Thrifty Traveler Review 2023: Is Premium Worth It?

Did you know you could save $200-$300 on every flight booking through Thrifty Traveler? Check out my Thrifty Traveler review for details. 

I love the idea of traveling to a new country every year. Who wouldn’t love witnessing the splendid wonders the world has to offer? 

Nonetheless, my tight budget doesn’t always allow me to travel to my heart’s content. If you’re stuck in the same situation, you probably look to earn travel points and sky miles to get discounts on your traveling expenses. 

Honestly, the process is tedious and barely pays off in the long run. What if I told you I came across a site that simultaneously rounds up the cheapest flights for you while rewarding points and free miles? Read through my Thrifty Traveler review to find out. 

Thrifty Traveler Review

Whether you’re a backpacker wondering how to book cheap flights, or a family tourist looking for long-term travel hacks, Thrifty Traveler is the platform for you.

The website has exciting resources, including its daily newsletter and domestic flight deals for free.  However, if you subscribe to the premium version, you’ll get the cheapest deals on international flights right into your inbox. 

Believe it or not, within weeks of purchasing the premium, Thrifty Traveler gave me an email update for a $125 roundtrip flight to Europe and a $180 domestic flight from San Francisco to Hawaii. 

Thrifty Traveler differs from sites like Kayak and Expedia because it provides many other facilities besides booking cheap flights. I bet that by now, you’re excited to find out everything it has to offer.

What is Thrifty Traveler? 

Thrifty Traveler is an all-encompassing travel hacking site founded by Jared Kamrowski, a travel enthusiast. Mainly, this guy knows all the knacks about saving money while traveling.

Don’t take my word for it; you can check him out on Instagram to see that he travels to a new destination almost every month. That’s why he created Thrifty Traveler, where he shares his travel insights, exciting updates, flight deals, and ways to manage travel credits and points. 

The most important aspect of this website is its flight-scanning software. The platform has a productive team working 24/7 behind the scenes to pick up every reasonable flight offer online. 

While I spotted some great deals like flights to Mexico for only $150, and flights to Portugal starting from $350, their premium version gets you the fastest updates in your inbox. 

So, is Thrifty Traveler worth it? And should you buy their premium version or stick with the free offerings for now? Let’s get into further details so you can decide for yourself. 

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How Thrifty Traveler Works

For those asking, is Thrifty Traveler legit? I have to say; it’s as legit as flight scanning sites get. Only, it gives you a lot more in terms of resources and benefits, some of which you can access even without signing up for their premium version. 

First, scanning the internet manually for a flight to your destination to save a few dollars is exhausting. With the many flight booking sites available nowadays, it is easy to miss out on a good deal, even if you keep checking whenever you get time. Thrifty Traveler works by making this aspect of traveling easier for you. Apart from posting deals on their website, they bring them to your doorstep. 

The best part of Thrifty Traveler Premium is that all flights are bookable through Google Flights. This gets you the best prices without any hassle and lets you avail yourself of time-sensitive deals as quickly as possible. 

Besides, once you start using the site, it tracks your search habits to suggest relevant offers. For example, if you’re looking to travel to the Maldives, the site will drop the best flight deal into your inbox whenever it comes by. 

Are you still confused? Does the site sound shady to you? Don’t worry; I’ve evaluated all its aspects and features in this Thrifty Traveler review, so you can easily decide. 

See Related: Snaptravel Review: Is it Legit?

How to Sign Up for Thrifty Traveler

What I particularly loved about Thrifty Traveler was the sign-up process. Their website is catchy and intuitive, so all you have to do is go with the flow from their landing page, and you’ll learn the ropes in no time. 

After visiting their website, you can go through the free offers or select the ‘join premium’ option to subscribe to their paid subscription. 

If you select the Premium option, you can choose between two comprehensive paid plans. You can get the monthly plan for around $6, while the annual plan is priced at $45. 

After you select one according to your needs, the site will ask you for some necessary details. Just fill them out, complete the payment, and wait for the cheapest flight deals. 

If you’re thinking you might end up spending more money on finding cheap flights than actually traveling, you’re entirely wrong. 0 Thrifty Traveler gives you about 2-3 great deals daily. Even if you avail of only one or two every year, you’ll save around $300-$500 on each flight. That will quickly pay off your initial subscription fee tenfold. 

Still, if you’re unsatisfied with everything Thrifty Traveler gives you, you can get your money back within 30 days! Amazing, right? 

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Pros of Thrifty Traveler

Before I get to further details in my Thrifty Traveler review, here’s a brief overview of the benefits you’ll get from the site to get a clear perception of the platform at a glance. 

Amazing Flight Deals 

Thrifty Traveler rounds up the cheapest flights from across the internet and shows them only to their premium subscribers.

Their software also picks up mistake prices posted by airlines and flight booking sites, so if you act quickly, you can book flights at unbelievably low prices. 

Free Flight Updates

Besides its premium subscription, the platform posts amazing flight offers daily on its website. Most of these options are domestic flights. 

However, you can also get some cheap international flights if you check regularly. Usually, the posts are displayed later in the day, so that’s when you should head towards the site to check out new deals before they are taken. But, exclusive discounts are reserved for premium members only. 

