There is a strange science in winning the “perfect fare”. Are you waiting for the price to drop? Do you book on Tuesday instead of Friday? Or do you book any flight you want and hope you don’t see a lower fare when it’s too late?
Google Flights is trying to simplify the process of finding the lowest fares with a new price guarantee program.
Starting April 3, Google said it will pilot a program to track fares even after customers book flights. If the customer happens to find a lower price, the difference can be refunded.
Only flights departing from the United States are eligible for the program. When an eligible flight is displayed, a colorful price guarantee badge will pop up. This badge means that Google Flights is willing to put its money in its place by guaranteeing that fares won’t drop (or give you a refund).
The program is still in early beta, so it’s not easy to find a route on Google Flights with a price guarantee…at least.
We tested over 100 different routes and flight dates on Google Flights and not a single route showed the price guarantee badge. A Google spokesperson told TPG it’s “too early to say” whether the show will become a permanent fixture on Google Flights.
“We’re running a test program so we can better understand how people react to this type of feature,” the spokesperson said.
Assuming you find an eligible flight with a price guarantee badge, there are caveats as well. You must book your ticket directly on Google Flights (don’t click through to the airline’s website) and you won’t be eligible for a refund if the fare difference is $5 or less. You can also only receive up to $500 cashback in a calendar year. If you cancel your trip, you will also not be eligible for a refund.
After you book your flight, Google will monitor the price to see if there are any changes. If the fare for your journey drops, Google will send you an email notifying you of the price change.
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Google Flights will send refunds via Google Pay, so customers must download the app 90 days before their flight departs to claim the difference. Customers can expect to receive their cashback within 48 hours in the app’s “Discover” tab, which shows earned rewards.
A Google spokesperson said Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Spirit Airlines are currently the main airlines with the “Book on Google” option.
While the price guarantee is only in effect after a customer has booked a flight, Google has announced that it may not provide a guarantee if an airline updates its fares faster than it takes them to upload to Google Flights. .
A Google spokesperson said the response from the initial test was positive.
“There’s really no downside for travelers because it’s free to get the guarantee,” the spokesperson said. “Similarly, we’ve had productive conversations with the airlines and they’re interested in how this program could evolve.”
Previously Google pilot guaranteed pricing in 2019, but the initiative was quickly halted due to the pandemic.
Google Flights is also not the first company to offer a price guarantee.
Other travel booking sites like Expedia, price list And trajectory offer different versions of price guarantees. However, they all still ask you to find the lower price yourself and often give a partial refund. Expedia’s price guarantee applies to hotel room rates only, not airline tickets.
The Capital One travel portal that is accessible to eligible Capital One customers also has some price guarantees for select flights. But it also has warnings and eligibility requirements.
Airlines also have different refund policies: Ministry of Transport require All airlines will provide a full refund to customers if they cancel their flight within 24 hours of booking. But these refunds typically apply to flight cancellations rather than getting a price guarantee that will cover the difference.
However, in an age of more flexible changing policies and fees, sometimes customers simply need to track price changes themselves. Or, they use price change notifications from sites like Google Flights and rebook themselves, receiving airline credit to use on future flights in the process.
But assuming this pilot program is rolled out more widely, it could potentially make it easier for travelers to commit to taking the flight, knowing they won’t have to carry their bags if prices drop.
