The trick to finding low cost flights has always been a bit like the box of chocolates that Forrest Gump’s mother talked about: ‘you never know which one you’re gonna get’. Some days you can find some very cheap flights and other days they seem ridiculously expensive. Low-cost is on the verge of extinction, they’re getting harder to find. But don’t fret, it’s still possible to find a good deal, there may not be any specific way to get a cheap flight but we definitely have some techniques to increase your chances of success.
Book in advance
The first way to make sure you get a cheap flight is to book early. The closer you get to your departure, the higher the cost of the ticket. The best time to book usually varies between 50 to 70 days in advance, so around 2 months before.
However if you’re planning to fly outside of Europe, or outside of your continent, that time period could as much as double. If you’re planning a long haul flight we recommend about half a year in advance to get the best price.
It’s not always easy to book a trip so far in advance, we understand, but don’t worry, we have a few more tricks up our sleeve.
Subscribe for price alerts
Whether you have a fixed destination or you haven’t decided yet, this can help you get the best bargains. So whether you know where you’re going or not, you can subscribe a newsletter, this can be helpful to get updates about exclusive offers from airline companies or comparison websites. Or you can also sign up for price alerts in most websites to get notified about cheaper offers. The same goes for accommodation websites, for example Hundredrooms compares holiday rentals all over the world and you can create price alerts to get the best deals.
Choose your credit card wisely
That’s right; the credit card which you use to pay also influences the final price. Depending on the type of card you use, a small fee is often added. So if you have a variety of cards you could use, have them at hand when you make your purchase and use the one which doesn’t charge you.
Another option is to register with the company when booking a flight. Why? Many airlines offer bonus points and discounts which you can collect every time you fly with them, in the end you might get a whole trip for free!
Check the one-way flights too
Usually the point of buying a return flight is because it makes it cheaper in the end, but in some cases, it’s actually cheaper to buy 2 separate flights. For example by flying with 2 different companies or from 2 different airports.
So check all your options to see which one is cheaper in the end.
Time is money
Time cannot be bought but it can help us to save. In other words, time is paid. And this is exactly how it is in terms of flights. The convenience of having a direct flight is something you usually pay for, as it’s probably not the cheapest option. So if its money you want to save, maybe time isn’t so much of an issue, then you can check flights which may have stopovers or even just fly back from a different airport. For example, if you’re travelling to London but interested in visiting Bristol in your trip, you could plan it around the flight and come back from the other airport if the flights are cheaper. Or you might even have to stopover in a city you didn’t intend to visit but it gives you the chance to spend a few hours exploring another interesting place.
Keep checking the calendar
Are you flexible with flying dates? Unless you certainly cannot, it’s well worth checking the days before and after for both journeys as it’s very likely that the dates you chose are not going to be the cheapest option. Play around with the dates until you find the best offer.
Book on a Tuesday?
No it’s not a joke. It’s known that Tuesday is the best day to book your flight and could save you up to 10%. In fact, the Wall Street Journal, assures that it’s not only Tuesday you have to book on but at 3pm!
Weekends and bank holidays are your enemy
Yes, unfortunately this is the case, when people have the most free time, the demand increases, and a growth in demand means a growth in price. For this reason, Christmas, Easter and the summer months are the worst times to fly in terms of price and space. Try to fly in the off peak months to get a better offer.
Early or late
Your flying times can also affect your journey, it’s usually less popular to fly at 6am or 11pm so check these times first. If you fly in the morning you get an extra day and if you leave at night you end with a full day too. Just add up the pros and cons to see which is best.
Leave your wardrobe at home
Sorry everyone but excess baggage costs more money. It’s easier to travel light with just hand luggage and much cheaper. So unless you actually need if you can leave all but your essentials at home. Because let’s face it, we usually don’t use half the things we take with us on holiday anyway.
Once you’ve decided what you do want to bring, you can try to pack it in the best way to make sure it doesn’t take up too much space, such as rolling your clothes or packing things into your shoes.
Choose a random destination!
This is definitely the best way to save money on your trip. The only downside is that rather than the trip adapting to you, you need to adapt to the trip.
- Skyscanner has the option for you to select ‘anywhere’ as a destination.
- Kayak allows you to check all the offers that fit your budget and dates
- Edreams allows you to check the special offers for that day
- Last minute is a page where you can check last minute flights
Have a set destination in mind? These websites offer varied prices for your destination.
Golden travel tip
Welcome to the world of Matrix, and no it has nothing to do with the film, but rather to get a cheap trip. This google software will allow you to select several airports as a destination and search the calendar for an entire month to find the day with the lowest prices.
Being a search engine means the tickets cannot be bought directly from this website but it will redirect you to the airline to make the purchase.
Extra tip: wherever you decide to travel to you can get offers for cheap accommodation in Hundredrooms and if you sign up to our newsletter you can receive alerts for price changes and new offers. Saving on the flight is great but it goes hand in hand with getting the best accommodation offers.
