The easiest hack is simply to check the airfare price the day after you book a flight (my vote is for the next morning before you forget!).
Most flight reservations in the U.S. are beholden to the 24-hour free cancellation period, so why not take advantage of that while you've got it and the price might have changed?1
Though there is no guarantee that the price will go up or down, this hack is one of the easiest, no-fuss ways to make sure you've got the best flight price available. In one recent booking, I was able to save $65.10 from my initial booking this way.
There's also nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Even though most airlines will also credit you the difference if the flight drops in price, it also requires travelers to manually check the price and call it in.
(Back in the day, there were services like this like Yapta, but nothing has come into replace it since it has gone out of business.)
Here's one quick example of how it recently worked out for us, booking the same exact airline, the same date and time, in the same exact fare class.
Booking a one-way from Los Angeles to New York City
Why didn't I just wait to book it? Because… I have flight anxiety like any normal person?
Flight prices generally jump up two weeks exactly, and I had magically reached the two-week marker thanks to my own procrastination. I wanted to make sure I had something lined up, even though the price was unsatisfactorily palatable.
So I booked a one-way from LAX to EWR in late February for $253.50 on February 9.
The next day, I had a grand idea to check the prices, and it dropped down to $205.60, down $48. I jumped, and luckily by the time I rushed to the computer, it dropped down even further to $188.40. I booked it instantly.
Here is the price variance of one booking over three days:
| Date | Price | Difference (from Feb 9) |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 9 | $253.50 | |
| Feb 10 | $205.60 | ↓ $47.90 |
| Feb 10 | $188.40 | ↓ $65.10 |
| Feb 11 | $343.40 | ↑ $89.90 |
Also, proof, that I believe Tuesday morning, which was that morning, is best to book, cough, cough.
How to rebook a flight properly without losing the price
But here's the thing. Just don't cancel and end up re-searching.
Leave that screen alone. Also, it is best to search without being logged into the airline website, since that does yield two different prices sometimes.
Every time you search for a flight, the price could change, so really the best thing to do is rebook the flight using two different devices.
(Don't do a change, either, since you will have to change to a different time, change back, and that price could be gone.)
I like to do the actual rebooking of the new flight on the computer, while I cancel the original flight from my phone.
(Make sure once you find the price you like, click through to the booking page where it starts the reservation process so that you can lock it in.)
Once the new flight is completely booked-you'll have two different flight reservations at this point-then it is okay to cancel the original flight.
And that's how you do it folks.
