The Summary of Google Flights Hacks

• Google Flights Hacks lets you find great deals on flights in seconds.
• The site also has several features that can save you even more money, if you know how to use them.
• Flight tracking sends you alerts when prices increase or drop, the “Discover” tool helps you book your dream vacation for less, and the “Price graph” lets you find the best time to book your flight.

---

While it’s always a good idea to book flights in advance, sites like Google Flights have made it possible for you to travel on a budget, even at a moment’s notice. One of the most powerful price comparison tools available right now, Google Flights can show you all your travel options in literal seconds. It’s lightning fast, both on web and mobile, and you can find flights in a dozen different ways.

Read more: 7 facts about Himalayas You never Knew.

To help you save more money on your next trip, INSIDER rounded up the 9 best Google Flights tricks that you need to know about. Here’s how to start booking cheaper flights:

1. Get alerts on your phone before prices go up.

[caption id="attachment_4975" align="aligncenter" width="750"] Pay attention to price alerts on your phone.[/caption] Google analyzes historical price trends and uses predictive algorithms to determine whether you should book a flight now or wait until the price drops. If you use Google Flights on your phone, keep an eye out for notifications that warn you about likely fare increases. Currently, these alerts are only available for certain routes, and you can’t control when they appear on your phone, but they’re still a useful way to figure out when you should book your flights.

Suggested read: How to have the perfect Road Trip?

2. Or get alerts sent to your email whenever prices change.

Instead of waiting for price alerts on your phone, you can turn on price tracking to monitor flights around-the-clock. You’ll get an email when prices increase or drop dramatically. There are two ways you can do this. First, you can track the prices of all flights to your desired destination. Just enter your city or airport of origin, your destination, and your travel dates. Then, find the box under “Choose an outbound flight” that says “Track prices,” and tap the toggle to start receiving price alerts in your email. [caption id="attachment_4976" align="aligncenter" width="640"] How to track destinations.[/caption] Second, you can track the prices of specific itineraries, like flights with set departure and return dates. Just enter your travel details, and choose a specific flight. Then, instead of booking the flight right away, tap “Track price.”

Further read: 7 Budget Travel Destinations where Rupee will make you feel rich.

[caption id="attachment_4977" align="aligncenter" width="640"] How to track flights.[/caption] When you check your tracked flights and destinations, you’ll also see a graph that shows you how the price of a flight has changed over time. If you frequently travel on the same route, you can use this graph to gauge when your flight is usually at its cheapest and anticipate future price dips.

Read more: 5 Travel Hacks for Lazy People

3. If you have time to spare, play around with your travel dates to find the best deal possible.

One of Google Flight’s most useful features is the ability to compare prices using the site’s calendar or “Flexible dates” features. If you have a destination in mind and want to save the most money possible, click one of the travel date boxes, and tap “Calendar” or “Flexible dates.” The “Calendar” feature shows you how the price of a particular itinerary is likely to change over time. The “Flexible dates” feature shows you the cheapest itineraries you can book, sorted by departure and return dates. [caption id="attachment_4978" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Use “Flexible dates” to find the cheapest time to travel.[/caption]

4. Find out how much you can save by flying to or from a different airport.

If you live near several airports, you may be able to get a better deal by flying in or out of one that’s slightly farther away. While you can compare prices between airports using Google Flight’s “Multi-city” search, there’s a much quicker way to do this.

Suggested Read: Spiti – Born from an Ancient Sea.

Just enter your preferred cities or airports, and then click on either your origin or destination. On the drop-down menu, click “Nearby airports,” and you’ll see a list of the cheapest flights available at airports near you. [caption id="attachment_4979" align="aligncenter" width="640"] How to compare prices at nearby airports.[/caption]

5. See how much it would cost to fly to almost any city in the world.

[caption id="attachment_4980" align="aligncenter" width="710"] Use the “Explore map” to travel for less.[/caption] If you don’t have a set destination in mind, you can find some pretty incredible deals using Google Flight’s “Explore map.” Perfect for adventurous travelers, this is a great way to book spontaneous trips to new cities.

Read more: Varanasi – A city older than History (Spiritual Travel Guide)

Just click on any city in the world, and you’ll see the cheapest flights available for that trip on the left side of the screen. You can also use the filters at the top of the screen to narrow down your search.

6. Find and book your dream vacation for less.

On Google Flight’s homepage, you can use the “Discover” tool to find an affordable vacation based on your specific interests. All you have to do is play around with the three filters provided: dates, places, and interests. Feel free to be as general or as specific as you want in your search. [caption id="attachment_4981" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Use “Discover trips” to book a trip you’ll love.[/caption] Once you find the perfect trip, click on the colored icon, and a box will pop up that shows you the cheapest flights and hotel rooms available.

7. Find out if you should book your ticket now or wait for a better price.

[caption id="attachment_4982" align="aligncenter" width="640"] How to use “Price graph” to see price drops.[/caption] Google Flight’s “Price graph” feature shows you how prices are likely to change over time. It’s an easy way to spot significant price drops if you’re still not sure whether to book a flight now or later.

8. Keep an eye out for money-saving changes to your itinerary.

[caption id="attachment_4983" align="aligncenter" width="640"] How to use “Date tip” to save more money.[/caption] When you’re searching for flights, don’t ignore Google’s “Date tip,” which will appear at the top of the screen. The tip, highlighted in green, shows you how much money you’d save if you changed one or more of your travel dates.

9. If you don’t have time to browse through flights, check out Google’s top pick.

When you book a trip last minute, you often have to choose between two bad options: cheap flights that are less-than-ideal (like red-eyes, for example), or overpriced flights that aren’t worth their price. [caption id="attachment_4984" align="aligncenter" width="640"] How to find Google’s top pick.[/caption] In this situation, Google’s top pick, which is usually highlighted in green at the top of the “Best flights” box, is probably your best bet. According to Google, these picks are the best trade-off between price and convenience, out of all available flights for your trip.]]>