We have all been exposed to tiresome researching for cheap flights at one point or another. Prices fluctuate all the time and if you want to be frugal, you have to do a lot of work in order to get a price that works for you.
In these times, it’s good to know the best practices with which you can approach search engines in order to find what you are looking for.
Search in incognito
If you think that the price has changed several times since you last entered that website, you are not crazy – it really happened. They use cookies in your browsers to track you and if they see that the same route has been searched for over and over, the price on the website will increase to scare you. You can see more about it here.
Most people react out of fear and they book a ticket thinking that the price will increase even more. Search for the best price in incognito mode.
Use better search engines
Every search engine increases its flight price because they take a cut from the airline. Some of them do this more, some of them less. This is why it’s important to understand which ones are better.
Most cheap airlines will be available in travel search engines and you can do an additional search. You can also search for regional airlines.
Get points
Of course, the best way to go is free and it’s not impossible. All you have to do is get loyalty points and that’s it. If you have points, that’s great. But even if you don’t, you can sign up for a rewards card and spend the minimum amount on the bonus points.
You can also get a more broad travel rewards card which can allow you to use these points at any place. If you have your own business, you can get a business credit card instead and gather more points. You can even get points by shopping for everyday things and paying bills on time.
Find the cheapest day to fly
Many theories claim that you should always book flights on Tuesday to get lower prices, but this isn’t all that true. Most of the time, you will get a better price if you fly out on a weekday other than Friday, but even this isn’t a consistent thing. Here is a study on why Tuesday is no longer your best bet and when to fly instead: https://curiosity.com/topics/tuesday-is-no-longer-the-best-day-to-book-a-flight-curiosity/
The best thing to do is to track the prices on a daily basis and see which days are best for your needs. Download an app that can help you do this with more ease. Look for only one way flights because you just want to know which days are the cheapest to leave on. Tamper with the filters to make sure that you have found the best date possible.
Budget airlines
Budget airlines have cheaper tickets which is quite obvious from their name. Of course, expect this decrease in price to come with less legroom, no food or drinks, and a largely uncomfortable flight.
However, think about what you value more – your flight or spending more in your destination. This is a perfect solution if you want a really cheap solution. Learn about budget airlines and understand what it entails.
Check where the airport is because budget airlines often land on airports further from your destinations. You also need to make sure that your luggage is paid for and that you don’t bring more luggage than allowed because your prices will be hefty.
You will likely need to print out your ticket.
Search for errors in fares
Airlines will sometimes make some mistakes with their fares which means that you’ll be able to get cheaper flights. This happens for many reasons – the currency exchange, a technical mistake or simply because a human made a mistake.
If you know where to find them, you can take advantage of them. There are resources for stalking these mistakes. A good approach is to monitor everything and find mistakes that way.
Book connecting flights
If you want to fly with a transfer, you can book flights separately because it would be cheaper. Don’t book tight layovers because you might not make it. You should do it by adding one more destination to your trip. Stay in that place for one or two days until your next flight.
Do research on budget airlines in the country on the best flight booking sites you are traveling to and see where they can take you cheaply that’s close to home. Then see where you can go from there.
While it may seem like a waste of time, you can plan for this and have a much more pleasant journey to and from your destination. This way, you’ll get to experience two places instead of one.
Find a cheap place to fly to
Some people don’t know where they want to go and they might not even care as long as it’s a vacation in a safe country. This is where you can experiment and find which country is the least expensive to fly to.
You can use travel sites to search through this and find an affordable destination to fly to. Most likely, it will also be cheaper than most other places and you’ll spend less money in general.
Mix airlines
You can also mix and match your flights and airlines to find the match that works for you best and doesn’t require you to spend a fortune. This can make a big difference on bigger routes, like across the ocean or even further.
Sometimes, this will mean that the travel time is shorter too. Of course, this can be risky because you could miss your flights but you can get a guarantee from your provider, especially travel sites that can find you a flight that matches your needs in minutes.
Hidden city flights
Sometimes it’s cheaper to fly to a city where flights connect. You won’t fly directly to it, but rather to it as a stopover destination. You would book that cheaper flight and just hop off the plane there. You need to bring only carry-on luggage here because if you bring more, it could be bound to travel to the final destination of your plane.
You may not be allowed to go off the plane either and airlines can detect that you didn’t make the connection. It’s risky, but if you are willing to give it a try, you could get some savings.
