Good news for travelers: international airfare is set to drop for the first half of this year 🙌

This week’s issue of Nomad Deals breaks down where the best deals are concentrated, so you can plan your 2025 travels while saving big 💰. Plus, we’ll dive into why virtual credit cards might just be the travel hack you didn’t know you needed.

Let’s get going!

This Week in Nomad Deals

✈️Airfare Trends: A new report from Hopper shows where flight prices are falling in the first half of 2025.

💳Virtual Credit Cards: The underrated credit card hack that every traveler should know.

Trends

Airfare Price Trends for 2025

Sweet news for digital nomads: international airfares from the U.S. are projected to (mostly) fall for the first half of 2025. Here’s how prices are shaping up for trips to various regions.

Good Deals to Europe, Asia, South America

According to a new report from Hopper, flight prices to Europe and South America are down 6% and 4%, respectively. Travelers to Asia are finally catching a break, with average airfare dropping by 11%. The trend is largely due to falling jet fuel prices and the rise of new budget airlines, a development that we covered in our previous 2025 travel trends report.

Where Prices are Rising

Meanwhile, airfare to Mexico is up and Central America is up 9% over last year as U.S. travelers increasingly seek to escape from the winter cold. Hopper advises that travelers jump on any roundtrip flights averaging $469 or less, which represents a good flight deal according to the platform’s statistics.

Travel Hacks

Virtual Credit Cards: The Travel Hack You Didn’t Know You Needed

If you’re not using virtual cards yet, you might be missing out on one of the most versatile tools for managing your finances—especially while traveling.

Here’s why they’re a game-changer:

What is a virtual card?

A virtual credit card is a digital version of a physical credit card that provides a temporary or unique card number linked to your existing account. Each virtual card comes with a unique number, expiration date, and CVV code, separate from your actual card.

How do virtual credit cards help travelers?

Having your credit card compromised while overseas presents a logistical headache and security risk for nomads. Virtual cards, however, aren’t linked to your physical card, and be opened and shut down at your leisure. Here are a few common travel scenarios where virtual cards come in handy:

1. Cancel subscriptions with ease
   Ever dealt with a foreign gym that locks you into an annual plan with no easy way out? Virtual cards let you sidestep those headaches. You can create a dedicated virtual card for gym subscriptions, and set it up for monthly billing, If the gym gives you the runaround, simply cancel the virtual card. Done and done.

2. Protection from scams
   In some countries, rideshare drivers and other service providers can charge unexpected fees after your trip. Lock your virtual card as soon as the service starts and only unlock it once the charge looks correct. Problem solved.

3. Security for online shopping
   If your virtual card gets compromised while shopping online, your physical card stays safe. You can even generate one-time-use cards for purchases on websites you’re unsure about.

Who offers virtual credit cards?

Major financial institutions including Capital One, Bank of America, Citi, and American Express offer virtual credit cards with varying levels of flexibility. Privacy.com is a well-known provider that specializes in virtual credit cards.