If you have ever bought an e-ticket for a flight, then you have probably at least heard of Cheap Tickets. Basically, they aggregate available flights from a number of different airlines based on the search criteria you specify, and you can sort the results by price, etc. It’s a really useful service as you don’t have to go to each individual airlines website to search for flights, and they usually can get you a deal on a flight (although you might have a five hour layover). Also, you can usually pick the seat you want on your flight right when you make your reservation. Sounds perfect, right?

Well, just as a warning, when you pick your seat through Cheap Tickets, it’s not always guaranteed. Pick up your jaw, I was just as surprised when I found out. What happened was I called the airline I booked on regarding a different question, and just happened to ask about my flight details. Lo and behold, my seat was NOT what I had picked online. I changed it to what I wanted then called Cheap Tickets. Surprisingly, the customer service rep told me that the only way to actually guarantee your seat selection was to book it through the airline. I was shocked! Apparently, they pass on your seat SUGGESTION to the airline.

The lesson here is that if you book your tickets through a site like this (there are tons online), double check with the airline you booked on to make sure you get the seat you want. Otherwise, you could end up in the dreaded middle seat between the 400 pound guy and his twin, the 401 pound guy.

This is something that everybody talks about but never takes action on: Redeeming your reward points. Be it for a hotel room, airline reservation, or even a cruise, there are tons of reward programs out there. Lot’s of people sign up and accumulate points, but then let those points sit and gather dust. I just used some of my Marriot Rewards points tonight to book a hotel room, and it cost me only a small fraction of my total points. Go ahead and check your balances and possible rewards, and you might be surprised at what you find.