Price alert tools are one of the most underused tools in a traveller's arsenal. Set them up correctly and you can book flights at the right moment without obsessively refreshing search engines every day.
Here's how to use them properly.
How Price Alerts Work
When you create a price alert for a route, the platform monitors fares continuously and notifies you — by email or push notification — when the price changes significantly. You define the route (and sometimes a price threshold), and the tool does the watching.
Most alerts are based on percentage changes or absolute drops rather than your specific target price. Some platforms let you set a "notify me if the price drops below £X" threshold; others just alert you to significant moves.
Google Flights
Google Flights has the cleanest and most reliable alert system available for free.
How to set it up:
- Go to google.com/flights
- Search your route and dates (or use the explore view for flexible dates)
- Toggle the "Track prices" switch near the top of the results
- Sign in with your Google account
You'll receive email alerts when prices change. The alerts include a graph of recent price history for that route, which helps you judge whether a fare is genuinely good or just slightly lower than a recent high.
What it does well: Price history chart, flexible date views, direct booking links.
Limitation: Alerts aren't instant. There can be a lag before a short-lived error fare or flash sale triggers an alert.
Skyscanner
Skyscanner's alert system works across a wider range of airlines and booking sources, including some regional carriers that Google Flights misses.
How to set it up:
- Search your route on skyscanner.net
- Select your preferred dates
- Click "Set a Price Alert" at the top of the results page
- Enter your email address
Skyscanner also supports "whole month" and "cheapest month" views, which are useful for flexible travellers. You can set alerts for these too, not just specific dates.
Hopper
Hopper is a mobile app that specialises in predictions. It analyses historical data to tell you whether to book now or wait, and sends alerts when it detects that fares are likely to rise.
It's particularly popular in the US and works well for transatlantic routes. The predictive element is useful if you're genuinely undecided about when to book.
IFTTT and Advanced Automation
For technically minded travellers, IFTTT (If This Then That) can connect price data sources to custom notifications via SMS, Slack, or other channels. This is overkill for most people but useful if you're monitoring many routes simultaneously.
Tips for Using Price Alerts Effectively
Set a budget ceiling before you start. Decide what you're willing to pay before you see the alert. This removes the temptation to keep waiting for a better price and makes the decision straightforward: the fare hits your number, you book.
Track multiple date combinations. If you have flexibility, set alerts for ±3 days around your preferred dates. A fare that's £150 on your ideal date might be £90 two days earlier.
Don't set too many alerts. Alert fatigue is real. If you're tracking 20 routes, you'll start ignoring the notifications. Focus on two or three genuine priorities.
Combine alerts with editorial sources. Price alert tools catch incremental changes. Flash sales and promotional fares are often only available for 24–48 hours — not long enough for automated alerts to reliably catch them. Following a flight deal publication like AirHuntr fills this gap.
When Alerts Won't Help
Price alerts are built for predictable, scheduled routes. They're less effective for:
- Error fares (too short-lived)
- Flash sales on regional carriers not covered by the platform
- Routes with only one or two airline options (little competition, smaller fluctuations)
For these, manual monitoring or curated deal alerts are more reliable.
AirHuntr publishes airline deals in real time — no price alert required. Bookmark us for flash sales and promotions you'd otherwise miss.
