The crazy travel deals usually come the Monday following Thanksgiving, but it looks like some retailers are getting the party started early.
According to some lists I’ve seen, there are lots of individual hotels and sites slashing prices off specific locales, but it’s hard to pick up a Radisson deal in Arizona… well, when am I planning a trip to Arizona? I will try to keep this roundup limited to major airlines, travel agencies and gear retailers.
If you’re also doing any other online shopping, it’s worth it to check out if your frequent flyer program gives you miles back for anything you purchase online through their website shopping portal. I just missed out on about 70 miles while making my Sephora purchase ‘cause I totally blanked on that one.
Anyways, just try to keep mind that because it’s a deal, it doesn’t mean it’s a great deal.
Black Friday
Jetsetter: The luxury hotel discount site is offering 5% off any stay on their site, worldwide. Use coupon code JETBLACK; it expires on November 29.
REI: One of my favorite outdoor and sports retailer is offering up to 40% off on select gear and clothing. No code is needed; the sale ends on November 29.
WorldMate: The paid version of WorldMate, a trip management service a la TripIt, is offering 25% off a yearly subscription. It’s typically $99, but it’s still cheaper to buy the annual Android/iOS version of WorldMate Gold for less than $10. Use code wmlrenew; code expires on November 29.
Cyber Monday
Air New Zealand: Get $200 off any flight between the United States and New Zealand, Australia and the Cook Islands. Valid only for travel between January 13, 2014 and September 21, 2014. Use code CYBER200; expires December 2. They're also offering $200 off flights between Los Angeles and London. The fare is only valid December 24, 2013 to May 25, 2014. Use code CYBER200L; expires December 2.
Austrian Airlines: I flew with Austrian once, and I must say, Vienna is still the classiest airport I've ever transited through. Take 10% off any flight—except for open-jaw flights—with the code CyberMondayNA13; it expires December 2.
Frontier Airlines: If you're staying stateside, you might want to take a look at the 15% off the Denver-based airline has going on. Only works for flights from January 6, 2014 to March 5, 2014; February 13-17, 2014 are blacked out. Use code CYBER15; it expires December 2.
JetBlue: JetBlue is discounting 25% off the airfare ONLY when you book a JetBlue Getaways air and hotel package. Meh. They do have to be booked between December 2, 2013 and December 18, 2013. Sale, of course, ends December 2.
Jetsetter: They really don't have anything like the cool, super super cheap hotel vouchers that were going on last year, so they've decided to go with five days of sales featuring something different. Nothing seems like a must-have but if you're looking for something, they may have it. Monday appears to be Morgans Hotel Group vouchers and 15% off something, Tuesday is a Galapagos tour discounted at 70% off, Wednesday is all about Park Hyatt hotels, Thursday is a free trial for CLEAR, an expedited security program, and Friday appears to be some generic sale on ski vacations.
LAN Airlines: Macchu Picchu? Apparently LAN is temporarily lowering the cost of inventory today and also slashing 10% off any flight that's booked today; the discount is applied automatically. Sale ends December 2.
Lufthansa: Get $40 off your next flight with a voucher Lufthansa is offering on their website. Travel must be between January 6, 2014 and April 13, 2014 and for flights departing from the States. Voucher is available today only and must be applied to your flight before December 2.
Priceline: Get 10% off express deal hotels (whatever that means), but you have to book 2 nights or more in 2-star+ hotels. Use coupon code CYBER13; it expires December 2. Naturally.
REI: I was stoked REI had 20% off a solar generation... well, that was until it turned out to be $1,500. There are sales up to 40% off select items; the better deal is actually at REI Outlet, where they're discounting 30% off your highest-priced item automatically. Now that's more like it; sale ends December 2.
STA Travel: STA always has some decent deals if you're looking for one-ways, and they always have some coupons, to boot. Take anywhere from $10-$100 off depending on how much you spend with this current sale. The code is CYBERDEAL; valid for December 2.
Travelocity: Get $100 off a flight and hotel package over $1000. Not the greatest deal in the world but if you're looking to head off to somewhere warmer with a fun someone, it could be nice. Use code TURKEY100; valid until December 2.
Tumi: If you're into swanky luggage, Tumi is having a 20% off sale... which still makes most of its luggage expensive. But it's still better than nothing if you've been looking for new duds to roll out your stuff in. Sale ends December 2.
United: United, well, United doesn't have anything cool. But if you've got a ton of miles and are looking for some sweet new gear, MileagePlus is reducing the miles needed to cash in for most merchandise by 50%. This could be worth it if you're looking for, like, say, a Tumi Alpha Continental carry-on. At 24,200 miles (which I value at $339), it's almost $256 off the list price. "Sale" ends December 2.
Virgin America: I like this one! Get 10-20% off any flight you book with Virgin America, depending on which day of the week you fly with them. (For the record, Tuesday and Wednesday flights see the most discount; Sunday sees no discount.) There's a whole range of blackout dates near peak holiday travel, so read the fine print. Use the code GAMEPLANE; code expires December 2.
Other
AirAsia: And, perhaps, the biggest sale event of the season goes to a Kuala-Lumpur airline that isn’t even participating in Black Friday. Coincidentally, AirAsia is also running its annual free seats promotion during this timeframe. That’s right: the seats are free, and all you pay are the taxes and fees. The budget airline has a huge network all over Asia, and I’ve snagged as low as a $30 roundtrip ticket to Bangkok out of Kuala Lumpur in the past. The flights are available during May 5, 2014 to January 31, 2015. The sale ends December 1.