Finding flight tickets at an affordable price is quite a task when you start planning for your trip.
The airfares keep on changing every minute, hence it becomes difficult to grab the flight tickets at the best pricing available and save a few extra bucks.
Well, if you are on the same page as us and trying to find a way to get the best flight deals for your upcoming trip, then you have landed at the right place.
With this post, you will get to know all about how to find cheap flights online and save your money!
Keep on reading.
1. Be flexible when it comes to your travel dates
Flight tickets are usually cheaper on certain days of the month.
Some people have discovered that you can grab the cheapest flight deals on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
However, it may not always be the case hence we recommend you check the entire month’s pricing before you make the flight ticket booking.
If you don’t have any commitments at your destination on any specific dates – then you can try to be more flexible with your travel dates in order to get the cheapest possible flight deals.
Try not to plan your departure date on a weekend (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) as a majority of people travel on those days, thus making the ticket prices quite steep.
It is always better (and cheaper) to travel in the middle of the week. Furthermore, as far as the flight timing goes, early-morning or late-night flights usually tend to be cheaper because fewer people want to travel at such wee hours.
2. Opt for local airlines – even if they fall under the budget category
Certain budget airlines take a blow for not having the quality of service that you would expect from regular airline service.
However, being budget-friendly is not equal to low quality!
Travelling through a luxurious and expensive airline carrier is a one-of-a-kind experience. Understand that when you are on a shoestring budget, there is no harm in opting for local airlines that are budget-friendly.
It may not give you the most comfortable experience, but at least it won’t break the bank unnecessarily!
Flying local is also like flying inexpensively! E.g. If you are flying from Sri Lanka, you should take a look at the flight prices offered by Sri Lankan airlines and you will surely find out that their flights are comparatively cheaper than other international airline carriers.
3. Book your flight tickets in advance
Booking your flight tickets in advance not only saves you money but also a lot of hassle that may come with last-minute flight bookings!
You can do thorough research about pricing, cancellation/refund policies, check-in baggage allowance, and much more.
Ideally, you should consider booking your flight 3 months in advance to get the cheapest flight tickets.
Sometimes the travel plans are made on a whim, but we suggest that you should book your tickets as soon as your destinations and departure date are fixed.
As your travel date approaches, the airfare will start to increase. You can be at peace by booking your flight ticket well in advance (with some extra cash saved in your account!).
4. Night owls have a leg up!
Flight tickets are sometimes cheaper at midnight from Monday through Wednesday.
So if you are a night owl, you certainly have a leg up here!
Surf the internet for your flight ticket pricing after 12 am and compare that pricing with what you see in the daytime. You snooze, you lose – this idiom applies perfectly in this scenario.
5. Collect air miles points – stay loyal!
Being loyal to just one airline for all of your travels has its brownie points!
As a part of their loyalty program, almost all airline carriers across the world offer you “air miles points” that in turn, can be used to avail discounts during flight bookings.
These points are generally applicable for domestic flights only, however, if you manage to collect a lot of points, you get qualified to travel to any of your dream destinations too with the discounts.
6. Change the currency while booking
On foreign airlines, booking through the foreign version of their website and paying in a foreign currency may occasionally result in a lower price.
It is definitely worth checking the foreign version of the website to see if there is any price difference! If you do find out that the flight tickets are considerably cheaper through the other country’s website – you can make your booking through any international credit card that you may have.
Make sure your credit card has no international transaction fees before making your booking because it will add to the cost.
7. Take leverage of student discounts
If you are a school or a college student, we have a piece of good news for you!
A lot of airline carriers offer 10% to 20% off in student discounts on flight ticket bookings.
If you don’t know whether the airline carrier you are planning to pick offers this kind of discount or not, you can always ask your travel agent who can get it checked for you.
8. Travelling in a group? Look for individual prices instead!
It is a no-brainer that if you are travelling in a group – say – with your family or friends, then you would ideally search for flight ticket prices for multiple people.
Airline carriers charge you more when you book multiple tickets in a single purchase.
For example, if you are planning to travel in a group of 4 people and you are checking prices for 4 seats, the airline carrier will show you the total airfare price based on the highest ticket price. So if seat 1 is priced at $200 USD, seats 2 and 3 are priced at $300 USD, and seat D is priced at $400 USD, the airline carrier will price the tickets at $400 USD for each ticket instead of adding up the individual ticket prices that are different from each other.
This is why you should book separate tickets for all the people travelling with you – you may not get seated together on the flight, but at least you will be saving a lot of money.
We hope these tips will help you save some money during your future travels. Finding cheap flights does take some effort, but with the tips shared above, we are sure that this task will become easier for you from now on!
Author Bio:
Dhanaraj Wijemanne is a travel blogger & destination expert living in Sri Lanka and works for local tourism companies like Arabiers Sri Lanka. If you have been looking forward to touring Srilanka, getting a visa worldwide, extending stays and exploring the city, you can follow him on social media.
