How to Get the Cheapest Airfares in 2025: Best Tricks, Tools And Sites
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| How to Get the Cheapest Flights |
If you are looking for ways to save money on airfare, here are some of our favorite tools, tips, and tricks.
1. Book directly with airline websites
Many people overlook the airline when searching for the best "secret" airfare deal.
Most airlines have sales sections on their websites.Check American, Delta, and United Airlines' deal pages often to stay informed. Many airlines offer hotel and car rental packages, but you should check each item's rates separately because the value may vary.
Airline newsletters are another way to learn about new sales. Deal alerts are in those newsletters. However, you risk receiving emails about vacation spots you may not want to visit. These push notifications could convince you to book that last-minute, cheap vacation you were worried about.
Finding airfare deals on Southwest Airlines is difficult because its fares aren't usually on third-party websites. Southwest flights are available on Kayak for Business but not consumer searches. Before booking airfare, check Southwest's website for a similar itinerary.
Especially when booking directly on the airline's website, branded airline cards offer status and perks exclusive to that airline. Choose between the UnitedTM Explorer Card and
2. Last-Minute Deals vs Book Early
Cheap last-minute deals are rare.
Booking early, even a year ahead, is best. Flights are cheaper when seats are first released, usually a year before departure. As soon as tickets go on sale, go online.
If you're traveling during school break or a major holiday like St. Patrick's Day in Ireland, this is especially true. Get in early because prices will rise quickly.
Prices may drop again before rising in the final days before the flight. If it's a popular flight, prices may not drop or the flight may sell out before you buy your ticket, so it's probably not worth the risk.
Lastminute.com may be worth a look if you're more flexible. As departure approaches, they post discounted flights.
The Hopper app can advise you to wait. Enter your departure and arrival locations, and the tool will show price changes based on millions of flight prices.
Learn more: Top 10 Best Sites for Booking Flights at the Cheapest Prices
3. Find the Cheapest Dates and Times
Of course, not every holiday works with a calendar full of exact dates. However, the key is to be flexible. Weekday fares are typically less expensive than weekend fares offered by most airlines. On Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, you can usually find the best sale prices.
Many airline websites have made it much easier to find the cheapest days to fly. Be on the lookout for "calendar view" booking systems, which will show you the prices for the whole week you want.
Remember to factor in the time when you are making your flight arrangements. You should think about whether you have enough time to get to the airport before your 6 o'clock flight, even though it could be cheaper. Depending on public transportation might not be an option, and getting a ride might be challenging.
4. Flexible with your Flight Destination
Keep in mind that US, Canadian, and British peak seasons aren't always reflective of global peak seasons. Where you're flying to determines the price.
If you're not very date-flexible but are open to trying something new, this is a fantastic alternative for you.
Don't let yourself be turned off by unfamiliar places. If you do some research online, you might discover that it offers all the beach, sun, and sea you could want.
If you aren't picky about the exact location of your flight, here's a way to save money:
Go to www.skyscanner.com
Enter the airport you'd like to depart from
Click on the destination box as if you're about to type something
A box should appear with an 'Everywhere' option
Select this, choose your dates and hit search
You'll see a list of all the flights leaving from your chosen airport on that date, in order of cheapest to most pricey.
5. Beware of Extra Costs
Do not be fooled by seemingly low flight prices, especially on budget airlines.
Promotional prices often hide unpleasant surprises. Air taxes, baggage fees, and seat selection can raise prices.
Air taxes account for most airline ticket prices.
Make sure you know what you're buying before clicking "buy now". Look for cheaper flight tickets that meet your needs; if your ticket has extras, find alternatives.
There are also many ways to lower ticket prices. Examples include wearing multiple clothes and carrying items in your pockets.
Cheap flights can be worth it despite the extra fees. Avoid hasty conclusions. Consider all costs and make sure the airport doesn't charge extra.
6. Staying as Anonymous
One of the most important things you can do to get cheap flights is to remain as anonymous as possible when searching for tickets.
The demand determines how much a flight costs. Price decisions are made by airlines based on data collected from the number of people searching for and purchasing tickets.
Therefore, you may discover that the price of a flight you've been eyeing goes up when you keep checking back. The airline is trying to get more money out of you because they know you're going to buy it.
Remove your search cookies if you want to prevent this. Next, try clearing your browser's cache and history to observe how the price changes.
