12 ms·

I've been flying internationally 10-15 times a year for ~10 years. Different routes and destinations each time. I've spent a lot of time searching for hacks lik

by yosito 4y ago

I've been flying internationally 10-15 times a year for ~10 years. Different routes and destinations each time. I've spent a lot of time searching for hacks like this that let me save a few bucks on flight tickets. Sometimes it works. Sometimes you find that a flight is cheaper depending on which country's website or currency you use to book. Flight tickets are priced dynamically using a variety of factors to determine the price. By manipulating those factors you can get different prices. However, the factors that are used to determine price are generally not publicized and change frequently, so there is no predictable rule. In the end, I've realized that my time is better spent not chasing these elusive deals. I can spend all day searching for the cheapest flight somewhere, or I can just book the cheapest thing on Kiwi or SkyScanner in 10 minutes and spend the rest of my day writing code for a project that is paying me far more money than I would have saved searching for flight deals. The best hacks to save money on plane tickets: travel carry-on luggage only, fly economy, and book with a credit card that provides travel insurance and accumulates rewards. Chase Sapphire cards are pretty much the standard for travelers.

olalonde 4y ago
I found it often works with https://ctrip.com https://ctrip.com (Chinese airline booking service).
eadmund 4y ago
> travel carry-on luggage only That is impossible if one wishes to carry a pocketknife or handgun at one’s destination. The latter is fairly uncommon, but the former is very common, right? Not to mention if one is bringing back a bottles of beer, wine or spirits.
- rejectfinite 4y ago
  >The latter is fairly uncommon, but the former is very common, right? idk, is it really? >Not to mention if one is bringing back a bottles of beer, wine or spirits. Buy that stuff at the destination.
- tayo42 4y ago
  ive traveled a bit and never felt the need to bring a knife...
- mbrameld 4y ago
  I guess if you really need a knife you can pick up a utility knife at your destination for a few dollars.
- yosito 4y ago
  You can literally buy a couple of pocket knives for the price of a checked bag if it's that important to you.
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y ago
  I can't imagine a place where both: 1) I require a pocketknife and a handgun immediately upon arrival, and 2) I'd also like to pick up some bottles of fine wine while I'm there. Sounds like a very interesting vacation, though.
  - eadmund 4y ago
    > I require a pocketknife and a handgun immediately upon arrival I carry a pocketknife every day. I don’t carry a handgun, but there are plenty of states in the U.S. with CCW reciprocity; someone who carries in one and wishes to fly to another might quite reasonably wish to carry there as well. ‘Immediately’ is a loaded word. It would be weird to mail my hotel a pocketknife for a weekend trip. > I'd also like to pick up some bottles of fine wine while I'm there. There are a ton of microbreweries and distilleries in the U.S. whose products are not nationally distributed. I often like to bring things back from my travels. Wine’s not as regional, I think. It’s an OR, of course, not an AND: some folks want to carry a pocketknife; others a handgun; others wish to fly with more than a few very small bottles of liquid.
- et-al 4y ago
  If one's flying enough, ideally they have status with an airline to have some baggage allowance. I hear you, though, I frequently bring back some knickknacks from abroad and will check in a small bag of booze.
- comte7092 4y ago
  Sounds like one would have to pay extra for the privilege then. These are money saving tips. In general, if you want to go beyond basic services/privileges, you’re gonna have to pay more.
- aprdm 4y ago
  Why would you want to carry a pocketknife or a handgun ? Is this a satire ?
  - eadmund 4y ago
    > Is this a satire ? No, it’s honestly not. I carry a pocketknife all the time, to open envelopes or packages, cut twine, slice a sausage or cut some cheese, whatever. As for handguns, it’s not common in other countries, but in many American states it is relatively easy to get a license to carry one, and about 1% of the population do on a daily basis. They are useful for self-defense. Plenty of people like to target shoot, too. It’s easy enough to fly with them in one’s checked baggage (one just has to declare them, and of course they must be unloaded), but they aren’t allowed to be carried aboard (or in the airport, for that matter). If one is already checking one’s firearm, one might as well just check a full bag.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
- dolorian 4y ago
