Look for This Icon Before Purchasing on Google Flights
Many apps, browser extensions, and websites claim to tell you the best time to buy flights, but there’s nothing like a money-back guarantee, and Google is offering it on some flights with the relaunch of its price guarantee program . According to Thrifty Traveler , the price guarantee program first launched in 2019 but was cut short due to the pandemic. A Google representative confirmed to them that they were using the program again. “We are currently testing price guarantees for a group of users in the US as part of our broader goal of helping travelers feel confident that they have booked the best price for their trip,” the spokesperson said.
How does the Google Flights Price Guarantee work?
Google Flights is not a travel agency and they don’t sell you tickets directly – it’s just a third party service that collects ticket data to make it easier to find and buy flights. You still buy a flight from airlines, but when you “book through Google” (where you enter your personal and billing information through Google without going to the airline’s website), if you see a banner with a colorful price icon, Google will refund . difference in price if the price of the flight falls.
This service is essentially an extension of their price tracking feature, getting bolder and putting your money into what it says. When the price tracker detects a price reduction, it will refund the difference to you via Google Pay after your flight has departed. The goal, of course, is to drive more traffic as the demand for travel continues to grow.
How to use the Google Flights Price Guarantee
As the program is just relaunching, not everyone will find the logo and price guarantee banner on their flights. But there are some things you can do to make sure you see them when they’re available. First, to see the price guarantee, you need to be signed into Gmail, have a Google Pay account, and download the app. Currently, both one-way and round-trip flights are qualified. Currently only domestic flights are eligible for Google bookings. The terms and conditions require a price difference of more than $5 to receive a cash refund, and payments are capped at $500 per calendar year. If you need more information about the program, you can read the Price Guaranteed Program FAQ .