To find cheap flights, you need to avoid peak travel time.
There are two factors to consider here:
- Cheapest time to fly
- Best time to book
Cheapest time to fly
The cheapest time to fly is:
- January through mid-May
- September through early December
The most expensive time to fly is:
- Peak summer (mid-June through mid-August)
- Christmas/New Year’s
How cheap or expensive a flight will be can vary a bit by destination. For example, if you want to visit Kyoto in Japan during the cherry blossom season, you cannot expect to find cheap flights, even if you book months in advance!
Cheapest time to book
There are different theories on the best time to book based on the type of flight you are after. If you need to fly during the peak and holiday season, the best time to start looking is as soon as the flights are released by airlines (usually 11-12 months in advance).
For other times of the year, the “sweet spot” varies a lot, but this is usually what works best:
- Domestic flights: 1 to 3 months in advance
- International flights: 4 to 8 months in advance
Is there a best day to fly?
Years ago, airlines would add more fares on Tuesdays, which is why you will find many websites telling you to book on that day. Today, airlines load new fares all the time, which means there is no perfect day to book.
Usually, flying on Friday and Sunday is more expensive, as most people book on those days, and airlines and hotels tend to increase prices. So, if you can book your flights mid-week, you will likely find cheaper tickets.
8. Master travel hacking and fly for free
If you are reading this, you want to find the cheapest price for your flight.
But what if I told you that you could get that same flight for free? You can, using the magical world of travel hacking!
Travel hacking has been around for a while, and it can help you to fly for free or get that incredible business class international seat for an economy price! It’s what frequent travelers and travel bloggers use to save loads of money.
Don’t believe me? Find out how Leslie has saved hundreds of dollars using credit card reward points!
Lesley from Freedom 56 Travel
“My best tip for cheap flights is to focus most of your travel with one airline alliance group, like Star Alliance or Oneworld.
Once you pick your alliance group, you can use a credit card connected to the airline alliance you fly with the most. Use that credit for everything, but make sure you pay it off every month (to avoid being charged interest). With the sign-up bonus and monthly spending, you’ll quickly have enough points for almost-free flights.
I use American Express cards for most of my spending and convert the points to Aeroplan points, which I use on Star Alliance airlines. I recently booked two flights to Europe (in Business Class!) on Aeroplan points and paid less than $300 for both tickets!
Advanced travel hackers churn credit cards for the best sign-up bonuses and accumulate amazing amounts of points.”
If you want to become a travel hack expert, you’ll love this 100% free travel course from Ed on the ChooseFI website.
9. Budget airlines are your best friend
They are called budget airlines for a reason! If you are serious about finding the cheapest way to travel, you might have to sacrifice some comfort to save money.
So what are you giving up?
Typically you will have:
- Less legroom
- No free food and drinks
- No baggage allowance
Always make sure to check the fine print with budget airlines. And consider all the extras you’ll have to pay before you buy your ticket.
Some of the extras you need to keep in mind:
- Charges for checked bags (and now charges for hand luggage, too – see Ryanair)
- Fees for using debit or credit cards to pay
- Printing your boarding pass (yep, thanks Ryanair, again!)
Also, remember to check the location of your departure and arrival airport. Most budget airlines fly to smaller airports further away from the town center. It’s not a good deal to save on airfare if you then have to spend the extra money to reach your true destination.
| United States | Australia & New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Sun Country Airlines | Jetstar |
| Allegiant Air | Tiger Air |
| Frontier | |
| Spirit Airlines | |
| Southwest | |
| Jet Blue |
You can find even more low-cost airlines all over the world here.
TIP: If you subscribe to airline newsletters, you will get sale information ahead of everyone else and might be able to snap a bargain. Also, by signing up to Facebook pages or Twitter feeds, you might hear about great deals.
10. Mix and match
Flying with different airlines (or to different destinations!) might give you the cheapest option.
Different airlines
Some more traditional flight search engines like Expedia will only show you a return flight with the same airline. But by using websites like:
When you perform a search, they will automatically look for the cheapest route, even if it means booking your return with a different airline.
TIP: Normally, buying a return ticket is much cheaper, but you should always compare the price of two one-way tickets instead of opting straight away for a return flight! You could find a good deal!
Pick a different destination
Another great tip in the “Mix and much” category is to book a flight to a different destination. Yes, that’s right!
Check out Adam’s tip below:
Adam from Aowanders
“The single greatest deterrent to most travel plans is airfare, and as any long-term traveler can attest to, is also the biggest portion of their budget. Here in the United States, it’s slim pickings when it comes to budget airlines, but with a couple of travel hacks, you’ll discover how to find cheap flights to any destination.”
“My favorite trick to finding cheap flights is what I like to call “layover cherries.”
This is where you book a flight to one destination but intend to travel to another destination.
Let me give you an example:
Let’s say you want to fly to Denver, but the one-way flight is $183 from Minneapolis. You can find round-trip flights from Minneapolis to Salt Lake City with a Denver layover for less than $130! Or one-way tickets to Las Vegas with a Denver layover for less than $100. Simply hop off in Denver, and your ongoing seat will be sold or given to someone on standby. Win-win for you and the airline!”
11. Become a social media guru
Did you know that if you follow airlines on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you might score some amazing deals?
When an airline opens a new route or has a juicy discount, they might first reveal the deals on their social media channels.
Another great way to be the first to know about cheap airfare tickets is to be part of Facebook groups in your area that specialize in travel or follow some of your favorite travel bloggers. They always seem to know about cheap flight prices before anyone else.
Ming Lee from Flyerism
“I am a loyal fan of a few travel bloggers on Facebook. They constantly update their followers on the latest flight deals that you may not be able to find on Skyscanner or Google Flight. Over the years, I’ve managed to snatch some really good deals.
For example, AirAsia launched a new route from Kuala Lumpur to Lanzhou (China) on March 8th. On March 7th, I saw the news on a Facebook travel page.
On the following day, at midnight, I logged into my AirAsia account and scored two return tickets to Lanzhou at just $95 per person. A few hours later, the airfare had raised considerably. Today, you would have to spend more than $300 to travel the same route as me!”
12. Travel light
You might think that packing only a few items of clothing isn’t possible on a long flight. I used to be like you. I always packed a big suitcase, no matter where I was going: if I was away for more than three days, I needed everything!
But since I started traveling more, I learned the importance of traveling light!
Carrying only a few items with you not only helps to reduce the amount of stuff you have to wheel around (ever tried to carry a big piece of luggage in the desert?! It’s not fun!) but can also help you to save lots of money on your flight.
And it seems I am not the only one to use this tip:
Chhavi & Amit from Mrs. Daaku Studio
“If you travel regularly, the easiest way to save money is only to carry hand baggage! You can avoid the notorious check-in baggage fees (which can range from $20-125 depending on the airline).
Besides that, many airlines offer a special price for travelers who do not want to bring in any check-in luggage. It’s also known as a “cabin baggage-only flight.” My husband and I have saved 25-50% of the regular flight ticket price by doing this.
If you can fit everything in hand baggage for international trips (which is possible!), you can save a lot and instead spend it on things that you love.”
Now you know how to find cheap flights!
Ready for your holiday?
Follow these strategies, and the next time you need to find the cheapest airfare tickets, you will save money, time, and irritation!
Do you have any other tips you would like to share? I am always open to trying new tricks!