  eadmund's comment doesn't deserve all the hate. Carrying some sort of sharp object has been common since the stone age, and anyone who can't see the value in this has no imagination or life experience. What do you use to prepare food? If you're going carry-on only, your best bet is a small pair of scissors. 4 inch blade in USA, 2.36 (6 cm) in most of the rest of the world. In EU, pocketknives smaller than 6cm are allowed, and CATSA (Canada) was going to follow but USA said no. Americans hate knives and I have no idea why. Obviously, check the regulations yourself, don't just take my word for it. If you're trying to reduce airline hassle, you kind of have to skip the handgun, mail it to yourself or get (borrow?) one at your destination. Whether or not you "need" one really depends on the purpose and location of your trip, but those details are too specific for this conversation. Also consider taking the train, since if you're carrying a handgun it's probably a domestic USA trip. A tip for bringing back un-carryon-able items: Pack a simple and low bulk backpack inside your carry-on suitcase. If you decide to bring forbidden items back, check your carry-on suitcase and bring whatever you need for the plane in your backpack. This way you pay checked bag fees only in one direction and only if you really need to.
hackernewds 4y ago
Chase Sapphire travel insurance is limited only to evacuation and transport anywhere >100km from home state.
- vesinisa 4y ago
  Yup, I have separate travel insurance from a reputable domestic insuracne company that I trust. My credit card also has a travel insurance from a multinational insurance company that I had never heard of before. The bank didn't even bother sending me the insurance policy terms when issuing the card. I would never dare depend on the credit card's travel insurance. Because travel insurance is one of those things that you don't really think about until the moment you need it. And that's usually also the worst possible time to discover that you've been sold snake oil..
  - bitcoinmoney 4y ago
    Can you recommend a company? And isn’t the work insurance covering you while traveling internationally?
  - latchkey 4y ago
    Agreed that travel insurance is a must. It is not that expensive. Be aware of the limitations though. For example, you rent a scooter in Vietnam. Well, you're not covered in an accident because you are only covered if you have a license. The only way to get a license is to live in Vietnam and they don't recognize a US IDP.
medstrom 4y ago
Another hack is timing. Often I've taken a day off on either Friday or Monday when I'm travelling over the weekend -- the difference in cost can be as much as a day's wage.
- sva_ 4y ago
  The booking time as well. Tuesday morning is usually best, Friday night worst from my experience.
- tomp 4y ago
  Does this actually work in your experience? IME whenever I tried this, I spent more kn the extra day’s accommodation that I saved on the plane ticket…
  - medstrom 4y ago
    I didn't have to get accommodation, so you're right. If it's just a work trip it may not be worth it.
- pimterry 4y ago
  This is a lovely benefit of remote working for me - any time I travel, I can shift the days around to significantly save on flight costs, but without losing the day's wage. I can just work from wherever I am without taking any time off. Usually saves at least €100 each way, every time I travel, and occasionally much more. And as a bonus, it's quite nice to spend a day working from a coworking space in a random city elsewhere and see a little of the local working lifestyle. A coworking space for a single day in a European city is normally €20 or so, but many places offer free 1 day trials too, and there's also 'work from anywhere' portable coworking subscriptions and 'use any of our locations' benefits from multi-city coworking chains, if you/your company already pay for coworking elsewhere.
  - medstrom 4y ago
    What's the advantage of a coworking space over a library?
WheatMillington 4y ago
[flagged]
- throwaway22032 4y ago
  Taking on the burden of all of mankind is not wise.
- globular-toast 4y ago
  I feel the same. There are millions upon millions who use a fossil-fuel-powered wheelchair to get anywhere outside of their own house. The house opposite me right now has no less than three SUVs and they are all obese, including the dogs. I was depressed for years trying to live minimally and "do the right thing". Now I've adopted a can't beat 'em, join 'em approach. I just do what I want with little regard to my footprint, just like everyone else.
- prepend 4y ago
  You don’t know GP’s contributions so it’s pointless to compare your own changes to GP’s. This is fatalistic thinking and ultimately boils down to focusing on the known negative and ignoring the unknown positive.
- yosito 4y ago
