I Tried AI to Save Money on Flights. It Was a Bumpy Ride
I’m one of those people who finds finding flights fun. But things quickly get worse when I feel like I’m playing a cat-and-mouse game with Google’s algorithm.
Turn on the VPN. Use a private window. switch between mine MacBook and iPhone. My strategy was to “cheat” the algorithm so that it wouldn’t increase the cost of the flight before I booked it, but it often fell short.
Google Flights is my favorite booking platform, so I was wondering if Google’s artificial intelligence, Geminican help me Save money on future flights. Could this be the most underrated travel hack of 2025? I sure hope so given the current flight prices.
Gemini was released in March 2023 (then known simply as Bard) and is one of the major games AI models on the market. It’s free if you have a Google or Workspace account and administrator access to Gemini. There is also a paid version for $20 per month, with a two-month free trial.
See also: Traveler’s Preparation Checklist: Tips for Easy Flying and Road Trips
For me, an Australian living in the US, the cost of flying back to the US is thousands of dollars. Any savings the AI ​​can find will have a huge impact on my bank account.
set up
With the dedicated Google Flights extension, I thought Gemini would be able to guide me to the best deals. I followed the prompts and enabled the extension, but I couldn’t get it to work – even after fumbling around in my Google Admin console all afternoon.
CNET editors were able to use this tool as expected (see screenshot below), so it’s worth testing to see if it works for you.
Annoyed by the lack of ease, I did a quick search for AI tools that could save me money on flights, and in my “travel” I discovered Karma, an AI coupon code extension that I could easily install.
I saw Expedia on its list of affiliated brands, so I used that travel platform to search for flights. I chose a date four months from now for a hypothetical trip home to Australia. The cheapest return ticket is $1,443. Not bad, but Karma sent me a coupon. I clicked “Apply Coupon.”
See also: Worried about expensive vacation flights? 5 simple tips to save money on flights
I copied the code and continued in Expedia, assuming it would automatically apply on the checkout page, but there was no area to apply the code. It turns out that Karma coupons don’t apply to all Expedia purchases; maybe I can find a way to use it somehow, but it doesn’t apply to this flight option.
But for me, this is the second strike.
Back to Gemini, but this time for some advice.
I asked Gemini how AI could help me save money on flights. The answers were predictable, but two words piqued my interest: “secret fare.”
I checked the age of the two links cited by Gemini and they were from 2018, so I responded to Gemini asking which platforms had “secret fares”.
While skipping a bag sounds like an adventure in itself, I’m too old to fly without a checked bag or risk being blacklisted by the airline. When there’s only one (practical) way into my country (by plane), the potential reward isn’t worth the risk.
Interestingly, Hopper is not mentioned in Gemini’s list, despite being the source of the original “Secret Fare” information. This question came up in my own research, so I decided to give it a try.
Hopper’s price prediction feature is only available in the app. I downloaded it.
See also: Using AI for trip planning: I tested it in a city I know well
After I booked my spot on Hopper, I did a quick search on Google Flights and found a great option for $1,256. Hopper’s cheapest option was $1,272 (same flight), but it said I could save up to $199 by waiting. I turned on price watch notifications.
and waited. I checked back a day later and it had not changed, then the next day it went up. A few days later I opened the app and it went up again instead of down.
If you have more time, it may take a few weeks for Hopper to settle on a lower price. As always, there are no guarantees.
Strike number three.
double check
If you’re using a flight booking platform like Google Flights, Skyskanner or Expedia, these sites do have AI capabilities built into them. That might be enough and you can use the AI ​​chatbots on these sites to get travel advice.
To confirm, I checked Chat GPT. It gave me the tools I had already tried.
What I discovered through ChatGPT was the new Google Flights refund feature for trips originating from the United States. If the price of a reservation (with the Price Guarantee badge) drops, you can get a refund through the Google Pay app.
Very cool.
This feature alone is enough to keep me sticking with Google Flights, along with getting suggestions from the AI ​​chatbot. You can also use AI to plan strategies for using credit card points to save money on flights. However, artificial intelligence has been found to pull out outdated card bonus and rewards information, so it’s important to review it before applying for a new credit card.
Judgment
After many attempts to use artificial intelligence to save money on flights, I unpacked. While I wish Gemini’s Google Flights extension was as smooth as Google Flights itself, I can’t get it to work even with the features enabled in my Google account.
Gemini also admits it’s not always correct, so be sure to check the airline website for flight details. Given that there are often thousands of tickets available, you don’t want to risk anything going wrong.
In short, using artificial intelligence to find flight deals still has a long way to go. I did find some interesting things with the AI, though, like the refund feature.
AI is a great thought partner, but not yet a booking partner.
