The Ultimate Hacks for your Next Flight Ticket Booking
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Are you planning to go on a trip? Have you booked your flight tickets yet? If not, then give these hacks a gander and you might just end up saving a bit of money on your flight booking. You could use them in your future flight bookings too.
The Internet is a treasure trove of hacks and tips for a hassle-free trip. While some of them do work, others you would want someone to try first and give their review, before you take the plunge. We have gathered ten such hacks especially for you, which will make you not lose your mind, the next time you do your flight booking.
1. Book ahead:
One of the best hacks, almost everyone seems to know is to book your tickets well ahead of your intended travel dates. The trick is not just booking the ticket a couple of months in advance; you have to scour the pits of the internet to look for the best deals and discounts. If you plan on going on a peak holiday time, then this tip will save you money. Experts say that booking tickets 45 days in advance is sufficient to take advantage of the best prices. Emergency trips are not under your control, but for planned trips, the flight booking should not be the last thing you do.
2. Travel off-season:
Continuing on the last tip, you would save quite a lot if you chose to travel during the off-season. A quick Google search about the best times to travel to your preferred destination will help you. During the peak months, airways tend to hike up their prices, to capture the most profits, which could throw your budget off the path if you are not prepared. Also, keep in mind the days of the week you are booking the ticket on; weekend ticket prices being higher.
3. Use incognito mode:
Use the incognito mode on your browser, the next time you are looking at ticket prices. This tip is recommended because travel booking websites tend to leave cookies in your browser and the more you keep searching, for a particular route, the site hikes up the price. The customer then is scared into booking the ticket for fear of more price jumps.
4. Use fare calendar:
Many ticket booking websites show you a calendar with the ticket prices of your preferred route at your chosen dates. The prices of the same route a couple of days ahead and later can be seen. This helps you in saving a couple of extra bucks.
Googling your route can help you find all the possible routes across all the major websites.
5. Flexible Itinerary:
Taking a cue from the previous tip, having a bit of a flexible itinerary will help a lot. You could look at the best prices in and around your chosen dates and adjust your travel dates accordingly.
6. Coupons and cashback:
With the gaining popularity of various coupons offering websites, you would be sure to find a coupon to use with your booking. If you chose to pay with e-wallets, they tend to run year-round cashback offers too. Be sure to look up all the offers you can possibly get when you are about to pay for your flight booking.
7. Layovers and Multi-Cities:
If you are planning on travelling internationally, taking advantage of layovers is prudent. Do not be afraid of the layover time if it helps you save a significant amount of money as opposed to a direct flight to your destination. Sometimes the cheapest flights often have a 27-hour layover in between. That might seem like a long time but when you are travelling internationally, every bit of money saved counts.
8. Search for one person tickets:
Even if you are planning to travel with your family, try to search for one-person ticket prices. The prices for a one-person ticket tend to be lower than a group ticket price as airlines tend to hike up the price of those tickets. Once you have zeroed in on the desired flight, you can add more people to the trip.
9. Vary your search
Try to look at various aggregator sites along with the individual websites of the airlines you are thinking of booking. Having all the available tickets prices across all major airlines in one place makes your job easier.
10. Trade in your points
This is where all those credit card points you have been collecting come into use. Your bank could have tie-ups with major airlines to offer more discounts or more miles. Be sure to look it up. Some websites also have their own points system where you can gain points on every ticket booked. This encourages the customer to come back again and use their services.
