These Tools Will Get You Flight Credits If the Price Drops
These relatively new services improve upon existing price-monitoring tools by automatically claiming the savings for you from the airline, typically for a fee. You’ll get the difference back in the form of a refund or a travel credit, depending on the type of ticket you purchased.
However, if you frequently buy basic fares, these tools may not be helpful for you. Those cheapest tickets typically don’t allow changes without paying a hefty fee.
Here’s what you need to know about these services.
What to consider when using these flight credit tools
These flight credit tools mainly differ in cost and which airlines they cover.
Most of these tools work on a commission-based model. If they successfully recover money for you, you pay the service a percentage of the amount recovered. Otherwise, you don’t pay anything at all.
Some tools are free or charge a flat upfront fee.
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When these services claim a credit for you, the only thing that should change is the fare you pay to the airline. Other aspects of your reservation, including your seat assignment and confirmation number, should not be affected.
You’ll also want to think about which airlines are supported by each service, as well as any booking requirements. For example, some tools only work on bookings made directly with an airline, while others might support third-party bookings.
Generally, you’ll need to connect your email inbox to the service or forward your booking confirmations from the airline for it to work.
Ultimately, these services provide convenience. You could theoretically track prices with Google Flights’ price-monitoring alerts. But then you’d have to claim the difference from the airline yourself, which can be complicated.
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6 flight credit tools to consider
If you’re ready to get started, here are some tools that you can try out. The best part is that most of them don’t charge you anything until they’ve saved you money.
1. Gondola: best free tool
Cost: Free to use.
If you get a credit back, Gondola will track it on its loyalty dashboard, which is helpful since credits typically expire within a year. Gondola can also monitor fare drops for other airlines, even if it can’t claim credits for you. AutoSave also works with select hotel bookings.
Gondola
Price
Free
When you create an account, you’ll get free access to all of Gondola’s features.
Loyalty program rewards
Earn 3% to 7% back on cash bookings
Members earn Gondola Cash on cash bookings, with rates based on their loyalty status.
2. Autopilot: best for JetBlue flyers
Cost: 25% fee charged based on the amount you get back.
Autopilot stands out for its compatibility with JetBlue itineraries, in addition to those made through Alaska, American, Delta and United. It takes 25% of whatever it recovers every time it gets you a refund or credit of $20 or more. It can also track hotel bookings made with Hyatt, IHG and Marriott. Third-party bookings are not supported. You can also tell Autopilot how much you’d be willing to pay for an airline upgrade, and it will monitor if the upgrade price drops below that number. You’ll also pay up to 25% commission on these upgrades.
It also offers an Autopilot Pro subscription ($9.99 a month) that includes additional tools, like tracking airline and hotel award reservations. However, the subscription fee does not waive the commission fee on successful claims.
3. Junova: best for Southwest flyers
Cost: 20% fee charged based on the amount you get back.
Junova can claim fare differences on eligible Southwest Airlines itineraries, as well as Alaska, American, Delta and United bookings. You must book directly with the airline to qualify, though.
The service offers a referral program that gives you $25 in credit each time you refer someone. The 20% fee comes out of your referral credit balance before your card is charged.
4. PAiback: best for Hawaiian flyers
Cost: 20% fee charged based on the amount you get back.
PAiback monitors fares booked directly with Alaska, American, Delta, United and Hawaiian Airlines. If the price drops, it’ll automatically claim the difference. Award tickets, basic fares and third-party bookings do not qualify.
When pAiback gets you an airline credit or refund, it will charge you 20% of that amount. Users are billed for the commission once a month, and they can earn a $5 credit when they refer new users. If your seat assignments are impacted, pAiback says it will work with the airline to get your original seats or upgrades back at no additional cost.
5. Refare: best support for international airlines
Cost: 25% fee charged based on the amount you get back.
Refare works with both U.S. and international airlines, including Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United, as well as Air France, Emirates, KLM, Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa. To qualify, your booking cannot be a basic or award fare.
The service charges a 25% fee only when it’s able to claim a credit or refund for users. The rate is higher than some other platforms, but it can be worth it if you’re flying with an international airline that other tools don’t track.
6. JetBack: best flat-fee tool
Cost: $99.99 a year for unlimited services.
While most services charge a commission on the fare difference they recover for you, JetBack charges an annual fee. This is a great option if you are a frequent flyer who expects to get hundreds of dollars back in fare drops a year. Compared to a service that charges 20%, you’d need to get at least $500 in savings back to break even.
JetBack says it works with major U.S. airlines including Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United, and it’s able to monitor all fares, including basic economy. It can even work with bookings made through travel portals, including those from American Express and Chase. However, fare restrictions — like the ones you often see on basic economy tickets — may impact your ability to get savings. The service also monitors bookings made with points and miles.
How to pick a flight credit tool to use
At their core, all of these tools do the same thing. The differences are typically cost, feature offerings and supported airlines.
If you frequently fly with Alaska, American, Delta and United, Gondola is probably the best option. The service is free, which can provide frequent travelers with significant savings.
If you fly with other airlines like JetBlue, Southwest and Hawaiian, you may want to use a different tool that supports those carriers.
There’s no need to commit to one tool, though — unless you’re paying the roughly $100 flat fee for JetBack. You can use Junova for your Southwest flight while using Autopilot for your JetBlue trip.
The last thing to consider is how much you value the convenience factor of not having to track prices and claim credits on your own.
If your flights drop by $500, you could be looking at a $100 to $125 charge, which is a decent chunk of change. Thrifty travelers who don’t mind putting in some extra effort might be better off using tools like Google Flights price alerts to save.
