In a Nutshell: Finding affordable flights to exotic locales can feel like a fool’s errand. Dollar Flight Club helps its members access flight deals that can save them up to $2K on a single round-trip fare. The company provides three tiers of membership to suit the needs of travelers. Dollar Flight Club’s newsletters inform its members of ways to get the most out of their travels.
There are all sorts of reasons people travel the world. Some seek to explore new cities and cultures to experience things they haven’t before. Others travel to access exhilarating adventures, such as hiking to Machu Picchu or snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef.
Some travelers just want to get a break from the daily grind. Traveling can recharge our batteries, refreshing us before we return to our routines. Unfortunately, the expenses associated with airfare and accommodations can prevent people from traveling as much as they’d like.
Dollar Flight Club is a company that helps travelers access flight deals that are more affordable than standard airfares. Jesse Neugarten is the CEO and Founder of Dollar Flight Club.
Neugarten, an experienced traveler, noticed his friends increasingly asking for assistance in securing cheap flights. When he realized that the broader public could also benefit from his deal-finding services, he founded Dollar Flight Club.
Since its founding, Dollar Flight Club’s staff has grown. Its employees all share Neugarten’s passion for travel.
“One misconception about travel is that it has to be expensive,” said Kasandra Hadzima, the Director of Dollar Flight Club. “It all just depends on the style of travel you’re interested in. Dollar Flight Club’s goal is to help its members travel cheaply and smartly.
Dollar Flight Club searches for the best flight deals available and regularly sends out information concerning these deals to its members.
“A lot of securing great flight deals is about being flexible,” Hadzima explained. “Deals can arise at the last minute or only be available to book at certain times. Being on the lookout for affordable flight and travel options can get you insane deals — like round trip flights to Europe in the $200s.”
Hadzima said she knows flexibility isn’t an option for many people, including those who have jobs requiring them to request time off in advance or meet specific benchmarks before being permitted to schedule time away from work. Fortunately, Dollar Flight Club sends flight deals well in advance so members have ample time to plan after booking their flight.
Dollar Flight Club’s Dream Destinations feature allows members to specify the locations they’re most interested in traveling to. Whenever Dollar Flight Club finds a deal for the member’s selected locale, it will notify the member of the deal via text alert.
The Evolution of Locating Flight Deals
All of the flight deals Dollar Flight Club sends its members are for round-trip flights. But Hadzima said members should keep in mind that if the company is finding a great deal on a round-trip flight, then it’s likely there are deals on one-way flights for that route as well.
Hadzima said Dollar Flight Club’s process for finding flight deals has evolved over the years.
“Originally, it was a completely manual process,” Hadzima said. “We would spend our days scouring the internet to locate the best deals possible. We now use a mixture of tech and humans to curate our flight deals.”
Hadzima estimated that Dollar Flight Club can find and send hundreds of flight deals a day. The company still relies on human oversight of its deal-identification process, particularly in finding deals on less popular flight routes.
Precautionary measures implemented during the pandemic altered people’s travel plans. The pandemic also impacted the price of airline tickets. Hadzima said pre-pandemic flights were generally cheaper.
“After travel restrictions were lifted, there was a lot of pent-up demand for travel,” Hadzima said. “We’re starting to see prices level out at this point. However, some routes, including many from the U.S. to Asia, are still more expensive than they’d been prior to the pandemic.”
Membership Options to Suit a Variety of Travelers
Dollar Flight Club offers travelers three tiers of membership. The initial tier is completely free. Hadzima said this membership level offers members access to fewer deals than other membership tiers.
Members who enroll in the free tier can select one airport for Dollar Flight Club to monitor. The company will notify its members of any deals it locates for that airport’s departing flights. Members in this tier receive offers on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays of each week.
“This tier is a great option for folks who want to try Dollar Flight Club’s services and assess how much money the deals we locate can save them,” Hadzima said.
Premium membership is available for $69 per year. Premium members can select up to four departing airports they’d like Dollar Flight Club to monitor. Premium members receive all the economy-class deals Dollar Flight Club finds for flights departing from up to four of the members’ chosen airports any day of the week.
Hadzima said Premium Plus membership, available for $99 per year, expands on the benefits offered to Premium members. Premium Plus members receive premium economy and business class flight deals in addition to economy class deals.
“Premium Plus membership is valuable to travelers even if they only book one flight per year,” Hadzima said. “If you become a Premium Plus member and book a round-trip ticket for $400 that usually costs $900, then you’ve saved $500 on just that one flight. The membership pays for itself.”
Dollar Flight Club also offers a lifetime plan, allowing travelers to make one payment and become a member for life. Hadzima said many Dollar Flight Club members start in one of its three tiers and convert their membership to a lifetime plan.
“Members who select a lifetime plan don’t have to worry about renewing their subscriptions each year,” Hadzima said. “And, again, one flight deal can cover the cost of the entire lifetime membership, so any deal a member takes advantage of after that is pure savings.”
Keeping Globetrotters Informed of Travel News
Dollar Flight Club is a part of DFC Media, which produces four different travel-related newsletters for its members.
“When we first started, we produced one newsletter for our members,” said Hadzima. “The newsletter proved to be something that our members really enjoyed, so we’ve expanded and now offer members four different newsletters.”
The Navigator is a daily newsletter that Hadzima said is all about what’s happening in the world and what matters most to travelers.
The Room Service newsletter is distributed weekly and covers accommodations, including hotels, AirBnbs, and other options.
“Sometimes, travelers focus more on securing flights, and their accommodation plans fall by the wayside,” Hadzima said. “This newsletter helps keep those trends in front of our members.”
The Next Stop newsletter highlights a particular travel destination each week, providing a travel guide for each destination.
The Smart Points newsletter provides readers a variety of expert insights, including information on travel credit cards, loyalty programs, and points hacks.
“Smart Points covers point hacks and provides examples of how travelers can use their points to get free or discounted flights and hotels,” Hadzima said. “It also recommends credit cards that can benefit travelers.”
Hadzima said she is excited about Dollar Flight Club’s Concierge program, through which the company’s travel experts help travelers plan their entire trip itinerary, including finding specific flights, hotels, dining recommendations, and activities to participate in during their trips.
“This program helps travelers save time and money,” Hadzima said. “Working with travel agents can be costly, but Concierge membership costs $199 and lasts a lifetime. Our experts are available to assist travelers with whatever they need help with.”