6 Ways to Maximize Your Savings When Flying Spirit Airlines

This post is sponsored by Spirit Airlines and my family received complimentary round trip tickets in exchange for this post.

Spirit Airlines is the perfect airline choice for those like me who love to save money and rather spend their vacation dollars on activities while at their destination, versus getting to the destination. I’d much rather pay for services I am using than pay a bundled fair (checked baggage, food, etc.) when I’m not benefiting from whats included. This is why I like Spirit Airlines and with the major improvements they’ve been making I will continue to choose them over other airlines, saving my family money and allowing us to travel more frequently. Some people don’t read the rules to fully understand Spirit’s unbundled, a la carte fares to receive the best deals (I was guilty of this on my first Spirit flight). Now that I know better and am fully reaping the cost savings of flying Spirit, I want to make sure you are too. Here are 6 ways to save even more money when flying Spirit Airlines:

Buy Your Plane Ticket at the Airport
You can save $19 on one-way tickets or $38 round-trip by purchasing your ticket at Spirit’s counter at the airport. For a family of four it makes your total cost $152 cheaper and well worth the drive to the airport. Go with someone and have him or her drive around or hang out at the cell phone lot to avoid paying for parking while you purchase the tickets.

Important to note is that if you are checking a bag you will not be able to get the cheapest bag price when booking at the airport. Instead of the price offered when booking online you will have to pay the fee offered when checking-in online but before paying at the airport the day of your flight. As the bags are $10 cheaper when bought when booking if you are checking bags this additional fee could eat into your savings of buying your plane ticket at the airport.

Pack Light and Buy a Spirit Approved Personal Bag Which Flies Free
The first time I flew Spirit to Aruba I was like many that don’t read the Spirit rules and then get mad because I feel like I’m being overcharged and not really saving money even though I booked a budget airline. Honestly I just assumed Spirit’s personal sized bag was super tiny and there was no way it could fit both my 3 year old daughter and I’s clothing for our 4 day trip. I paid for a carry on bag and then got to the airport to see my mom with a personal bag filled with her stuff for the next four days and for her to tell me she didn’t pay for a bag and it was the size of their free personal item. I felt cheated out of my money but it was my own fault for not reading.

I was more prepared for our next flight with Spirit and found the perfect bag that meets their personal item size restrictions of 18x14x8. I was able to fit all my clothes for our 8 night trip to Costa Rica. Here’s a video of what I packed and how I fit it in the bag.

You May Be Interested in Reading: Light Packing Tips

Don’t Pay for Seats
Selecting your seats in advance will cost you a minimum of $5 but there are seats that cost as much as $24. Instead of choosing your seat let Spirit assign you a seat when you check in. While this could be a gamble when flying with kids my family has only been assigned seat separate from each other once. When we arrived to the airport I let the gate agent know and she relocated us with no hassle, the airlines really don’t want a 3 year old sitting in a different row from their parents.

Check-In Online
Spirit charges you $10 per person to check-in and get your boarding pass at the ticket counter. There are three ways to avoid this fee:

1. Download the Spirit App for Android or Apple to check-in. The app allows you to get your boarding pass directly in the app and just have TSA and the gate agent scan the QR code and you’re set.
2. Check in online and print your boarding pass.
3. Check in online and have your boarding pass emailed to you. You’ll just scan the QR code at TSA and at the gate to get through.

For the options that allow you to scan the QR code, I’d screenshot your code just in case there is no service at the airport and you can’t get into the app or access your email. Always better to be safe than sorry especially when a malfunction like that can cost you $10 per person.

Bring Your Own Snacks
One complaint I hear often about Spirit Airlines is that they don’t offer free drinks and snacks. Honestly I’d rather save $100+ on my plane ticket than get a small bag of peanuts/pretzels and drink that is halfway filled with ice. Instead of ordering food/drinks on board bring your own. It’s really easy to throw a homemade sandwich/snacks in your bag costing you a fraction of what would be charged on board. For drinks, bring an empty water bottle and fill it up once you pass security.

Bring Your Own Entertainment
While Spirit doesn’t offer in-flight entertainment yet their planes will soon offer WiFi for a fee. Instead you can bring your laptop, iPad, or other tablet to keep you and your kids busy by having apps and games downloaded that don’t require WiFi. One thing I always travel with is my portable charger to keep my electronics charged in flight.

Spirit Airlines has afforded my family the opportunity to do more things in the destinations we travel too and travel more since we save so much money booking with Spirit vs. other airlines. I hope you’ve learned some other ways to save even when choosing Spirit Airlines.

Disclosure: “Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. The commissions earned helps me offset the costs of running this blog so please support if you choose to purchase, it is much appreciated.”