SerpAPI Skill

Scrape Google Flights, Google Hotels, and Google Travel Explore via SerpAPI. Provides cash flight prices (for Chase/Amex portal comparison), hotel pricing, and destination discovery.

Source: serpapi.com — Free tier available, paid plans for higher volume.

Authentication

SERPAPI_API_KEY is set in .env. All requests use api_key query parameter.

API Base

https://serpapi.com/search

Google Flights (Cash Prices)

Search for flight prices and schedules. Essential for comparing: "Is 88,000 United miles better than paying $900 cash through the Chase portal?" (Chase portal pricing is now dynamic via Points Boost, ~1.5-2.0 cpp on select bookings; verify the actual quote.)

One-Way Search

curl -s "https://serpapi.com/search?engine=google_flights&departure_id=SFO&arrival_id=NRT&outbound_date=2026-08-10&type=2&adults=2&travel_class=1&currency=USD&stops=2&sort_by=2&api_key=$SERPAPI_API_KEY" | jq '{best: [.best_flights[]? | {price: .price, duration: .total_duration, stops: (.layovers | length), flights: [.flights[] | {from: .departure_airport.id, to: .arrival_airport.id, airline: .airline, flight: .flight_number, depart: .departure_airport.time, arrive: .arrival_airport.time}]}], price_insights: .price_insights}'

Parameters

Param	Required	Description
engine	Yes	google_flights
departure_id	Yes	Airport code(s), comma-separated: SFO,PDX
arrival_id	Yes	Airport code(s), comma-separated: NRT,HND
outbound_date	Yes	YYYY-MM-DD
return_date	Round trip	YYYY-MM-DD (required if type=1)
type	No	1 = round trip (default), 2 = one way, 3 = multi-city
adults	No	Default 1
children	No	Default 0
travel_class	No	1 = economy, 2 = premium economy, 3 = business, 4 = first
stops	No	0 = any, 1 = nonstop, 2 = 1 stop or fewer, 3 = 2 stops or fewer
sort_by	No	1 = top flights, 2 = price, 3 = departure, 4 = arrival, 5 = duration
include_airlines	No	IATA codes: SK,KL,UA or alliances: STAR_ALLIANCE,SKYTEAM,ONEWORLD
max_price	No	Maximum ticket price in USD
max_duration	No	Maximum flight duration in minutes
bags	No	Number of carry-on bags
deep_search	No	true for browser-identical results (slower)
currency	No	Default USD

Multi-City (Open Jaw)

Use type=3 with multi_city_json:

curl -s "https://serpapi.com/search?engine=google_flights&type=3&multi_city_json=%5B%7B%22departure_id%22%3A%22SFO%22%2C%22arrival_id%22%3A%22NRT%22%2C%22date%22%3A%222026-08-05%22%7D%2C%7B%22departure_id%22%3A%22ICN%22%2C%22arrival_id%22%3A%22SFO%22%2C%22date%22%3A%222026-08-26%22%7D%5D&adults=2&travel_class=1&currency=USD&api_key=$SERPAPI_API_KEY" | jq '.'

The JSON value for multi_city_json is URL-encoded. Decoded:

[{"departure_id":"SFO","arrival_id":"NRT","date":"2026-08-05"},{"departure_id":"ICN","arrival_id":"SFO","date":"2026-08-26"}]

Response Fields

Each flight in best_flights[] and other_flights[]:

Field	Description
price	Cash price in USD
total_duration	Total minutes
flights[]	Array of legs with airline, flight number, times, airplane, legroom
layovers[]	Array with duration and airport for each connection
departure_token	Token to get return flight options (round trip)
booking_token	Token to get booking options

price_insights includes lowest_price, price_level (low/typical/high), and typical_price_range.

Portal Comparison Math

Chase Sapphire Reserve: dynamic Points Boost pricing, typically 1.5-2.0 cpp on select bookings (not a fixed floor). Verify actual portal price for the specific booking. If cash price is $900, portal cost = 60,000 UR points. If award price is 88,000 United miles, cash via portal is better value.

Amex: typically 1 cpp via portal (worse value, use transfers instead).

Capital One Venture X: 1 cpp via portal, but transfer partners can be better.

Google Hotels

Search hotels and vacation rentals with pricing from multiple OTAs.

curl -s "https://serpapi.com/search?engine=google_hotels&q=hotels+Tokyo+Japan&check_in_date=2026-08-10&check_out_date=2026-08-13&adults=2&currency=USD&sort_by=3&api_key=$SERPAPI_API_KEY" | jq '[.properties[]? | {name: .name, type: .type, rating: .overall_rating, reviews: .reviews, price: .rate_per_night.extracted_lowest, class: .extracted_hotel_class, amenities: .amenities}] | .[0:10]'

Parameters

Param	Required	Description
engine	Yes	google_hotels
q	Yes	Search query: hotels Tokyo Japan
check_in_date	Yes	YYYY-MM-DD
check_out_date	Yes	YYYY-MM-DD
adults	No	Default 2
children	No	Default 0
sort_by	No	3 = lowest price, 8 = highest rating, 13 = most reviewed
min_price / max_price	No	Price range filter
hotel_class	No	2,3,4,5 (comma-separated)
rating	No	7 = 3.5+, 8 = 4.0+, 9 = 4.5+
vacation_rentals	No	Set to true for Airbnb-style results
property_token	No	Get details for a specific property

Google Travel Explore

Discover destinations and cheapest flights from an origin. Great for "where can I fly cheaply in August?"

curl -s "https://serpapi.com/search?engine=google_travel_explore&departure_id=SFO&outbound_date=2026-08-05&return_date=2026-08-26&adults=2&travel_class=1&currency=USD&api_key=$SERPAPI_API_KEY" | jq '[.destinations[]? | {name: .name, country: .country, airport: .destination_airport.code, price: .flight_price, duration: .flight_duration, stops: .number_of_stops, airline: .airline}] | .[0:15]'

Parameters

Param	Required	Description
engine	Yes	google_travel_explore
departure_id	Yes	Airport code or kgmid
arrival_id	No	Specific destination
arrival_area_id	No	Region kgmid (e.g., /m/02j9z for Europe)
outbound_date	No	YYYY-MM-DD
return_date	No	YYYY-MM-DD
month	No	1-12 for flexible dates
travel_duration	No	1 = weekend, 2 = 1 week, 3 = 2 weeks
interest	No	/g/11bc58l13w = Outdoors, /m/0b3yr = Beaches
include_airlines	No	Filter by airline or alliance
max_price	No	Maximum price
stops	No	Same as Google Flights

Workflow: Compare Award vs Cash

1. Search cash prices on Google Flights via SerpAPI
2. Estimate portal cost. Chase uses dynamic "Points Boost" pricing (~1.5-2.0cpp on select bookings, not a flat rate). Amex/Capital One ~1.0cpp. For rough math, run the actual portal quote against the cash price; do not assume a flat cpp on Chase.
3. Compare with award price from Seats.aero
4. Lower number wins (accounting for the value you place on each currency)

Notes

• Cached results are free (1hr cache). Set no_cache=true to force fresh.
• deep_search=true gives browser-identical results but is slower.
• Results include price_insights with historical price data and trend.
• Multi-city supports open jaw itineraries natively.
• Hotels support vacation rentals mode for Airbnb-style results.