Saving money on airfare requires a multi-pronged approach. If you use the following strategies, you’re sure to score a flight for less:

• Search several sites. Airfare Watchdog, CheapOair, Expedia, FareCompare, Google Flights, Kayak, Orbitz and Travelocity are some of the most popular ones. Don’t forget to check airline websites and their social media accounts, too. Sometimes airlines will offer cheaper flights than those listed on travel sites. To find out which airlines to research, visit your airport’s website for a complete listing of airlines.
• Set an alert or use a tracker. If you’re interested in visiting a particular city, let Google Flights or Airfare Watchdog do the flight research for you. If any options register as a low-cost flight, you immediately receive an alert showing the offer. It’s important to remember that when these deals show up, they generally don’t last, so book quickly.
• Use flight comparison maps, which are also known as explore tools. If you’re looking for a cheap getaway and have flexibility when it comes to the destination, use Kayak and Google Flights. These sites allow you to select the airport you are flying from and look at a map, which shows flight costs to several destinations across the grid. Google Flights is especially helpful because it has several features that enable you to set parameters unique to your trip, increasing your chances for finding the deal you want.
• Choose flights with at least one stop. This approach can save you roughly $100 as compared to flying nonstop.

Select flights on weekdays, particularly Tuesdays and Wednesdays. These flights are typically the cheapest.