Traveling is not always easy or pleasant. This usually applies to flying, trains, and even other situations related to traveling. Missing your flight can be a disaster, or can mean saving some money, depending on the reason you travel. However, you can only save money if you get bumped from the flight. Getting bumped happens when the airline books more people in a single airplane than the available seats, on the premise that not everyone shows up.

When people get bumped they are usually compensated with a free airplane ticket, cash or ticket vouchers. The rewards are offered when you volunteer, offer, or are forced, to give up your seat. Some people only travel on a bumped basis, and they recommend to accept the cash or the ticket vouchers. The free ticket comes with restrictions that you may be able to accept or afford, such as restrictions for the flight’s date.

Most airline companies will try and find a seat in the next plane flying to your destination, and sometimes it might belong to a different airline company. Sometimes the flight might happen the next day, at which point booking a room in an airport hotel is the duty of the airline. If the next flight is within a couple of hours, you might be granted access to the club lounge. You have plenty of reasons to want access here: free snacks, drinks, television, and even working computer stations. The computers can help you save data on your smartphone if you want to check or reply to some important emails.

There are 3 situations in which getting bumped is well worth doing, and maybe even recommended: traveling abroad, flying domestically quite often, and when you have a budget to stick to. Bumping from an international flight can bring you up to $1,300 while the domestic flight can bring you as little as $50.