  I appreciate your concern about CO2 emissions and the effort you're making to reduce your own carbon footprint. It's important to be conscious of our impact on the environment. I wanted to share some of the ways I also work to reduce my carbon emissions and help address climate change. While it's true that I have taken a number of international flights over the past decade, I am very conscious of my carbon footprint in other areas of my life. For example, I've made the choice not to have children, I don't own a car and I live a minimalist lifestyle not buying unnecessary consumer goods. These decisions significantly reduce my overall emissions. In terms of air travel, it's worth noting that commercial flights account for about 2-3% of global carbon emissions. When we consider the per-person emissions on a commercial flight, it is generally lower than that of other forms of transportation like cars, especially when flights are near capacity. That said, I completely understand the concern around flying, which is why I purchase carbon offsets for all my flights. This helps to balance out the emissions created by my air travel. Additionally, my professional career is dedicated to working on climate science and finding innovative technical solutions to climate change. In this way, I am actively contributing to the global effort to mitigate the impacts of climate change. It's important to remember that while individual actions do matter, the largest contributors to climate change are industrial emissions and companies that prioritize profit over the environment. By focusing on these larger culprits and supporting policies and initiatives that hold them accountable, we can create a more significant impact on reducing emissions.
AdamN 4y ago
Do you recommend Kiwi/SkyScanner for their customer support (changing tickets, etc...) or are those just names you sometimes use? I also fly a few times a year and at this point I just want excellent customer service and don't worry about saving a few bucks but haven't found a travel agent that meets my needs. Chase Ultimate Rewards just kind of meh. I do know the value of booking directly with the airline but sometimes the price difference truly is outrageous (double even).
- yosito 4y ago
  Honestly, I've given up on expecting any kind of customer support from any travel agent at all, even buying tickets directly from the airlines. Customer service in 2023 is a shitshow.
  - sva_ 4y ago
    Protip: if customer service phone lines are busy due to some stuff going on, call the English line of some smaller country.
- outime 4y ago
  Not OP but Skyscanner just aggregates different sellers and they don’t deal with tickets themselves. It ultimately depends on the seller you choose to buy the ticket from. In my experience as an European, even the crappiest ones were able to help but then if the difference is small it’s better to buy from the company operating the flight as you can then manage the flight stuff from their website instead.
  - AdamN 4y ago
    Yeah that's my experience too - the airline itself is ideal because they can also help with upgrades, rebooking more easily without the encumbrance of a different vendor. Flying is still such a pita.
1vuio0pswjnm7 4y ago
Why book through Kiwi or Skyscanner if booking through Chase earns triple rewards points.
- yosito 4y ago
  Because the rewards points can only be redeemed for flights that are priced 3x as much as the kiwi flights. I've done the math many times, and it never comes out ahead. Just go for the flights with the cheapest price.
  - 1vuio0pswjnm7 4y ago
    Not from what I have seen. Prices are the same. Perhaps it depends on what international flights one is after. I do understand the strategy of just going after the cheapest flights and I know younger people who swear by it. But these are often the same people who will not pay annual fees for credits cards, so they have never tried these rewards programs. Also, if a customer has accumulated a large quantity of points, then she may not want to use the points on the "cheapest" options. She might want to choose more expensive ones since she is using points.
- robbiet480 4y ago
  Chase (and AmEx) travel sucks to deal with if you have an issue with your flight. Much better to book direct so you can deal with the airlines directly even at the cost of losing 3x. Same deal with points, much better spent by transferring out to an airline or their partner vs using them for 1cpp on one of the cards OTAs.
  - qrohlf 4y ago
    The funny (unfortunate) thing is that this used to be the opposite - years ago, Chase's in-house travel service was as close as you'd get to a white glove phone support experience in this day and age. Then they outsourced it to Expedia, and the hold times went up and the efficiency and sanity of the whole process of dealing with any minor adjustment to your flight or travel plans degraded precipitously. It seems like in 2021, they bought the company that was providing the backing technology for the in-house version of the service and have ditched Expedia again, so maybe this has gotten better since my last stint of big international travel?

