise again.

 

Is Google Flights Free to Use?

There is no charge to use Google Flights, but you must have an active Google Account (this is also free!). All you need to do to access the service is log in.

 

Is Google Flights safe to use?

Google Flights is one the largest and most reliable ways you can search for a flight. The search engine is huge and there is a vast amount of information that feeds into the search engine's results. The Google Flights Explore data is constantly being updated, so it is rare that you will find that the prices shown are outdated.

By pulling information from an incredibly wide range of sources, the chances are you will get better information and a more reliable deal by using Google Flights Search over individual travel agencies, OTAs, or by just checking a few airlines directly.

Airplane flying through the sky

How do you use the Google Flights App to Save Money?

Head to the Google Flights website.

  • Input your departure place and your destination.

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  • Select what type of ticket you want – one-way, multi-stop, round trip, etc.

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  • Then choose the number of seats you want.

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  • Select which class of seat you want to travel in.

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  • Select your trip dates on the calendar.

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You will then be presented with your results which you can then filter by categories such as cost, time of flight, travel time, and even the estimated CO2 emissions of the flight.

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Can you buy from Google Flights?

When you book your flights using the Google Flights App, you will not be buying directly from Google. Instead, your transaction will be with the airline provider you have selected. Google acts as an intermediary and isn't a party in the transaction itself.

 

Can you cancel your booked flight on Google Flights?

If you booked your flights through Google Flights, you will not be able to arrange a cancelation or refund through the application. You will instead need to contact the airline from whom you bought the ticket.

 

Can you Check Carbon Emissions on Google Flights?

Google Flights allows you to check for the Carbon Emissions estimates of flights and will even let you filter your flight search by the lowest to highest carbon emissions! Google calculates its estimates using the information provided by third-party airlines. So, you can make sure you are being as environmentally friendly as possible when you plan your travel.

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Bonus Google Travel Tips

Google Travel is more than just Google Flights and they offer a suite of tools to help you with your booking and planning your trip.

  • Plan things to do at your destination in Google Travel by using the find things to tab.
  • Find a sweet deal for your hotel using Google Travel to find hotel deals.
  • Google Travel even has listings of vacation rentals similar to Airbnb or Vrbo.

 

Summary – How To Use Google Flights To Save Money

The next time you are looking to book a flight, the Google Flights App is a powerful search tool that can help you to find the cheapest and most suitable flights for your trip. The service is free to use, and you are likely to find better options than the ones presented to you on OTA sites or by just checking the major airlines.

Google Flights Search has plenty of helpful features that will enable you to find the flights which will save you money. These include being able to set a Google Alert on a specific flight destination so you can immediately be made aware when an affordable flight is available for you to snap up!