Getting through an airport can often be a bit stressful but it can also be a time when travelers find themselves spending lots of money that they did not anticipate.
With a little bit of preparation you can avoid a lot of these money pitfalls and end up saving yourself a decent amount of cash.
Below, I’ll cover several different ways that you can look out for yourself and your wallet the next time that you head to the airport.
Table of Contents
Food and beverages
Food and beverages can add up very quickly when purchasing these at the airport. So consider these tips to avoid running up that high airport tab before takeoff.
Re-fill water bottles
Water bottles at news stations in airports can be ridiculously expensive.
A lot of airports will have water bottle filling stations located near the bathrooms and water fountains. So you can bring an empty water bottle through TSA security and simply fill it up once you get through allowing you to avoid purchasing an expensive bottle of water for your flight (and contributing to more waste).
Many of these refill stations use filters that remove common contaminants such as chlorine and lead, so the quality of your water should be solid.
Still, if you don’t trust these filters or you simply don’t like the taste consider bringing a reusable water bottle that comes with a filter as those can enhance the taste of your water.
Bring your own food
A lot of passengers don’t realize that you can bring lots of different types of food through TSA without problems. It’s usually only liquids that you have to worry about.
So it’s perfectly acceptable to bring your own sandwiches, wraps, chips, candy, etc.
Just try to think about potentially the smell of your food if you’re going to be traveling with something potent because you don’t want to be stinking up the entire cabin!
Bring your own alcohol?
Bringing your own alcohol to drink at the airport or on the plane is doable but not recommended.
On the plane, you’re not allowed to serve yourself alcohol although technically you could request a flight attendant to serve you your own alcohol (most airlines will NOT do this).
Each airport probably has its own rules or laws about consuming alcohol on the premises so you might run the risk violating those if you choose to drink your own alcohol in the airport terminal.
Proceed with caution.
Take full advantage of airport lounges
Having lounge access is a great way to save money over the long term, especially for people who take several visits to the airport every year.
I’ve personally gotten a lot of value out of having Priority Pass and Centurion Lounge access.
Many of these lounges will have hot food items along with plenty of snacks to get you by. And if pre-flight drinking is your thing, you can get a lot of value out of these lounges.
Over the past few years the legacy airlines have started to really upgrade their lounges and sometimes you might be blown away like we recently were at the Delta Sky Club at LAX.
Some lounges don’t want you to take food with you but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a lounge come down on someone for taking a couple of bags of chips or other light snacks with them when they leave. If you are discreet, you should not have a problem. And some lounges might even have grab and go items.
Lounge memberships can also get you access to airport restaurants where you don’t have to sneak away any food and where you can often avoid crowds.
We have Priority Pass via the Chase Sapphire Reserve which means that we can get credits for Priority Pass restaurants in select airports.
It’s not uncommon for the both of us to have about $50 to spend at airport restaurants which is often much more than enough.
So if you frequent airports several times a year, really look into a lounge membership because it’s a great way to save on dining and drinking. This is particularly true if the lounge membership comes with a credit card and you know how to optimize all the perks on your credit card!
Figure out your luggage situation
Failing to optimize your packing and being aware of baggage policies can end up costing you in more ways than one. Let’s go over a few different ways that you can save.
Credit cards
Airline credit cards are one of the best ways to save money at the airport.
Most airline credit cards will provide you with at least one free bag and will allow you to get a free bag for one or more companions. Those savings can add up quickly. For example, one round-trip for one person could save you ~$60.
Always check to see how many companions your credit card perk will offer. And also make sure that it covers both domestic AND international flights if you are heading overseas.
Upgrade to first class
You might be wondering why I’d be recommending you to upgrade to first class when the whole point of this article is how to save money at the airport.
But the reality is that on short flights, first class tickets are often not that much more expensive and they come with better baggage allowances. You can often check a couple of bags for free and you get higher weight limits usually.
In some cases, if you were checking multiple bags you could be better off flying first class than economy. This was the case on a recent flight between Hawaiian islands that we took and it’s something I’m always looking for on short lights!
Even if the price is a little higher, effectively paying only a few bucks for first class treatment is worth it to many people.
Weight
If your bags are overweight you will have to pay an overweight fee and those can start to add up pretty quickly.
The most common way to deal with this is to reshuffle your belongings at baggage claim. Many airports are now setting up repacking areas so you can often do this stress-free especially if you utilize one of the scales at the airport.
But a better strategy might be to re-think the amount of clothing you need on a trip.
Anytime I am doing a trip longer than a few days, I always try to plan out hotel stays so that I can do my own laundry at the hotel. This allows me to pack a lot lighter which means fewer baggage fees or in many cases no checked bags.
That’s not only a money saver but a time saver and a worry saver because you don’t have to spend time worrying about your checked bag getting lost.
Some people resort to wearing their luggage by adding on extra layers of clothes. This can be helpful if you have thick outerwear but I’ve found that committing to doing laundry is enough to lessen the packing load dramatically.
Purchase your luggage ahead of time
Some airlines like ultra-low cost carriers will charge you extra if you purchase your luggage at the airport.
So always look into these policies and be prepared to pull the trigger on your luggage before you arrive at the airport or even at the time of purchasing your ticket if you are certain about your luggage needs.
Figure out your entertainment options
Many of the US airlines offer free streaming in-flight so that you can watch movies and TV shows without having to swipe your card.
