Travel Super Savers Reveal How They Flew on a Private Jet for Free
The newlyweds got an invoice for $1,400 with a zero balance.
— -- Flying on private jets is usually reserved for CEOs and celebrities, but travel bloggers and newlyweds Gilbert Ott and Laura Burns were able to fly from Boston to Washington, D.C., on a private jet for free.
Ott said they got an invoice for about $1,400 with a zero balance.
"My favorite thing are the deal sites," Ott told “Good Morning America”’s T.J. Holmes. "Every day there are some sites that are dedicated to just spitting out the best flight deals // airfarewatchdog.com, theflightdeal.com and of course our site, godsavethepoints.com"
Burns and Ott, who are behind the blog godsavethepoints.com, funded the trip through the travel app JetSmarter, paying only with promo points.
They shared many tips on “GMA” for how others can save like them. They use the apps Smart Wallet, Kayak and LoungeBuddy to find deals.
And Ott said don't forget to rack up those flyer miles.
"You can earn miles for tweeting, liking something on Facebook, renting a car..." Ott said. "Some airlines...they want Twitter followers or they want a little bit of social presence, they'll give you 500 to 1,000 miles...it's crazy but it's true."
Burns and Ott intend to take an overseas trip this summer and plan to use only miles. The couple suggested other sites and apps to help people save time and money when they travel.
SUPER SAVERS’ TIPS
Ott recommended the apps Hipmunk, AwardWallet, SeatGuru, FairFly and JetSmarter. He said Hipmunk was useful for searching, while AwardWallet organizes loyalty points, and Seat Guru finds the best seat in every cabin, without necessarily having to upgrade or pay extra.
Ott uses Ita Matrix and Google Flights to search for flights. The search tools allow users to customize searches, including by currency and length of stay.
ExpertFlyer.com allows people to search for seats using miles. The site will alert searcher when space opens up.
Tripit.com combines multiple travel itineraries in one place, presenting it in a single dashboard.
HotelsTonight.com is useful for scoring last-minute hotel (same day or next day) hotel deals.
Ott also recommended the following websites:
SecretFlying.com
TheFlightDeal.com
Airfarewatchdog.com