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If you want to know how to find cheap flights, I’m here to give you 20 tips so you can save on your next few trips and travel on a budget.
Travel by air does not necessarily require a large expense; there are plenty of means to obtain reasonably priced flights. Securing good deals on flights does not have to be complicated either, so in this article, I will explain the best strategies for finding affordable flights and attaining excellent discounts for travel. Flights provide a good starting point for saving money on your journey, but if you want to cut costs even more, you can check out my guides on the top tips for booking affordable accommodationsand obtaining reasonably priced rental vehicles, or take advantage of this promotional code for Heymondo, the top travel protection for your next trip.
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The suggestions and methods that I’m going to share may help you save money on air travel, but rates can change significantly due to demand levels as well as other factors, so unfortunately there is no single trick to finding airfare that will always be 100% effective. Because of this, I recommend utilizing as many different approaches together as possible so the next flight you take won’t end up costing an arm and a leg.
Ready to hear some excellent tips for saving money on flights? Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
1. Best airline search engines to find the cheapest flights
Most airline websites won’t display you the most affordable rates for flights, plus it’s a huge waste of time if you check every single airline individually for the best price. Instead, use search engines to check for the most inexpensive flights. That way, you’ll be able to find the best deals relatively quickly and efficiently.
A few years ago, my preferred inexpensive flight search engine was Skyscanner. They provided me the lowest price on flights in about 95% of instances. What I appreciated regarding Skyscanner is that their website allows you to see the cheapest days to fly during the month(s) of your choosing, so if you have flexibility about which day you travel, you can find better deals. Even better, you can set up price notices in case costs drop.
Furthermore, if you’re feeling that wanderlust and simply looking for an inexpensive flight anywhere, their website allows you to select “everywhere” as your destination so you can get ideas for destinations with cheap flights. They also have an inspiration map where you set your local airport, and then it displays an estimate of flight prices to most of the world’s airports at a glance.
However, because I discovered Kiwi.com, I`ve mostly relied on that search tool to obtain affordable flights, since it aggregates all of the airlines` flight options to create itineraries that are cheaper than booking a trip with only one airline. Most search engines won`t combine different airlines` flights since there is a risk with connecting flights on separate airlines, but Kiwi has its own guarantee so you can feel confident about finding prices that are lower than anywhere else, even cheaper than Skyscanner.
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2. Explore local and low-cost airlines, the best way to buy cheap flights
Interested in how to fly cheap? Always keep local and low-cost airlines in mind, since you can get better prices on flights as long as you’re willing to forfeit some of the benefits of flying with major airline companies. Though the search tools I’ve mentioned above are helpful, they sometimes fail to include very small or local carriers.
Different countries and regions around the world have their own low-cost and local airline providers, so being aware of these inexpensive airlines might help you access deals you otherwise wouldn’t be able to find.
The cheapest airlines to fly with
The primary budget airlines operating within the United States are: Frontier,Spirit Airlines,Southwest, Allegiant Air,Sun Country Airlines, and JetBlue.
For Asia, the following low-cost carriers can be found: Air Asia,Tiger Air,Jeju Air,JetStar,Hong Kong Express,Scoot,Peach Air,Spice Jet,Spring Airlines,Nok Air,T’Way Airlines,Cebu Pacific,Lion Air, and VietJet Air.
Low-cost airlines in Europe embrace: Vueling,Ryanair,Easyjet,Eurowings,Norwegian, and Wizz Air.
If you’re traveling to or from any of these areas and you don’t see these airlines appear in the search engine when you look for cheap flights, I recommend visiting the airlines’ official websites and looking at their prices. Sometimes, comparing prices on different sites is the key to finding the most inexpensive flight.
Certainly, booking through low-cost airlines has some downsides to consider. Checked bags likely won’t be incorporated into the cost of your flight. The seats might be quite cramped and compact. You probably won’t get served meals, even on long flights. Generally, flights are scheduled either extremely early in the morning or very late at night. If you do reserve a low-cost flight with a budget carrier, ensure you’re willing to tolerate any or all of these potential conditions!
3. Be flexible with your dates to get the cheapest flight to anywhere
If you truly desire to acquire the most inexpensive flights, you must be adaptable regarding travel dates. For instance, I explored Kiwi.com for a trip in September from any airport in New York City to Madrid, Spain, and, as can be seen below, costs differ greatly from one day to another. Even a couple days can produce a variance. A flight would cost me $304 on September 26th but would be $187 ($117 cheaper!) just three days before on September 23rd.
When choosing Kiwi.com for flight searches, selecting “Anytime” as your departure date allows flexibility with dates. The length of your trip or desired month of travel can also be specified so the algorithm determines the most affordable flight dates through a pricing table.
