Finding last-minute flights can be stressful and expensive. Here are some tips to help you find affordable last-minute flights online. 

If you’re looking for an affordable last-minute flight, there are some steps you can take the find the best deal — and save some dollars. Whether you’re planning a vacation or have to visit family at short notice, keep reading for strategies to help you find cheap last-minute flight deals. 

Find Out the Baseline Cost of Flights

The first thing you should do when looking for affordable last-minute flights is to find out the baseline on your selected route. You can do this with a simple online search. Once you have an idea of the standard airfare for your flight, you can begin searching for the cheapest deal. 

Google Flights is a great place to find the cheapest fares on multiple airlines in an instant. Check out the useful explore function and view a map of all the locations you can visit from your chosen airport – simply specify your desired dates and set your budget to see availability. 

Check Out Budget Airlines

If you don’t mind traveling light, low-cost airlines such as Spirit, Allegiant, and Frontier could provide you with a great deal. Of course, with budget airlines, you may have to pay extra for things such as: choosing a seat, bringing a carry-on bag or checked bag, and aircraft refreshments.

As long as you’re willing to forgo some airline luxuries and pay additional fees where necessary, a budget airline could be the perfect option.

Redeem Airline Miles 

Just because you’re traveling last minute doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find an award flight! Did you know that some airlines release award seats close to the date of departure? Redeem your airline miles to get a cheap last-minute flight. Not a member of an airline frequent flyer program? You might be able to use your credit card points to redeem transferable airline points. Some major credit cards that offer generous reward points which can be transferred to airlines include:

• Capital One: Can be transferred for Air Canada Aeroplan, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, and more
• Chase Ultimate Rewards: Can be transferred to Southwest, United Airlines, JetBlue, British Airways, and Flying Blue 
• AMEX Membership Rewards: Can be transferred to Delta, British Airways, Air Canada Aeroplan, and more
• Citi ThankYou: Can be transferred to Singapore Airlines, Qantas, JetBlue, and more

Search online for Last-Minute Airfare Deals

If you’re planning a family trip or spontaneous vacation, searching online for a last-minute airfare deal can yield surprising results. Websites such as Skyscanner and Expedia have plenty of last-minute flight and hotel deals that could save you hundreds of dollars. Alternatively, Google Flights is an excellent flight search tool if you want to compare available routes and airlines. 

Still, sometimes the best place to find great flight deals last minute is on the airline website. For example, Southwest doesn’t advertise its prices on other platforms, so you have to go directly to their website and use their search tool to find the best deals. In addition, some foreign airlines allow you to purchase your flight in the airline’s local currency. In some instances, this can lead to huge discounts. 

Use Your Bank Points

If you have an eligible bank account or credit card, you may be able to redeem miles and points for your last-minute flights. You can have big savings by booking airline tickets through your bank travel portal or paying directly with your rewards point card.

For example, if you have a Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you can redeem air miles on your flight purchase, which enables you to “erase” the charge within a specific time frame. This card provides 1 cent toward paid travel for every mile, plus there is no minimum redemption amount! This works for almost all airlines, including low-cost carriers. 

Check Out Fare Deal Websites

If you’re anticipating travel (especially international travel), you should check out websites such as Secret Flying and Scott’s Cheap Flights. Although it can be more challenging to source cheap last-minute deals on this type of site, they can be a great alternative if you want to save your airline miles and points. 

There’s no sense paying more for airfare than you have to. In fact, if you’re willing to be flexible with your itinerary and can take advantage of deals when they pop up, you could save hundreds of dollars on your travel. Find cheap flights online today.