With holiday travel season right around the corner, millions of Americans are bracing for sticker shock. According to NerdWallet’s 2026 Holiday Travel Report, travelers taking to the skies and roads this year expect to spend an average of $2,439 on flights and hotels.
Between climbing airfares, packed flights, and peak-week surge pricing, getting home for Thanksgiving or Christmas without blowing your budget feels harder than ever. But according to the pros who track airfare trends for a living, you don’t need an elaborate points hack or secret loophole to save hundreds of dollars. You just need to be willing to shift your clock.
“I say this time and time again, but flexibility is the absolute key to saving money—especially during holidays,” explains Sally French, travel expert at NerdWallet. “Being able to move your flight by a few hours, or even a few days, can save you hundreds of dollars. For example, the most popular days to fly around Thanksgiving are on Wednesday, when everybody leaves, and Sunday when they return home from the long weekend. If you can just not fly on those days, you’ll probably save a ton. People get so married to a specific time or airline or day, and that’s usually what costs them. Can you fly on Thanksgiving morning? Can you extend your trip and fly home on Tuesday or Wednesday after Thanksgiving rather than the Sunday after?”
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The Hidden Risk of Holding Out for Last-Minute Holiday Flight Deals
If you’re still waiting for airfare alerts to ping you with a dramatic price drop, French warns that holding out much longer is a losing bet. While fare trackers work wonders eight to 10 months in advance, holiday inventory behaves very differently in the final stretch.
“Unfortunately in regards to holiday pricing, we’re too close to that last-minute period, where a flight tracker alert is not going to help you,” French notes. “As far as holiday flights go if you see a price you’re comfortable paying—I’d just book it now. Airlines can’t add inventory at this point, so it’s more and more people competing for a smaller and smaller supply of seats. Waiting for a drop is a gamble that’s getting less likely to pay off.”
Related: 6 Airline Perks That Are Actually Worth the Money (and 2 to Skip)
Don’t Overthink Your Credit Card Points This Holiday Season
For travelers sitting on a stockpile of credit card rewards, points can help soften the cash blow, especially with NerdWallet finding that parents are leaning heavily on rewards this year. But French cautions against getting paralyzed trying to calculate the absolute highest redemption value. While American Express points shine when transferred to airlines and Chase points yield outsized value for Hyatt stays, the best redemption is the one that keeps cash in your checking account:
“I also caution against trying to overoptimize. Some people never use their points, period, because they’re waiting on some perfect, sweet spot redemption. The best redemption is the one that saves you from parting with actual cash. I’d rather you book something than never use your points at all, even if it’s not the sweetest deal out there.”
When it comes to actually locking in those reservations, French skips the popular third-party credit card portals entirely during peak weeks, opting to book directly with the airline. In the chaotic world of holiday travel—where a single winter storm can ground hundreds of connections—cutting out the middleman makes rerouting, rebooking, or getting customer service assistance infinitely simpler.
And if you’re a late booker stuck with an awkward red-eye or a long layover? Don’t despair. That late-night flight often gives you an extra day with family at your destination, and carrying a credit card with lounge access can turn a crowded terminal layover into a comfortable, quiet retreat. By staying flexible on your travel days and locking in seats before flights completely sell out, you can keep more money in your pocket for the moments that actually matter.
Related: Sick of Airport Lounge Waitlists? Here’s How to Always Guarantee a Spot
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