You can also obtain date proposals from Skyscanner to aid you in detecting the most affordable flight anywhere. Instead of selecting a precise date, choose “Whole month.” You can leave it as such to check the most affordable month for flights out of the next twelve or tell Skyscanner which month you would like to travel.
4. Open your mind to new destinations to get cheap international flights
Seeking inexpensive flights and exploring new locales simultaneously can be achieved by investigating the most affordable flight availability from your local airport.
If you don’t have a specific place in mind but just want to travel anywhere, use Kiwi.com to find the most budget-friendly destination from your airport. Select your closest airport and put “Anywhere” as your desired destination to find the best cheap flight destinations for you.
You can also utilize Kiwi’s inspiration map to find affordable flights; you select your airport, and then the website shows you an estimate of flight pricing to various airports around the world.
You can also accomplish the same goal using Skyscanner. Choose “Everywhere” as your destination then assess your results on a map.
5. Find the cheapest flights at nearby airports
If you wish to purchase an inexpensive flight ticket, you may want to consider departing from an airport that is not the closest one to your location, even if you need to travel by train or drive to a different city. Sometimes, taking off from or arriving at an alternate city can cost you less, even with some added traveling.
We live in Philadelphia, yet we like to return home to Spain every once in a while. Even though there are non-stop flights from Philly to Spain, it’s frequently less expensive for us to fly out of Newark or JFK. Even driving to New Jersey/New York and leaving our automobile in a parking area for a couple weeks, on top of the price for the flight, generally costs less than flying directly from Philly. Last year, we even spared ourselves $500 because we took a bus to Newark to catch the flight to Madrid.
You can match prices manually to locate the most affordable flight, or you can expand your destination by a 250 km radius on Kiwi.com.
6. Travel when no one else wants to travel to find cheap plane tickets
One of the best approaches to obtaining discounted flights is to travel when few others are, such as very early in the morning or late at night, just after a major holiday like in late January after Christmas, or during the low season for visitors.
Avoid school breaks and weekend travel (leaving on Friday and returning on Sunday). Departing in the afternoon and arriving in the morning is regularly the most cost-effective choice for flights.
As we mentioned earlier, if you truly want to get inexpensive flights, it can help to be adaptable with your travel dates. Make an effort to avoid traveling on weekends (Friday-Sunday), during peak tourist season (particularly summer months), and on dates of an important event/holiday (Christmas, Easter, etc.). Also try to avoid peak travel hours during the day as well. As we just stated, doing your outward journey in the afternoon and returning in the morning often results in cheaper rates than flying at other times during the day/night. Additionally, your best choice for inexpensive flights is to fly during the week.
Flexibility with your dates and times will help you be able to fly at the optimal moments to obtain low-cost flights, so do endeavor to be as adaptable as you can.
7. Two one-way plane tickets could help you find the cheapest flight
Often, one of the best ways to book flights involves getting creative. Purchasing two one-way tickets could save you a significant amount of money.
It is perfectly acceptable to use flights from different airlines as part of one`s travel itinerary. Sometimes, flying to one`s destination with one carrier before returning on another represents the optimal arrangement.
In fact, purchasing a return ticket with the same company isn’t constantly the most cost-effective choice, so make certain you research all of your possibilities first. Always check if booking two one-way tickets might be cheaper for you.
8. Return from a different airport than the one you arrived at
Sometimes, returning from an airport other than one`s arrival point could cost less, particularly if traveling an extensive distance at the destination. This is an excellent way to find reasonable aircraft tickets, and it may even allow for adding extra travel.
For example, we did this on our Southeast Asia trip. We arrived at Singapore and departed from Kuala Lumpur, since we were traveling to different locations. The flight to return to Singapore from Bali at the end of our trip was far more expensive than going to Kuala Lumpur and getting our flight home from there, so we opted for the cheaper option instead. We saved $200, plus we were able to visit an extra city.
9. Plan the connecting flights yourself to find the cheapest flights
Direct flights are incredibly convenient and will save you a lot of time, but they’re often quite costly. If you want to travel economically, look into getting connecting flights instead.
Most of the search engines we’ve mentioned only check for connecting flights with the exact same airline as this makes it quite straightforward to get another flight at no cost if you miss your flight. However, you could potentially find even better prices on flights by examining combining connections involving different airlines. You might also want to explore utilizing different layover durations and airports as well as variances in flight times.
The approach to save money is to book two separate flights so you’ve planned the connecting flight yourself. Specifically, instead of letting the search tool do all the preparation for you and automatically pick where your layover will be, you book two different flights and plan the layover yourself. However, be certain to book the flights with enough time in between for you to be able to catch the second flight.
