She logged into her rewards portal and realized she had enough points to cover the taxes.

Do you have any saved up?

To hunt for "hacker fares"—buying two one-way tickets on different airlines to shave off extra costs.

To see if a "mistake fare" had been flagged recently for her route. The Tactical Patience

Four days later, an email popped up: Price Drop - $540 Roundtrip. The Final Checks Before clicking "Buy," Maya did a final sweep:

Maya found a decent fare, but the "Price Tracking" toggle on Google Flights told her that prices for June trips usually dip in late February. She hit the button and waited.

She checked if the "Basic Economy" fare included a carry-on. It didn't. She added $75 for a bag to see the true cost.