⌛ Quick travel booking tip: Based on average round-trip flight ticket prices, you can save up to 15% when you book on a Sunday. The cheapest day of the week to travel is Wednesday.
A travel money mistake way too many people make
I’m going to Japan in March and have looked up flights on a few different sites. Roundtrip prices vary as much as $900 depending on where you look. Oof!
Here’s the twist
One place I checked was my credit card rewards site. I get points and perks, so total no-brainer, right? Not so fast. Do a little digging and you may find that it’s not the bigger, better deal.
Lots of credit card companies offer fancy booking tools as a perk to justify the hefty annual fee, but they’re not always as … perky as you’d think.
The long and short of it: Prices through your credit card company are often higher than booking directly. Airlines and hotels want to drive customers to book through them, so you’re way more likely to snag a deal through their sites.
Nope, it’s not ‘free’
You probably spent a ton of money to get those points in the first place. When you put it that way, it doesn’t seem so free. And if you don’t have enough points to cover the entire trip, you’ll still have to shell out some cash to settle the bill.
Pro tip: I often cash in credit card points for gift cards to places where I’m already shopping or want to buy someone a gift.
Pricing predicament
Your credit card company doesn’t set hotel room or plane ticket prices through their portals. Most don’t even manage the travel booking features at all.
- Expedia is behind the American Express travel site.
- The popular Hopper tool manages Capital One’s offering.
Keep in mind, too, that hotel and flight prices fluctuate, and websites don’t update their pricing at the same time. If you don’t check around, you could wind up paying the older, more expensive rate.
What’s cheaper, Airbnb or a hotel? The shocking answer
When Airbnb and Vrbo first hit the scene, they were terrific. It was so much cheaper than staying at a hotel. Now? Hotels are coming back. But why?
For one, there are all the Airbnb horror stories — from hidden cameras to a host secretly living in a rental’s attic. Seriously, it happened. And did you hear about the women renting an old Victorian to celebrate their 50th high school reunion? Instead of a fun time, they got bats. Some of the women were even bitten.
How to get cheap flights with expert Clark Howard
Money-saving guru Clark Howard is here, sharing his top-secret strategies to land the cheapest flights imaginable — and trust me, the airlines do not want you knowing these tricks. We talk about clever booking hacks, algorithms, hidden deals, and the perfect time to strike.
💸 The next big thing? Former Apple designer Jony Ive and OpenAI’s Sam Altman are working on an AI-powered device. Details are scarce (of course!), but they say it’ll handle advanced tasks like booking travel and identifying plants from photos, with more power than the average smartphone and fewer disruptions than a standard phone.
70% more searches
For “star bathing.” Yep, that’s a new term you need to know. Campsite booking platform Hipcamp is seeing more guests looking for a site under clear skies so they can become one with nature. It’s a little out there for me.
Data breach warning: Sony, 900 colleges, health care org and more targeted
Sometimes, we share alerts about one major hack you need to know about — and other times, there’s enough going on that I need to pack a lot in. Sorry, friends, but this is one of those days. I’ll tell you about the data breaches and what you must do.
How to get a hotel room cheaper than the best price online
Here’s my spending philosophy: If you can get something cheaper, it’s worth a little effort. Of course, I like tools that do the hard work for me. Tap or click for an online shopping helper to find discounts that work.
Scammers in the skies: Crooks scan social for posts complaining about flight delays and then pose as airline customer service. They’ll DM you about your booking or send you to a fake site to harvest your info. Only contact customer service using the airline’s official website or phone number.
Havana good time: Millennials say they’re overwhelmed by booking trips online. Instead, they give a real, breathing travel agent a budget and a few dream destinations, and they let them handle the rest. It doesn’t come cheap, though — think $15,000 or more. Gotta get those pics for the ‘gram!
Bumpy skies for discount travel sites like Expedia, Kayak and others
Tired of online booking? You’re not alone. Here’s why many are ditching travel sites for travel agencies.
🚢 Shipwrecked: A Kentucky family of six’s $15,000 Carnival Cruise vacation was a no-go just two days before setting sail. Why? The vacation-ready mom posted the cruise itinerary to Facebook — including the booking number. Some troll then used that number to make a Carnival account and cancel their penthouse suite reservation. PSA: Post your pics only after your vacation.
Airbnb, Vrbo and fed up Americans
Ready for a vacation? You might think twice about booking with popular home-sharing platforms.
AirBnb, Vrbo customers beware - creepy new spy cams from Amazon
Booking a stay for your next vacay? Here’s why you’ll need to take a peek around the house.
The best time to get the CHEAPEST hotel room (and get a free upgrade)
They say the best things in life are free. But sometimes, it takes a good deal of money to set yourself up for those so-called “best things.” Take travel, for example: Although it’s a fun way to make lifelong memories, it can cost an arm and a leg. Luckily, this guide on how to get the cheapest hotel room will help you save a ton of money.
How to spot the worst Airbnb scams - and protect yourself next time you rent
Apps and smartphones have fundamentally changed the way we interact with the world. Instead of taking taxis, we call an Uber or Lyft. Instead of going to the grocery store, we get food delivered by Grubhub or Amazon. And when we travel, forget hotels — it’s all about Airbnb.