This methodology permits you to select a mix of flights/carriers that will save you the most money, although it can be risky, because if you miss your connecting flight, the airline probably won’t get you on the next one. Definitely avoid tight connections.
This approach to obtaining inexpensive flights can prove to be very beneficial, specifically if you wish to take a local airline that isn’t accessible through a search engine. For instance, during our last trip to the Lofoten Islands, we booked our flight from Philadelphia to Bodo, Norway with Skyscanner. We then scheduled our flight from Bodo to Leknes with Wideroe, a quite small company that solely flies within Norway. We left at least six hours between flights so we wouldn’t feel stressed.
For additional protection, booking with Kiwi.com or airwander.com will ensure a guaranteed connection regardless of airline combination.
You are able to reserve multi-day pauses (also termed stopovers) through Airwander. These stopovers have the potential to save a considerable amount of money, since Airwander aids in identifying the best location to pause based on your itinerary specifics, plus you get to explore an entirely new city! You even get to choose how many days you want to invest in your stopover.
10. Set airfare alerts to detect price drops on flights
Purchasing economical airline tickets does not need to be a troublesome or stressful method. You can help save a lot of cash by just activating price fall alerts on flights that you’re thinking about. Therefore, you’ll always be knowledgeable of if prices are high or low so you can make the most informed judgement about when you purchase your tickets. Keep in mind, though, that this trick only works if you know the precise dates of your trip.
We tend to apply Skyscanner to pursue planes, though there are other search tools that can assist you seek inexpensive flights, like Google Flights and Kayak. You can also employ Hopper, one of the top travel applications that we utilize to ascertain the best time to book a flight (we’ll discuss this app with the next tip).
11. How to find cheap flights by booking at exactly the right time
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Websites analyze price graphs for flights and assess whether costs may decrease further or have reached their lowest point. Hopper uses such technology to forecast the exact moment to purchase tickets, which they assert can help save up to 40%.”
This app can be a wonderful way to find inexpensive flights, but if you find an offer and you believe it’s a good one, don’t wait; purchase your tickets instantly.
12. Catch error rates and get the cheapest flights
If you have complete flexibility on when you can travel, another choice for getting the best airfare deals is to try to catch pricing mistakes.
Sometimes, for a brief timeframe, airlines mistakenly list a flight cost that is much cheaper than regular. If you manage to catch these errors promptly, you may be able to secure yourself an extremely good deal on a flight.
However, purchasing tickets of this nature presents the potential for subsequent cancellation. Additionally, the airline may alter pricing during the transaction preventing acquisition of the initially low cost observed.
That’s why this strategy is all about being swift. As soon as you notice that good price, reserve it as promptly as possible. The following websites contain dedicated pages with information on detecting error rates:
- Scott’s Low Airfare Alerts
- AirFare Watchdog
- Secret Flying
- The Flight Deal
- A website related to traveling
13. Don’t wait for the last-minute flight deal that never comes
We all love getting an inexpensive international flight if possible. That`s why I always recommend looking at flights as soon as you know the dates for your next vacation.
You obtain additional time to seek out the finest flight offers, you can register for all the helpful newsletters you want to follow along with, and you can activate alerts if you`re browsing for a flight that`s between six to twelve months away.
If your flight departs within six months, don`t wait for last-minute deals, especially during peak tourism. Personally, I advise searching early to take advantage of good rates and book as soon as affordable.
If you know when and where you’re headed, do not wait until the last minute to book in hopes of a better price. Beyond a certain point, flight costs are only going to increase.
Check Hopper if you want assistance. Only delay purchasing tickets if the app advises it`s too soon to buy them. Otherwise, don`t wait any longer.
14. Search ticket prices for individual travelers and find the best deals on flights
One of the best suggestions for booking affordable flights is to search for tickets for a single traveler rather than two or more.
When searching for flights for two or more individuals, prices are regularly more expensive because the search engine is looking for flights where that number of seats is accessible together. Rather, search for flights for one individual and then add on more travelers. That way, you can get the best price for your plane tickets, even if you and your travel buddies don’t get to sit together.
15. Check if you can get discounted flights by paying in other currencies
Prior to booking your next flight, think about whether the cost may be less if you paid in a different currency.
Typically, you pay in the currency of the nation from which you’re booking, but there are actually companies that will allow you to pay in currencies besides your own. If you use a specific travel credit card that gives you a great currency exchange rate, or, even better, if the card doesn’t charge you any foreign transaction fees, use the card and pay in another currency to aid you in getting a great price on a flight.
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16. Use airline miles and travel credit cards to get discounts on plane tickets
Joining an airline`s loyalty program or using points from a travel credit card are both great ways to acquire discounted rates on plane tickets.
When joining an airline`s customer loyalty program, you earn points or miles each time you fly with that carrier. The points or miles accrued can then be used toward flights or other travel purchases, so you can obtain discounted or even free flights.
