Ways to Save on Summer Travel

Are you planning to travel this summer? If you are going anywhere on vacation this summer whether you are flying or going on a road trip, you can save money. We are sharing with you some easy ways to save on summer travel or traveling any time of year.

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#1 — Airline Credit Cards & Clubs

One way to save money if you fly places is having an airline credit card or joining an airline club.

Airline credit cards usually give you “miles” towards a flight for purchases that you make with their credit card. If you use a credit card often, these can add up.

For example, a Frontier Airlines credit card earns five times the miles for Frontier ticket purchases. It also gives you priority boarding plus a free beverage on the plane itself. There is an annual fee for this card, so you would need to see if it is worth it to you to have this credit card. Sometimes credit cards with annual fees can come out still saving you money because of how much you get back from them.

As far as airline clubs go, a good example of one would be Spirit’s $9 Fare Club. There is an annual fee, but if you fly a lot or are flying with multiple family members, there is a big discount on many flights. You also get cheaper prices for carry-ons and checked bags.

#2 — Bundle Packages

Services such as Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, and Orbitz bundle flights, car rentals, and hotels to help you save money.

You don’t generally save money by just choosing one but by bundling two or more.

I’ve never seen any of these services get me a cheaper flight, but they do seem to get me better deals on hotels and car rentals than if I booked them directly from the hotel or car rental site.

If you do use one of these services, one nice thing is that you can see all flights offered from different airlines at a certain time and the price differences.

#3 — AAA

AAA is a service that you pay for annually that saves you money on roadside assistance and other travel related expenses.

I have the plus membership which gets me pretty good roadside assistance with towing, emergency starting, flat tire service, battery service, fuel delivery, vehicle locksmith service, and much more. I also get free maps and travel booklets to places I want to go as well as discounts on many things like amusement parks, zoos, restaurants, and car rentals.

After looking at a car rental company’s site (Hertz), we called AAA to ask about a discount. They were able to set up the rental for me for the same car at 40% less than the rental price that the car place was going to give me.

If you are interested in becoming a AAA member, you can click here to sign up.

If you’re still not sure, you can read our long review post of AAA.

#4 — Rest Stop Coupons for Hotels

If you don’t know where or when you will stop at a hotel, coupons can save you money on your summer travel plans.

Most rest stops have stacks of coupon booklets for hotels grouped together by areas in a certain state. If you know you might stop in a certain city but don’t want to make a reservation, these coupons might work for you. You will be at the mercy of whether or not there will be a room available, though.

Our family has gotten as much as $40 off for a room by using one of these coupons.

#5 — Attraction Coupons

A lot of cities will have free booklets of coupons for different attractions in the area. These booklets are usually at a gift shop, grocery store, or restaurant entrance. They might offer “$1 off for a game of putt-putt up to 6 people” or something similar depending on the attraction.

These are great for families. Even if you are just saving a small amount, every bit helps.

#6 — Cash-back Credit Cards

A lot of credit card companies are now offering cash-back credit cards. For every dollar you spend, you get a percentage of it back.

This is really good for large purchases. It can help you save a lot of money because you will make back so much.

You have to be disciplined with money to use them though. If you are not good about paying off credit cards right away, then I would not recommend getting one. Don’t get a credit card and spend money you don’t have or let interest build up on it; pay it off right away.

We paid some large bills with a cash-back credit card even though we had the money to pay the bills otherwise. We had to make sure to not use any of the money we had set aside originally for the bills in order for this to save us money.

One cash-back credit card that we like is the Discover It® card. This card was easy to get approved for, and it allows me to get 5% cash-back on a lot of purchases. Around Christmas time, you can get 5% cash-back on Amazon purchases, which is really nice.

Also, at the end of my first year, Discover will match all my cash-back, so I get double.

If you are interested in applying for a Discover It® credit card, you can use our link to get extra money. If you make a purchase with the card within the first three months, you will get a $50 credit to your statement.

#7 — Gas Credit Cards

Once again, if you are disciplined with credit cards, a gas credit card can save as much as 10¢ per gallon.

The downside is that all states don’t have the same gas stations. It is important if you plan on using it when you travel to look ahead to see what gas stations are available in the areas you are traveling in.

#8 — Luggage Discounts when Flying

When flying as a family, sometimes it might be cheaper for two people to share a big suitcase than for each person to have his or her own.

Some airlines charge for a carry-on and not for a checked bag (or less for a checked bag).

Regardless of which one you choose, there is a weight limit, and if you are over it, you will pay extra. Be sure to weigh your suitcase at home and save room for souvenirs.

If you find you don’t or won’t have much extra room, consider taking a flattened out box and a small roll of packing tape. You can sometimes mail stuff home cheaper than taking it on a plane.