These days, finding a bargain on a last-minute flight is exceptionally difficult. In fact, waiting until the final moment to book your ticket could end up costing you hundreds of dollars <a Cheapest" tab. While these options might involve inconvenient layovers or departures at odd hours, these are trade-offs you may want to save money.
Consider alternative airports within driving distance of your destination. For instance, flying into Oakland instead of San Francisco can sometimes lead to substantial savings. Just be sure to account for the extra time and expense required to reach your final destination.
Consider two one-way tickets vs. a round-trip ticket
Always compare the price of two one-way tickets against a single round-trip fare. For domestic flights within the U.S., you rarely save money by skipping the round-trip option, but it is still worth checking.
Occasionally, one airline will offer the best price for your outbound flight, while a different carrier provides the cheapest return. By combining one-way tickets from different airlines, you might lower your total cost. For example, you could fly out on United Airlines and return on Delta, or pair a budget carrier with a legacy airline.
Use points and miles
Award bookings made with points and miles exist in a different ecosystem than cash fares. While cash prices often skyrocket in the final weeks before a flight, the cost in points frequently remains stable or increases only slightly.
If you hold transferable points from programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards®, American Express Membership Rewards, or Citi ThankYou points, you can move your rewards to various airline partners, which significantly expands your options.
To get a comprehensive view of your choices, utilize award-booking services such as PointsYeah or Point.me. These tools aggregate award availability across numerous airline loyalty programs, highlighting options you might overlook when searching individual airline discounts on the flight portion of a trip when you book it as part of a package. Even if you do not actually need a hotel, it is worth running the numbers. Especially during periods of last-minute surge pricing, you may find that a flight-plus-hotel bundle is cheaper than booking the flight alone.
Check your travel insurance benefits
If you are booking a last-minute trip due to an unexpected change in circumstances, such as a medical issue or severe weather, review your travel insurance policy if you have one. You may be eligible for reimbursement for certain expenses:
Trip delay coverage can reimburse you for meals and lodging if your flight is significantly delayed or canceled, leaving you stranded overnight.
Trip interruption coverage provides protection if you are forced to cut your trip short for covered reasons.
Even if you did not purchase a standalone policy, you might already have coverage if you booked your flight using a premium credit card. Many high-end cards include automatic travel insurance for flights purchased with them.
Cards with travel insurance benefits
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
American Express Platinum Card®
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
Annual fee
Travel protections (not a comprehensive list)
• Trip delay: Up to $500 per ticket for delays more than 12 hours.
• Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.
• Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.
• Baggage delay: Up to $100 per day for five days.
• Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
• Travel accident: Up to $500,000.
• Rental car insurance: Up to $75,000.
• Trip delay: Up to $500 per ticket for delays more than 6 hours.
• Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.
• Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per person and $20,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $40,000 per 12-month period.
• Baggage delay: Up to $100 per day for five days.
• Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
• Travel accident: Up to $1 million.
• Rental car insurance: Up to the actual cash value of the car.
• Trip delay: Up to $500 per trip for delays more than 6 hours.
• Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
• Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
• Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
• Travel accident: Up to $500,000.
• Rental car insurance: Up to $75,000.
Terms apply.
• Trip delay: Up to $500 per ticket for delays more than 12 hours.
• Trip cancellation: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
• Trip interruption: Up to $10,000 per trip. Maximum benefit of $20,000 per 12-month period.
• Baggage delay: Up to $100 per day for five days.
• Lost luggage: Up to $3,000 per passenger.
• Travel accident: Up to $500,000.
• Rental car insurance: Up to the actual cash value of the car.