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If you haven’t started to think about your holiday travel plans, now is the ideal time to get planning. You can keep more money in your checking account by booking your holiday travel arrangements sooner rather than later.

Otherwise, you may spend much more than you have budgeted for, which could cause added financial stress. Let’s discuss the best time to book for the cheapest Christmas flight prices.

Late October is the best time to book cheap holiday flights

Google Flights is a free airfare price comparison tool that makes it easier to find cheap flights. The Google Flights 2024 Travel Trends report includes valuable flight pricing information to help you save money when buying flights for the upcoming holidays.

When compiling this report, Google examined historical flight pricing data to determine when travelers should book airfare to score cheaper tickets for Christmas 2024.

According to Google’s research, domestic flight prices for Christmas have historically been at their lowest 58 days before departure. Low airfare prices tend to be available 36 to 72 days out for Christmas travel.

So, if you want to depart for your destination on Tuesday, Dec. 24 — booking domestic airfare around Oct. 27 is a good strategy to book the cheapest tickets. But you will likely still find domestic airfare prices to be low from Oct. 13 through Nov. 18.

Want to avoid spending more than necessary on holiday flights? Based on the findings discussed above, Google suggests buying plane tickets in the second half of October.

Google Flights includes useful search filters to help you compare airfare across multiple carriers. Features like the date grid and price graph allow you to find the cheapest dates to fly. If your travel dates are somewhat flexible, you can save even more on holiday airfare costs.

Don’t miss out on travel rewards

Tools like Google Flights can help you keep your travel spending in check. Another way to save on travel is by earning rewards. One easy way to do this is by using rewards credit cards. You can earn rewards (like points or airline miles) when you swipe your credit card for travel expenses like hotels, flights, and rental cars.

Ready to find out how easy it is to earn credit card rewards when you travel? Explore our curated list of the top travel credit cards with big rewards.

Another way to earn rewards when you travel is by joining loyalty programs. Most airlines and hotel brands offer these programs for free. You can earn points or miles when you make travel bookings and redeem your rewards for free travel.

These loyalty programs also offer valuable benefits that can help make travel more enjoyable. Some examples include early boarding perks, free checked bags, members-only pricing for hotel rooms, and complimentary hotel amenities for those who qualify.

Earning travel rewards can save you money on your next vacation. Do you prefer to earn cash back rewards? Check out our list of the top cash back credit cards to find the best rewards card for you.

Timing is everything

Don’t wait until the last minute to make your Christmas travel arrangements. By being strategic with timing when you buy your tickets, you can keep more money in your pocket.

Now is a good time to start researching airfare prices with Google Flights. After performing a search, you can enable the track prices feature. Once you do this, Google will send you email alerts when ticket prices drop so you can score the cheapest tickets in the coming weeks.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Natasha Gabrielle has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.