You can’t scroll social media for more than a few minutes without running into a “travel expert” who has figured out how to hack the system. They promise you a guaranteed way to save money on flights and hotels by using their super-secret methods that the airlines and hotels don’t want you to know about.
Related: 5 hacks to make air travel easier
We all want to save money on travel, so it’s tempting to follow their seemingly expert advice to book through travel apps or third-party booking sites — or to heed their warnings that hotels and airlines are tracking your every move and jacking up the price every time you search. The only way to avoid their tactics is to book in incognito mode. Or is it?
There’s only one way to find out if these methods really do work or if they are actually a waste of your precious time and hard-earned money: Put them to the test. I priced flight and hotel reservations using a number of popular hacks and booking engines to determine if they were fact or fiction.
Method
This project took me right back to my science fair days. This time, rather than placing plants in varying degrees of sunlight to see how they grow, as I did in fourth grade, I chose a specific date, number of guests and fare type or hotel rate to ensure my results were standardized.
For flight searches, I chose popular direct routes on most major U.S. airlines for a round-trip flight departing Dec. 1 and returning Dec 7.
I left out basic economy fares because of their unforgiving change and cancellation fees and stuck with more flexible fares (with the exception of Spirit Airlines because its fares are meant to be budget-friendly and, therefore, more restrictive).
For hotels, I chose a mix of U.S. and international hotels from Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt and IHG, as well as one Walt Disney World hotel just for fun.
Related: Crunching the numbers: Is it more expensive to book flights through a credit card travel portal?
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I searched for a one-night stay for Dec. 1, checking out Dec. 2, and based my findings on standard, refundable rates. Where applicable, I included discounted rates for hotel loyalty program members because these programs are free to join.
I conducted my search through the following apps and websites:
- Direct
- Incognito mode
- Hopper
- Skyscanner
- Priceline
- American Express Travel
- Capital One Travel
So, are the travel hackers on the right track? Or, are you wasting your time searching every possible third-party travel site or going incognito before booking airfare or a hotel room?
Let’s take a look at the results.
Results
Flight booking results
| Direct | Incognito | Hopper | Skyscanner | Priceline | Amex | Capital One | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines (Main Cabin): Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) | $452 | $452 | $532 | $452 | $481 | $585 | $556 |
| JetBlue (Blue fare): New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) | $520 | $520 | $520 | $539 through Expedia | $557 | $520 | $520 |
| United Airlines (economy): Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) | $214 | $214 | $214 | $214 | $214 | $214 | $214 |
| American Airlines (Main Cabin): Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) | $423 | $423 | $423 | $423 | $423 | $423 | $423 |
| Spirit Airlines (Go Savvy fare): ATL to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) | $248 | $248 | Only displays the basic Go fare | $248 | $248 | Doesn’t display Spirit fares | Only displays the basic Go fare |
Hotel booking results
| Direct | Incognito | Hopper | Skyscanner | Priceline | Amex | Capital One | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in Arizona | $842 | $842 | Not available for selected dates | $918 through Hotels.com | $979 | $918 | $865 |
| The Eliza Jane in New Orleans | $192 | $192 | Not available through Hopper | $224 through Hotels.com | $224 | $205 | $224 |
| The Caledonian Edinburgh, Curio Collection by Hilton in Scotland | $375 | $375 | Not available through Hopper | Not available through Skyscanner | Not available through Priceline | $395 | $407 |
| InterContinental Paris — Le Grand | $586 | $586 | $608 | $619 through Trip.com | $621 | $620 | $620 |
| Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in Golden Oak, Florida | $948 | $948 | $1,470 (only club-level rooms are available) | $1,185 through Prestigia | $1,181 (only club-level rooms are available) | Not available through Amex Travel | $1,201 |
Conclusions
The results of this experiment were surprising even to me. I love a good deal and have no problem scouring the internet for coupon codes or using a shopping portal to save a few dollars or earn points.
Flights
As someone who loves the thrill of the hunt (for deals, that is), I was shocked to find that booking flights directly with the airline was the same price or, in a few cases, cheaper than booking through a third-party site or using popular travel hacks like incognito mode.
Related: 6 key tools and tips to find the cheapest airfare
Hotels
I found more price variability between hotel booking methods, but booking directly through the hotel was still the least expensive option.
Keep in mind that it takes a lot of fine-print-scouring to get the actual price. Third-party booking sites often show a price that seems like a great deal until you realize you still have to pay the resort fee upon arrival or that the initial fee shown doesn’t include taxes.
Don’t be distracted by the initial price; you have to get through the booking process and read the fine print to get the true price.