by yosito 4y ago

olalonde 4y ago

I found it often works with https://ctrip.com https://ctrip.com (Chinese airline booking service).

eadmund 4y ago

> travel carry-on luggage only That is impossible if one wishes to carry a pocketknife or handgun at one’s destination. The latter is fairly uncommon, but the former is very common, right? Not to mention if one is bringing back a bottles of beer, wine or spirits.

rejectfinite 4y ago
>The latter is fairly uncommon, but the former is very common, right? idk, is it really? >Not to mention if one is bringing back a bottles of beer, wine or spirits. Buy that stuff at the destination.
tayo42 4y ago
ive traveled a bit and never felt the need to bring a knife...
mbrameld 4y ago
I guess if you really need a knife you can pick up a utility knife at your destination for a few dollars.
yosito 4y ago
You can literally buy a couple of pocket knives for the price of a checked bag if it's that important to you.
rrrrrrrrrrrryan 4y ago
I can't imagine a place where both: 1) I require a pocketknife and a handgun immediately upon arrival, and 2) I'd also like to pick up some bottles of fine wine while I'm there. Sounds like a very interesting vacation, though.
- eadmund 4y ago
  > I require a pocketknife and a handgun immediately upon arrival I carry a pocketknife every day. I don’t carry a handgun, but there are plenty of states in the U.S. with CCW reciprocity; someone who carries in one and wishes to fly to another might quite reasonably wish to carry there as well. ‘Immediately’ is a loaded word. It would be weird to mail my hotel a pocketknife for a weekend trip. > I'd also like to pick up some bottles of fine wine while I'm there. There are a ton of microbreweries and distilleries in the U.S. whose products are not nationally distributed. I often like to bring things back from my travels. Wine’s not as regional, I think. It’s an OR, of course, not an AND: some folks want to carry a pocketknife; others a handgun; others wish to fly with more than a few very small bottles of liquid.
et-al 4y ago
If one's flying enough, ideally they have status with an airline to have some baggage allowance. I hear you, though, I frequently bring back some knickknacks from abroad and will check in a small bag of booze.
comte7092 4y ago
Sounds like one would have to pay extra for the privilege then. These are money saving tips. In general, if you want to go beyond basic services/privileges, you’re gonna have to pay more.
aprdm 4y ago
Why would you want to carry a pocketknife or a handgun ? Is this a satire ?
- eadmund 4y ago
  > Is this a satire ? No, it’s honestly not. I carry a pocketknife all the time, to open envelopes or packages, cut twine, slice a sausage or cut some cheese, whatever. As for handguns, it’s not common in other countries, but in many American states it is relatively easy to get a license to carry one, and about 1% of the population do on a daily basis. They are useful for self-defense. Plenty of people like to target shoot, too. It’s easy enough to fly with them in one’s checked baggage (one just has to declare them, and of course they must be unloaded), but they aren’t allowed to be carried aboard (or in the airport, for that matter). If one is already checking one’s firearm, one might as well just check a full bag.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
dolorian 4y ago
eadmund's comment doesn't deserve all the hate. Carrying some sort of sharp object has been common since the stone age, and anyone who can't see the value in this has no imagination or life experience. What do you use to prepare food? If you're going carry-on only, your best bet is a small pair of scissors. 4 inch blade in USA, 2.36 (6 cm) in most of the rest of the world. In EU, pocketknives smaller than 6cm are allowed, and CATSA (Canada) was going to follow but USA said no. Americans hate knives and I have no idea why. Obviously, check the regulations yourself, don't just take my word for it. If you're trying to reduce airline hassle, you kind of have to skip the handgun, mail it to yourself or get (borrow?) one at your destination. Whether or not you "need" one really depends on the purpose and location of your trip, but those details are too specific for this conversation. Also consider taking the train, since if you're carrying a handgun it's probably a domestic USA trip. A tip for bringing back un-carryon-able items: Pack a simple and low bulk backpack inside your carry-on suitcase. If you decide to bring forbidden items back, check your carry-on suitcase and bring whatever you need for the plane in your backpack. This way you pay checked bag fees only in one direction and only if you really need to.

