Okay, I have to tell you about the email that showed up in my inbox yesterday, because I’m still thinking about it and I genuinely haven’t decided what to do yet.
Thrifty Traveler sent an alert for round trip flights to Melbourne, Australia, flying Delta, for 34,000 SkyMiles. Thirty four thousand. ROUND TRIP. To Australia. I did a double take too.
The best travel windows on this one are November, and February through March, and wouldn't you know it, that lines up almost perfectly with our spring break in 2027. I haven't booked it. I'm still going back and forth on logistics with the kids' school schedule. But I wanted to share it while it's still live, because this is exactly the kind of alert that makes a Thrifty Traveler subscription worth every penny, and the timing could not be better, because National Cheap Flight Day is happening right now.
Here’s the thing about deals like this one. They don’t stick around. This alert is rated a 3 out of 3 on their heat scale, which is their way of telling you it probably won’t last past 24 hours. I don’t have hours to spend refreshing Delta’s site trying to find something like this myself, and honestly, I wouldn’t want to.
Their team found it, flagged it, and told me exactly how to book it, all before I’d finished my coffee.
And this isn’t a one-off. Just this month alone, they’ve also sent alerts for Hong Kong and Taipei under 65,000 SkyMiles flying Delta, Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris for under $584 round trip (those were pushing $900), and a business class seat to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines for 95,000 points, a seat that would easily run you thousands in cash. This is just what shows up in my inbox on a regular week.
If you’re new to Thrifty Traveler, here’s the quick breakdown. Premium gets you daily cash fare and points and miles flight deal alerts. Premium+ includes everything in Premium, plus hotel award deals on top of it. Either way, it’s the same idea: their team does the searching, and you just show up with the alert and book.
That hotel award piece isn’t just a nice add-on, either, it’s real money in our pocket. A while back, Thrifty Traveler flagged genuinely hard-to-find award space at the Alila Ventana Big Sur, and Ross and I jumped on it without hesitating: 45,000 Hyatt points a night. Those all-inclusive nights normally go for over $2,000, so a stay we never would have splurged on in cash turned into a stack of points instead. We finally get to go this January, and I still can’t quite believe we caught that alert in time.
Now for the actual reason I’m writing this today. Thrifty Traveler is running one of their biggest sales of the year for National Cheap Flight Day, and it’s only around from August 18 through August 20. You can save 30% off your first year of Premium or Premium+.
Premium: $90.99 (normally $129.99)
Premium+: $132.99 (normally $189.99)
If deals like the Australia one are the kind of thing that would actually get you and your family on a plane, this is the weekend to jump in. Check out Thrifty Traveler here before the sale wraps up.
And hey, if you end up booking that Australia trip too, I want to hear about it!
Other Best Offers This Month
Here’s the credit card offers I’m recommending most this month:
Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ – 200,000 points after $30,000 spend in the first 6 months from account opening. The biggest bonus on this list, and worth it if you’re already planning to lean into premium travel perks.
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card – $1,000 cash back after $8,000 spend in the first 4 months from account opening ($0 annual fee). Earns a flat 1.5% back on everything, and pairs beautifully with a premium Chase card to unlock transfer partners.
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card – $1,000 cash back after $8,000 spend in the first 4 months from account opening ($0 annual fee). 5% back at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone bills (up to $25,000/year), plus 2% at gas stations and restaurants.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card – Up to 75,000 points: 45,000 after $5,000 spend in the first 3 months from account opening, plus up to 30,000 more by earning 2x points (instead of 1x) on up to $15,000 spent in the first 6 months from account opening ($95 annual fee).
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card – 70,000 points after $7,000 spend in the first 3 months from account opening ($199 annual fee). A great pick if you’re aiming for Hyatt status this year!
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card – 4 Free Night Awards (each worth up to 50,000 points) after $3,000 spend in the first 3 months from account opening ($95 annual fee). Comes with automatic Silver Elite status and a Free Night Award every account anniversary, a great fit if Marriott is your family’s go-to.
Capital One Spark Cash – $1,000 cash back after $10,000 spend in the first 3 months, plus a limited-time $250 travel credit on that same spend (no annual fee the first year, $95 after).
Capital One Spark Cash Plus – $2,000 cash back after $30,000 spend in the first 3 months, plus a limited-time $500 travel credit on that same spend ($150 annual fee, refunded once you spend $150,000 in a year).
National Cheap Flight Day is basically Christmas for deal hunters! The sweet spot right after peak summer when airlines start slashing prices for autumn travel is where the real magic happens. Great reminder to everyone to keep those price alerts locked in.