The plane is the preferred method of travel for many modern consumers—and with good reason. It’s fast, safe, and comfortable.
But buying a plane ticket can be a headache! The travel industry is notorious for its old-fashioned practices and opaque pricing schemes.
To help you navigate this complicated arena, we’ve put together a list of the best apps to use when you’re ready to buy your next plane ticket!
Best Apps For Plane Tickets
The 5 Best Apps for Booking Cheap Flights
By
Lee Huffman
Published
May 20, 2020
Updated
July 21, 2021
This article may contain references to some of our advertising partners. Should you click on these links, we may be compensated. For more about our advertising policies, read our full disclosure statement here.
Are you looking to find cheaper flights for your next trip? We review five top apps that can help you save money on your next trip. Enjoy!
Points and miles are great for booking travel, but sometimes you can find a better deal by paying cash to book a flight. It can be hard to find good deals and sweet spots on airline websites. Because of this, it pays to use apps for booking cheap flights on your mobile phone. Here are our top five.
Skyscanner
Skyscanner App ScreenshotThe Skyscanner app has a user-friendly interface that is very functional. I like that it offers fun tools that forecast when to book to save money and discover flights you might not have thought about. As with most tools, you can choose dates, durations, stops, times, and airlines. Once you’ve found your ideal flight, you’ll click through to the airline’s website to complete your purchase.
The two features I like best are the Price Predictions tool and the Explore tool. With Price Predictions, you choose your departure and arrival cities and when you’d like to travel. The tool then predicts the optimal time to book your ticket to find the lowest price.
The Explore tool offers flight deals based on your departure city. You can either choose the country and month of travel or leave them blank to find great deals. If you’re flexible on your destination and when you fly, the Explore tool can be a really fun way to visit new cities around the world.
Download Skyscanner for free on Apple or Android.
Momondo
With the Momondo app, you can book flights, hotels, and rental cars. You can search departure and arrival city on specific dates, or you can use the “anywhere search” feature. This feature shows the price of flights on your specific dates to anywhere in the world. You can filter by budget, dates, distance, or themes to find the perfect vacation for you.
The “anywhere search” feature is perfect when you have a specific budget in mind without a specific destination or are looking for weekend getaway ideas and don’t want to fly too far. Theme searches are ideal when you’re looking for something specific. Options include beaches, family, gambling, golfing, and skiing.
Momondo Anywhere Search Screenshot
When you find the flight you want, you can book on the airline’s website directly from the app. This gives users the peace of mind that their personal information won’t be in the hands of an app that they don’t know much about.
The app has some innovative features that set it apart from the others. You can track the status of your flight to see if it is on time. But what is really cool is the augmented reality feature that measures your bag size to ensure it is acceptable for your flight.
Download Momondo for free on Apple or Android.
Skiplagged
Skiplagged allows users to book flights and hotels through its app. Skiplagged ScreenshotThis is one of the few I reviewed that also includes the price of Southwest flights in its search results. It also offers a rewards program that gives you travel credits for sharing links. You’ll earn up to $25 in credits toward a future reservation for booking a flight or hotel or when someone books using your referral link.
The unique feature of Skiplagged is that it offers hidden-city ticketed trips. This means that you’ll book a flight to someplace else but get off the plane in your desired city along the way.
For example, if you want to fly from San Francisco to Atlanta, you may book tickets with the ultimate destination of Orlando, but with a connection in Atlanta. When you land in Atlanta, you get off the plane and let the seat on your connecting flight go empty.
Just remember not to check your bags or your suitcase will end up in the wrong city! If your bag is gate-checked, which can happen, that means that your bag will continue on to the plane’s final destination. These risks are real, so make sure the price discount is worth it. Or you can pack everything you need for your trip in a bag that fits under your seat, just to be safe.
Airlines look down upon this practice, so it’s not advisable to include your frequent flier number on your reservation. Skiplagged proudly shares on their website that United Airlines sued them and Skiplagged won. However, airlines have been cracking down on travelers who use this strategy. Lufthansa even sued a passenger who used hidden-city ticketing. It lost the case but is planning to appeal the verdict.
Download Skiplagged for free on Apple or Android.
Hopper
Hopper ScreenshotHopper tracks flight and hotel prices daily to predict the right time to book your reservation. When you activate push notifications, the app will notify you when your preferred destinations, hotels, and flights change their price. This feature can save you money when prices fall or when they start to rise. Hopper continues to monitor prices after you’ve booked through the app and offers a free price drop guarantee on your reservations. If the price drops, you’ll be credited with the difference.
Once you’ve chosen your departure and arrival airports, Hopper color-codes dates to highlight prices. You can easily see when flights are the cheapest and which dates to avoid to save money on your trip. After you’ve selected your travel dates, Hopper offers guidance on whether you should book your trip now or wait for a lower price. If you’re not ready to book now, you can lock in a price freeze to secure that rate by putting down a deposit. Flights not booked within five days will automatically be refunded to your credit card.
Download Hopper for free on Apple or Android.
