Looking for cheap airfares can be frustrating and tedious.
The good news is there are some coupons and deals out there – you just need to know how to find them.
We’d like to help you do this, so we’ve come up with some golden tips to help you hunt down those cheap ticket prices. Once you’ve learned these processes, you’ll never buy an overpriced airline ticket again.
Try to buy early
Buying an airline ticket early is the first move you can make to find cheap airfares. In general, airline ticket prices go up during the week before the flight date. If you can, buy the ticket as early as possible.
For international flights, it’s best to book about four or five months out from the flight date to get a discounted price. For national flights, you can book a bit later on but even so, don’t leave it too late. And if you are planning a trip around Australia, here’s a breakdown on what it’ll cost you.
Search for flight tickets using incognito mode
While searching for cheap airfares, use your browser’s incognito tab. Sometimes the flight booking websites use cookies to track you, and if they notice you’ve returned to the site, sometimes they increase the prices. Using incognito, they won’t be able to see that you’ve been there before.
Consider different airports
If there are more than two airports near you then, check the airfares of each. Often the prices can vary between the two.
Book on the best day of the week
Do you know prices can vary depending on which day of the week you book your flight? According to statistics, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the most suitable days to get cheap airfares.
Take the time to explore different website’s prices too, like Emirates flight offers, AA booking deals, and Aeromexico cheap flights.
Use flight websites
Sites like Kiwi, Momondo, and Skyscanner are some of the best websites on which to find affordable flights. Of these three, Kiwi.com is often the best.
Using these websites, you can apply particular filters to find the best trips depending on what kind of holiday you’re looking for. You can search for airfares in different categories such as Economy, Premium Economy, Business and First Class.
Finding mistake fares
Have you heard of mistake fares? It’s when cheap flights become available due to a fault in the airline reservation system. Visit ScottsCheapFlights.com to find recent mistake fares.
If you subscribe Scotts’ email list, you will regular updates on the latest mistake fares.
Booking directly with an airline
Sometimes if you book with the airline directly you don’t have to pay extra fees and charges, like you sometimes have to through intermediate websites.
Another benefit of booking directly is that you can liaise with them directly about refunds for flight cancellations.
Avoid peak travel periods
During the holidays or other peak travel periods, the market for flights is overcrowded and airfares are generally more expensive.
According to businessinsider.com, the Sunday that comes after the Fourth of July is considered as the most expensive time to travel in the US in the summer.
To save big bucks, avoid travelling to cities when they have large events on, such as the World Cup.
And get creative if you do need to travel in these periods. For example, if you want to visit family at Christmas, book your flight for Christmas Day and save hundreds of dollars.
Compare different airfares
Different airline companies charge different fees for each flight, so make sure you look at the cost in its entirety when comparing fares. Sometimes the cheaper fare may not seem such a bargain when you add your luggage and flight tax costs.
AirFareWatchDog is a good website for showing you the additional costs and taxes charged by different airline companies.
Choose individual tickets over group purchases
If you want to sit with all your family members on a flight, some airlines will charge you a premium for the privilege.
Try searching the fares individually, rather than purchasing for the whole family at once, to see if this saves you some money.
When checking in at the airport, you can always ask to be seated next to each other.
Join reward programs
It can be worthwhile to sign up to reward programs or credit card companies that give you points towards your flights. Some companies like Southwest Airlines give you 60,000 points after signing up for their credit card. And with these 60,000 points, you can book any flight in the United States.
You can use Chase Sapphire card to access exclusive discount deals immediately, too.
The hunt for the bargain fare is on
Hopefully, you now have some tools at your disposal for finding cheap airfares for your next trip.
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