I’m a huge travel enthusiast. Though that may sound corny, it’s true. I had been traveling abroad for the summer for six years at one time, including a six-month sojourn in Europe where I made use of the ubiquitous backpack.
My family has made traveling much more expensive, and flight accounts for a large portion of that increased cost. Despite this, I’m still planning to take more vacations because there are so many ways to obtain free tickets these days. Some of the suggestions that I or people I know have found effective are included below.
1. Volunteer to Get Bumped
This routine is likely familiar to everyone who has ever flown. The gate agent requests that passengers give up their seats in exchange for some kind of reward when a flight becomes overbooked. Usually, the reward takes the form of a future ticket coupon, either free or discounted. You still have a sure route to your destination since when you volunteer, they typically put you on another flight.
2. Rack Up the miles
Sign up for an airline’s frequent flyer program to start accruing miles that can be used toward a free ticket. That’s how simple it is. In addition, most airlines will assist you in redeeming your miles if you follow their guidelines and book your trip well in advance. When you do fly, try to take the longest route possible to maximize your points. You may also frequently earn extra miles by making purchases on the rewards program website, among other things.
3. File a complaint
On your most recent flight, was there a problem? It’s common to get some kind of reimbursement if you send a courteous letter to the airline. Sometimes, this even serves as a coupon for a complimentary flight! In exchange for your trouble, you will frequently be given a discount on future tickets or a complimentary upgrade, even if you don’t earn a huge payout. The majority of airlines reply well to courteous grievances. You should receive something in return for your trouble if something goes wrong and you can provide proof of the date, time, location, aircraft number, and people involved.
4. Seek out Incentives
These days, incentives range from taking out a mortgage to opening a brokerage account with a minimum balance to receiving free airline tickets. Even if you don’t want to do these things merely to acquire the tickets, you might as well make use of the complimentary transportation if you’re going to do them. If you want to invest a significant amount of money, try to find a way to accomplish it with complimentary tickets.
5. Use Your Credit Card Points for Reward
When it comes to actually using your credit card points to obtain free airline tickets, credit cards have a bad reputation. Some of them do, however, have excellent programs. You might as well accumulate points for your next vacation if you’re searching for free tickets and plan to use a credit card anyhow. It is also possible to obtain a credit card that is only good for the airline you fly with most frequently. United, Delta, and American Airlines are among the airlines that provide credit cards of their own.
6. Apply for a Job at the Airline
Employees of airlines frequently receive free standby tickets or discounted airfare. If you are interested in taking on a second or additional job and you fly frequently, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t try to get recruited by an airline. You can all travel for free together because many airlines also give free standby tickets to members of your immediate family.
7. Make a Gift Request for Tickets
Now, while it may seem like cheating to have someone else pay for the tickets, the important thing to remember is that YOU are not the one paying for them. Go ahead and check if you can’t acquire tickets for Christmas if there’s a trip you’d like to take and you’re the organized sort. Perhaps all of your friends or family members might enter together. Seeking donations can greatly reduce your investment, even if they are unable to come up with the full price of the tickets you desire.
8. Request Miles Rather Than Cash
Ask your friends if they are prepared to transfer some of their frequent flyer miles to you so you can receive a free ticket. This comes in especially handy if the individual is giving you miles that they know they won’t use, have more than they can use, or would like to give you a meaningful gift but is seriously short on cash. Try concentrating your efforts on friends or family who travel for work quite a bit.
9. Win a Sweepstakes
There are lots of competitions and giveaways that provide winners with complimentary plane tickets. Your odds of winning any given contest are indeed slim, but if you enter them consistently and often, your chances of winning do gradually increase. Even while you can’t live your life based on winning a sweepstakes, the tickets would provide a pleasant surprise each time your name is called.
10. Watch Out for Mistakes on Airlines
A few months back, United Airlines committed an error and provided a large number of tickets at extremely low or no cost. The error was only available for a few minutes, but a lot of individuals took advantage of it. However, if you participate in a lot of travel forums, you will be able to take advantage of these sales as soon as they are announced. Though most of the time they are honored, airlines occasionally attempt to cancel tickets that were sold during these errors. This is a fantastic place to look for free tickets.