Planning for Travel and Vacations

Do a little legwork before taking flight. Travelers who explore multiple options in airfare, hotel and car rentals may discover lower prices than they anticipated.

Protect your account. Let us know before you go.

If you're traveling with your Fifth Third credit or debit card please let us know when and where you're going — so we can help protect your accounts from fraud and ensure you have the best possible experience.

Simply give us a call at 800-972-3030 or stop by your nearest banking center. If you happen to encounter any issues using your card while traveling, please contact us at the same number.

Ten Ways to Save on Travel

1. Search airline sites individually. More and more airlines are now offering "private" sales and reserving their best fares for their own sites. By only searching popular travel package and discount websites, you might miss out on some deals.
2. Check alternate airports. The cost savings of flying to and from a nearby, less popular airport might be enough to offset the extra time and added ground transportation expenses.
3. Combine two separate fares rather than buying one fare. If a trip from Chicago to Tampa requires a stopover, it's worth checking to see if one round-trip ticket from Chicago to the stopover city and a separate round-trip ticket from that city to Tampa is less than booking the trip together as one flight.
4. Fly on a holiday. There is less demand for travel on a holiday. Because of that, you can often find significantly discounted airfares when flying on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.
5. Purchase packages. While you may have luck dealing directly with the airline, hotel, etc., you may find it cheaper to bundle them rather than purchasing each individually. Because travel providers don't have to show the cost of individual services when bundling on sites, they often offer deeper discounts.
6. Check hotel rates by night. Rates change from night to night and it's best to look at them individually rather than settling on one rate for a multi-night stay. Shopping around and even a willingness to switch hotels during a trip can lead to big savings.
7. Be flexible on the size of your rental car. Because of supply and demand, you might be able to find a full-size car for the same price or even less than an economy-size model. Shop different agencies and different car types to find the best deal.
8. When purchasing travel with a credit card, use one that earns rewards. Booking hotels and car rental companies that also offer frequent-flier miles or other travel rewards can lead to significant savings.
9. Pack light. More and more carriers are charging fees for even the first checked bag. When traveling with a family, those fees can quickly add up. If traveling over the holidays, consider shipping gifts to your destination as it could cost you less than the baggage fee and you won't have to worry about airport screening delays.
10. Look to buy tickets on Saturdays. Some of the lowest fares often appear on Saturday mornings.

Goal Setter Savings Account

Fifth Third can help you save for your dream vacation.

• Earn interest on your vacation savings with a great rate.
• Get an automatic 10% Rewards bonus when you redeem your points for cash deposited into Fifth Third Goal Setter Savings
• Learn more about our Fifth Third Goal Setter Savings Account.