Black Friday and Cyber Monday used to be primarily for retail sales. Now, everyone gets in on it, including airlines, hotels, and travel companies. The last few years, there have been some great deals available and that should definitely be the case this year since these companies really need customers.
Buying Airline and Hotel Deals? Read This First
But, before you go ahead and buy, there are a couple of things you should think about – especially this year.
Is the Airline Trustworthy?
No one would have asked this question of airlines like Turkish Airlines, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific and others in past years. But, with airlines scrambling to get cash, some have handled their interactions with customers in very bad ways this year. This means that you really need to be careful which airlines you are buying into with the sales.
Some airlines may give tremendous flexibility – even up to name changes. But, make sure you read the terms of the airline tickets before you buy and remember that the airline may not give you money back if they cancel the flight later. I, and many others, are still waiting to get refunds after airlines canceled flights and these same airlines are coming back now to get more money.
Airlines are largely going to focus on next year for travel dates because no one expects international travel to really open much at all this year. So, the risk may be low as travel may be ok next summer so this could be the best time to buy into the deals.
Best thing to do? If you go in for these airline deals, make sure you look at that money as money you will not get back – if something happens, you may get vouchers or different future flights but not money.
Have Uses in Mind and Book Soon
The other sales happening are for points (and, in some cases, miles) purchases. This means big bonuses on purchased miles or points. This is not unusual but since these loyalty programs are huge cash markets for these companies, this is just another way for the hotels and airlines to get money now.
Remember this – people have been earning and holding millions of points and miles this year since travel has not been happening for most. This means that there could likely be more miles in the wallets fo consumers than ever before. Do not be surprised if there are devaluations on the horizon!
That means if you plan on buying points, have a use in mind and try to go ahead and book it as soon as you can. If there are problems later, you would likely be able to change the dates without a problem anyway so that could be a win-win. But, do not buy to hoard!
Bottom Line
Sales have a way of making people think they need to buy something now. With everyone needing to get more money now from consumers, there could be some very tempting travel deals. Just consider first the downsides if things continue to go badly in the near future – as long as you are good with the risk and possible changes, this could be an awesome time to be a buyer!
