If you’ve ever searched for cheap flights online, chances are you’ve used Google Flights. It’s fast, intuitive, and often the first stop for travelers looking to save money. But here’s the secret: most people only scratch the surface of what Google Flights can actually do.

By learning a few clever tricks, you can uncover hidden deals, track price drops, and book flights for much less than you’d expect. Ready to take your travel game up a notch? Here are 7 Google Flights tricks you’re not using (but should be).

1. Use the “Explore” Feature to Find Hidden Destinations

Instead of searching for just one destination, click on the Google Flights Explore map. Enter your departure airport and leave the destination blank. You’ll instantly see a world map with cheap flights highlighted across multiple locations.

This is perfect if you’re flexible and just want to know, “Where can I fly for the lowest price right now?” Whether it’s London to Lisbon for under £50 or New York to Mexico City for less than $200, the Explore tool reveals budget options you might never have considered.

2. Track Prices and Let Google Do the Work

Manually refreshing flight searches is a rookie mistake. Instead, turn on price tracking for your chosen route and let Google email you whenever the fare changes.

Travel pros swear by this because airfare fluctuates constantly, and you’ll never know the cheapest time to book without tracking. Price alerts make sure you book at the right moment—not too early, not too late.

3. Search From Nearby Airports to Unlock Savings

Here’s a trick most travelers overlook: add nearby airports to your search. Sometimes flying out of a smaller hub is dramatically cheaper.

For example:

• Flying from London Gatwick instead of Heathrow can save you £100+

• Newark flights may be cheaper than JFK for New York departures

Expanding your departure options is one of the simplest ways to uncover international bargains.

4. Use Flexible Dates for Rock-Bottom Fares

If your travel dates are fixed, you’ll pay whatever the airlines demand. But if you’re flexible, you can score serious bargains. Select “Flexible dates” and search for weekend getaways, one-week trips, or two-week trips in the coming months.

You’ll be surprised—sometimes shifting your departure by just one day can cut the fare in half.

5. Check “Date Grid” and “Price Graph” Before Booking

Hidden at the top of your search results are two goldmines: Date Grid and Price Graph.

• Date Grid shows a calendar of flight prices across different departure and return dates.

• Price Graph gives you a visual timeline of prices over weeks or months.

Both tools make it ridiculously easy to spot the cheapest flights without endless trial-and-error searches.

6. Mix & Match Airlines for the Best Combo

You don’t have to stick with just one airline for round trips. Google Flights often suggests mix-and-match flights, combining different carriers to get you the lowest fare.

Example: fly out with Ryanair and return with EasyJet, saving money compared to a traditional round-trip ticket. This is especially powerful for cheap flights within Europe and domestic U.S. routes.

7. Use Multi-City Search to Build Custom Itineraries

Instead of booking separate one-way flights, use the multi-city search option. This is perfect for travelers who want to visit multiple destinations in one trip.

For example:

• London → Rome → Paris → London

• New York → Los Angeles → Tokyo → New York

Sometimes these multi-city flights are cheaper than booking a standard round trip—and you get to see more places for less.

Bonus Tip: Combine Google Flights With Deal Clubs

While Google Flights is amazing for searching, it doesn’t always surface error fares or secret discounts. That’s where services like Secret Flight Club come in. Members get notified of flight deals you won’t see in a standard search, saving hundreds on international trips.

Final Thoughts

Google Flights is one of the most powerful tools for finding cheap flights, but most travellers never use it to its full potential. By mastering these seven tricks, explore map, price tracking, nearby airports, flexible dates, Date Grid/Price Graph, mix-and-match airlines, and multi-city search, you’ll put yourself ahead of the game.

And if you’d rather skip the research altogether? Join Secret Flight Club. We track thousands of routes every single day, searching for error fares and hidden deals so you don’t have to. All you need to do is check your inbox and book.

Start your free 7-day trial today and see how much you can save on your next adventure.