Thrifty Traveler Price Increase: Lock in the Old Rate for Life
Tl;dr: The price of Thrifty Traveler Premium is going up, and infrequent travelers might have difficulty breaking even on the service. Subscribe now with a discount to lock in the current price forever; there’s still a money-back guarantee.
Sad news today: one of my favorite travel tools, the deal alert service Thrifty Traveler, is raising its rates. Starting Saturday, March 14:
Thrifty Traveler Premium increases from $99.99 → $129/year
Premium+ increases from $149.99 → $189/year
The good news is that there’s a short window to lock in the current price forever. If you subscribe before the 14th, you’ll keep the current price for life. Plus, you can get $20 off your first year with our affiliate link or code LAZYPOINTS (sponsored). Plus, there’s still a 100-day money-back guarantee, so you’ll have plenty of time to try it out before fully committing.
I’m a longtime subscriber and a big fan, but is Thrifty Traveler still worth it at the new price?
What makes Thrifty Traveler great?
Thrifty Traveler sends tailored deal alerts straight to your inbox; you can choose the departure airports you want and the type of deals you’re looking for (points, cash, premium cabin, etc.). The emails are well-designed and filled with useful information like booking guidance, comparisons of different booking alternatives, available travel dates, and more.
The deals can be amazing. In the past year I’ve seen round-trips to Japan for under $400, to Taiwan for under 35k Delta Skymiles, and main cabin to Europe for under 30k SkyMiles or 35k American AAdvantage miles (two different deals).
If you want more details, I’ve written a full Thrifty Traveler review.
Is it worth it?
At $129 per year, it might be harder for infrequent travelers to break even. It depends on your travel habits, of course, but even with great deals, it’s hard to save that much on just one economy ticket per year.
Plus, there may be lower-cost alternatives. Going, a similar service, is just $49 without premium cabin deals. Atmos has Global Getaways, I often find great American Airlines deals on Roame, and you can find solid Delta deals with a quick search.
So how does Thrifty Traveler offer value beyond those cheaper or free alternatives? A few ways:
Knowledge: There’s value in just seeing these deals and knowing what bargains are out there and whether you’re deploying your points efficiently.
Timing: getting a timely alert can be crucial to snagging a mistake fare before it is corrected or a sale fare while there is still maximum availability.
Big deals: Sometimes the savings are so big that they really can justify the price in one fell swoop (e.g. that $400 ticket to Japan that would normally cost twice that or more).
Frequent flying: Booking multiple deals per year makes it easier to break even for more prolific travelers.
Traveling with companions: If you’re trying to book for you and a partner or multiple travel companions, the savings from finding the best deals can stack up much faster.
Premium cabins: At these higher cash and points prices, the savings can add up quickly.
The potential value is still more than enough to make up for the service’s annual cost in some cases, but it will be harder to break even than before this increase.
Lazy Take 🦥
Thrifty Traveler can still be worth it, especially if you use it to book multiple tickets each year. But it’s an even better deal at the current, lower rates. If you’ve ever considered trying Thrifty Traveler, this is the best moment to subscribe—you’ll lock in the current price for life. If you sign up using our affiliate link or code LAZYPOINTS, you’ll also save $20 off your first year and have 100 days to try it out with a money-back guarantee.
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