SECRETS TO CHEAP AIRFARE
Happy Monday guys!!! This morning one of my followers sent me a message on Instagram asking about the best time to book a flight. It made me realize that I should probably share a few key tips to getting cheap airfare!
Check out travel deal websites
Whenever I know I want to travel somewhere, I always look at travel deal websites like Secret Flying, The Flight Deal and Travel Pirates. These websites are run by travel enthusiasts that post various flight deals for both domestic and international flights. There are no hidden fees, just click the deal you desire, and you’ll be directed to a third party travel site. I actually used these websites to book my travel to both Iceland and Amsterdam and the deals I got were almost too good to be true!
Buy Tickets on Tuesdays
According to Fare Compare, Tuesday’s at 3pm EST is the cheapest time to buy domestic plane tickets. I’ve actually tested this theory and it seems to be pretty accurate. Other travel guru’s beg to differ but hey… its worth a shot!
Fly Out on Wednesdays
Wednesdays seem to be the cheapest day to travel for domestic flights. Wednesdays are the days flights have the most available seats. In an effort to fill the plane, tickets are discounted and airlines have to release the tickets at the cheapest price point. Other low cost days to fly are Tuesdays and Saturdays. Friday’s and Sundays are often the most expensive dates to travel.
Book in Advance
Studies show that passengers pay close to 6% below the average fare if they book their flight six weeks in advance. I’m usually really last minute when it comes to booking domestic flights… so I haven’t tried this theory out. I’m heading to Nashville at the end of this month and I still have yet to buy a plane ticket… Pray for me guys… and pray for my wallet!
Frequent Flyer Miles
Many airlines offer incentives for frequently using their airline. I travel with Southwest A LOT so I signed up for their rapid rewards program. With programs like Rapid Rewards, you earn points for every flight you take and the points can be used to book free flights.
Use Flight Apps
I have about a million travel apps on my phone, but my favorite ones are: Hopper, Jet Radar and Skiplagged.
Hopper allows users to watch the cost of flights and sends out alerts when the flight I want is at the lowest price and when to expect the flight to be the most expensive.
Jet Radar provides details on all flights for most domestic airlines. It’s a lot like using websites like Priceline, but sometimes I find that Jet Radar shows cheaper deals.
Skiplagged… ok this one is a little tricky. Skiplagged is an app that helps you get super cheap flights by getting users to their destination via a layover. For example, traveling to San Francisco from DC may cost $500 but a flight to Las Vegas with a layover in San Francisco may cost only $300, so Skipplagged encourages users to skip their connecting flight and just use the layover as their destination. Make sense? The thing with Skiplagged is, airlines don’t like it, and sometimes they can be quite petty and they will cancel your return flight if you do this. I’ve never used this service so… User beware!!!
Check out Airlines Individually
Sometimes websites like Expedia and Priceline don’t do all the work for you, and it may be beneficial to check out the cost of flights for airlines individually.
I could go on and on about ways to save for travel, but I’ll stop right here. Stay tuned for more tips on how to travel on a budget!
