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These days, it is hard to find last-minute flight deals, so it’s better to book a flight three to six months ahead.
If your dates are flexible and you perform a travel search on Google Flights or Skyscanner’s Explore tool (you can select a whole month at a time), searching for flights for the entire year, you’ll achieve the same results and technically save huge amounts of money!
1. Book Early
Flight prices change all the time, and getting cheap tickets early is one of the most important things when travelling during high season: Europe in July, for example, or Florida for Spring Break.
Generally speaking, plan on booking your flight 42-60 days before your departure (though some experts advise doing so further in advance for lower rates; calendar view booking systems, which reveal which days of the month are cheapest, can be helpful here).
2. Look for Error Fares
Cheap flights sometimes are ‘error fares’ from an airline or online travel agency – the kind of mistake that saves money on a long-distance flight! Chances are you won’t get the same targets on your schedule, but don’t miss these opportunities on deals that can save you hundreds!
Just make sure your ticket is with an carrier well-known for honouring its fares or else you could be unceremoniously dropped from the flight – and that is why it is very important to be flexible with your dates!
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Mix & Match
Flight prices are forever changing, so sometimes it is better to book individual fares rather than packages. If you have your itinerary noted, keep an eye on Google Flights and book as soon as a green price appears.
Other methods involve booking in foreign currency, using a VPN to hide your location, checking deals on last-minute deals sites, and flexibility on destination and dates can earn you dividends.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Fly on Off-Peak Days
Flights often sell for different prices depending on when in the week you travel, and tickets tend to be less expensive for flights that leave on less popular days of the week. Departures on Tuesday and Wednesday are typically cheaper than leaving on the weekend.
One of the most useful things you can do when shopping around for cheap fares is to search with flexible dates and times. Search engines like Google Flights, Hopper or Skyscanner will send you alerts letting you know when the price of the flights you’re watching goes down; there might also be apps that can do this.
5. Book Multiple Itineraries
Play the creative card by booking multiple itineraries at the same time. On the flight search engines, go for ‘multi-city’ search – listed beneath the ‘one-way’ and ‘return’ options – and enter all the origins and destinations as well as corresponding dates for all travel legs.
This is especially useful when flying from one place to another that is in its local slow season – for example, Europe to Asia – but it works anywhere if you are making several short-haul stops in the same region, in which case you can get cheap one-way tickets to each stopover destination.
6. Don’t Be Afraid to Forgo Seat Selection
Beyond the rites of wretched travel itself, choosing airline seats – an integral part of ticket-purchasing – has long been a contentious process. Should you pay extra for seats with more legroom or simply take a gamble by forgoing the upgrade?
Letting others decide your seats can be the most stressful when you’re travelling with other family members hoping to sit together, as it’s not a given that family passengers who buy basic fares will be seated next to each other at check-in. In fact, airlines feel a little more pressure to do so than before when families buy basic fares early in the booking system.
7. Don’t Be Afraid to Forgo Luggage
Consider also how many promo fares appear to be all-inclusive when, in fact, they have hidden extras linked to air taxes and sometimes even baggage fees. Check whether these extras are included in the deal, and travel as light as your luggage store, as sale fares by budget airlines such as Ryanair demand that passengers pay extra for checked-in luggage.
A lot has been written about saving money when booking flights online – some of it sheer gibberish. For instance, the idea that Tuesday is a good day to book. It is not.
8. Don’t Be Afraid to Fly on a Budget
Flights don’t have to be expensive if you know which flights are available at the cheapest fares, and how to save your pennies. If you know where to look, there are plenty of cheap flights, and some money saving ideas that can show you how to save money on flight tickets. Packed with money saving ideas to help you save money on flights, this website will have you saving money on flights, and show you cheap flights so that travelling can be affordable.
Standby open-jaw Tuesdays and Wednesdays, be flexible about where the destination might be and buy your flights multi-city with layovers for long-time to save money (it is more work on your side but it might save you money!). Search always in incognito mode!
