If you aren’t a Miami native, it can be intimidating to tackle getting to South Florida on a budget. So as part of our ongoing series on saving money when visiting Miami, we’re going to focus on actually getting there. Cheap flights to Miami do exist, but it’s important that you know where and when to go.
To find out, we spoke with Emily Dean of the duo Jordan and Emily Dean. She and her husband Jordan are full-time travelers with 100 countries visited and tens of thousands of subscribers who look them for travel advice. Budget travel, Emily Dean says, is their expertise — so finding a cheap flight to Miami is easy.
“We love finding a good deal,” Dean tells McClatchy Media.
South Florida Airport Alternatives to Miami International Can Save Your Budget
When planning your trip, Dean suggests expanding your search to smaller regional airports. It might cost less to fly into Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach, for example, as opposed to Miami International.
“We try to never tie ourselves to a particular airport,” she says. “Once we left booking flights to Adelaide, Australia, to the last minute, and it ended up being cheaper (and more of an adventure) to fly into Sydney, hire a $1 a day car relocation to Canberra and then fly to Adelaide from there.”
Miami is a Cheaper Destination at Certain Times of the Year
As a rule of thumb, Dean says it’s better to travel during “shoulder season.” This means just before or just after the busiest time. In Miami, for example, this would be May to June; or September to November.
“Not only will prices be slightly deflated, but the crowds will thin and the weather is generally still lovely.”
Booking a Trip to Miami In Advance is Crucial
Of course, you won’t get the cheapest possible flights to Miami by booking your trip a week ahead. Depending on where you’re flying from, the best time could be to book several months ahead.
“Ideally, one to three months for domestic flights, and three to four months for peak times like spring break or winter holidays,” she tells us.
Some Days are Cheaper to Fly Than Others
Not all travel days are created equal! Dean explains some days are less costly than others. Therefore, you may want to switch things up, in the name of saving money.
“Apparently, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are consistently the cheapest days to fly, while Fridays and Sundays are usually the most expensive,” she says. “However, we always tick the ‘flexible with dates’ options on search engines so we can check all dates around when we are trying to travel.”
Using Points: Is It Worthwhile?
Although it isn’t specific to traveling to Miami, Dean says traveling on points is key to budget travel. Using a credit card or staying loyal to a specific airline can help you accrue points, which eventually can be used as cash.
“My biggest hack is to use the site seats.aero (we just use the free version),” she says. “It quickly scans for award availability across airlines. It’s perfect for spotting days and routes that are the best value!”
Dean’s Tips for Getting the Cheap Flights to Miami (And In General!)
1. Always check for flights on a private browser
2. Use a VPN to unlock lower prices due to regional pricing differences (she sets theirs to Portugal)
3. Use Google Flights or Skyscanner to track flexible date ranges and set alerts
“Bonus is you can use the ‘to anywhere’ function to try and find cheaper airports to fly into,” she says.