hackernewds 4y ago

Chase Sapphire travel insurance is limited only to evacuation and transport anywhere >100km from home state.

vesinisa 4y ago
Yup, I have separate travel insurance from a reputable domestic insuracne company that I trust. My credit card also has a travel insurance from a multinational insurance company that I had never heard of before. The bank didn't even bother sending me the insurance policy terms when issuing the card. I would never dare depend on the credit card's travel insurance. Because travel insurance is one of those things that you don't really think about until the moment you need it. And that's usually also the worst possible time to discover that you've been sold snake oil..
- bitcoinmoney 4y ago
  Can you recommend a company? And isn’t the work insurance covering you while traveling internationally?
- latchkey 4y ago
  Agreed that travel insurance is a must. It is not that expensive. Be aware of the limitations though. For example, you rent a scooter in Vietnam. Well, you're not covered in an accident because you are only covered if you have a license. The only way to get a license is to live in Vietnam and they don't recognize a US IDP.

medstrom 4y ago

Another hack is timing. Often I've taken a day off on either Friday or Monday when I'm travelling over the weekend -- the difference in cost can be as much as a day's wage.

sva_ 4y ago
The booking time as well. Tuesday morning is usually best, Friday night worst from my experience.
tomp 4y ago
Does this actually work in your experience? IME whenever I tried this, I spent more kn the extra day’s accommodation that I saved on the plane ticket…
- medstrom 4y ago
  I didn't have to get accommodation, so you're right. If it's just a work trip it may not be worth it.
pimterry 4y ago
This is a lovely benefit of remote working for me - any time I travel, I can shift the days around to significantly save on flight costs, but without losing the day's wage. I can just work from wherever I am without taking any time off. Usually saves at least €100 each way, every time I travel, and occasionally much more. And as a bonus, it's quite nice to spend a day working from a coworking space in a random city elsewhere and see a little of the local working lifestyle. A coworking space for a single day in a European city is normally €20 or so, but many places offer free 1 day trials too, and there's also 'work from anywhere' portable coworking subscriptions and 'use any of our locations' benefits from multi-city coworking chains, if you/your company already pay for coworking elsewhere.
- medstrom 4y ago
  What's the advantage of a coworking space over a library?

WheatMillington 4y ago

[flagged]

