Travelers might not know that Google Flights has a lowest-price guarantee.
Google already offers fliers a chance to see if their trip is priced low, high or average for the time of travel, but now they’re testing a program that will guarantee you have the lowest price — and they’ll pay you back if not.
The pilot program for price guarantee is available on select itineraries when you book through Google flights.
“For some flight prices, Google’s algorithms are confident that the price you find is the lowest available before the flight departs. For those flights, we’ll monitor the price until the first flight in your itinerary departs. If the price drops, we’ll make up the difference,” Google’s website states.
Flight routes that have the colorful price guarantee badges are the ones that Google believes the price will not lower before takeoff. If it does lower, Google will send you the difference through Google Pay.
However, up until now, the offer was only available on select “Book on Google” itineraries. Google has expanded the program to select itineraries that one finds on Google Flights, but ultimately books on an airline or travel agency’s website.
To get the payout from Google, the price difference must be greater than $5, and you can receive up to $500 total “per Google account across all eligible itineraries in a given calendar year.”
You can only have up to three open price-guarantee bookings at any one time, meaning that the first flight in the itinerary hasn’t departed yet. If you’re eligible for a payout, you’ll receive it within 48 hours after the first flight in the booked itinerary takes off, Google states.
When making the price-guaranteed ticket purchase, you must be signed into your Google account to be eligible — even when booking through an airline or travel agency.
To be eligible while booking through Google, your country/region must be set to US and your currency must be in USD — price guarantee only applies to one-way and round-trip flights that depart from the US. Additionally, the customer must use a US billing address and US phone number on the Book on Google page.
Under “departing flights,” choose a flight that has the price-guarantee badge and select the badged itinerary through checkout. All flights in the itinerary must have the price-guarantee badge. Click the “Book on Google” link and check the box next to “Price Guarantee.”
If you booked with an airline or online travel agency on their website, you are now also eligible for the price guarantee with the same important notes: Your country/region must be set to US with USD, one-way and round-trip flights that depart from the US only, and you still must be signed into your Google Account.
You still have to search for the flight on Google first in order to be eligible. Here’s how to do it:
- Beneath “departing flights,” select a badged flight. Again, all flights in the itinerary must have the price-guarantee badge.
- Under “booking options,” to select a price guaranteed booking option, click “continue.”
- On the airline or travel agency website, book the exact itinerary guaranteed on Google Flights. For Price guarantee to apply, all components of the booked itinerary must match, including airline, flight number, dates, number of passengers, fare and cabin class and cancellation policy.
After you select the price guaranteed booking option, Google will watch the price every day until takeoff. If there’s a price drop, you’ll be asked for confirmation that the fight was booked.
In your email, select “Yes, I booked this flight” and follow the instructions. You’ll be prompted to enter your confirmation number and last name, as well as check the box to accept the terms of service.