A new Google Flights feature tells you when to go ahead and book that flight, because it won't get any cheaper.
Google announced(opens in a new tab) new travel features on Monday, including a price guarantee badge for booking flights. The badge, which has launched as a pilot program in the U.S., "means we’re confident that the price you see today won’t get any lower before takeoff," said VP of Travel Products Richard Holden in the blog post. If you see the "Price Guarantee" badge on a flight, that means the cost is likely the lowest it will go, so you can confidently book the flight without worrying it will get cheaper later. When you book, Google will keep monitoring the price and pay you back the difference through Google Pay.
Google Flights harnesses Google's search engine to find the best deals. With the new Price Guarantee feature, it takes that a step further by claiming to reliably predict when the price of a flight might go up or down.
With summer around the corner, it's suddenly time to start thinking about travel plans. Price Guarantee might take some of the guesswork out of the planning, so you won't have to worry about overpaying for a flight.
Now for the fine print. The feature is only available for airlines that use "Book on Google." That means you're most likely to see deals for Alaska, Spirit, and Hawaiian airlines, a spokesperson said.
The feature is currently only available for flights departing from the U.S. The price difference must be greater than five dollars, and the maximum amount of money you can receive is 500 bucks per year for a maximum of three bookings using Price Guarantee. In order to get money back, you must download the Google Pay app. Travelers will receive updates via email and Google Pay app notifications.
If all that sounds good to you, book away with the most powerful search engine on your side.
