Introduction
Finding cheaper flights is one of the key ways to bring down the cost of your DIY holiday. There are many tips for booking cheaper flights, in this blog I outline the easiest ways.
The most important knack is to be alert to deals and keep your eye on prices.
A lot depends on whether you have a set destination and dates, or are open to ideas. Either way this blog gives you tips for both.
🔗 Blog to read: The Secret to Free Airport Lounge Access (Even If You're flying Economy)
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Contents
- Introduction
- 1. Find Out the Cheapest Time of Year to Fly
- 2. Join Jack’s Flight Club
- 3. Use Flight Search Engines
- 4. Be Flexible with Dates and Destinations
- 5. Fly Indirect
- 6. Join Airline Mailing Lists
- 7. Set Up Price Alerts
- 8. Search Incognito
- 9. Be First to Book
- 10. ‘Bookend’ Your Stay
- 11. Pack Smarter
- 12. Don’t Always Book Seats
- 13. Don’t Buy Airline Food and Water
- 14. Book Airport Parking Early
- 15. Use Points or Companion Deals – If You Have Them
- 16. Use a Credit Card For Peace of Mind
1. Find Out the Cheapest Time of Year to Fly
Often, the most important thing to do before deciding when you are going to go somewhere is to google the cheapest time of year to fly to your destination.
Then look at the average weather and compromise on low flight costs and ideal weather conditions.
2. Join Jack’s Flight Club
If you are are open to destination ideas, Jack’s Flight Club is amazing for finding cheap flights all over the world at greatly reduced prices.
You can join for free to receive a selection of alerts, or pay a small annual subscription to receive all their alerts.
👉 Try out Jack's Flight club for 30 days for free and get a sweet discount too with my referral link: www.jacksflightclub.com
3. Use Flight Search Engines
The most popular flight search engines for the UK are Skyscanner, Expedia, Kayak, Google Flights and Momondo.
Using a flight search engine is especially good for the ‘research’ part of planning your itinerary.
We prefer Skyscanner. It is a fantastic tool, which gives you tons of information from the cheapest month to fly to the best time to book.
When searching for flights it will indicate the cheapest days to fly and direct and indirect routes with all the top airlines.
Check out Skyscanner’s new feature – Price Drops! If you download their app – they send you a weekly list of Price Drops from your nearest airport.
🌟 Tip: Use Skyscanner’s Whole Month view to see the cheapest days to fly.
There are also useful articles about tips for booking cheaper flights. You can find hotel and car rental deals too: www.skyscanner.com
4. Be Flexible with Dates and Destinations
How to apply this tip:
1. On Skyscanner enter your departure city and select ‘Everywhere’ as your destination.
2. Search by whole month. Instead of picking specific dates, select ‘Cheapest Month’ to see the lowest fares.
🌟 Tip: Before you book that bargain flight – check the accommodation costs!
5. Fly Indirect
If you don’t have much time then flying direct is easier. But – if you’re happy to extend your time away by a day or two; then booking indirect flights can save you money.
It is also a nice way to see another destination, or break up the journey.
We have saved money by flying via Amsterdam on our way to Thailand and via Barcelona on the way back from Menorca.
🌟Tip: Sometimes it’s cheaper to fly from or to a different airport – but make sure the transfer price makes this cost effective. Eg: Girona instead of Barcelona
6. Join Airline Mailing Lists
Be the first to know when companies release their flights and when the sales are on.
Ryanair have amazing sales and British Airways long haul flight sales are worthwhile too.
7. Set Up Price Alerts
Flight prices change frequently. Common triggers for price drops include: lower demand, cancellations and sales.
You can set up price alerts on Skyscanner, Kayak, Expedia, Google Flights and Momondo.
Be sure to compare the flights again when the alert comes up to ensure you are getting the cheapest deal.
🌟 Tip: Flight prices change frequently – monitor prices using Price Alert feature on Skyscanner.
8. Search Incognito
This is especially important when searching for flights with companies like EasyJet. Select the Private search tab on your phone before going on the company’s website.
