That super cheap flight might not actually be the cheapest once you add everything up. Before you hit 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞, check what’s actually included in the fare. A few things that can completely change the real price: 🧳 𝗕𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘀 Does the fare include a carry-on? A checked bag? Some basic economy fares charge extra for things you might assume are included. 💺 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Want to sit with your family or choose an aisle seat? Depending on the airline and fare class, that could cost you another $20, $40, $60+ each way. 🔄 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 The cheapest ticket may give you very little flexibility. Paying slightly more upfront could save you a lot if your plans change. 🎟️ 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 Not every fare earns the same number of airline miles or status credits. Some deeply discounted fares earn very little—or nothing at all. ⬆️ 𝗨𝗽𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Certain basic fares may not qualify for upgrades or may have restrictions that a slightly higher fare doesn’t. The better question isn’t: “𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲?” It’s: “𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗢𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗽?” Sometimes spending an extra $30–$50 on the fare can actually save you money once you factor in bags, seats, flexibility, and rewards. 👉 Before booking your next flight, compare the TOTAL cost—not just the number you see first. Have you ever booked a “cheap” flight that ended up costing way more after all the extras?

For the longest time, I hadn’t. It wasn’t until I really started learning how 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 worked that I realized some of these experiences were actually within reach. Less than two years ago, I took my first-ever business class flight to 𝗛𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗶𝗶 for my 40th birthday. I flew nonstop from Chicago to Honolulu, which is a 9+ hour flight, and I was SO excited to finally experience a lie-flat seat. 😂 And it was absolutely worth the hype. The crazy part is, I would never spend thousands of dollars out of pocket for a business class ticket. That’s just not something I personally would prioritize. But points changed the equation. Instead of looking at a $𝟯,𝟬𝟬𝟬, $𝟰,𝟬𝟬𝟬, or even more expensive ticket and thinking, “There’s no way I’m paying that,” I was able to use credit card points to unlock an experience I probably never would have paid cash for. That’s one of the things I love most about learning points and miles. It’s not always about traveling for free. Sometimes it’s about being able to travel in a way you normally wouldn’t justify paying for. Now I’m curious… 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀? And if you haven’t, what’s one destination where you’d LOVE to experience it? 👇

I’ll go first: You don’t have to be a constant traveler to get serious value from points and miles. I used to think the people flying business class on points were traveling nonstop, opening a million credit cards, or doing something ridiculously complicated. 😂 But once you start understanding how points, transfer partners, airline programs, and redemption values work, you realize there are SO many opportunities hiding in plain sight. And sometimes the best travel hack isn’t even about points. Maybe it’s a packing trick. A favorite app. A way you find cheap flights. A hotel trick. A TSA/security tip. Or something you ALWAYS do before a trip. 👇 What’s your #1 travel hack that everyone should know? Drop it below! I want this thread to become a giant list of travel tips we can all steal from each other. 😂✈️🌎