Sometimes, you may see lower prices on third-party booking sites, but they come with stipulations. The cancellation policy may be more stringent than booking directly … or totally nonexistent. I skipped over many of Skyscanner’s third-party booking options because they were either nonrefundable or had a much shorter cancellation window than if you had booked directly with the hotel.
Related: Best hotel rewards programs in the world: Which one is right for you?
If you are hoping to earn hotel loyalty points or reap the rewards of hotel elite status, you always want to book directly. Even if the price is a bit higher, you may enjoy perks like free breakfast and room upgrades that cancel out a minimal price difference.
It’s also important to point out that many hotel brands offer “best rate guarantees.” If you find a better price elsewhere, they may be able to match the price and offer you an additional discount or bonus points, so it may still behoove you to book directly.
Exceptions to the rule
No rule is without its exceptions, and this one is no different. While booking directly with the hotel or airline is typically the best way to book, there are reasons why you may decide to go another route:
American Express Travel
All flights and hotels booked through the American Express Travel portal are prepaid, making it the one exception to the rule I set for this project (though most Amex Travel bookings have flexible cancellation policies). It’s still worth including because it is a popular travel portal with a lot of other benefits for American Express cardmembers.
For example, if you book a hotel that participates in American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection, you can enjoy certain perks like room upgrades and dining credits that may offset a nominal price difference.
Third-party booking sites
Some third-party booking sites like Priceline partner with online shopping portals. During my searches, Rakuten was offering 4% cash back for Priceline purchases, 2% cash back through TopCashback and up to 2 miles per dollar spent through United Airlines’ shopping portal. If you want to earn points, miles or cash back through one of these shopping portals, you can compare how much you can earn versus booking directly.
Related: Don’t want to miss out on earning bonus points? There’s an extension for that
Incognito mode
Never. It doesn’t make a difference, so don’t believe anyone who promises you they’ve found a way to hack the system. Using incognito mode is a waste of time, and if someone walks in on you searching with it, they will think you are up to no good. It’s one of the biggest myths in travel.
Booking with points
This test applies to booking flights and hotels with only cash. If you are booking with points, there are different things you want to consider when choosing your booking method.
Here’s how to actually save money on flights and hotels
Use Google Flights
In the interest of simplicity, I did not include Google in my results chart. This is because Google will ultimately take you to the airline’s or hotel’s website to complete your booking, and the prices that are shown match what is available directly.
Google Flights can be an incredibly helpful tool for finding flight deals. You can search for flights from most major airlines and use the filtering options to find the best flight for you. You can also set up email alerts to be notified if the price drops. Most airlines allow you to reprice your flight without a fee if the price goes down.
Related: What you need to know about using Google Flights for award flight searches
Where Google Flights can be really fun to play around with, though, is if your dates or destinations are flexible. You can search dates to find the cheapest price or only enter your departing airport and let the Google Flights map show you pricing for destinations all over the globe.
Google Flights’ “Explore” tab also allows you to find good deals from your home airport. Check it out.
Thanks to a partnership with Points Path, you can also use Google Flights to compare cash and award rates for several major airlines. When you download the Points Path extension, you’ll see points and cash pricing, as well as recommendations on which is a better deal.
Book at the right time
We’ve done a lot of research on this topic here at TPG. For domestic flights, plan to book one to two months ahead of time. For international flights, that sweet spot window for booking is between three and five months ahead of your trip.
For hotels, you want to book as early as possible, but it is true that you can save money on last-minute bookings. So, even after you book, we recommend that you keep checking for price drops. If the price goes down after you book, you can update your reservation by phone or online to get the lower rate.
Be flexible
If you have some wiggle room in your travel dates, you can save money by flying on certain days of the week. Midweek travel is generally cheaper than flying on weekends, though you can usually find good prices on Sundays as well.
The same rule of thumb applies to hotels. Checking in on Tuesday and checking out on Thursday tends to be cheaper than checking in on Friday and checking out on Sunday.
Subscribe to TPG’s newsletter
In TPG’s daily newsletter, we share the day’s top travel news, tips and deals. When you subscribe to the TPG newsletter, discounted business-class flights or tips for making the most of your hard-earned points and miles will be waiting in your inbox each morning.
Have the right credit card
Having the right credit card in your wallet can help you save on flights and hotels in several different ways. For example, Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors members get the fifth night free on award stays. Similarly, many Delta cobranded credit cards from American Express offer a TakeOff 15 benefit for award flights. When you book an award flight through Delta, you can save 15% when you pay with an eligible card.
Bottom line
While unexpected, it’s reassuring to know that you can save time and money by booking flights directly with the airline or hotel. Booking directly also helps you earn rewards points or miles and elite status.
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