How to Set Up Flight Alerts That Actually Find You Cheap Deals

The difference between paying $450 and $900 for the same flight on the same airline in the same cabin often comes down to timing. Flight prices fluctuate constantly, driven by demand algorithms, competitor pricing, fuel costs, and dozens of other variables that no consumer can track manually.

Flight alerts solve this problem. Instead of checking prices obsessively (a habit that wastes hours and causes anxiety), you set up automated alerts that notify you when prices drop to a level worth booking. But most people set up alerts wrong. They track one route on one platform, get overwhelmed by irrelevant notifications, and eventually ignore everything.

Here is how to set up a flight alert system that actually works, using every major platform, with strategies for knowing when to pull the trigger.

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Platform 1: Google Flights Price Tracking

Best for: Tracking specific routes with specific dates.

Google Flights is the foundation of any flight alert system. It has the broadest data coverage, the cleanest interface, and the most useful price history graphs.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Go to flights.google.com
2. Enter your departure city, destination, and dates
3. Review the results page. Below the price, you will see a toggle that says "Track prices." Turn it on.
4. Google will email you when prices change significantly for that route and date combination.

Pro Tips

• Track multiple date combinations. If your dates are flexible within a two-week window, create separate tracking alerts for three or four different date ranges. Price differences between midweek and weekend departures can be 30-50%.
• Use the price graph. On the results page, click "Price graph" or "Date grid" to see how prices vary across the calendar. Look for the cheapest day of the week to depart and return.
• Check the "Price insights" panel. Google tells you whether current prices are low, typical, or high for your route based on historical data. This single feature eliminates most of the guesswork about whether to book now or wait.
• Set up tracking for the same route with no dates. Google Flights lets you track a route without specifying dates, which alerts you to general fare sales on that route.

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Platform 2: Hopper Predictions

Best for: Getting AI-powered buy/wait recommendations on domestic US flights.

Hopper's strength is not just alerting you to price changes. It predicts whether prices will go up or down, and tells you whether to buy now or wait.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Download the Hopper app (iOS or Android)
2. Search for your route and dates
3. Hopper will show a prediction: a color-coded calendar showing cheap and expensive dates, and a recommendation to buy or wait
4. Tap "Watch This Trip" to receive push notifications when prices change or when Hopper recommends booking

Pro Tips

• Hopper's predictions are most accurate for domestic US flights and popular international routes booked 3-8 weeks in advance. For obscure routes or last-minute bookings, the prediction accuracy drops.
• Pay attention to the confidence level. Hopper shows how confident it is in its buy/wait recommendation. High confidence means the prediction is based on strong historical patterns. Low confidence means it is more of a guess.
• Do not book through Hopper unless the price is actually better. Hopper sometimes adds its own markup. Use Hopper for the prediction, then book directly with the airline or through Google Flights if the price is the same or cheaper.

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Platform 3: Skyscanner Alerts

Best for: International flights and flexible destination searches.

Skyscanner's strength is its "Everywhere" search feature, which shows the cheapest flights from your city to every destination in the world. Combined with alerts, this is incredibly powerful for flexible travelers.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Go to skyscanner.com or open the app
2. Enter your departure city
3. For the destination, type "Everywhere" to see the cheapest options globally, or enter a specific destination
4. Select your dates (or choose "Cheapest Month" for maximum flexibility)
5. Click "Get Price Alerts" to receive email notifications when prices change

Pro Tips

• The "Cheapest Month" feature combined with "Everywhere" is the ultimate deal finder for flexible travelers. It shows you the cheapest time to fly to every destination from your home city.
• Skyscanner aggregates smaller airlines and budget carriers that Google Flights sometimes misses, especially in Europe (Ryanair, Wizz Air) and Asia (AirAsia, Scoot).
• Set alerts for routes you fly regularly, even if you are not planning a trip right now. When a genuinely exceptional price appears, you can book speculatively.

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Platform 4: Going (Formerly Scott's Cheap Flights)

Best for: Curated deal alerts from flight experts, especially for international travel from the US.

Going (rebranded from Scott's Cheap Flights) is a subscription service where a team of humans finds genuinely exceptional flight deals and sends them to subscribers. This is different from automated price tracking. These are deals that someone verified, contextualized, and recommended.

How It Works

• Free tier: Receive some deals, limited selection
• Premium tier ($49/year): All deals, including premium economy, business, and first class alerts
• Elite tier ($199/year): Everything in Premium, plus mistake fares and the fastest alerts

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Sign up at going.com
2. Set your departure airports (you can add multiple home airports)
3. Set your destination preferences (everywhere, or specific regions)
4. Receive email alerts when exceptional deals are found from your airports

What Makes It Different

Going does not send you a notification every time a price fluctuates by $20. They send you an alert when a flight from New York to Tokyo drops from $1,200 to $450, or when a business class fare to London appears for $1,100 instead of $4,000. These are genuinely exceptional deals that disappear within hours or days.

