How to Snag the Best Deal on Travel Tuesday

We said it at the top, but we’re going to say it again because not many people know about it: “Travel Tuesday” is the Black Friday and Cyber Monday of travel deals. Meaning all those ridiculously nice savings you get on say a new television, Smartphone, computer, and toys for the kids for Christmas, you can now get on flights, cruises, and hotels in places all over the world!

Pretty intriguing right? Especially to someone who loves to or wants to travel. We know how expensive it can be, with booking flights and accommodations you can already put a dent in your savings and that’s not counting daily expenses like food and sightseeing. So Travel Tuesday helps weary travelers save some money on their trip(s) next year. 

GiftYa is a website and mobile app that specializes in all things eGift cards. You can get a digital gift card to a restaurant, famous retailer, department store, local business, online store/subscription service, spa, hotel, and airline. GiftYa’s catalog is massive, and with the holidays coming up you can send a gift card via text or email to someone you love ASAP. GiftYa’s also great for travelers which we will get into a bit later.

We’re here today to help you figure out all the ins and outs of Travel Tuesday by answering questions like:

• When is Travel Tuesday and How does it Work?
• How to Snag the Best Deal on Travel Tuesday
• How GiftYa can Help You Save
• Places to Look for Travel Tuesday Deals

Now you know the idea, let’s get started!

When is Travel Tuesday and How does it Work?

Travel Tuesday is always the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, (December 3rd, 2024), normally around noon time. However just like Black Friday there can be deals up to a few days before so we suggest keeping a lookout from Thanksgiving day itself, (November 28th, 2024), up until the day of Travel Tuesday. So that means while you’re in between dinner and pumpkin pie you can get started looking up some deals from your favorite travel sights.

It works like any other Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal, but instead of shopping for new shoes you’re instead looking at discounted flights, cruises, and hotels. You go onto travel-centric websites that already find you the best deals for your flights, but for Travel Tuesday they will find you even better deals.

The best reported times for deals have been a bit of a mix in the past, but from what we’ve gathered it looks like Monday night into Tuesday morning and afternoon as the “prime time” spotlight. 

How to Snag the Best Deal on Travel Tuesday

There are many different tips and tricks that can help you snag the best deal on Travel Tuesday so we thought putting all of them together in a bullet-point list would help you stay organized and create your own checklist as we come to the end of the month. 

We will say it’s important to make sure you’re using reputable sites and companies to get your deals because when it comes to days marketed towards savings there can be scammers out there looking to take your money for you future trips. Be sure to do your research should you use a resource we don’t discuss here.

• The number one piece of advice we give is to set alerts on your travel websites like Skyscanner, Hopper, Expedia, Price Alerts, or on Google Flights. Toggling on these notifications on your phone can alert you to deals on flights you were looking at so you can be first in line to snag that ticket. For example, Skyscanner, scans the web constantly for better deals on the plane tickets you were looking for. 

We recommend you be flexible when it comes to your travel dates, the more strict you are the harder it can be to find those greatly discounted deals on your flights and hotels.

• Check the airline’s policies for your needs. Understand their rules on checked bags, carry-ons, in-flight meals and amenities so you can filter out airlines that won’t serve what you need going into your deal search. And if you should need to cancel your flight, look at the airline's cancellation policies so you know if you can expect your money back or what their fees are like should you cancel.

• Choose travel-friendly dates. Frequent travelers know summer, specifically late June, the entire month of July, and early August are a hotspot for most travelers and that means airline and cruise tickets, and hotel costs skyrocket because of the influx of travelers during the warm summer months. 

The best month(s) to travel in are March, April, and May, along with September, October, and November. You’d think December, January, and February would be the least expensive because they are the coldest months, but you’ll notice an uptick in travelers trying to get away from the cold. Still though, December through February will have lower costs than the summer, so it’s not a big dealbreaker.

• Land somewhere new. Obviously when you’re looking at a place like France a lot of people tend to run straight towards Paris as their landing and booking destination. But if you aren’t that interested in seeing the Eiffel tower and want to explore other parts of France, then we suggest landing somewhere a bit less popular like Lyon, Annecy, or Marsellies. You can do this with any place, not just France, just remember to do your research on the places first so you know it’s safe and you can save even more. This goes the same for airports, landing in a smaller airport can afford you a couple more drinks on your pub crawl.

