No matter the kind of adventure you intend to embark on or the type of lifestyle, it is expedient to seek ways of how to save money on flights. Traveling is quite important especially for those into business and as such it would be good to save money on flights.
Therefore, traveling usually comes with several expenses; however, it would be good to save money on flights so that there would be more money to spend on other activities.
So, there are many smart ways on how to save money on flights;
1. Booking of flights early
It is usually said that cheap flights can be gotten at the last-minutes; however, booking your flights early is one sure way to save money on flights. Besides, you could go online for more flight details broken down from region to region.
2. Be a regular flier with an airline
Loyalty to one airline can pay-off if you fly a lot. Achieving the regular flier status is quite easy to attain these days especially being able to use the right credit card. Regular fliers are open to special offers, discounts, top-notch services, free upgrades, and other great services. Besides, if you do not qualify for the ‘preferred’ status, there is always room to sign-up with an airline you use frequently or that has a hub in your area.
3. Be in touch directly with the airline
It’s good to be in touch directly with the airline site before payment for booking through any agents or vendors. Oftentimes, operators offer amazing deals directly on their sites where prices and time selection would be highlighted. Besides, most of these sites are user-friendly with options to cancel flights or change flight schedules.
4. Do not forget to use insurance
There are times emergencies happen, sicknesses or other issues can spring up and this might make you cancel a flight. So, it’s always advisable to be in touch with your credit card company before you pay to insure your tickets through the airline.
Some credit card companies help you to insure your purchase and prevent penalty and cancellation charges.
5. Schedule your travels to holidays and unpopular days
Still, thinking about how to save money on flights? The day preceding Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Memorial Day could pose nightmares for traveling. Getting your tickets on these holidays can make them cheap, thereby saving you some bucks. Tickets are priced a bit lower on holidays.
6. Make use of OTA for price comparison
OTA such as Priceline and Kayak helps to aggregate prices from different companies for you to choose from.
7. Keep a pack of snacks
Eating out could drain your travel finances. This snack would help to fill you before the next meal is served.
8. Watch out for fare mistakes
You could use alerts on sites such as Airfare Watchdog or Secret Flying to capture cheap flight rates. Also, be quick to book these types of fares because it disappears as soon as the airline discovers its errors.
9. Be bold to negotiate prices
Be bold to ask for discounts on some things when embarking on a journey. For example, you could negotiate on your Airbnb or hotel rate ahead of time.
10. Make use of Google Explore map to check where to go
It is advisable to use the Google Explore map to browse for cheaper flight options because the best deals do not usually come from where you initially intended to go.
11. Set fare alerts for your desired locations
Getting an alert set for the sites you prefer would help you to monitor prices – when it goes up or come down. Also, one could register for Scott’s Cheap Flights alert. This would send exceptional offers on how to save money on flights.
12. Be flexible with travel dates
Flight fares change from time to time, so this should not be surprising. You can opt for ‘flexible dates’ when searching to book for flights. The cheaper option may be a few days to or after your target dates.
13. Do bookings one at a time
Are you traveling alone or in the company of your kids? Consider booking your tickets a leg at a time. This is helpful when going through relatively unknown budget airlines like Allegiant, or JetBlue.
14. Avoid extra charges
Being smart with your luggage could save you the customary $50 per bag fee charged by many airlines these days while some would offer one free bag/flight. So, avoid charges on things like movies, on-board Wi-Fi, snacks, or seat upgrades.
15. Schedule a longer layover or longer flight
If you don’t mind a little time between flights or taking a long flight, you would probably save money on flights. Also, longer flights help one to accrue more frequent flyer miles for the same trip and qualify for this status quickly.
16. Buy your ticket on a Tuesday and approx 54-days before
Sales are often launched on Mondays or early Tuesday. Also, some airlines offer great deals during the holidays and some special days. A study by CheapAir shows that 54 days to your travel is the best time to book. This might not be a rule for every trip but having it at least 8 weeks before is a good rule.
17. Desist from making payment for food
Airline’s food and drinks might be really expensive, unhealthy, or even stale at times. Also, you could join the membership of a club or a lounge. Credit cards like United Plus or Delta Reserve include membership to the Delta Sky Club or some others. You could pay up to $350 to $450 yearly but the benefits outweigh the price.
These include; access to beverages, free foods, free Wi-Fi, and even a working space – all these make your traveling a pleasurable time out.
18. Be smart while shopping
Sites of online travel agencies like Expedia, Orbitz, and Priceline offer discount airfare. This they do to lure intending travelers. With Kayak, you could plug your preferred dates into the search engine which would look at agency sites and airline sites to show the price and other available options.
Once the best deals have been identified, you could shop through cashback sites like InboxDollars or Ebates. 4 percent cashback is guaranteed on Ebates when a purchase is done through Expedia. Also on Expedia, you could get reward points and qualify for air miles on the airline you travel with.
19. Qualify for free flights with your travel credit cards
Several cards offer to sign up bonuses of up to 50,000 points. So, here is the trick – you could sign up for both general card rewards cards such as Amex cards or an airline card like United Airlines card to combine the two points balances to save money on flights.
20. Get a flight with stops or red-eye flight
This is another great way on how to save money on flights. Traveling with a red-eye flight would be cheaper. Also, flights with multiple stops would be lower in price, however, direct flights are convenient but if you can save some bucks, it’s worth the trouble.
21. Sign up to be a nanny on board
Are you an experienced child caregiver? Sign up as a nanny on your flight. Usually, parents register at the “Nanny in the Clouds” if they want assistance with caring for their children while getting settled, arranging their bags, and during the flight. All you have to do is to supply your flight details and check if there are parents that need assistance with their children, fix your price, and get paid while traveling.
22. Be careful of hidden charges
There might be good deals but with hidden fees which might turn out to be more expensive. Know the things included before booking because you might be charged for premium seating, checking bags, or food and drinks. Airline’s policy on changing flights should also be known because some charge as high as $170 in addition to the new flight’s difference when there is a need for you to change flights. This is another way of knowing how to save money on flights.
23. Get updates on sales and promotions
Oftentimes airlines offer deals, sales, and amazing promotions throughout the year especially at off-peak periods. Sign up for their emails and get coupons or promo codes. You could also follow them on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
24. Use the package deal
When you book things up in a package, it adds up to a discount. Platforms like CheapTickets.com give travelers booking a flight a promo code that gives 15 percent on your hotel. So, are you still confused about how to save money on flights? Do not be confused any longer.
25. Choose a different airport
It is often good to apply flexibility to and from where you are traveling. So, choosing a different airport could end up saving several hundreds of dollars by traveling some extra distance. For example, someone coming into Chicago can fly into a nearby airport about one hour south to save money on flights. So, renting a car in Chicago would be worth it. This is another amazing way to save money on flights.
