With Google’s New Flight Price Guarantee, You’ll Receive a Refund if Your Fare Drops

One of the most daunting choices when booking a flight is whether to buy tickets now or wait in hopes that the price may decrease. This week, Google Flights launched a price tracking feature designed to alleviate this decision-making stress.

Google Flights, part of Google’s travel search ecosystem, has long informed travelers whether flight prices are considered high, low, or average for their route and season. Now, for selected flights where Google is confident it’s showing the lowest price available, it will feature a “price guarantee.” For flights marked with the “price guarantee” badge, if the fare drops after you purchase your ticket but before your flight departs, Google will cover the difference through Google Pay, up to $500 (travelers can claim up to $500 back in total per calendar year for a maximum of three price guaranteed bookings).

The “price guarantee” initiative is part of a new pilot program launched this week—although Google previously tested this concept briefly back in 2019.

How does the Google “price guarantee” feature function?

To find flights that come with a “price guarantee,” travelers must log into their Google account, set their location to the United States, and ensure the currency is set to U.S. dollars. Currently, this feature is only available for one-way and round-trip flights booked through the “Book on Google” option that depart from the U.S. (A spokesperson has informed Dinogo that it will eventually expand beyond the “Book on Google” option—more details to follow.)

Flights that include a price guarantee will showcase a “colorful price badge,” according to Google. Travelers need to select the flight with the badge and click the “Book on Google” link. They must check the box next to “Price Guarantee” to agree to the terms, and once the booking is completed, they will receive a confirmation email verifying the guarantee. Google states that no additional steps are required from the traveler.

“After you book, we monitor the fare until your first flight departs,” Google explains in a blog post about this new feature. “We’ll then send you an email to inform you whether the price dropped or not. If it did decrease, we’ll refund you the difference via Google Pay. If the price remains the same or increases, you can be confident you secured the best fare with Google Flights.”

To receive the payment, travelers must download the Google Pay app and complete the setup within 90 days of the first flight in their itinerary.

Unfortunately, if the airline cancels or changes the flight schedule, Google will not issue a refund. However, if the fare drops and then rises again, Google will refund the difference between the booking price and the lowest price available before the flight departs.

How does the “Book on Google” feature function?

When searching for flights on Google, you typically have the choice to book directly with the airline or via an online travel agency. There’s also the option to “Book on Google,” which enables customers to finalize their booking within Google using contact and payment information saved in their Google account. While Google facilitates the process, the actual booking is completed with the airline or travel agency, acting merely as an intermediary.

In September of last year, the option to book flights on Google was removed for countries outside the United States, and Google announced plans to phase out the booking feature in the U.S. on or after March 31, 2023. However, it remains available for now, according to a Google spokesperson speaking to Dinogo.

“We still plan to discontinue the Book on Google option for flights, so in the long run, we are looking into alternatives for supporting price guarantees that do not rely on Book on Google,” the spokesperson mentioned.