That Place in Secret Flying
One question we get asked a lot about is, "Where do you find these awesome deals on flights around the world?" A similar question thrown our way, related to the flights we book is, "What's your secret?" The answer? Secret Flying; it's a Facebook page that a waitress in Florida told us about when we mentioned to her that we plan to travel the world together as much as we possibly can.
Secret Flying is one of a few sites that we frequently check out when we're considering our next trip. My favorite thing about Secret Flying is that it keeps its deals updated so you're not excited by a deal that's actually expired.
Some other things we like about it are that:
- It lists both one-way and round-trip deals, and it explicitly states when it's a vice versa deal (when the deal is applicable for flight from point A to point B and flight from point B to point A)
- It names the months during which the deal is valid
- If you search flights directly on the website, then it's easy to see which search results are now-expired deals
- There are deals everyday!
- If you're interested in flying to Europe at all, you can take advantage of one deal and then take a Ryanair (or other cheap) flight to the final destination of your choice
- If it's possible for you to score an even better deal on flights listed on Secret Flying, then there will be detailed instructions for how to obtain those deals (i.e. Secret Flying will let you know if you'll find a better deal by searching the listed destinations + dates on Skyscanner or Google Flights)
Overall, Secret Flying offers a user-friendly experience. One fair warning to you is that not all cheap flight websites are going to be user-friendly, nor will all third-party sites offer helpful customer service. Ivy's experience with Travel Trolley sums this point up quite well. Talk about a #MrAndMsAdventure in the realm of travel plans... This is what she wrote as feedback directly to the company:
"This company, and more specifically, its customer service is anything but exceptional when it comes to taking care of people and communicating. They've called me after I've booked a trip on their site and said, "your card information was entered incorrectly."
When I asked what to do next, the customer service representative told me to try it again. I called my credit card company (Capital One) right after that call with Travel Trolley to make sure they knew I was using the card to purchase a flight. Another attempt went through successfully. But then Travel Trolley called me later and said, "Your charge wasn't authorized."
I was confused at this point; I knew I had entered all the correct information. I asked what to do next, and they told me, "You'll get an email about your cancellation, but your credit card company wouldn't let the charge go through." No matter what I explained to them, they raised their voice and told me that they were in the right and my credit card company was the one with the issue. Again, I tried to work it out with Capital One, whose representative stayed on the line with me to complete the purchase.
Then, two hours later, I get a call from Travel Trolley about the charge not going through, again! This time, the rep told me that they don't accept non-U.K. payment methods. I told them Capital One is international. Not only did they completely disregard what I said, they raised their voice (again) and said, "Capital One is not a U.K. company!"
After that, I called Capital One and told them to label Travel Trolley as a fraudulent company. What else can I do? I can't trust a company that can't handle its customer service, let alone provide it."
Alas, we found a solution through Capital One Venture, which we were advised years ago is one of the best cards to use for travel and for rewards in the form of miles. Use different methods for finding deals and rewards to indulge your wanderlust. And keep exploring those options as often as you travel the world!
