Flights

Tips on Booking Cheap Flights

• Fly during the working week
  Opting to take your flight during the working week can save you money. Flights departing over this period, especially on Thursdays, are cheaper, mainly because these days are less popular to travel on.
• Have a look at airline websites
  Many airline websites have made it simpler to identify the inexpensive days to fly by displaying a "calendar view" booking system. This system allows you to scan prices ranging across the week that you are searching.
• Consider flights with less-popular departure times
  You may also get a bargain flight if you're willing to fly at an early hour. It may well be less expensive to fly at 6 am than at later times due to that time spot being less popular. The only problem you could face is getting to the airport at this time; make sure that public transport is running if you can't take a taxi or get a lift to the airport.
• Find a better price on the Trip.com app
  This may sound like I'm stating the obvious but you'd be surprised at the number of people who settle for a price without first shopping around and researching the prices. I suggest you have a look for bargains on the Trip.com app, details on how to download this app are shown below. Click to download the Trip.com app and start your travel.​
• Book early instead of waiting until the last minute
  Don't get fooled into thinking that last-minute deals are necessarily the best option for cheap flight tickets because they seldom are.
  The smart move is to book early, even as far as a year in advance if that is possible for the flight you require. Flight tickets have a tendency to be cheaper when they are first released – which is normally about a year before the flight – so have a look online as soon as the flights you want are available.
  This is particularly true if you are planning to travel during school holidays or to a destination where a famous event is taking place. These prices will increase rapidly, so book before the masses do.
  The price of a flight may drop again before re-climbing in the last few days before the flight takes off but they also may not. It's not worth the risk of waiting for a drop in prices only to be faced with higher prices for leaving it until the last minute. You also run the risk that the tickets will become sold out before you book yours, especially if it's a popular flight.
  If you're willing to be flexible, which is really the name of the game for cheap flight tickets, then have a look at a flight search engine as it may post flight tickets which get lower in price as the flight time approaches.
• Use a credit card in a wiser way
  There are a lot of advantages to paying for a flight with a credit card. One advantage is that you are protected when you make bigger purchases. For example, if you spend more than $100 on a flight, you will be covered for a refund if the airline or travel company goes out of business. This will not necessarily be the case if you pay with a debit card so check first. Credit cards are also more useful for spending in a foreign country and give you better exchange rates than you would get with your debit card.
  Certain credit cards will offer you air miles for each sum of money spent, thus saving you a bit more on your flight tickets. They may also give you a certain amount of cashback on the purchase of your flight ticket.
• Choose flights with a connection
  Booking a flight with a connection is nearly always a cheaper option, especially on longer-haul flights. The best thing to do is to uncheck the "non-stop only" option on your flight booking website's search engine, and have a look to see if the flights shown are any cheaper. However, there is a degree of risk involved in this method of getting cheap air tickets. If one of your earlier flights is delayed, this could mean that you miss a later connecting flight.
• Book package holidays which may offer cheap flight tickets
  If you book a package holiday, you are likely to get discounts on flights as well as accommodation. This is because travel companies book tickets in such large volumes that they get huge discounts. It is sometimes possible to get a whole holiday for less than the price of a regular flight.
• Be aware of hidden costs of cheap flights
  Be aware that cheap flight tickets with budget airlines can be deceptive. Very often there can be hidden costs, so check for air taxes, baggage fees, or seat selection costs before you buy. Airlines can also add travel insurance and other features on automatically without checking to see if you want them first.
  Travel light if it's possible. Carry-on baggage is usually free, but be sure to check the regulations on weight limitations first.