Frontier Airlines, Where Have You Been All My Life?!
Dear Frontier Airlines,
I LOVE YOU!!
In all seriousness, flying Frontier has been one of my greatest discoveries during my efforts to travel on a budget. Granted, they only fly to and from certain destinations, but it is most definitely worth looking into. Your wallet will thank you. Let us also remember that when the goal is to save money, sometimes that means sacrificing luxury. How many airlines offer round-trip flights for as little as $40?! I'll wait...*cues crickets* But with low fares they have to find ways to recoup their money. So what's the best way to make sure you're saving money? DON'T CHOOSE YOUR SEATS AND DON'T CHECK YOUR BAGS! Frontier charges for carry-on bags, don't worry, you get 1 free personal item. What counts as a personal item you ask? Anything that fits under the seat in front of you. If I am just traveling for the weekend, I roll about 5 outfits into a backpack. For longer trips I use my Lug Cartwheel, and I fill it to the brim! So my rule of thumb is, if you can jam under the seat in front of you, you're good. I haven't had any issues thus far. On my last flight, they actually asked me if I wanted to put it in the overhead carriage.
Early Return Rewards
Use them or lose them. Your reward miles expire every 6 months after they're earned UNLESS you book a flight before the 6 months is up, talk about motivation. If you fly within the US, you only need 10,000 miles + $5.60 for a free one-way ticket and 20,000 + 11.20 for round-trip. You can find the Member Guide here. You can also use turn your rewards into points for other reward programs (Hilton HHonors, points.com, Club Carlton Gold Points, or Marriott Rewards). The fastest way to accrue points is to sign up for their credit card, but if you haven't noticed, I like to find ways around applying for more credit cards. But if you're interested, they award up to 40,000 miles (2 round trip tickets) to new credit card members.
You can also earn rewards before you're ready to fly with eRewards. Take surveys and earn miles. Every survey has a monetary value, you can redeem the money earned for miles after you reach $25.
Discount Den
I have been able to score really good deals so far without signing up for the Discount Den. For me the additional $50 at checkout hasn't been worth it yet. But it's something to consider, especially if you're booking flights for the family. The $49.99 allows allows you to book flights for up to 6 people per itinerary as long as you are listed also. 50 divided by 6 is about $8 per person, that's not bad! Discount Den has exclusive club prices but if you haven't already paid the enrollment fee, you're not really going to save money if you are only purchasing one ticket. If I break down and sign up, I'll keep you guys updated.
Keep in mind
The best day to book a flight seems to be Monday. Also, to receive most of the $20 one-way deals, you usually have to fly on Tuesday or Wednesday. As with anything, every situation is what you make it. I love Frontier.
Have you flown with Frontier? How was your experience? Have any other tips? Tell us about it.