Region-based Offers

A cheap flight offer from San Francisco won’t do any good to someone living in Chicago. While most scam sites fool you by displaying such deals, Thrifty Traveler provides region-based recommendations only. You’ll only get the flights from your home airport, wherever you live in the US. 

Money-back Guarantee 

You can get your money back if you aren’t satisfied with the service within 30 days. 

Environmentally-Aware Brand

Thrifty Traveler plants a tree for every premium subscriber on its platform. 

One-Stop-Shop for Travelers

From managing travel miles and points to getting timely news updates and booking cheap flights, Thrifty Traveler is a one-stop shop for travelers. 

Catchy User Interface

I found the website incredibly engaging, intuitive, and clutter-free, contributing significantly to my overall experience on the platform. 

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Cons of Thrifty Traveler

There are many benefits of Thrifty Traveler, but remember, every coin has two sides. Here are some drawbacks of the platform that might influence your decision to buy a premium subscription. 

Limited Free Deals

Thrifty Traveler only provides limited services if you’re not a premium subscriber. The free flight deals are pretty generic, and you’ll rarely find a booking that fits your needs. 

Expensive Monthly Subscription

While their annual subscription is quite affordable, I found their monthly subscription particularly expensive.  So, if you purchase the monthly subscription when you’re planning a vacation, it’ll cost you more and will be less likely to pay off than their yearly subscription. 

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Key Features 

Now that you’ve gone through the details at a glance, you’re probably craving details on all the aspects to make a final decision. I’ve reviewed all the key features of Thrifty Traveler in this section to make things easier for you. 

Instant Email Alerts

There are many flight booking sites out there offering email updates, so why should you pay for this one? I had the same question before realizing that Thrifty Traveler immediately brings these offers to you. 

Usually, flight booking sites advertise their deals first on their websites before sending out emails to their listed members. However, since Thrifty Traveler charges you for prompt service, you’ll be the first to know about cheap flights and deals through email. 

Furthermore, the platform doesn’t only inform you about the flights and leaves you to book the flights yourself. You’ll get a booking link attached to every email alert so you can avail of the discount before anyone else. 

Moreover, Thrifty Traveler does not show you last-minute deals, unlike most flight booking sites. This way, even if you’re not planning a vacation anytime soon, you can book your flights up to 9-12 months prior and travel at low prices. 

Similarly, for those who’re wondering if paying a premium for flight deals is worth it, the platform claims to help you save up to 90% on every flight. That’ll easily cover your subscription costs for years to come. 

Most importantly, their email updates are persistent. You can expect 2-3 emails daily during vacation season and more than 40 emails monthly, each alerting you of valuable discounts. 

See Related: GetYourGuide Review: Is it Legit?

Daily Flight Updates

If you’re not planning to subscribe to the paid version, there are lots of daily cheap flight bookings available on their website as well. 

They post these updates on their website’s ‘Flight Deals’ page. Mind you, these deals aren’t organized according to location, so you’ll likely come across many irrelevant deals. Besides that, following the daily flight posts won’t help if you’re planning an international vacation.

They mostly post domestic flight deals, so you’ll only find cheap flights to your target destination, leaving from your home airport if you’re fortunate. 

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Region Specific Alerts

While most booking sites only offer deals on flights leaving and landing at major airports, that’s not true with Thrifty Traveler. Even if you live near a small airport, the platform will always alert you about flights leaving from your home airport. They cover almost every city in the US and Canada, so you won’t have to go through any irrelevant suggestions. 

Environmental Contribution

A brand promoting affordable flights must have minimum regard for the environment. I thought the same way until I came across Thrifty Traveler’s policy to help maintain environmental sustainability. For every premium member who joins Thrifty Traveler, the platform plants a tree to give back to our planet. 

Credit Card Deals, Points, and Miles

How many times have you earned travel points or airline miles but failed to redeem them in any way? Well, Thrifty Traveler provides substantial guidance and consultation regarding travel points and air miles so that you can put your rewards to optimum use. 

The site has separate sections for resources on credit card deals, travel points, and miles. If you’re a frequent traveler, you can benefit from their reward consultation on these pages and plan for future vacations. 

Thrifty Traveler Newsletter and Community

Similarly, you can access the Thrifty Traveler newsletter, ‘Daily Beat,’ for free. The newsletter keeps you in the loop for all the recent updates in the travel sector. Besides that, their destination guides help you get crucial information about the countries and cities you plan to visit.

You can access their exclusive travel enthusiast community if you become a premium member.

Thrifty Traveler has a Facebook group where all the premium members can interact with each other and share their experiences regarding the website and traveling in general. 

Overall Rating

Towards the end of my Thrifty Traveler review, here’s an overall website rating according to my experience in the following areas. 

• Ease-of-Use – 4/5
• Features – 3/5
• Customer Service – 4/5
• Value for Money – 5/5

Final Verdict

That concludes my Thrifty Traveler review, so ensure you sign up for at least the free trial. The website has everything you need in a travel hacking platform, including cheap flights, rewards consultation, email updates, and whatnot. 

The best part is it can actually help you achieve your traveling dreams even if you’re on a tight budget. But, while the site looks quite legit and profitable, it might not fit your idea of a travel hacking website. 

So, before you purchase the premium, use the information from this Thrifty Traveler review to see whether you can make the most out of its paid offerings. After all, nobody wants to pay for something they won’t use in the long run.

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