Who here LOVES paying full price when traveling? Anyone? Bueller? 
Orlando International Airport
We didn’t think so. Travel can be expensive especially as we bounce back from the global pandemic…but it doesn’t have to be. There are so many different ways to save and they are easier than you might think, so we’re sharing 6 of the best hacks that will have you NEVER traveling for full price again! Let’s get into it.
Book Things NOW and Rebook Cheaper
Sometimes when you keep checking airfare or prices for other travel expenses, the prices never seem to go down. Well, even if you’re not seeing the exact price you want right away, you should book that flight, hotel, or experience NOW.
Time to book a flight?
On airlines like Southwest you can rebook your flight if it goes down in price and you’ll receive a voucher for the difference in cost towards your next flight. These vouchers are usually good for a year, so as long as you travel with Southwest again sometime in the next year, the vouchers are totally worth it!
Southwest Airlines
This rule doesn’t just apply to flights either — on Royal Caribbean cruises you can also rebook things like excursions or drink packages if the price goes down. You should grab these cruise-related things as early as possible because:
- The excursion you want could sell out
- The price could go UP as you get closer to cruising
- You can currently cancel and get a full refund (and rebook if you find a better price)
©Royal Caribbean
Whatever you are booking, be sure to see if you can rebook and get your money back or get a credit for future use. If so, we recommend using this hack to save some dough!
Use Hopper & Stay Tuned to DFB!
If you don’t want to have to worry about rebooking flights and hotels or you can’t find anything slightly affordable right now, you can use apps like Hopper! This is an app available for Apple and Android users to search for the cheapest hotel and airfare.
©Hopper
We’ve got a full guide on how to use Hopper to your advantage, but basically you add your desired route and Hopper will show you a color-coded calendar of the cheapest dates to travel. Once you choose dates, Hopper tells you the best way to book. It’s that easy!
©Hopper
Another thing you can do to keep up on the latest airfare and hotel deals is staying tuned to DFB! We are constantly finding the best and biggest airfare and hotel deals to share with you all, so be sure to sign up for the newsletter and all of the latest updates will be delivered right to your inbox — you sign up for it right here.
Credit Card Points
In this day and age, nearly every large company has a credit card you can apply for. When choosing your credit cards, be sure to check if the rewards are for something you want and will actually use!
©VISA
If you are a huge Disney fan and go to the parks often, you may want the Disney Credit Card because you’ll get rewards dollars that you can spend at the parks. Always fly on American Airlines? You can rack up points to use towards flights. There are so many options to choose from, so make sure the perks for the card you choose match up with your travel habits.
Redemption Card
On the website NerdWallet, you can search and compare tons of different credit cards — we recommend using this tool if you don’t know where to start!
Join a Hotel Loyalty Program
When looking for hotels, one of the best things you can do if you have a favorite hotel brand is sign up for their hotel loyalty program. Most programs are free to sign up for and they can give you great benefits including discounted (or sometimes free) hotel rooms.
Swan Reserve
Nearly every major hotel chain has a membership program, but these ranked as the top 5 according to U.S. News:
- World of Hyatt
- Wyndam Rewards
- Marriot Bonvoy
- Choice Privileges
- IHG One Rewards
Wyndham Resort
If you do travel to Disney World frequently, a lot of these hotel brands have hotels in Disney Springs that get the same benefits as Disney World hotels like early park entry! Signing up for a hotel membership is an easy and free way to save money.
Travel During the Slow Season
You’ve probably heard us say this a million times about Disney World if you want to avoid the crowds — travel during the slow season! The crowds have been different since revenge travel after the pandemic, but generally the slow season is the way to go to travel cheaper.
Crowds
A perfect example of this is Disney World ticket prices. As you can see around the holidays the ticket prices are in the $140-$160 price range.
©Disney
However, if you skip to September in 2023, you’ll see that prices go down significantly. While it can be fun to travel somewhere for the holidays, it is much cheaper to wait for the off season.
©Disney
To travel cheaper, avoid traveling around holidays, school breaks including spring break, and summer when the weather is warm. This is one of the best ways to see cheaper prices all around in flights, hotels, and activities.
Save on Gas During Road Trips
Similarly to the hotel memberships and the credit cards, there are plenty of gas companies that have rewards cards! They each have different perks but one thing they have in common is saving you money on gas.
Heading into the parks
This can come in handy for long road trips where you may have to fill the tank a few times and it’s good to use when you’re just driving around your own town. If you find yourself frequenting a specific gas station or gas brand, be sure to look into their rewards card.
Speedway Gas Station
Another gas money-saving tip is to download the app called GasBuddy.
©GasBuddy
It will use your location to show you the cheapest gas near you — it’s worth a quick check before heading to the gas station, especially after how much the gas prices fluctuated earlier this year. GasBuddy even has their own gas card!
Those are some of our hacks for saving money on travel! You should never have to pay full price for your flights, hotels, and travel expenses, so we hope you use some of these hacks for your next trip.
If you want some other helpful tips for traveling, check out how to avoid catastrophic travel mistakes, air travel trips that will change your life, and a new travel app that makes planning easier! Stay tuned to DFB for even more travel tips.
Travel Updates, Tips, and Tricks
What is your favorite money-saving travel hack? Let us know in the comments!
The post NEVER Travel For Full Price With These 6 Hacks first appeared on the disney food blog.
