Last February, I booked a Houston to San Francisco flight for $67. Not a typo – sixty-seven dollars. My friend Marcus, who lives in Houston and flies to the Bay Area quarterly for work, practically demanded I teach him my ways because he’d been dropping $300+ every single trip.

The Houston to San Francisco route is fascinating because it’s kind of this underdog corridor. It doesn’t get as much attention as the New York-LA flights or the Chicago-Miami routes, but there’s actually a ton of competition here. You’ve got United, Southwest, Alaska, Spirit, and occasionally some regional carriers all fighting for passengers. And when airlines compete? We win.

I’ve flown this route probably 20 times over the past few years – I’ve got college friends in Houston and I do consulting work in San Francisco pretty regularly. Through a lot of trial and error (and a few expensive mistakes), I’ve figured out exactly how to game this specific route. Some of these strategies are Houston-specific, some work for any San Francisco flight, but all of them will save you serious money.

Why This Route Is Actually Perfect for Budget Travelers

Here’s something most people don’t realize: Houston has two major airports – George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and Hobby (HOU). This is huge for finding cheap flights because the pricing between these two airports can be wildly different on the same day.

I learned this the hard way when I booked an IAH flight for $240, then randomly checked Hobby prices out of curiosity and found the exact same dates for $142. I literally canceled my IAH booking (thankfully it was Southwest with their flexible policies) and rebooked through Hobby. The drive time difference from where I was staying in Houston? Maybe 15 minutes.

Southwest dominates Hobby Airport, and they fly direct to both Oakland and San Jose – not just San Francisco. United and Alaska fly out of Bush Intercontinental. This competition creates these beautiful price wars where they’ll undercut each other to fill seats. I’ve seen it happen where Southwest drops their prices, then United matches within 24 hours, then Southwest goes even lower. It’s like watching a really boring but financially beneficial tennis match.

The San Francisco side also has options – SFO, Oakland, and San Jose. Oakland flights are consistently $50-80 cheaper than SFO in my experience, and honestly? The BART ride from Oakland to downtown San Francisco takes like 30 minutes. Totally manageable.

The Southwest Companion Pass Strategy (If You’re Committed)

Okay, this one requires some upfront effort, but if you fly Houston to San Francisco even twice a year, it’s worth considering. Southwest’s Companion Pass lets you bring someone with you for basically free (you just pay the $5.60 in taxes) on every flight.

I got mine last year and it’s been absolutely ridiculous how much money it’s saved me. The way you earn it is by accumulating 135,000 qualifying points in a calendar year, which sounds impossible but is actually doable if you’re strategic about it.

I signed up for two Southwest credit cards at the beginning of the year (they each gave me 50,000 bonus points after spending requirements), then put my normal expenses on the cards and got the rest of the points through actual flying. Once I hit that threshold, I got the Companion Pass for the remainder of that year plus the entire next year.

Now when I fly Houston to San Francisco, I’m essentially getting two tickets for the price of one. Even if the flight isn’t super cheap – like $180 or something – it’s effectively $90 per person. I’ve used it to bring friends along, and we’ve taken trips we wouldn’t have otherwise considered because the flight cost was so low.

I know this sounds like a lot of work, and it kind of is. But do the math on your typical travel patterns. If you’re someone who makes this trip multiple times, the savings add up fast.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays Are Still Your Best Friends

I know everyone parrots this advice, but for Houston to San Francisco specifically, it’s genuinely true. Tuesday and Wednesday flights are consistently $80-120 cheaper than Thursday through Monday flights.

I keep a spreadsheet (yes, I’m that person) where I track the prices I’ve paid for this route, and the pattern is crystal clear. My Tuesday flights average $156. My Friday flights average $298. That’s a $142 difference for literally just picking a different day of the week.

The sweet spot for booking seems to be Tuesday afternoon for flights departing on Tuesday or Wednesday. Airlines have usually adjusted their prices by then based on how their Monday sales performed, and the Tuesday/Wednesday departure dates are the least popular for business travelers.