• Check for packaged deals, those that include bundle deals for your flight, hotel, and car rental should you need one at your new destination. Booking things in twos or threes can help save you money overall.

• You know when you go onto a website for the first time and there will be a pop-up telling you to sign up for their email list for exclusive deals and promo codes? Well finally those emails have a purpose because applying promo codes and credit card offers will help you save even more on Travel Tuesday. 

• Promo codes are often found through email subscriptions, the travel website(s) themselves, or travel agencies- write them down on a notepad or on a Google Document to have them ready to apply them when you’re in the checkout. As for credit cards, well, certain credit card companies will have travel-incentives included like airline miles and credits. And of course you can use your credit points to help with your savings as well.

• Also follow airlines and travel companies on social media because sometimes they will post special promos and discounts specifically for their social media followers and on their channels.

• Look into airline alliance(s). This is a lesser-known thing so let us explain for those who don’t know: an airline alliance is the partnership between two or more airlines where the customer can earn rewards from their rewards programs, meaning you can have points, reduced fees, and other benefits for multiple airlines going into Travel Tuesday. Airline alliances will “share resources, market or extend partner airline routes.” You can save with these alliances when traveling using multiple airlines that use the same alliance. The three most popular airline alliances are:

• Skyteam: with members including but not limited to Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines, Air France-KLM, and Air Europe.

• Oneworld: with members including but not limited to Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airlines, American Airlines, Finnair, and Qantas Airways.

• Star Alliance: with members including but not limited to Air Canada, Air New Zealand, United Airlines, and Swiss Air.

With these airline alliances you can find deals and discounts you might not have realized you were even getting!

How GiftYa can Help You Save

We talked a little bit about GiftYa in the beginning, but what you may not know is it can help with the upcoming date of Travel Tuesday. You can get your favorite traveler a GiftYa. With card link technology, they are able to attach their gift balance from any type of gift card to their favorite travel reward credit card. You can activate your chosen GiftYa card to your Visa, Mastercard, and/or Amex card. This way they are earning points towards their next getaway with every purchase on their card, but the actual funds draw from the gift balance until it’s used up, a win-win!

GiftYa has a whole breakdown on what you do when you receive a GiftYa Gift Card so the recipient knows exactly what to do: Received a GiftYa eGift? This way you can get the full breakdown on how this all works and how you can make sure you correctly link your GiftYa gift card to the credit card of your choice that can get you points back for your future travels.

Also with GiftYa you can buy a gift card to a few different airlines, local hotels, and hotel chains which can help boost your savings on booking on Travel Tuesday this year.

Places to Look for Travel Tuesday Deals

There are many online resources and websites that will have Travel Tuesday deals and discounts for travelers. Here are some that you should keep on your radar in the coming weeks:

• Hopper was founded in 2007 and is an online source for finding the best prices for hotels, flights, car rentals, and more. With the app you get alerts on your phone for price increases and price drops as they tend to hop around. And for Travel Tuesday Hopper will have exclusive deals available only through them. Specifically they’ve said they will “have exclusive hotel rates with savings up to 50% off bookings in popular domestic and international destinations.”

You can Purchase a GiftYa Gift Card for Hopper here!

• Booking.com was founded in 1998 and this online resource helps you book airline tickets, hotels, car rentals, sightseeing attractions, and airport taxis. 

• Expedia is a well-known popular travel-friendly resource and has been known for offering deals not just around Travel Tuesday but all throughout the year for Expedia Members.

• Priceline keeps up with the ever-changing price rises and falls, and they have exclusive deals on flights, hotels, etc. along with cruises! So if you are a big cruise person then Priceline is a good place to start looking.

• Skyscanner is a flight, hotel, and car rental search engine that keeps a look out for the cheapest prices for prospective travelers and once you’ve found something that hits your price range they will connect you to the provider.

• Hotels.com is for those looking for a hotel, (the name gives it away doesn’t it?), here you can look for Travel Tuesday savings for your accommodations and also cars! 

You can Purchase a GiftYa Gift Card for Hotels.com here!

This was our guide on how to snag the best deal(s) on Travel Tuesday. Whether you’re staying in the country or traveling internationally, Travel Tuesday will surely have many deals and discounts that can lead to even bigger savings.