Pro Tips

• Act fast. Going deals are time-sensitive. Most last 24-72 hours. Some last only a few hours. When you receive a deal that matches your interests, check it immediately.
• Set up multiple departure airports if you live near more than one. Adding Newark, JFK, and LaGuardia as separate departure airports captures deals that only appear from one of the three.
• Read the full deal email. Going includes sample dates, booking instructions, and context about why the deal is exceptional. This saves you research time.

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Platform 5: Secret Flying

Best for: Mistake fares, error fares, and extraordinary deals that appear due to airline pricing glitches.

Secret Flying is a website and social media presence that publishes flight deals, with a particular focus on mistake fares, where airlines accidentally publish a fare far below the intended price.

How to Use It

1. Visit secretflying.com daily or follow them on Twitter/X and Facebook
2. Filter by your region (US Deals, European Deals, etc.)
3. Check the deal's departure cities to see if yours is included
4. Book immediately if it matches your interests. Mistake fares can be corrected within hours.

Pro Tips

• Mistake fares are real but risky. Airlines sometimes honor them and sometimes cancel them. Book with a credit card (not a debit card) for easier refund processing if the fare is canceled.
• Never build non-refundable plans around a mistake fare until the airline confirms it. Do not book hotels or activities until your flight is ticketed and the departure date is approaching.
• Follow their social media for the fastest alerts. The website is updated regularly, but the fastest mistake fare alerts appear on Twitter/X first.

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Platform 6: Kayak Price Alerts

Best for: Comprehensive price tracking with historical data.

Kayak has been in the flight search game for decades, and their alert system is mature and reliable.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Go to kayak.com and search for your route and dates
2. Click "Set Price Alert" on the results page
3. Choose email or push notification
4. Kayak will notify you of significant price changes and provide a forecast of whether prices are expected to rise or fall

Pro Tips

• Kayak's price forecast uses historical data to predict price trends. A green "book now" indicator means prices are expected to rise. A red "wait" indicator means they may drop.
• Kayak Explore (kayak.com/explore) offers a map-based search similar to Google Flights' Explore, showing the cheapest destinations from your city.
• Set up Kayak alerts as a backup to Google Flights, not a replacement. Different platforms sometimes capture different fares.

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How Many Alerts Should You Set Up?

More is not always better. If you set up 50 alerts across six platforms, you will be overwhelmed by notifications and stop reading them. Here is a practical framework:

For a Specific Upcoming Trip (Fixed Destination and Approximate Dates)

• Google Flights: 2-3 alerts (different date combinations)
• Hopper: 1 alert (your preferred dates)
• Kayak: 1 alert (backup)
• Total: 4-5 alerts

For Ongoing Deal Hunting (Flexible Destination and Dates)

• Google Flights Explore: Passive monitoring, no alert needed
• Going: 1 subscription (your departure airports)
• Skyscanner Everywhere: 1 alert (your departure city to everywhere)
• Secret Flying: Daily check or social media follow
• Total: 2-3 active alerts + passive monitoring

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When to Pull the Trigger: Book or Wait?

This is the question that causes the most anxiety. You see a price that seems good, but what if it drops further? Here is a decision framework.

Book Immediately If:

• The price is flagged as "low" or "great deal" by Google Flights' historical data
• Hopper recommends "buy now" with high confidence
• You found the deal through Going or Secret Flying (these are time-sensitive by definition)
• You are within 21 days of departure (prices almost always rise inside three weeks for domestic, and inside six weeks for international)
• The fare is mistake-fare territory (50%+ below normal prices)

Wait If:

• Google Flights shows the price as "typical" and your departure is 2-3 months away
• Hopper predicts prices will drop with high confidence
• You are in the early booking window (more than 3 months out for domestic, more than 4-5 months for international) and the price is not exceptional
• The price has been steadily rising, indicating high demand. Waiting is risky here, but a brief dip often occurs before the final steep climb

Never Wait If:

• You have found a good fare and waiting would cause genuine anxiety. The mental cost of obsessive price-checking often exceeds the $50-100 you might save. Book it, stop checking, and enjoy the anticipation.

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The False Alarm Problem

Not every price drop is a real deal. Alerts will sometimes fire because:

• The cheaper fare is on a terrible routing. Three stops and a 14-hour layover in a city with no lounge. Check the itinerary before celebrating.
• The price dropped for basic economy only. No seat selection, no carry-on, no changes. Read the fare rules.
• The fare is on a codeshare with limited availability. The price looks great, but only one seat is available at that rate.
• The dates shifted. Some alert systems track routes broadly. The cheap fare might be on dates that do not work for you.

Always verify the actual itinerary, fare class, and restrictions before booking any deal an alert surfaces.

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Putting It All Together

The ideal flight alert system takes about 15 minutes to set up and then runs passively, sending you relevant notifications without requiring daily effort. Here is the recipe:

1. Google Flights as your primary tracking tool for specific trips
2. Going as your curated deal source for exceptional international fares
3. Hopper for AI-powered buy/wait advice on domestic routes
4. Skyscanner for flexible, international deal hunting
5. Secret Flying for mistake fares (check once daily or follow on social media)
6. Kayak as a backup price tracker

Set them up once. Check your email. And when the right deal appears, book it without hesitation. The best fare is the one you actually buy, not the theoretical lower price you hoped might appear tomorrow.