Cheap Airfare: How to Find Online Deals
Who doesn’t want a trip? Catching a flight to a fun destination is the iconic vacation scene in any major movie. Only in real life, you get to enjoy seeing the bill for the tickets when the fun is done. But a trip doesn’t have to be that way. Using a bit of planning and knowing where to look, you can save a bit of green on your next airfare. Before you start Googling for airline discount codes, here are a few tricks to consider:
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Flight Promo Codes
Finding a promo code for flights is a lot easier than a needle in a haystack. Before finalizing your travel purchase, it’s a smart idea to do some online digging to see if any airline promo codes exist for your itinerary and Dontpayfull is a great place to start your research for any flight coupon code.
Make use of “Incognito” Mode
A lot of flight search engines use a tracking tool known as “cookies” to remember your previous search history. This ultimately means that you will not see the current lowest price. You can counter this by using a private browser session where no previous history can be used to display old prices.
Don’t Use Just One Site
The Internet is full of search engines that can and will compile a long list of flights and available deals. You do not want to limit yourself just to one search engine but instead should check and utilizing all available options. You might find a sweet deal on website A before website B manages to show the listing.
Be Open-Minded
If at all possible, be open-minded to the dates and times of travel. Ticket prices can change with little to no notice depending on what days you plan to travel. You might even find that you can save a few bucks by flying a day soon or later than you originally planned. Also, you’ll typically find that mid-week flights tend to be cheaper than weekend flights.
What’s a Layover or Two?
Non-stop flights are going to be more expensive than flights with a layover. If you’re one that doesn’t mind a more extended trip or having some time to kill around an airport, it is undoubtedly the way to go.
Track pricing with an App or Website
The digital age is fantastic! Since ticket prices tend to change rapidly, there are apps and websites for travelers where you can price check and try to predict the rise and falls of prices. Now keep in mind nothing is an exact science, but it never hurts to see where your budget might need to be for your tickets. If anything, you can find an app to monitor ticket prices for your desired travel dates to help increase your odds of snagging a good deal. The app Hopper tends to be a fan-favorite ad includes a function to send alerts to your phone when prices drop.
Use a Package Deal
If your trip is going to involve a hotel and/or a rental car, it would be best to consider booking a vacation package that will roll all those costs into one. Usually, these kinds of deals are cheaper than booking each ticket and reservation separately. So if your trip planning requires a hotel stay or tickets to a show, be sure to price out a packaged deal and see what you can find.
Switch up the Airlines
Now it is worth saying that if you have loyalty to one airline and are a rewards member, this method might not be appealing nor helpful. But if you’re an independent traveler that doesn’t mind changing up the game once in a while, be sure to price-check different airlines. While a round trip through a single airline would make sense, you might find that it’s cheaper to book your round trip separately with two different airlines.
Conclusion
Flying doesn’t have to cost an arm or a leg these days. Smart travelers are also smart consumers and want the most for their buck. With flexible planning, careful research, and finding a few well-placed deals, travelers can spend their money on more than a ticket.