Many apps, browser extensions, and sites claim to tell you the best time to buy flights, but nothing is as good as a money-back guarantee, and Google is offering it on some flights with the relaunch of their price guarantee program. The price guarantee program first launched in 2019 but was cut short because of the pandemic, according to Thrifty Traveler. A Google spokesperson confirmed to them that they’re using the program again. “We’re currently testing price guarantees for a subset of users in the U.S., as part of our broader goal to help travelers feel confident they’ve booked the best price for their trip,” the spokesperson said.
How does Google Flights’ price guarantee work?
Google Flights isn’t a travel agency, nor are they directly selling you the flight—they’re just a third-party service curating ticket data to make finding and buying flights easier. You still buy the flight from the airlines, but when you “book on Google” (where you put your personal and payment information through Google without going to the airline’s website), if you see the banner with the colorful price badge, Google will refund you the difference in price if the flight’s price drops.
The service is basically an extension of their price tracking feature getting more bold and putting their money where their mouth is. When the price tracking program detects a price drop, it’ll refund you the difference via Google Pay after the flight takes off. The goal, of course, is to attract more traffic as demand for travel continues to increase.
How to use Google Flights’ price guarantee
Since the program is just relaunching, not everyone will find the price guarantee logo and 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’ll need to be signed into Gmail and have a Google Pay account and the app downloaded. Currently, both one-way and roundtrip flights qualify. Only domestic flights currently qualify for “Book on Google.” According to the terms and conditions, the price difference must be more than $5 to get the cash back, and the payments are capped at $500 per calendar year. If you want more information about the program, you can read the price guarantee program’s FAQ.