If you book your flight online, you could save a lot of money by knowing where to look. There are a number of tricks of the trade when it comes to booking cheap flights online. It is important to become accustomed with some of the best tips for saving money the next time you have to travel by air. Get to where you want to go, but for the lowest price available.
Start by planning your vacation or business trip with flexibility in mind. Whether you book online or offline, you can usually save money if you travel on days when other people are not traveling. That means that the least expensive days to fly will almost always be Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. The exception to this rule is if there is a holiday on one of those days. Flights are always more expensive around holidays when people typically travel to visit their families.
Booking a cheap flight online is all about price comparison. Online travel agencies and other sites let you see the prices before you book. Be careful to note the prices as quickly as possible and, if it is included, check out how many seats are left at the quoted price. This is not a ploy by either the sites or the airlines to get you to buy. Most websites have a certain number of tickets, and if you do not book your flight quickly, you could miss out on a deal. Some websites have a time limit as to when your offer will expire, and the deal may still be available if you search for a flight the next day, or the price might be higher. That is a risk you take when you do not book immediately.
Once you have seen the prices available through the travel websites, you should have a good idea which airlines run routes between your point of origin and your destinations. You can then go to the airlines’ websites and check on flight tickets directly from them. In many cases you can actually save money this way because you will not have to pay booking fees to work through a third party. Some airlines do not have online ticket purchasing options, so you may have to call them to find out about prices for flights. Do not overlook this option, though, especially if you are flying overseas or have very flexible dates. You could save hundreds of dollars.
You can also attempt to bid on flight prices; however this effort usually yields a price that is close to most competitors. With this service, you choose the destination, the number of layovers you are willing to include, and your dates of travel. Then, you enter the amount you are willing to pay for the ticket.
There are opportunities; however, you can find a flight at a lower price than the listed flight on the site. The downside here is that once you enter your bid, you are committing to pay for it if the flight is available. They’ll tell you within a few minutes if your price was accepted, and your credit card will be charged. So, you should only use this option if you’re absolutely certain you want to book a flight. This works best when you need to book a flight at the last minute, since airports lower the bid amounts they’ll accept if they want to fill seats.
Sometimes, online travel websites run specials where you can enter a coupon code to get a cheaper flight when you book between certain dates. Other sites may also run specials where you can save money on a future flight if you sign up for a membership with them. Be wary of any site where you have to pay a monthly fee to be a member. Your credit card will most likely be automatically charged every month, and you may have to wait six months or more before you qualify for your discount. In the end, this could end up costing you money unless you were going to pay for the service anyway. If you do sign up for a membership service, make sure you remember to call and cancel as soon as you get your discount.
You can also sometimes find coupon codes online. Use your favorite search engine website to look for the name of a travel site and “discount” or “coupon.” The availability of coupons and other discounts changes daily in most cases, and they aren’t always available, but it is worth a shot. Be aware, at least, that these deals are out there if you’re willing to look for them. In general, booking a cheap flight online isn’t as hard as you may think. Certain destinations will always been expensive, but if you take the time to research your options, you could save a lot of money.
Suzanne Bradley is a freelance writer who writes about the travel industry discussing tips and offering suggestions about working with a travel agency.
