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Travel Hacking: Cheapest Time to Fly

July 28, 2018 By Jason Kinney Leave a Comment

We get asked all the time what is the cheapest time to fly? Now if you aren’t really into travel hacking and points redemption, it’s going to depend on if you are putting a cost on your convenience factor.  Are you genuinely looking for the cheapest flight, therefore, the cheapest time to fly?

So… What is the Cheapest Time to Fly?

In all honesty, if you are trying to find the cheapest flights (for point redemptions or not) you will almost always find that morning flights and red eyes (Late night flights) are your best bet.

Morning Flights

One of the cheapest time to fly tips we have is to fly on a morning flight. A lot of people do not like getting up early to fly so this leaves options at great redemptions. When flying out it gives me several benefits.
  • I prefer to start my trip as soon as possible.
  • Airlines are less likely to delay morning flights.
  • On my flights to Las Vegas and Cancun, they plane usually does not sell. Being on a plane that doesn’t sell out, allows for extra room with empty seats next to you.
  • All Major airlines will give you an option for being bumped off a delayed flight, You will be asked to take a later trip and it will cost you more time in the airport. However it might be well worth your trouble. I have received vouchers for several hundred dollars in credits towards future flights for being delayed a couple of hours.
  • The main reason I prefer the early flights is traffic.  I hate traffic!  I would prefer to deal with traffic at 9 pm if doing a park and fly or driving at 3 am in the morning than sitting in Chicago during rush hour.

Red Eye Flights

Another time to consider for the cheapest time to fly is taking a Red-Eye flight. I prefer the red eye for the same reasons as morning flights.  I usually end up working the following day when I fly back from Las Vegas. Even if I fly back late at night and I can do this partially due to the time change.  When I land at midnight, my body is still in sync with Pacific (Las Vegas) Time, so it feels like it’s still 10 pm.  The time change combined with the red-eye flight allows me to drive in lighter traffic and results in fewer delays getting back.  Usually, the jet leg does not hit me till the next evening, so I would have already gone through my day of work before I would start to feel the effects and can sleep it off at that point.
So it can’t all be awesome right, or everyone would be taking these flights. The biggest pitfall of the red-eye flights is having a flight delayed or canceled. With living in Wisconsin, this does happen more often in those snowy winters.  You will be stuck if you are on the last flight of the day and it’s canceled or delayed. Canceled Flights due to weather has happened several times over the years, but I have found it is a chance worth taking.  You need to keep this in mind if you live in a weather-sensitive area like Wisconsin.
Travel Hacking what is the cheapest time to fly?
Please contact us or leave a comment below if you have other tips on the best time to fly.

Other Travel Tips:

  • Travel Hacks
  • TSA PreCheck
  • Travel Hacking: How to get free flights with ultimate rewards

Filed Under: Travel Tips Tagged With: cheapest time to fly, fly cheap, flying cheap, free flights, travel, travel hacking, travel hacks

Travel Hacking: How to Fly Delta Cheap

March 15, 2018 By Jason Kinney 1 Comment

Which Airline?

Everyone has their own favorite airlines.  I prefer to fly Southwest and Delta airlines.  I like Southwest due to their flight cheap redemption options for direct flights to Las Vegas and Orlando from Milwaukee.  Another reason is due to their nonstop fights for Cancun out of Chicago Midway. However the other airline that I like to use is Delta.  So one of the first things I had to figure out was how to fly Delta cheap.
Delta has a very heavy presence in Minneapolis.  You can get many different nonstop flights to areas throughout the US.  Delta has to compete against Spirit, Southwest, and Sun Country for Minneapolis travel.  Because they are up against these ‘low cost carriers’ they tend to have cheaper rates for travel. This allows you to fly Delta cheap without putting in a lot of extra effort right off the bat.  I have been able to book several trips now for as low as 12,000 miles round trip from Minneapolis to Vegas or Phoenix which would be over 30,000 miles from our local airport.
A big feature I enjoy of Delta is being able to book my trip 300 days in advance. I was already able to book my Las Vegas trip at the end of December 2018 during the busy holiday season.  By booking the travel this far out, you do receive better redemption options.

Why Not United or American?

I hate flying out of Chicago O’Hare mostly due to the flight delays. According to multiple articles on www.insuremytrip.com, Chicago O’Hare consistently appears in the top three airports for flight delays.  That airport is a main hub for American and United Airlines.

How to fly Delta Cheap?

Due to enjoying the Delta flight options one of the first travel credit cards I got was the Delta Amex.  Delta charges for bags as part of your flight reservations but with the Delta Credit Card I am able to check my bags for free.  The annual fee for the card is $95 however they do not charge an annual fee for the first year to allow you to get a good feel of the card.  I am going to assume that I will have two round trip flights each year. By saving the money for baggage, I have already covered the cost of the annual fee. One of the benefits I consider priceless is the better boarding position.  Nothing is worse than getting on the plane, and having to put your carry on bag rows and rows away from where you are sitting.  Being one of the first several groups on the plane with your Delta Amex almost guarantees you will have your bag near you.
Right now, by using my referral link, you will receive 50,000 miles after spending $2,000 in normal purchases in the first three months.  This is enough miles for 2 round trip tickets to many areas throughout the continental United States when flying out of Minneapolis.  You also have an option for a $50 credit if you have to do a Delta purchase and 10,000 more miles with $1,000 in purchases within the first 90 days.  The fact that American Express does have the no annual fee the first year, this is a great starter card to consider.  Another huge perk is that Delta Miles, unlike other airlines, do not expire due to inactivity.
If you enjoyed this article check out these others you may enjoy.
  • What is Travel Hacking?
  • How to get free flights with Ultimate Rewards
  • Travel Hacking: All Reward Points are not Equal

Thank you for reading, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Please Share!

Travel Hacking: How to Fly Delta Cheap #travel #travelhacking #delta #cheapflights

Filed Under: Travel Tips, Money Saving Tips Tagged With: cheap flights, delta, fly cheap, money saving, southwest, travel hacking

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