Save on Holiday Travel with New Google Flights feature

If you want to save money on flights this holiday season, or any time of year, a little bit of planning can go a long way. Most of the time, it’s better to book on the early side, especially when your plans aren’t very flexible. But flight prices do change frequently, and there are often low fares to be found with the right tools (and some perseverance).

So for all the thrifty travellers out there, we’re sharing a few new and existing ways Google Flights can help you find a great deal.

Get new insights on the cheapest time to book

On Google Flights, you can already see whether current prices for your search are low, typical or high compared to past averages for the same route. But the age-old question remains: Is it better to book now or wait for lower prices to come along?

Recently, Google launched upgraded insights to make that choice a bit easier. For searches with reliable trend data, you’ll now see when prices have typically been lowest to book your chosen dates and destination.

For example, these insights could tell you that the cheapest time to book similar trips is usually two months before departure, and you’re currently in that sweet spot. Or you might learn that prices have usually dropped closer to takeoff, so you decide to wait before booking. Either way, you can make that decision with a greater sense of confidence.

Turn on price tracking

If you do want to wait for lower fares before you book, price tracking can do most of the heavy lifting for you. When you enable price tracking, we’ll automatically notify you if flight prices drop significantly. You can set up tracking for specific dates, like your best friend’s destination wedding in February. Or, if you’re more flexible, you can turn on “Any dates” price tracking to receive emails about deals anytime in the next three to six months. To enable this feature, make sure you’re logged into your Google account.

Snag a price guarantee

On some flight results, you’ll see a colourful price guarantee badge, which means we’re especially confident the fare you see today won’t get any lower before departure. When you book one of these flights, we’ll monitor the price every day before takeoff, and if the price does go down, we’ll pay you back the difference via Google Pay. These price guarantees are part of a pilot program available for select Book on Google itineraries departing from the U.S.