Staying ahead of the technology curve can save you money when you travel

July 19, 2025

Ways to save on travel when paying cash

by Brian Kelly

Now more than ever, it’s important to stay up to date on the latest technology available to consumers in all aspects of the travel process from start to finish. Last week, I shared my favorite tools for finding award space to maximize your points and miles, but this week, we’re talking about ways to save cash.

Recently, Delta Air Lines announced it leverages artificial intelligence to price about 3% of its domestic flights, with the goal of increasing this to 20% by the end of the year. And, as I reported a few weeks ago, solo passengers were sometimes being charged more than couples when booking airfare.

It’s a clear trend: Airlines are going to do whatever they can to squeeze money out of you. So, what can you do about it?

You can sit there and take it, or you can get clever and leverage technology to save money. Here are a few tips to make sure you’re getting the best value during your travels:

No. 1: Reprice your ticket. Whether you book with miles or cash, check frequently with the airline’s website (or set Google Flight price alerts) to see if the price drops. Make sure you know the airline’s policy and fare rules when you book, especially because basic economy fares are usually not flexible. Booking one-way segments can also give you flexibility, especially if just one portion of the trip drops in price; it might be easier to change than a round-trip ticket (especially with Southwest Airlines’ new rules).

Be sure to check out our post on the best tools to find the cheapest airfare for more tips.

No. 2: Leverage consumer apps and websites. In addition to the sites noted above for finding cheap airfare, for rental cars, I like using AutoSlash, which is an aggregator that shows pricing across multiple rental car companies. Once you book, you can also sign up to be notified if the price drops so you can rebook at the lower rate. Leveraging memberships such as Costco, AAA or even AARP can also save you money on rental cars.

No. 3: Understand your rights. Make sure you know what you’re entitled to and how to file claims if necessary to recoup travel costs. If your flight is delayed or canceled in the U.S., you are covered by the rules of the Department of Transportation, or, if in Europe, you’re covered under EU261. Nothing stings worse than a botched travel day and shelling out extra money for a hotel you didn’t plan for because you get stuck somewhere. I like using points as my insurance policy because I can book a backup flight and cancel up to the time of departure, and get my points redeposited in my account.

One final tip: If you’re using Uber abroad, don’t forget to change your selection for Uber’s foreign currency fee in the app. You want to select “pay in local currency,” not U.S. dollars, and press “confirm.” Then, double-check that the setting stays. This is how you will avoid the 1.5% additional fee for Uber to convert the charges to U.S. dollars for you. I thought I had saved my settings, but then on my recent trip to Paris, I was hit with foreign transaction fees.

Bottom line

You have to keep evolving with the times and keep thinking about how you can use technology and tools to stay ahead of the curve and save money.

Have a great weekend,

BK

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Photo Credit: JONNO RATTMAN.

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