Travel hacking flights on Black Friday is my version of the Olympics (lol). Just the thrill of the chase, all of the preparation, and the years of experience that I bring to the sport is just enough to bring a proverbial tear to my eye. Travel is just THAT MUCH MORE satisfying knowing you got a great deal… because that also means you have budget left over for another flight or two…. or six.
What is Travel Hacking?
Typically, travel hacking is thought of as ‘the art of’ collecting frequent flyer miles and points to travel for free or at a subsidized rate. I consider travel hacking flights as a more advance form of travel hacking. If you’re new to travel hacking, I would stick to a combination of cash back, coupons, and seasonal sales. Because travel hacking flights is not for the faint of heart.
However, I’ve put in the work so you don’t have to! Here’s my top tips on travel hacking flights during Black Friday 2019!
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Travel Hacking Flights Year-Round
Hack Level: EASY
My personal favorite method for travel hacking flights year-round is using the the SkyScanner ‘Everywhere’ functionality.
This removes the complexity of having to search by airline for the best deals as Skyscanner will display all of the long-haul deals leaving from your point of interest. The one downside is you don’t typically build loyalty points unless you’re filtering by carrier.
Warning‼️: Do NOT book with poorly rated 3rd party carriers. Always book on the actual carrier’s website to avoid shady T&Cs and poor customer service. If you book on these 3rd party services, your airline is actually not REQUIRED to honor most of their normal T&Cs because they are not technically the provider. If you need to change or alter your booking and you didn’t pay specifically for that service, the 3rd party platform is well within their rights to ignore or deny your request. You have been warned.
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Hacking Travel Credit Cards
Hacking Level: DIFFICULT
Another option for travel hacking is to go through travel rewards credit cards. Whether you’re using a bank-branded rewards program or an airline loyalty card, both types typically have sign-on bonuses and referral programs you can take advantage of to rack up points quickly.
For example, for my British Airways Credit Card (Avios points):
- I spent £3000 in 3 months on normal bills to get a bonus of 26,000 points
- I referred 4 people to get an additional 9,000 per person
- I fly long-haul and for work on British Airways to get 3x the points
- I get 1.5 Avios points per £1 spent
- I reached £10,000 in one year and qualified for a free companion voucher
When I had 120,000 Avios points, I booked TWO FREE round-trip Business Class flights to Mexico City from London. However, I did have to pay taxes and fees, which came out to about £600 pounds per person.
For the best up-to-date information, you should definitely check out The Points Guy, who goes into detail about which cards are right for you. For Americans, below is a quick comparison.
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Black Friday Deals
Hacking Level: MODERATE
Travel hacking flights is probably the most complex way of tackling Black Friday. So many carriers, so little time. Not all Black Friday deals have been announced just yet, but history shows that there are a few we can count on. Typically, these special deals are released on Black Friday and not Cyber Monday!
Top Black Friday Carriers:
Air New Zealand: In 2018, Air New Zealand offered round-trip flights from London to Los Angeles for just £175!!
British Airways: In 2018, long-haul Business Class flights (for 2 people) started from £1,008. Even without Black Friday, I’ve seen flights from LAX/SF to London for under $600 regularly!!
United Airlines: In 2018, United’s Black Friday Sale offered European round-trip flights from $312 – $600! Don’t forget to apply points when appropriate.
I hope this article was helpful! Remember, the best travel hackers start months in advance to accumulate points and benefits in time for Black Friday. Let me know in the comments if you want to know anything more about travel hacking flights.