Jetradar
Jetradar books flights, hotels, and rental cars from its app. Jetradar ScreenshotResults can be filtered by the usual variables of duration, departure or arrival time, and price. You can also search for amenities like Wi-Fi, USB, and in-flight entertainment.
When searching for flights, the cheapest and most convenient options are pushed to the top of the results. The app also allows mixed-carrier flights, so you can book flights on different airlines to get the best itinerary for your trip. The app does not sell directly. Instead, when you click to buy, it directs you to the appropriate website to lock in your deal.
Download Jetradar for free on Apple or Android.
The Bottom Line For Booking Cheap Flights With An App
All of these apps handle the basic search function of finding flights. However, each one of these top apps for booking cheap flights offers unique features to help you save money on your next adventure. Since they are free, I recommend downloading each app and playing around with the basic search and advanced tools to see which ones you like best.
Before you book your ticket, explore your options to pay for the flight with travel rewards instead of cash. With cheap flight options, it usually doesn’t make sense to use miles to book your flight. However, many airlines offer web specials or other promotions with severely discounted flights.
For example, American Airlines offers “web special” flights for as low as 7,500 miles each way. And the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal is a great way to book flights with points earned from the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Ink Business Preferred. Or you can pay for your flights through these apps using the Capital One Venture Rewards credit card and use your miles as a statement credit to pay for travel purchases.
No matter which method you choose, there are plenty of methods for securing cheap flights for your global travel plans.Best Apps for Booking Cheap Flights Pin – two young women sitting on suitcases celebrating at airport
Have you booked flights using any of these apps? We’d love to hear your experience in the comments below!
Travel More, Spend Less – FREE Guide
Get organized and SAVE on your next trip with our free travel planning checklist! You’ll also get info about our favorite travel and money tips, tricks, deals, and services.
Name
Email
Get Started
Lee Huffman
Lee Huffman spent 18 years as a financial planner and corporate finance manager before quitting his corporate job to write full-time in 2018. His writing can be found on many popular travel and credit card websites such as The Points Guy, CompareCards.com, and ChooseFI.com. You can follow Lee’s travels at BaldThoughts.com or listen to his weekly travel podcast at WeTravelThere.com. Learn more about Lee here.
Post navigation
PREVIOUS
Personal Loans vs. Balance Transfer Credit Cards
NEXT
Credible Personal Loans: Compare Multiple Rates in One Place
Similar Posts
Posts 1 to 2 of 6
Squashing Vacation Envy
Squashing Vacation Envy
By
Holly Johnson
December 9, 2013
5 Travel Tools to Help You Save Thousands on Your Next Vacation
5 Travel Tools to Help You Save Thousands on Your Next Vacation
By
Greg Johnson
July 3, 2017
Vienna PASS Review 2022: Is It a Good Deal?
Vienna PASS Review 2022: Is It a Good Deal?
By
Greg Johnson
April 15, 2021
Las Vegas On a Budget
Las Vegas On a Budget
By
Holly Johnson
May 9, 2014
How Much Should You Budget for a Trip to Europe?
How Much Should You Budget for a Trip to Europe?
By
Holly Johnson
October 29, 2014
11 Cheap Late-Night Bites in New York City
11 Cheap Late-Night Bites in New York City
By
Club Thrifty Staff
December 23, 2019
PreviousNext
Disclaimer: Comments, responses, and other user-generated content is not provided or commissioned by this site or our advertisers. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by this website or our advertisers. It is not the responsibility of our advertisers or this website to ensure that all comments and/or questions are answered. Club Thrifty has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Club Thrifty and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
international flight apps
In 2017, Jen Ruiz decided it was time to see more of the world. She committed to taking 12 trips in the year leading up to her 30th birthday. To make that goal affordable, she turned to flight apps and websites that alerted her to deals and helped her book airfare on a budget. Since then, she has become a regular flyer, taking an average of two trips per month prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If you get creative, there are so many ways to fly cheap,” Ruiz says. Today, the Puerto Rico-based travel blogger and author runs the website Jen on a Jet Plane to help others book affordable airfare and pursue their own travel dreams.
Here are some of the best flight booking app and website options, according to Ruiz and other travel experts:
Scott’s Cheap Flights.
Skyscanner.
Google Flights.
App in the Air.
Kiwi.
Momondo.
Priceline.
Hopper.
Travala.
[ READ: Best Coupon Websites, Browser Extensions and Apps. ]
Scott’s Cheap Flights
A good flight alert program can simplify the process of finding a deal. These services send emails or notifications whenever there is discounted airfare available to selected destinations, and Scott’s Cheap Flights is Ruiz’s favorite source for flight alerts.
“Most people get very overwhelmed when they are looking for a flight,” she says. However, with Scott’s Cheap Flights, a team of experts is doing the legwork and searching for discounts on domestic and international travel. They also identify pricing mistakes which can lead to deep discounts but need to be quickly claimed. Each alert includes details on how to book the fare.
