Airfare Hacking: Is it Worth It?
In the world today, consumers are doing anything and everything to get the very best deal. It’s no surprise that airfare is no exception. Savvy airfare “hackers” are constantly coming up with new and inventive ways to get around airline red tape and to cheaper ticket costs. Of course, airlines are responding defensively, and some “hacks” can actually get both your ticket and any frequent flyers miles you’ve built up slashed away. Still, more and more travel articles and blogs are promoting such activities as Hidden City Ticketing – a practice that could get you banned from some airlines.
Is saving a few bucks really worth it? Read on to decide for yourself—maybe you’ll take the gamble with one of these hacks to scoring cheaper tickets on your next trip!
One of the slightly more dubious practices recommended by travel guru Alex Bachuwa is manufactured spending. Like many of these, it’s not exactly the clearest process, and it’s one many credit card companies now expressly condemn in their terms and conditions.
Manufactured spending involves applying for many credit cards, and rather than spending money on products that you may not need, buying a gift card. You then use said gift card to purchase a money order which you deposit into your account and use to pay off the credit card debt. This credit card spending results in airline miles being rewarded to you.
It goes without saying that this method is not one for the wary; a slight miscalculation could be disastrous for your wallet.
Another credit card scheme towards getting cheaper airfare is credit card shuffling, a tactic coined by Stefan Krasowski. According to Krasowki, “First, get as many cards as the banks will give you” Not only will this improve your credit score when handled correctly, but premium cards will offer you worldwide airport lounge access. Follow that with getting a hotel credit card, which ought to allow you elite status with that specific hotel. You can then leverage that status with other hotels to attempt a price match. Lastly, have relatives of age do the same—double the cards, double the benefits!
Still, as with manufactured spending, holding so many credit cards could wind up with you falling behind payments—maybe the airport lounge isn’t quite worth it.
Yet another method that’s been growing in popularity isn’t so stressful to your wallet, but it could result in you violating your airfare terms and conditions and revoking your frequent flier privileges and miles.
Picture this: you’re looking to book the cheapest flight you can find to Columbus, Ohio. A direct flight from Chicago to Columbus costs more than a flight from Chicago to Hilton Head through Columbus. With this hack, you buy the latter ticket and hop off during the layover in Columbus. Of course, with this method, you won’t be able to check any luggage or else it’ll wind up in an entirely different location.
This one is pretty popular. Check out software engineer Aktarer Zaman’s app, Skiplagged to look for such opportunities on your next trip!
Last of all is the biggest gamble for airfare—live seat auctioning. This one actually is pretty legally sound. In fact, Virgin America has teamed up with Seatboost to create an online bidding system for first-class seats that have remained unsold—with a mere ninety minutes remaining before take-off.
The only real risk with this hack is over bidding on a seat and actually spending more than you would have originally. Still, how often do you get to fly first-class? Maybe this one is worth the gamble.
