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You booked the flight. You got a price you were happy with. And then-be honest-a part of you, down the line, wonders if maybe prices have dropped since you booked, maybe you should've waited.

Spoiler: The vast majority of travelers worry their fare will drop right after they hit "book." Fares don't stop moving just because you paid. Dynamic pricing keeps going even after you check out.

This is why we built Price Drop, now live for Premium and Elite members. We asked one of our flight experts, Ren Newman, to break down why prices behave this way, and what Price Drop does about it once you've already booked. Here's what she had to say.

Why do flight prices change so much after you book?

Most airlines price fares dynamically, which means they can change multiple times a day based on demand, availability, holidays, competitor pricing, and plenty of other factors travelers can't see. Airlines don't explain why each change happens, so it can feel like they have all the information while travelers are left guessing. And once you've already booked, keeping up with every change becomes a job of its own.

It's incredibly normal. Our research found that 89% of travelers worry their flight's price will drop after they book, and more than half say it's "usually" or "always" on their mind. 

Airfare creates this frustrating catch-22: If you wait, you worry the price will spike. If you book, you wonder whether it'll be cheaper tomorrow. That second-guessing doesn't mean you booked poorly. It's a nearly universal response when prices change by the hour.

It happens more often than you might think. Go back to stats class with me for a second (I know, I know). When airfare changes frequently and you book a trip months in advance, that creates a lot of opportunities for the price to dip before you take off.

Sometimes it's small, like the price of a dinner out, but other times it can be a serious chunk of change, enough to cover an extra night at a hotel or a car rental. 

On average, when a drop hits, travelers save around $150 per flight. On a family booking especially, the savings compound quickly and can cover things like experiences you might've otherwise skipped.

Our goal is to help travelers see the world, and that includes watching fares after they book. You can research endlessly, but you still can't know what airfare will do tomorrow, and many travelers don't realize they may still be able to save after booking.

Going Trips and our human-curated deals help you find a good price upfront; Price Drop takes over once you book. It's included with a Premium or Elite membership-no extra cost, and we never take a cut of what you save. If your fare drops enough to matter, we'll alert you and show you how to rebook for less. Your flight, seats, and times stay exactly the same. Only the price changes.

Note: Price Drop only supports roundtrip cash itineraries at this time. That said, our team is busy improving the feature to support other trip types.

That's still valuable information. It means you haven't missed a better price since you booked, so you can feel confident about what you paid. Either you get an opportunity to save, or you get reassurance. Because we monitor your fare until you fly, members don't have to keep checking to get that peace of mind.

Often, yes. Depending on the airline and ticket rules, you may be able to rebook and receive the difference as a refund or travel credit. But first, you have to catch the drop while it's available, and frankly most people don't have the time or energy to keep checking a flight they've already booked. It's not a lack of effort or knowledge. It's just that nobody wants to babysit airfare. Life is lived offline, not refreshing a flight search.

It's for anyone who's ever booked a flight and thought, "Wait...did I actually get a good price?" Most people aren't flight geeks like us-who has the time?-and they shouldn't have to be. 

That's who Price Drop is built for: members who just want to know someone is still watching and advocating for them, so they can feel good about booking and get back to planning the neat experiences on the ground.

I wish more travelers knew that hitting "book" doesn't necessarily mean the price you paid is the price you're stuck with. Airfare keeps moving after purchase, and depending on your ticket and airline, a lower fare could mean an opportunity to rebook and receive the difference as a refund or travel credit. If it's the former, then you have more funds to go toward a dinner out, a cooking class, or a curated guide through a new city. If it's the latter, you still have funds toward your next flight.

A drop isn't proof that you booked at the wrong time-it's simply how dynamic pricing works. The real challenge is catching that lower fare while it's available because the airline isn't going to tell you that you could be paying less.

Learn more about Going Price Drop.

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