Sometimes the connection is not the best though so I like to always come prepared with my own entertainment on my device.
It’s also helpful to create a checklist for your travels that includes things like headphones, downloaded movies, etc. It’s super tempting to purchase a pair of expensive airport headphones when you’ve left your headphones at home.
TSA Pre-Check
Pre-Check is going to allow you to breeze through security in most cases, which can save you money in a couple of ways.
First, it means that you don’t have to arrive at the airport as early. If you also have CLEAR, you can often shave off a good 15 to 20 minutes on your arrival time. Less time at the airport means fewer temptations to spend money.
Another way that it saves you money is that TSA agents tend to be less strict with questionable items when going through airport security.
If you have an item that is in sort of a gray area an agent may be more likely to let it pass through which means you don’t have to pay to replace it.
Parking and transportation
Parking is probably one of the best biggest expenses that you face whenever you arrive at the airport and there are several different ways you can go about reducing this expense.
Avoid parking if you can
The first thing is to not assume that you need to park at the airport.
Public transportation is often the cheapest method of getting to and from the airport although in many locations it’s not practical, especially if you have a lot of luggage.
Don’t forget that even if you are departing from your home airport, you don’t have to drive and you can always take a ride share service to the airport.
Don’t pre-pay for your rental car gas
Anytime you rent a car, you are probably better off not purchasing prepaid gas. That’s because if you do so, you will be charged a full tank of gas regardless of how you return the vehicle!
So let’s say you return the vehicle to the airport with half a tank left, the rental car company will probably charge you for a full tank and not just for the remaining half. So this is definitely a solid way to save money when arriving at the airport!
Utilize the cell phone parking lot if picking someone up
If you’re arriving at the airport to pick somebody up don’t feel the need to use the hourly parking unless you need to go inside to greet them.
Instead, you can simply park in the cell phone parking lot which is usually a free lot where you can linger for several hours without any problem or any parking officer blowing a whistle at you.
Use economy parking if you have the patience and time
If you don’t want to park at the main parking garage at the airport, you can look for the economy parking lot which is usually much cheaper than the garage. You could easily cut your parking expenses in half or more.
You likely will have to take a shuttle or some type of tram to get to the airport terminals so it is not as convenient. So this can be a dangerous option for those who cut things close.
You can also look to Groupon for savings on both parking and transportation.
Consider airport hotel parking
Some airport hotels offer long-term parking for the duration of your trip and sometimes this can be pretty cheap.
Some people park at airport hotels for free but this runs the risk of the hotel finding out and potentially getting a car towed. A safer approach is to simply inquire with the hotel and ask about parking rates.
I’ve seen some pretty cheap rates but also rates that don’t offer as much savings so don’t always assume the hotel airport is significantly cheaper.
Take the hotel shuttles
Any decent airport hotel is going to offer you a shuttle to and from the airport for free.
At many airport hotels the service will be off for 24 hours a day although sometimes you might have to call it in during after hours.
If the driver helps with your bags, you should tip them a few bucks so that is essentially your cost.
A lot of hotels that are not near the airport in major cities may also have shuttle buses you can use although you’ll have to pay a fee. These can be pricey but also much cheaper than taking a taxi or rideshare.
Don’t fall for the scams
In many countries, like those in Europe, governments don’t do a good job of keeping scammers away from airports and train stations.
Make sure you don’t fall for scams where locals will offer to transport you from the airport for an absurd rate usually 2 to 3 times higher than a standard taxi. The easiest way to avoid this is to look up how much transportation should cost before you arrive.
Scammers will quickly scatter as soon as you start asking them about their price and why it is so much more expensive than the standard rate.
Uber to a hotel
Some airports are known to slap on additional fees whenever you take taxis or rideshare services to the airport.
If you’re not in a rush it can be cheaper to Uber to a nearby hotel and then take their free shuttle bus to the airport.
Check-in
Make sure that you don’t delay checking in for your flight because one of the disadvantages of not checking in is that you might get bumped from your flight.
That should result in some type of compensation but it also could result in you having to make last-minute travel bookings and possibly paying out of pocket for things. Reimbursement doesn’t always go as planned. So my advice is to always check in at your soonest opportunity unless you have a reason not to.
Don’t arrive so early
A lot of the spending that takes place in airports is self-inflicted because it’s caused by spending too much time at the airport.
As mentioned earlier, the less amount of time you spend hanging out at the airport, the fewer temptations you will have for food, drinks, shopping, etc.
So try not to give into the urge of arriving several hours before your flight unless you need to. If you’re not sure what time to arrive at the airport, check out this article.
Take the offer to give up your ticket
Sometimes you can make an unexpected profit when at the airport.
On a recent flight from Juneau, Alaska, the flight was oversold and they were offering $600 for anyone volunteering to take a much later flight.
If you want to take advantage of these offers then try to make your decision as quickly as possible because I’ve seen these offers go in what seems like a matter of seconds!
Exchange your money
Foreign exchange kiosks at airports can be extremely convenient because you can exchange your US dollars for foreign currency right on the spot and before you enter the city, take a cab, etc.
But it’s not the most efficient way to exchange currency. Instead, try to pull out currency for your location from your bank before you head out for your trip.
Final word
It’s really easy to find yourself spending more money at the airport than you anticipated. If you focus on these areas mentioned above you can probably reduce your expenses by a good margin.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