While there are many flight alert apps and websites, Ruiz likes Scott’s Cheap Flights since it has a limited option that is always free. A premium plan that offers additional features is available for $49 a year. Although Scott’s Cheap Flights doesn’t have a dedicated app, it sends alerts via email, making it an easy service to use on mobile devices.
Skyscanner
As another option for pricing alerts, Skyscanner has a free flight app that is compatible with both Apple and Android devices. The app is easy to use and allows you to set alerts for specific dates or routes. Travelers can also use Skyscanner’s calendar and charts to compare hundreds of flights for both international and domestic destinations. The app highlights flights that emit less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, lets users mix and match flights from different carriers and offers a search option that allows travelers to find the best prices for flights originating from their chosen airport.
Google Flights
Although you can’t book flights through Google Flights, it is one of the most comprehensive sources of flight pricing information. “I love Google Flights for getting an idea of what airfares are,” Ruiz says.
While not currently available as an app, Google Flights offers a simple online interface that allows you to search for flights to specific airports and then see a calendar view that shows when flights will be cheapest. The site also has a price graph that allows you to see pricing trends over time. Users can search for a more general destination, such as a country, and see how airfare compares at various airports as well. Once you find the right airfare, you’ll need to find and book it directly with the carrier or through a third-party booking service.
App in the Air
App in the Air is more than a cheap flights app. It serves as a personal assistant to travelers and provides real-time notifications, details on COVID-related restrictions and an auto check-in feature.
“(We) offer our users an exclusive airline and hotel booking tool that is one of the first to enable direct bookings with select airlines including United, American Airlines, Southwest, Lufthansa, among others,” says Bayram Annakov, CEO and founder of App in the Air. This tool allows travelers to preview loyalty points and access some deals that may not be found on other booking apps. Annakov notes that App in the Air was designed with frequent flyers in mind and uses machine learning to understand a person’s preferences and then suggest appropriate flights.
The app is free to download and use on Android and Apple devices. Some features, such as real-time flight status, are only available to those with a premium membership. That costs $29.99 for 12 months or $49.99 for lifetime access.
[ READ: Budgeting Templates to Take Control of Your Money. ]
Kiwi
Compatible with Android and Apple devices, Kiwi searches prices for more than 700 airlines to piece together the lowest-priced itinerary. The free app also offers the opportunity to search for all deals from a specific airport, which can be handy for those who are ready to take a vacation but don’t have a particular destination in mind. What’s more, Kiwi offers mobile-only deals, price alerts and trip notifications. The Kiwi app can also be used for mobile boarding passes and other travel services such as finding Wi-Fi hotspots.
Momondo
With Momondo, users can search for specific flights or explore travel options to trending cities and countries. Ruiz uses Momondo to confirm the availability of cheap flights she may find elsewhere. The app, which is free and compatible with Android and Apple devices, has an “Anywhere Search” feature for those who don’t have a specific destination in mind. It allows users to select “anywhere” as an arrival destination and explore flight prices to various regions. Plus, Momondo’s price calendar makes it simple to see if there are cheaper flights available on different days.
Priceline
While Priceline started as a third-party booking website, it also has a popular app. The app is free and compatible with Android and Apple devices.
One advantage of the Priceline app is its exclusive travel deals. With the Express Deals function, Priceline claims people can save as much as 50%. The catch is that users won’t receive their exact departure and arrival times until after they purchase tickets. Until then, they will only be given an approximate arrival or departure time, such as in the early morning. Priceline has a best price guarantee that promises to refund the difference if you find a better deal within 24 hours of booking. If you find a better deal on an Express Deal at any time up to midnight before you travel, Priceline will refund up to 200% of the difference.
Hopper
Sometimes, getting the cheapest price on a flight comes down to when you book your travel. Hopper analyzes flight data to predict when prices will be at their lowest. You can sign up for price alerts and then book tickets through the app. Hopper is free and compatible with Apple and Android devices and claims to have 95% accuracy up to a year in advance of a travel date. There’s also an option to freeze a price if you need more time to plan. According to Hopper, travelers typically save an average of $50 on domestic flights, and savings can be as much as $120 on international flights.
[ SEE: 18 Best Jobs That Allow You to Travel. ]
Travala
If you are looking for the best airlines app and have cryptocurrency to spend, Travala lets users book flights with more than 40 cryptocurrencies. The site also accepts debit and credit card payments.
“While using cryptocurrency to pay for travel may seem daunting or confusing for those unfamiliar with crypto, the process is not much different to using (traditional currency),” says Juan Otero, CEO and founder of Travala.com. The only difference is that those paying with cryptocurrency need a crypto wallet to transfer funds, and some currencies may have a minimum spending requirement or various processing times.
While the Travala app, which can be downloaded for free on Apple and Android devices, is focused on hotel bookings, the website can be used to search for flights from more than 600 airlines. Additional savings of up to 1% on flights are available to those who join the Travala Smart Program, which also offers loyalty and bonus rewards.
Conclusion
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Check out other publications to gain access to more digital resources if you are just starting out with Flux Resource.
Also contact us today to optimize your business(s)/Brand(s) for Search Engines