While committing to a sole airline is not always feasible, especially when other carriers provide more affordable travel options, registering with an airline rewards program for one utilized often can yield significant savings over time. Even when booking flights through search engines like Kiwi.com or Skyscanner, travelers can still accrue the mileage with their airline of choice for redemptions down the road.
Travel credit cards operate in a manner comparable to this. You obtain points for every purchase that you make, and those points can then be used to acquire travel expenditures, such as flights, lodging, and vehicle rentals. Again, relying on the amount of points earned, you may be able to procure flights at an immense discount rate or even completely free of charge, which will save you a considerable amount of money.
Two voyager credit cards are recommended: the Capital One Venture Rewards card and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.
The Capital One Venture Rewards credit card provides you with unlimited 2x miles per dollar spend, and you can earn 50,000 bonus points if you spend $3,000 within the first three months of opening the account. In terms of affordable trips, this card is really practical. Your miles never expire, so you can redeem them whenever fits your schedule, and there are no blackout dates for utilizing the miles, so you never have to worry about being restricted to certain times. Best of all, you can redeem the miles to fly any airline.
Of course, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is an equally excellent option. Every time you use your card for travel and dining expenses, you get 2x points, and you can get an extra $750 (60,000 points) in travel credit if you spend $4,000 within three months of opening your account. You even get 25% more value on your points if you spend them on flights, hotels, rentals of vehicles, and other travel expenses, so this is a great card if you’re an avid traveler.
17. How to get cheap flights by skipping extras you don’t need
Still wondering how one can obtain cheap flights affordably? This suggestion is relatively straightforward: avoid paying extra for things you do not necessarily require.
Certain airline corporations charge you for practically everything: choosing a seat, checking luggage, bringing carry-on baggage, etc. When purchasing your flight, research the company that you’re buying your ticket from and find out what travel elements they charge for.
Avoid purchasing extras when possible to save money on your flight. Question whether you truly need to select a certain seat or check luggage.
Rather than insisting on a specific seat, accept whatever location is randomly assigned to you (odds are it won’t be intolerable), and don’t lug excess baggage that isn’t truly necessary. If wanting an even deeper price cut, examine whether discount offers exist for defined clienteles, for instance students.
18. Cheap flight hacks worth trying even if they don’t work anymore
You may have heard various tips and methods touted for obtaining inexpensive airplane tickets over time. One commonly mentioned strategy is that the ideal day of the week to purchase airline tickets is Tuesday, for example, or using private browser windows so websites don`t recognize repeat visitors. Another frequently suggested notion is booking flights at certain times of the day to get the best deals.
Regrettably, most of these methods have been proven ineffective nowadays. They may have worked previously, but with current advanced algorithms, the system has become too clever to outwit.
Nevertheless, if you’re truly invested in acquiring a quality deal on a flight, it may be worthwhile to test out these outdated techniques, just in case they prove effective. So delete those browser cookies, always search in a private browser window or incognito mode, and look for deals on Tuesdays and at three in the afternoon. After all, it can’t cause any harm to try!
19. Flying is not always the most convenient option
One potentially cheaper way to travel than taking a flight might involve using a train, bus, or ferry instead to reach your destination. In fact, sometimes utilizing public transportation is much more affordable than flying.
For example, if one desires to journey from one European nation to another, taking a bus or train is an excellent, affordable way to travel. Likewise, if wanting to go between islands in Indonesia, taking a ferry can be much more fun and inexpensive than using air transportation. Even within the USA, taking a bus or possibly a train between cities could help save a significant amount of money.
The next time air travel is required, broaden your choices. Compare prices for all potential transportation methods available, and opt for the most affordable option.
20. Don’t spend too much time looking for the best airfare deals
It is understandable to focus primarily on finding very cheap flights, but it is important not to obsess too much over discovering an exceptional deal for airfare. Simply follow the tips for obtaining low-cost flights outlined in this article, and aim to save as much money as you feasibly can.
If you have to dedicate numerous hours in front of a computer screen just to discover a good deal, it’s likely not worth the time investment. Kiwi.com and Skyscanner can help you save a lot of time by finding deals without extensive searching. And keep in mind: making travel more affordable doesn`t just have to mean lowering flight costs. You can also cut travel expenses by saving on vehicle rentals or finding inexpensive lodging.
Those constitute all of our advice for getting affordable flights costs! We hope that you enjoy them and apply them to get awesome deals on your next flight. Also, here I tell you how to travel with a small budget anywhere in the world. Happy flying!
P.S: Have you had an air travel cancellation in the past 3 years? Here I explain how to obtain reimbursement for a delayed or canceled flight. We utilize AirHelp.
