Published on July 19, 2021

7 Tips For Booking Cheap Flights

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So, you’re here because you’re wondering how to book cheap flights. We all want to save as much money as possible when it comes to booking a trip. Booking airfare can be one of the most time-consuming and most expensive parts of your trip. However, we are here to help show you that booking airfare doesn’t have to be so difficult. Here are the 7 tips for booking cheap flights that I have learned from traveling!

Tips For Booking Cheap Flights

1. Use Incognito Mode

Have you ever been curious as to why every time you repeatedly visit a flight booking website, the price continues to increase? This may be known to many, but airlines/ third-party sites do track your search history. I suggest using Incognito mode to search for flights as your data will not be saved and the price will not continue to increase during your booking process.

2. Use Third Party Booking Sites

You should always try to avoid booking flights directly through the airlines’ website. Generally speaking, using a third-party website will always be cheaper.

Best Third Party Sites

Airfare Watchdog:

This website is one of the best. It is run by a group of individuals who search over 20,000 routes per day to provide you with the best deals possible. This site is one of the easiest and most user-friendly. To use Airfarewatchdog, set your home airport, choose your destination (or leave it blank if you are open to traveling anywhere), and put in the dates. You will then be prompted to sign up for email notifications when there is a deal/ a good time to book your travel.

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Secret Flying

Secret Flying reports that users can save a total of 90% by visiting their website before booking a flight. They have a team that searches for the best deals and error fares and then posts the details on their website. To use Secret Flying, type in your location, click search and it will tell you the cheapest flights available at that time and the destinations you can go. It’s that simple!

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Momondo

Momondo is my favorite site to use for booking travel. It is one of the most user-friendly sites I have come across and is thoughtfully designed. Just enter your home airport, select your destination and dates and click “search.” There is a bar graph that will be displayed at the top of the page that you can scroll through to see which dates are more affordable. It will also let you know how much money you should save if you choose to have a layover.

They also have feature where you can view the “flight insights for your trip.” This includes the cheapest month to fly, the best time to depart and arrive, what airlines are usually the cheapest, how many days in advance you should book, and the cheapest route to arrive at your destination. I have saved hundreds of dollars using Momondo and you can too!

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Skyscanner

Skyscanner is one of the best sites to use for booking cheap flights. They work with over 1,200 travel companies to ensure that you are getting the best price possible. I highly recommend signing up for Price Alerts as you will be notified as soon as the flight price changes. If your travel destination is flexible, you would appreciate their feature of providing a list of the different places around the world that are the cheapest during specific months. I also am a huge fan of their “everywhere” search option. They find the best prices from your home airport and will show and compare all of the different destinations you can travel to at a low cost.

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Google Flights

Google flights has an amazing feature that allows you to choose your interests, your preferred airline, travel dates (if you have them), budget. Once you fill in that information, it will show you all of the recommended destinations that you can go to that match your requests. You are also able to track the flight prices, and they will notify you if a price drops for a trip that you have been wanting to book.

3. Have Flexible Travel Dates

If you are flexible with the dates/ the destination, you are most likely to find the best deals while booking flights.

4. Fare Sales

I recommend signing up for Flight Deals newsletter. Once you have signed up for the newsletter, they will send you an email letting you know which destinations and dates are on sale.

5. Travel On The Weekdays If Possible

Most of the time, it is cheaper to fly on the weekdays. This is because, people generally travel on the weekends which causes the price of the flight to increase.

6. Take A Connecting Flight If Possible

If you are not in a rush to get to your destination, I highly recommend booking a flight that has a connection. Airlines know that people prefer direct flights, which is why it will be less expensive if there is a connecting flight available.

7. Use A Travel Credit Card

Using a travel credit card has many benefits. You can earn bonus points that can be used towards future flights. Depending on the credit card, you are also able to check your bags for free if booked directly through the airline. Using your credit card for everyday purchases will allow you to earn miles. This ultimately leads to free/ cheaper flights. Depending on the airline, you can also have access to the airport lounge which is beneficial if you have a connecting flight or would just prefer to arrive at the airport early.

Final Thoughts

All of these tips above will help you find and book flights as cheap as possible. Booking airfare does not have to be the most expensive and time-consuming part of the process. By comparing the prices of the different websites listed above, to using third-party sites to book, you can find the most affordable travel.

Check out our post for the best travel apps for 2021!