When you open a new tab or window in your browser, you should see an option to search incognito. This is another option to consider. Your location and identity will remain hidden from airlines in this way, so the prices you see shouldn't be impacted.
7. Optimize Credit Card
Using the correct credit card to pay for the flight is just as important as using booking tools to find the most economical flight option for your next trip. Among the many excellent travel rewards cards available, the following stand out as potential candidates:
The Platinum Card® from American Express: If you book your flight directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, you'll get 5 points for every dollar you spend (up to $500,000 per year). After that, you'll only get 1 point for every dollar you spend, which is a great 10% return based on TPG's July 2024 valuations.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®: This card gives you three points for every dollar you spend on travel. The return (6.15%) is a little lower than with the Amex Platinum, but it does offer some of the best travel insurance out there.
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: This card is one of the easiest to use, earning 2 miles per dollar on all purchases. This isn't great, but it lets you redeem miles at a fixed value, making it a good airfare option. Capital One lets you use miles for any travel purchase or transfer them to airline partners.
If you get one, remember that credit cards offer Section 75 protection. This means you can get your money back if the seller fails to deliver a purchase over £100 and up to £30,000.
Debit cards offer less security. If you can pay it off in full and on time, a credit card may help you book holidays.
Credit cards may offer better exchange rates than debit cards for international spending. Again, research cards before choosing one.
Some credit cards offer cashback on flights and air miles. This suggests that spending more on your flight may pay off.
Learn more: Which is The Cheapest Place to Fly to From Each State in the US?
8. Flights with a Connection
A connecting flight is usually cheaper than a direct one for long-haul flights. This may save you money but increase travel time.
If you want cheaper flights, uncheck "direct flights only" on comparison websites.
You should know this is risky. If an earlier flight is delayed, you may miss your connecting flight. Learn how to get flight delay compensation and get cheap student travel insurance in case of emergencies.
Try country searches on comparison sites instead of city searches. Urban airports charge more, while suburban airports serve budget airlines. Searching for these alternatives may save you money on your flight.
If you're not in a hurry, a layover may save money. Looking for connecting flights separately may make it cheaper to stay somewhere else for a day or two. Similar to a short vacation.
9. Book Your Flights and Accommodation Together
Package vacations are often a great choice for college students. They're cheap, and not just for people over 50. You'll agree if you've seen Coach Trip.
If you book a vacation package, you can usually save money on flights, lodging, transfers to and from the airport, and activities like bus tours while you're away. If you need some ideas, here are some great summer vacation package deals.
Holiday companies usually get the best deals because they book so many trips at once. You can sometimes get a whole vacation that includes everything for less than the price of a direct flight.
But this might not be the best choice for you if you like to roam around and eat out a lot while you're on vacation. Since food and drinks are part of the price, eating all of your meals at the hotel will save you a crazy amount of money.
But if you do decide to book your own hotel, read our guide on how to find cheap hotel deals.
10. Look for student discounts and deals
Check for student discounts when booking flights. It may seem obvious.
This rule applies to all trips, from local to global. Start with our student travel deals.
Travel company newsletters may bore you because no one wants spam in their inbox. But this is often the best way to find deals. Airlines and travel companies reward newsletter subscribers well.
Ryanair may notify subscribers of major sales immediately. Since there are limited seats, answering emails is worthwhile.
You could also join Jack's Flight Club or Secret Flying for secret flight deals. Both are free, but Jack's Flight Club premium members get more deal alerts.
Join our WhatsApp group and mail list for student deals. Any great trip deals we find will be shared. Our student travel deals section is updated daily.
Book through travel agentsAs you know, specialized student travel agencies can help you get to their destinations at lower prices. Youth under 30 should cheer Student Universe. When you book your trip through Student Universe or another agency, they may suggest unexpected activities. Many student-oriented holidays offer events, activities, and, most importantly, discounts. Since their goal is to sell, make sure you're satisfied before agreeing. |
11. Search Engines/Tools - Comparison Websites
The best way to discover deals is to shop around and do your research, as you would with almost any purchase you make.
Fortunately, there are a plethora of resources available online that streamline the process of comparing flight prices.
Find a great deal on a bundle by searching sites like Expedia. This could include flights and a hotel, for instance. Do this first, then see if it's cheaper to book the flights separately by checking the airline websites.