There was this one time I needed to be in San Francisco for a Thursday meeting, and the Wednesday flight was $199 while the Thursday flight was $334. I booked the Wednesday flight, spent the night at a hostel in the Mission District for $45, and still came out $90 ahead. Plus I got to grab tacos at La Taqueria, so honestly it felt like I was getting paid to eat amazing food.

Spirit and Frontier Are Actually Options (With Caveats)

Look, I know ultra-low-cost carriers have a terrible reputation, but hear me out. Spirit occasionally flies Houston to San Francisco, and if you’re smart about it, they can save you a ton of money.

Last summer, I flew Spirit from Houston to Oakland for $43. The catch? I had to bring only a personal item (no carry-on, no checked bag), and I couldn’t pick my seat. But I was going to the Bay Area for a long weekend, so I packed light in a backpack, and the seat didn’t matter because the flight was like 3.5 hours.

The key with Spirit and Frontier is understanding their fee structure before you book. If you need to check a bag, pick your seat, and get a drink on the plane, you’re going to end up paying the same as (or more than) a regular airline. But if you can travel minimally, these airlines are genuinely cheaper.

I use their flights strategically – usually for quick trips where I’m staying with friends and don’t need much stuff. For longer trips where I need more luggage, I’ll book Southwest or United. It’s all about matching the airline to the trip.

One more thing about Spirit: their seats are uncomfortable and there’s zero legroom. I’m 5’7″ and I was cramped, so if you’re taller, maybe factor that into your decision. Three hours of discomfort for $100+ in savings? That’s a personal calculation you’ve got to make.

Google Flights’ Price Graph Is Underrated

I don’t know why more people don’t use this feature, but Google Flights has this price graph thing where you can see the prices for every day over a two-month period. For Houston to San Francisco, this has been incredibly useful.

You can literally watch the price patterns and figure out when deals are most likely to appear. I’ve noticed that prices tend to dip around the third week of each month for some reason – probably some airline pricing algorithm thing – and I try to book during those windows.

The graph also shows you if your dates are during a peak period. Like, I was planning a trip during South by Southwest week in Austin (which affects Houston prices because of proximity), and the graph showed me that flights were $150 more expensive than the week before. I shifted my dates by four days and saved a bunch of money.

There’s also a price alert feature where Google will email you when prices drop for your route. I’ve got a standing alert for Houston to San Francisco because I make this trip semi-regularly, and it’s caught several deals I would have otherwise missed. Including that $67 flight I mentioned at the beginning – got the alert at 11 PM, booked it immediately, and felt like I’d won something.

The Positioning Flight Gamble That Sometimes Pays Off

This is going to sound weird, but sometimes flying from Austin to San Francisco (through Houston) is cheaper than flying directly from Houston to San Francisco. I know that makes zero sense, but airline pricing is bizarre.

I discovered this when I was visiting friends in Austin and needed to get to San Francisco afterward. The direct Austin-San Francisco flights were $320, but there was an Austin-Houston-San Francisco routing on United for $198. The layover in Houston was two hours, which was actually perfect for grabbing lunch.

If you live in Houston and have flexibility, consider searching from nearby airports like Austin or even San Antonio. Sometimes the routing will take you through Houston anyway, but priced completely differently. The drive from Houston to Austin is about 2.5 hours, so it’s not always worth it, but for really big savings (like $150+), it might be.

I’ve also done this in reverse – flown from Houston to Oakland or San Jose instead of SFO. The price difference can be significant, and once you’re in the Bay Area, everything’s pretty connected by BART or Caltrain. Last October, Houston to San Jose was $134 while Houston to SFO was $267. The Caltrain ride from San Jose to San Francisco cost me $9 and took about an hour. Easy math.

When Connecting Flights Are Actually Better

Direct flights are obviously more convenient, but connecting flights from Houston to San Francisco are often $100-200 cheaper. And honestly? Sometimes the connections aren’t even that bad.

I’ve taken connections through Denver, Phoenix, and Las Vegas multiple times. The Denver connection is actually pretty nice because you’ve got that two-hour layover to stretch your legs, grab some good airport food (Denver’s airport is surprisingly decent), and the flight times usually work out well.