throwaway22032 4y ago
Taking on the burden of all of mankind is not wise.
globular-toast 4y ago
I feel the same. There are millions upon millions who use a fossil-fuel-powered wheelchair to get anywhere outside of their own house. The house opposite me right now has no less than three SUVs and they are all obese, including the dogs. I was depressed for years trying to live minimally and "do the right thing". Now I've adopted a can't beat 'em, join 'em approach. I just do what I want with little regard to my footprint, just like everyone else.
prepend 4y ago
You don’t know GP’s contributions so it’s pointless to compare your own changes to GP’s. This is fatalistic thinking and ultimately boils down to focusing on the known negative and ignoring the unknown positive.
yosito 4y ago
I appreciate your concern about CO2 emissions and the effort you're making to reduce your own carbon footprint. It's important to be conscious of our impact on the environment. I wanted to share some of the ways I also work to reduce my carbon emissions and help address climate change. While it's true that I have taken a number of international flights over the past decade, I am very conscious of my carbon footprint in other areas of my life. For example, I've made the choice not to have children, I don't own a car and I live a minimalist lifestyle not buying unnecessary consumer goods. These decisions significantly reduce my overall emissions. In terms of air travel, it's worth noting that commercial flights account for about 2-3% of global carbon emissions. When we consider the per-person emissions on a commercial flight, it is generally lower than that of other forms of transportation like cars, especially when flights are near capacity. That said, I completely understand the concern around flying, which is why I purchase carbon offsets for all my flights. This helps to balance out the emissions created by my air travel. Additionally, my professional career is dedicated to working on climate science and finding innovative technical solutions to climate change. In this way, I am actively contributing to the global effort to mitigate the impacts of climate change. It's important to remember that while individual actions do matter, the largest contributors to climate change are industrial emissions and companies that prioritize profit over the environment. By focusing on these larger culprits and supporting policies and initiatives that hold them accountable, we can create a more significant impact on reducing emissions.

AdamN 4y ago

Do you recommend Kiwi/SkyScanner for their customer support (changing tickets, etc...) or are those just names you sometimes use? I also fly a few times a year and at this point I just want excellent customer service and don't worry about saving a few bucks but haven't found a travel agent that meets my needs. Chase Ultimate Rewards just kind of meh. I do know the value of booking directly with the airline but sometimes the price difference truly is outrageous (double even).

yosito 4y ago
Honestly, I've given up on expecting any kind of customer support from any travel agent at all, even buying tickets directly from the airlines. Customer service in 2023 is a shitshow.
- sva_ 4y ago
  Protip: if customer service phone lines are busy due to some stuff going on, call the English line of some smaller country.
outime 4y ago
Not OP but Skyscanner just aggregates different sellers and they don’t deal with tickets themselves. It ultimately depends on the seller you choose to buy the ticket from. In my experience as an European, even the crappiest ones were able to help but then if the difference is small it’s better to buy from the company operating the flight as you can then manage the flight stuff from their website instead.
- AdamN 4y ago
  Yeah that's my experience too - the airline itself is ideal because they can also help with upgrades, rebooking more easily without the encumbrance of a different vendor. Flying is still such a pita.

1vuio0pswjnm7 4y ago

Why book through Kiwi or Skyscanner if booking through Chase earns triple rewards points.

yosito 4y ago
Because the rewards points can only be redeemed for flights that are priced 3x as much as the kiwi flights. I've done the math many times, and it never comes out ahead. Just go for the flights with the cheapest price.
- 1vuio0pswjnm7 4y ago
  Not from what I have seen. Prices are the same. Perhaps it depends on what international flights one is after. I do understand the strategy of just going after the cheapest flights and I know younger people who swear by it. But these are often the same people who will not pay annual fees for credits cards, so they have never tried these rewards programs. Also, if a customer has accumulated a large quantity of points, then she may not want to use the points on the "cheapest" options. She might want to choose more expensive ones since she is using points.
robbiet480 4y ago
Chase (and AmEx) travel sucks to deal with if you have an issue with your flight. Much better to book direct so you can deal with the airlines directly even at the cost of losing 3x. Same deal with points, much better spent by transferring out to an airline or their partner vs using them for 1cpp on one of the cards OTAs.
- qrohlf 4y ago
  The funny (unfortunate) thing is that this used to be the opposite - years ago, Chase's in-house travel service was as close as you'd get to a white glove phone support experience in this day and age. Then they outsourced it to Expedia, and the hold times went up and the efficiency and sanity of the whole process of dealing with any minor adjustment to your flight or travel plans degraded precipitously. It seems like in 2021, they bought the company that was providing the backing technology for the in-house version of the service and have ditched Expedia again, so maybe this has gotten better since my last stint of big international travel?