On Momondo, you can see a graph that shows you when flights are most affordable based on the dates you've chosen. For those who value speed above all else, the search can be adjusted to prioritize the fastest route.
Skyscanner, Google Flights, Travel Supermarket, and Kayak are all excellent options, as we indicated before.
Google Flights
Google Flights is a simple, effective, and user-friendly flight search engine. Its many features and functions help you find the best flight deals for specific flight times and flexible itineraries.
While on Google Flights, use map search. It displays the cheapest flights to different destinations for inspiration. Click on the price graph to see price trends for your entire itinerary, or use the date grid to see flight prices for months.
The Google Search price tracker is useful too. The tracker on the search results page lets you track total costs along your route. You can set up Google alerts to notify you of price changes, new deals, and expiration dates for an itinerary. No more checking for price drops several times a day—you'll get email alerts.
Learn more: How To Find The Cheapest Flights By Google Flights
Google Explore
The "Explore" feature of Google is fantastic if you are open to different destinations but are still trying to find the cheapest flight. Google Explore allows you to be as precise or as open as you like when searching for a vacation spot. You can leave the return city blank and the map will show you different flight options with their prices as soon as you enter your departure city.
If you'd rather specify a particular area, you can also use broad terms like "Europe" or "Caribbean."
Points Path
Many sites show award availability, but Google Flights does. Points Path is a great Google Flights browser extension. The cash fare and award pricing are listed.
The tool will tell you which points can be used with the airline you are considering and whether you should pay cash, use miles (to ensure value), or transferable points.
After finding the perfect itinerary with the free tool, you can book your flight using Google Flights or the airline's loyalty program to reserve an award.
Points Path makes it easy to find awards in tools you already use. Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge offer the Points Path extension. All done. Installing Google Flights takes less than a minute and offers great paid and award fares.
Kayak
Kayak, an original fare-comparison site, is a one-stop shop for the best deal. The site pulls airline fares directly and compares them to Expedia and Orbitz.
Kayak offers many enhanced filters. You can search by airline, alliance, aircraft, layover airport, and more.
A calendar grid shows pricing three days before and after your desired dates if your dates are flexible. Just remember to search for that.
Kayak also shows the price of a round-trip flight with two airlines, one for the departure and one for the return, if it's cheaper.
Momondo
If you're more of a visual person, Momondo is for you. Finding the cheapest dates is a breeze if you're flexible with your travel dates. You can set up price alerts to be notified when the fare drops in price, and the site has a lot of filters to choose from. Momondo will also let you know, based on recent fare trends, if it's a good time to buy or not.
A major drawback is that when you book a round trip, the website will only show you fares from the same airline, not the cheapest one for the start and end. Because of this, you'll have to search in two different directions, which can be tedious.
Skyscanner
You can use Skyscanner to find low-cost flights to any destination. Simply input your starting point and choose "Explore everywhere" from the "To" menu. It will provide a ranking of potential locations based on cost.
In case you aren't set on visiting any particular place, the site's intuitive interface will introduce you to new corners of the globe.
In addition to multi-city flight options, Skyscanner lets you search based on specific routes. Nevertheless, the website will only show prices for flights operated by the same airline both ways, much like Momondo.
Learn more: Where to Find the Cheapest Flights - Top 15 Best Booking Websites
Subscription SitesIndependent travel websites claim to offer the best deals. Not all of these websites are worthwhile. Some are outright scams that lead you to travel agencies selling expensive tickets with hidden fees or high surcharges. KnowInsiders checks a few websites for reliable airfare notifications and highlighted deals. Many of these websites offer premium subscription services that may be worth it if you like travel and deals. Regular travel inspiration and alerts for breaking deals to your favorite destinations can be found by signing up for these websites' email deal alerts and X feeds. Note that many deal websites link to "hacker fare" itineraries with multiple airlines, circuitous routings, and long layovers and travel times. These discounted flights may not offer mileage awards or status points. These deals' fine print and itineraries should be read carefully. If the details work, scanning or subscribing to airfare deal websites can help you find super-discounted flight prices not found on Google Flights or other booking platforms. |
Bottom Line
It is possible that locating the most affordable airfare is more of an art than a science; however, there are a variety of methods and products that can assist you in this search.
The travel objectives and circumstances of each individual are unique. You will, however, be well on your way to securing that much-desired vacation without having to pay such a high price tag if you make use of one or more of the strategies that have been presented above.
