How To Save Money When Booking Flights

There are many key things to consider when you are planning a vacation, and the key to good prices is booking well ahead of time, booking on particular days, and knowing when to book. A good understanding of all of this is best acquired over time and sometimes also by making mistakes. Taking part in programs that offer miles or credit card reward points in return for spending on a credit card is a great way to end up with free flyer miles or hotel stays, or statement cash back on travel purchases, but this isn’t the only way to get good prices on travel.

Generally, the BEST days to travel are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Other people may have their own thoughts on this, but I always get better deals when I fly on one of these days. Sometimes if you are doing a weekend trip and need to leave on a Friday, you are left with no other choice, but if it is possible to fly a day earlier, like on a Thursday, you’ll often find much better flight deals. How far in advance do you need to book a flight? At least 6 weeks at minimum is my advice. Any less than this, and the flights start creeping up. If you can get a great deal months before this, go for it! Around 1-3 months in advance, you can usually see best pricing for domestic flights, and around 2-6 months in advance for best international pricing. We previously booked a one-way flight from Orlando to London for $200, including taxes, bag fees, and a seat fee. I could’ve booked a round-trip flight for $600, but I chose to book a rewards flight home with air miles instead, which were acquired through a credit card program.

The flight described above was booked 6 months in advance. So, while some people say that’s too far in advance to get a good deal, this proves otherwise. Getting a one-way ticket for $200 or a round-trip ticket for $500-600 during the summer months is a ridiculous steal. Normally, round-trip flights to Europe from the US in the summertime range from $800-$1300. How did I get a good price? I use multiple flight search engines to compare flights. I also decide where I am going and if there are other good ways to get there. For example, for the flight I booked to London, London actually was not my intended destination, but it was the cheapest way to get from one continent to the other. My final destination was Venice, but once I got to London, I could book a Europe-to-Europe flight for less than $100, sometimes even as cheap as $30. This is a good idea if you are going to a different continent, but would not be useful if you were flying from North America to somewhere else in North America. While I may not have intended to spend any time in London to begin with, I may now choose to spend a day in London and sightsee, and then go to my intended destination the following day.

These are just a few tips on how to save money when looking for flights. If you are part of a credit card rewards scheme, this helps, but you can still get cheaper flights than normal to another country if you use some of these tips.

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