This is officially the best time of year. It’s the time for Thanksgiving, stuffing, decorations, and getting as many deals as you can. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the days surrounding bring you some of my favorite deals of the year. You won’t just get savings on gadgets and gizmos for the winter holidays. There are often travel deals available throughout November.
It can be difficult to find the right deals and decide which ones are the best. It’s possible to find a great Black Friday deal with just a little planning.
This is all you need to know in order to find the best travel deals and save money for your next trip.
Things to Do Now
First, a Black Friday and Cyber Monday travel offer that pops up in your email does not necessarily mean it’s a deal.
Numerous times, I have seen hotels offer promotions but found that the AAA rate or the member rate was cheaper. It is possible that the advertised deal doesn’t offer anything unique, so it might not be as good as a Tuesday deal you have seen in the past.
Do your research now to make it easier to distinguish the good deals from the bad deals, like you would when looking for bonuses in online casino games NetBet. Consider where you would like to go and then compare the prices for hotels and flights to get a better idea of the average price. You’ll be able to evaluate how good a deal is.
There are many great deals this time of the year.
They will not be available in a hurry so don’t delay. You need to know your travel budget and availability so that you can quickly find a deal that fits your needs. You don’t want to wait to get back to eight people, then text them all to discuss the trip.
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You can often cancel your airline tickets within 24 hours of making the reservation. It’s best to book first and then double-check all details later. This is especially true if you book through a booking site that offers a limited number or significantly discounted rates.
You will need to book these deals as soon as they are available.
Black Friday Travel Deals
Black Friday and Cyber Monday travel deals are already starting to appear, but the frequency and intensity of these deals will only increase with Thanksgiving approaching.
You can make sure you don’t miss any deals by signing up for email lists for every airline, hotel, car rental company, and other brands that interest you. If you are interested in deals from Royal Caribbean or JetBlue Airways, make sure you are on their email lists. Follow the travel brands that you are interested in on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to get special discounts.
TPG will share curated Black Friday deals for Cruises, Airlines, Hotels, Travel Gear, and other destinations. So make sure to follow the TPG social media channels as well as the TPG daily newsletter.
Another way to find Black Friday deals, at least for airfare, is to let the deals come directly to your inbox. While this may not be possible for all deals, setting up a price alert to a flight that you are interested in is a great way for you to be notified when prices drop without needing to search the internet for discounts.
You can find some early Black Friday deals online, so it is a good idea to get these tips in action right away if you want to have the best selection.
You can rebook to your own advantage
Even if your current trip is not on the market, it may be possible to save money if you book any hotels or flights you already booked at a lower Black Friday price.
Many hotels and airlines offer flexible cancellation policies. It is possible to cancel or rebook a flight if it goes on sale. Some airlines, like Southwest Airlines, allow you to rebook a flight without the need to cancel or rebook.
Consider focusing your efforts on the museums, theme parks, and other activities that you can do during your trip if you have certain components of your trip booked. You may be able to add tickets or tours at a discounted price from many travel companies, even if you have already booked parts of your vacation.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals previously
There are some notable exceptions to the rule of thumb for Black Friday travel deals.
Expedia’s mobile application offered a 90% discount on hotels booked via their app a few years back. Although rooms were scarce at the time I was able to secure a few reservations at ridiculously low prices for some upcoming New Hampshire ski trips.
JetBlue provided a coupon code to save $100 on flights and $400 on JetBlue Vacations Packages in 2020. Spirit Airlines also offered one-way flights starting from $20.21 that year. Frontier Airlines also offers discounted flights at a rate of 99%
In recent years, many international airlines have also joined the Black Friday/Cyber Monday trend. Air Canada offered previously a 20% discount on fares, and the chance to buy points with a bonus of 50%. Qatar Airways also participated in the promotion, offering a 10% discount for newly booked flights.
Air Canada gave Aeroplan members 1000 bonus points for each booking, while British Airways offered significant discounts on its travel packages. JetBlue offered the same $100 discount on flights as in previous years. Frontier also had a 91% discount. Delta Air Lines offered a significant discount on many domestic and international award reservation bookings, starting at 7,000 miles round trip.
Although some theme parks, such as Disney, don’t participate in Black Friday-specific sales every year they do so occasionally. In 2020, Legoland offered 60% off a lifetime pass.
Fairmont is offering 20% off eGift Cards for hotel stays. This is a fan favorite if Fairmont stays at a resort like the Fairmont Château Lake Louise. There were also savings of $40 for those who purchased an annual Clear member in past Black Friday sales.
How to Maximize Your Savings
Black Friday deals are best if you can double, or even triple your savings. You might be able to earn additional cash back or bonus points in addition to the deal. This also applies to merchandise.
Online shopping portals
Many travel companies are members of an online portal. If you book your travel directly through their websites, you may be eligible to earn some money back. You may be eligible for cash, points, or miles depending on which portal you use.
You can ensure that you get the most value for your money by starting with a shopping portal aggregator like CashbackMonitor.com and Evreward.com. This will allow you to determine which portal offers the highest return. Payouts can fluctuate from day to day.
Although you won’t find every travel company on Rakuten, it is worth checking out, especially as many shopping portals offer a higher payout during Cyber Monday and Black Friday.
Let’s take, for example, a trip you book with IHG. You’ll often find that you can earn cashback for stays at selected properties by starting at the Rakuten online shopping portal. Although rates are usually around 3%, promotions can reach as high as 20%.
These booking portals also offer listings for Marriott and Hertz. Hawaiian Airlines is another travel company that can be found on these sites.
Amex Offers
I love Amex offers because it allows me to save money on all my purchases. Amex Offers can be applied to bookings and I have saved hundreds of dollars every year.
Many travel-related Amex offers have already appeared, which will allow you to save even further on your Black Friday and Cyber Monday bookings. To take advantage of these offers, you will need to use your targeted American Express card to pay after adding the offer.
My card offers a $60 rebate on Grand Hyatt stays of at least $300. Another offer is to get $75 back if you spend at least $300 at IHG properties. You might find different offers on American Express credit cards if you have several.
Keep in mind that the purchase must be completed by the expiration date. The statement credit will not be activated if you cancel your hotel reservation at Grand Hyatt Vail next March and fail to pay the balance when you book.
Credit cards
You should also pay attention to Amex offers and similar deals from credit card issuers when making travel-related reservations. You will receive additional perks such as bonus points or travel insurance for every purchase.
We love the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card and Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for travel expenses.
These cards will give you bonus points for every dollar you spend on travel, except when you use the Reserve’s $300 travel credit. You’ll also get top-notch protection benefits. This is useful in the event that you become ill before your trip, or need to cancel, delay or evacuate the airport due to an emergency.
Bottom line
Even though Cyber Monday and Black Friday travel deals are not yet live, it’s a good idea to plan now in order to get the best chance of securing the best offers.
Start by signing up for the email list of the travel companies that interest you and then follow them on social media. Keep your eyes open for Black Friday deals as it gets closer.
Make sure to get a credit card that maximizes your purchase and browse similar websites, such as Amex Offers, online shopping portals, and Amex Offers, so you can save as much money this holiday season.