(You will hear this isn’t true but there’s no harm in doing this just in case!)
🔗 Blog to Read: Find How to Get Cheaper Flights with VPN
9. Be First to Book
People think all flight prices drop a few weeks before take off but that isn’t always true. If you’re flying during peak season on a popular route -chances are this won’t happen.
Flight prices change based on demand, season and route.
When booking with EasyJet, the cheapest flight prices are usually as soon as they are released. This means knowing what day they are released and getting up very early to be on their website. Have your search ready to book as soon as it hits 6am.
Be careful though, recently big influencers have accidently caused a mass rush to book specific destinations by this method and it pushed the prices up astronomically high.
🌟 Tip: Don’t panic buy! If the price is ridiculous don’t pay it.
Prices fluctuate and when demand is high the price goes up. Is it really worth paying all that money?
10. ‘Bookend’ Your Stay
One of the best ways to save money is to ‘bookend’ your stay. This is a great tip for when you are staying in a villa or ski chalet and the changeover days are not flexible.
Instead of booking the expensive weekend flights go out a little earlier and come back a little later and stay in a cheap hotel. This is usually beneficial for families who are booking for a few people.
11. Pack Smarter
Most people will agree that they take way more than they need on their trips. Luggage can be more expensive than the cost of your plane ticket.
If you are going on a short trip, try to stick to the free luggage allowance.
🌟Tip: Buying a few toiletries at the airport – this also gives you a carrier bag to put a few extra bits in.
Wear bulky clothing items and footwear on the journey.
If you are a family, take one large suitcase and use packing cubes to separate each person’s stuff. Packing cubes are like mini suitcases and even have handles.
👉 BUY 4 PIECE LARGE PACKING CUBES HERE
Check the airline’s policy for taking babies. They often get an extra luggage allowance. Make use of your children’s luggage allowance.
🔗 Blog to read: Guide to Smarter Packing
12. Don’t Always Book Seats
The majority of airlines nowadays charge extra for booking seats. With most airlines this is not really necessary because they will sit you with your friends and family anyway.
⚠️ However, there are a few airlines that will deliberately seat you apart, two of these are Ryanair and Wizzair – check the airline policy and reviews.
13. Don’t Buy Airline Food and Water
A lot of people don’t realise that you are allowed to take food and empty water bottles into airports.
There are water bottle fill up stations in airports and the airline will fill up your water bottle onboard too. Packed lunches save you lots of money and taste much better.
14. Book Airport Parking Early
It is always best to book airport parking early. Use comparison sites to find the best deals. Try purpleparking.com. Sometimes it’s cheaper to rent a spot near the airport – see yourparkingspace.co.uk
⚠️ Always make sure you have ‘free cancellation’ and can change your reservation if you need to.
15. Use Points or Companion Deals – If You Have Them
Some bank accounts and credit card providers have benefits for their customers like free Airport lounge use or Avios points.
🌟 Tip: Check to see if you are missing out on any of the travel benefits on your bank and insurance accounts.
We use American Express for all our spending and collect Avios points. We also get ‘companion flights’, which allows you to buy one get one free – once a year.
⚠️ If you get a credit card always pay off the balance in full every statement so you don’t end up paying extortionate interest rates!
🔗 Blog to read: 3 Smart Ways to Score a Bargain Premium Class Plane Ticket
16. Use a Credit Card For Peace of Mind
Using a credit card to book your travels gives you extra peace of mind for if your flight gets cancelled. Your credit card provider can demand the money back on your behalf.
Always buy comprehensive travel insurance as soon as you book. You can buy travel insurance for the year or for a single trip. This is very important!
Hopefully these tips have been useful. What are the cheapest flights you have ever bought? I would love to hear about any cheap flight hacks you have discovered. Please share with everyone your tips for booking cheaper flights in the comments below!
🔗 Blog to read: The Secret to Free Airport Lounge Access (Even If You're flying Economy)
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