Thrifty Traveler Premium Review: Is It Worth It? + Promo Code

Disclosure: This review contains affiliate links. If you subscribe through my link or use my code PGTRAVELS, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I personally test and find useful.

If you’re destination-flexible and plan trips a couple of months out, Thrifty Traveler Premium is worth it. The current-deals feed, human-curated alerts (cash + award), and step-by-step booking instructions make it unusually actionable. From Montreal, I saw a points-heavy mix but still snagged standout cash fares (e.g., Turks & Caicos < $398, Cape Town ~$883, Tokyo from $899 RT). Hotel alerts are points-only for now.

Try Thrifty Traveler Premium → Use code PGTRAVELS at checkout: thriftytraveler.com/a/tfp

Table of Contents

• What Thrifty Traveler Premium Is (and Isn’t)

• Hands-On: My Onboarding & First Impressions

• Finding & Booking Deals: How It Actually Works

• Hotel Alerts (Points Only)

• My Montreal (YUL) Experience

• Who It’s For / Not For

• Pros & Cons

• Pricing & Plans

• Alternatives to Consider

• FAQs

• Verdict

Browse-first: live deals from the airports you choose.

What It Is (and Isn’t)

Is: A human-curated flight (and hotel-points) deal alert service. You get alerts for cheap cash fares, award space (points/miles), occasional mistake fares, and premium cabins, with clear booking instructions.

Isn’t: A booking site. You still book with the airline/OTA—the alert page tells you exactly how.

Each alert includes airline, sample dates, and step-by-step booking guidance.

Hands-On: My Onboarding & First Impressions

• Setup: Took minutes. I added my home airports and extras.

• Note: My tiny local airport (Longueuil) wasn’t available, coverage skews to larger international airports.

• Preferences: I enabled economy + higher-end fares, cash + points/miles, and “nerd alerts.”

• Notifications: Turned on SMS for rare, truly time-sensitive drops.

• UX: Clean, ergonomic. Helpful tooltips explain tabs, filters, and where to click.

Finding & Booking Deals: How It Actually Works

Best part: The landing page shows current deals for your selected airports, so you can browse what’s cheap now and choose a destination.

Real examples I saw:

• Turks & Caicos for under $398 round-trip

• Cape Town, South Africa for ~$883

• Tokyo from $899 round-trip

Click any deal and you get booking instructions (where to book, what filters to click, and sample dates/itineraries). It’s fast and hand-holdy which is great for price-sensitive travelers and anyone who doesn’t want to puzzle through ITA Matrix.

Timing: Many deals skew a couple of months out, which is perfect if you like planning ahead rather than scrambling last minute.

A constantly updating feed of real opportunities.

Hotel Alerts (Points Only)

Under Premium Plus, the Hotel tab shows points-only deals for IHG, Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott.

• Example I saw: Park Hyatt Los Cabos at 40,000 points/night (Hyatt).

• If you’re in these loyalty programs, this is valuable. If not, you can safely ignore the tab until you are.

Great value if you collect hotel points; otherwise, skip.

My Montreal (YUL) Experience

From Montreal, I noticed the feed is more points-heavy overall—but I still found solid cash fares in the current-deals list (see examples above). If you’re in a similar market, add multiple nearby airports to widen your net.

Who It’s For / Not For

Great for

• Destination-flexible planners who choose based on what’s cheap now

• Travelers who value clear, step-by-step booking instructions

• Points & miles enthusiasts (award space + hotel points alerts)

• Couples/friends who need at least two seats per deal

Not ideal for

• Flyers limited to very small/regional airports not widely supported

• Last-minute travelers expecting same-week deals

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Current-deals feed from your airports = instant inspiration

• Human-curated alerts (cash + award + occasional mistake fares)

• Step-by-step booking instructions (minimal guesswork)

• Optional SMS for rare, time-sensitive drops

• Hotel points alerts for major chains

• Responsive support (I’ve consistently received replies within 24 hours)

Cons

• Small/regional airports may be missing (e.g., Longueuil)

• My YUL feed trends points-heavy at times

• Hotel tab is points-only (no cash hotel deals yet)

Pricing & Plans

Pricing can change—check the site for current rates. Plans include Premium (flight deals) and Premium Plus (adds hotel-points alerts).

Deal: Use code PGTRAVELS at checkout → thriftytraveler.com/a/tfp

Alternatives to Consider

If you’re comparing services, evaluate on:

• Deal coverage from your airports

• Cash vs. award balance

• Alert frequency and signal-to-noise

• Booking instructions quality (step-by-step vs. vague)

• Extra perks (e.g., SMS texts, hotel coverage)

(I’ll keep testing; if you want a deeper head-to-head later, say the word.)

FAQs

Is Thrifty Traveler a booking site?

No, it's a deal alert subscription. You book directly with airlines/OTAs using the instructions in each alert.

Does it work in Canada?

Yes, major airports are supported. Smaller locals (like my Longueuil) may be missing.

Are hotel deals cash or points?

Points-only for now across IHG/Hilton/Hyatt/Marriott (Premium Plus).

How far out are the deals?

Often a couple months ahead, which is great for planners.

Do they send text messages?

Yes, rare, time-sensitive SMS is available (I enabled it).

Verdict

Score: 4.4 / 5

Fast onboarding, an addictive current-deals feed, and actionable booking instructions. If you’re flexible and like planning ahead, especially if you play the points game, Thrifty Traveler Premium can easily justify itself.

Start here: Use code PGTRAVELS → thriftytraveler.com/a/tfp