Flying isn’t always the cheapest way to get from place to place, but if you know where (and when) to look, there are some great deals out there.

Try a few of these tips before you book, and keep your cash from flying away.

Sign Up for Fare Alerts

One of my favorite websites ever is airfarewatchdog.com. It has saved me a bundle of money.

Unlike most fare alert sites, airfarewatchdog uses real people who continually check the airlines—large and small carriers—for price drops. You can sign up for email alerts that let you know when a particular route has lower-than-normal fares. You can also enter your home airport and get daily or weekly listings of the best deals for flying in and out of your city.

A few months ago, airfarewatchdog alerted me to a fare sale by a small, regional airline. It was offering a round trip ticket from New Jersey to North Carolina for less than $50. If you have out-of-state family like I do, this site is priceless. It also tracks international fares, and the alerts are all free.

Get Your Timing Right

There have been plenty of attempts to figure out the best time to purchase plane tickets. Some insist there are a few seemingly magical windows of time when fares drop dramatically (like 3 a.m. on a Wednesday or something equally inconvenient). I don’t take that too seriously, because the latest “magic window” seems to change by the hour. But there are two timing tips I believe are worth following.

First, most studies have found it’s best to book about six or seven weeks before your flight (that is, if it’s domestic. For international flights, try four months or more). According to U.S. News and World Report, four years of data from the major airlines found fares were at their lowest about 42 days before each flight. In general, the closer you get to takeoff, the pricier the fare.

The second timing tip that has been proven to save passengers money: try to travel during the middle of the week. Generally, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are ideal times to fly, because demand is lower. Fridays and Sundays, on the other hand, are the most popular days to fly, so you’ll likely pay more to travel during those times.

Consider checking out cheapair.com. There are tons of flight-booking websites out there, but cheapair is the only one I’ve found that has a price drop payback system. According to the website, if you book a flight through cheapair and then make the horrifying discovery that the price of your flight has dropped significantly, it’s not too late to get some money back.

If the price of your specific flight itinerary goes down before you travel, cheapair promises to give you a travel credit of up to $100 per ticket. I haven’t personally tried it, so I can’t tell you how long it’ll take to get the credit, but it’s a pretty good deal that can give you some added peace of mind when you book.

Ask Yourself, “Is Flying Really Worth it?”

When is the last time you figured out exactly how much it costs to fly to a particular destination versus drive there? It can be hard to find the true cost of each option, including luggage fees, wear and tear on your car during a long drive, the cost of airport parking, etc. Fortunately, the folks at befrugal.com have taken the guesswork out of it. Check out their fly or drive calculator before you assume one transportation mode is better than the other. They thought of just about everything with this tool. They factor in the make and model of your car, the cost of any hotel stays or rental cars, and the amount of time you’ll spend. It can help you make an educated decision on whether that plane ticket is really worth it.

Safe travels!