The trick is finding connections with reasonable layover times – nothing under 50 minutes (too stressful) and nothing over 3 hours (unless you want to explore the connecting city). My sweet spot is 1-2 hours. That’s enough time to use the bathroom, grab a coffee, maybe send some emails, and still have a buffer in case your first flight is delayed.

Southwest’s connection through Vegas is pretty popular for this route. You leave Houston mid-morning, have a 90-minute layover in Vegas (just enough time to hear those slot machines and remember why you don’t gamble), and arrive in San Francisco early afternoon. I’ve booked this routing for as low as $118 round-trip during a sale.

The Hopper App Isn’t Perfect But It’s Pretty Good

I use Hopper to track Houston to San Francisco prices, and while it’s not always right, it’s right enough that I keep using it. The app uses some algorithm to predict whether prices will go up or down, and it’ll tell you to book now or wait.

Last month, Hopper told me to wait on a flight that was $197, predicting it would drop. I waited (nervously), and four days later it hit $152. Not every prediction works out – I’ve had times where I waited and the price went up – but more often than not, it’s saved me money.

The “watch a trip” feature is basically like Google Flights’ price alerts, but Hopper seems to catch things a bit faster. I’ve got both running for this route because why not have redundancy when it comes to finding deals?

One thing to note: Hopper really wants you to book through their app, and they’ll offer their “price freeze” feature for a fee. I’ve never used it because it feels like paying money to maybe save money, which seems counterproductive. But if you’re planning a trip that’s really important and you’re worried about prices spiking, it might give you peace of mind.

Credit Card Points Work Differently for This Route

United flies Houston to San Francisco constantly, and their MileagePlus program can be useful here. I’ve booked this route for as few as 10,000 miles one-way during off-peak times, though it’s usually more like 12,500-15,000 miles.

The thing about United miles is that they’re pretty easy to earn if you’ve got one of their credit cards or a Chase card that transfers to United. I’ve got the Chase Sapphire Preferred, and those points transfer to United at 1:1. I basically treat my points like a savings account for flights.

Southwest points work really well for this route too, especially if you’re flying out of Hobby. The Rapid Rewards program is straightforward – your points are worth roughly 1.3-1.5 cents each toward flights. If a flight costs $195, it’ll probably be around 13,000-15,000 points. I’ve used points for last-minute Houston to San Francisco flights when cash prices were surging, and it felt like I’d hacked the system.

Don’t sleep on Alaska Airlines either. They fly this route and their Mileage Plan program is actually one of the better ones out there. I earned a bunch of Alaska miles last year through credit card spending and redeemed them for a Houston-San Francisco flight that would have cost $280 cash but only cost me 17,500 miles.

My Honest Take on When to Just Book It

I’m all about finding deals, but there’s a point where you’re spending so much time searching that it’s not worth the stress. If you’ve tried these strategies and the price is sitting around $150-180 round-trip, that’s pretty solid for this route. Book it.

I made the mistake once of watching a $168 fare for days, convinced it would drop lower. It jumped to $289 overnight and I ended up paying that because my dates weren’t flexible. I still think about that $121 difference and how I could’ve used it for actual fun stuff in San Francisco instead of kicking myself over a flight booking.

Set yourself a threshold – like “if I see it under $200 round-trip, I’m booking it” – and stick to it. You’ll sleep better, and honestly, you’ll probably still be getting a decent deal compared to what other people are paying.

The Houston to San Francisco route is totally manageable on a budget if you’re willing to be slightly flexible and put in a bit of research. Check both Houston airports, consider Oakland or San Jose as arrival airports, track prices for a week or two before booking, and seriously consider signing up for Southwest’s credit cards if you fly this route regularly.

And if you score an amazing deal? Let yourself feel good about it. This stuff is supposed to make travel more accessible and fun, not turn into a stressful optimization game. Happy flying, and maybe I’ll see you in the security line at Hobby or grabbing a burrito in the Mission District.

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