Accumulate airline miles on your credit card. Most major credit card providers offer cards that give you flight miles for every dollar you spend. This can be a good way to fund your vacations, but make sure you understand what fees and restrictions are involved before signing up for a credit card.
Use your frequent flyer miles. Most major airlines have frequent flyer programs that you can sign up with for free. These are loyalty programs that award you free miles to use on future flights every time you fly with the designated airline. If you generally fly with the same airline, this can be the easiest way to get travel discounts.
Search for tickets online. By pricing tickets with flight comparison websites like Orbitz, Expedia or Kayak, you can easily find the cheapest tickets for the date you plan to fly.
Call a travel agent. A travel agent can work to get you to find the best deal for your travel dates and might know about hard-to-find sales and discounts. If you're a student, you can often get a discount on airline tickets by contacting STA, the Student Travel Association.
Check with airlines. Once you've researched the discounts available, call or check the websites of the airlines with the cheapest tickets to see if there are any further discounts available. Many airlines discount tickets during low-travel months like February or October. The companies may also discount last minute tickets or have sales during holidays to encourage travelers to fly.
