Here's how I saved $50 on a flight with price drop protection.

Air travel can be more stressful and emotionally taxing than filing taxes or visiting the dentist, according to Expedia's 2024 Air Travel Hacks Report.

Is this a good price? Will it go lower? Why does such a short flight cost hundreds of dollars? Will I be able to make any changes if necessary? These are questions that many people ask themselves.

I once drove eight hours and back to avoid paying $450 for a 90-minute flight due to the numerous hypotheticals.

Discovering price protection while booking a trip to South Florida recently made me ecstatic.

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How price drop protection saved me money

I had never used price protection before my recent flight booking, but now that I have, it has revolutionized my travel planning and booking process.

I utilized Expedia's price protection program and was able to save $50.

I bought a flight three weeks before departure for $184 and added Expedia's Price Drop Protection for $7 at checkout. The cost of Price Drop Protection varies depending on booking time and current flight price. Additionally, Gold and Platinum members receive One Key Price Drop Protection for free on select flights when booking through the Expedia app.

Three days after booking, I received an email stating that I would be refunded $50 as the flight's price had dropped to $134.

A week after my flight, the refund was credited to my credit card account and I never checked it again.

Expedia automatically updates you with live prices and refunds your money if the price drops, eliminating the need for manual searching.

Other price protection options

Similar price protection features are offered by other flight search aggregators, with varying terms.

Google Flights provides customers with a free Price Guarantee for select flights. These flights are marked with a colorful price badge and must be booked directly through Google. The guarantee lasts until the first flight in your itinerary departs, and if the price drops, you'll receive a refund via Google Pay.

Airlines do not provide direct guarantees for this feature, so it is usually necessary to book through a third party.

If you booked directly through an airline and the price of your flight dropped, you would need to manually rebook your ticket, which may come with a change fee, and you would only receive a travel credit for the fare difference, not a true refund. For example, United Airlines' page on flexible booking options states, "If your new flight costs less, you will receive a travel credit for the fare difference."

Bottom line

Booking flights as soon as possible is more beneficial when using Price Drop Protection, as there's a higher chance that the price may decrease.

Expedia's Price Drop Protection offers peace of mind and a refund for a small fee, but there are other ways to get this protection for free if you're an Expedia Gold or Platinum One Key member or book through Capital One Travel or Google Flights.

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