How To Travel More: 5 Easy Hacks For Booking Cheaper Flights
Want to travel more but struggle to find good flight deals?
Many travellers overpay for their trips because they don’t know these 5 simple hacks for booking cheaper flights.
And that used to be me, so I feel your pain! But then I started taking part time travelling seriously and learning tips and tricks to keeping costs down while taking more trips abroad.
What if you could fly to your dream destination for less than £20? I regularly fly to Italy, Spain, Austria and several other European countries for less than the price of a takeaway by using an online check-in hack most people don’t know about.
Now I’m sharing the cheats the airlines don’t want you to know, including ways to search, best times to book and how to avoid paying for extras.
Be Flexible With Dates and Times
This is no secret, but something people often overlook or hope won’t apply to their search – spoiler alert, it does!
Why flexibility helps
Being flexible in when you can travel is a simple hack for booking cheaper flights and travelling more often, and will return the lowest price deals.
This is because airlines often charge less on certain days – basically because demand drives their prices. So the more people who search for and book flights on a certain day, the higher the price will rise. And the opposite is also true.
- Flying mid-week is often cheaper because usually there’s a higher demand for weekend flights.
- The same can be said for flights that are very early or very late in the day – fewer people want to take these, so they’re usually priced lower.
So if you can be flexible with the days and times you fly, you stand to snag the best bargains. Just don’t forget to weigh up cost and convenience though. As I’ve found out before, saving £20 on a flight by travelling late at night isn’t worth it if you then need to pay £40 for a taxi to your hotel.
Best days to fly
So rather than just guessing when filtering by date, there are some general rules to help narrow down your search:
- Tuesday and Wednesday are often the cheapest days of the week to travel. Business travellers tend to book Mondays and Fridays, and leisure travellers take the weekend days. So demand is lower on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and so is the price.
- If cost is the most important factor in your search, then avoid weekends, bank holidays and outside of school term time when prices tend to spike.
Use flexible date tools
To save you having to check flights on individual dates each time, many websites now show the prices as a calendar view. This allows you to see quickly at a glance when the cheapest flights are.
- Websites like Skyscanner and Google Flights show prices across a month view
- Google Flights also shows price insights to check for trends and whether a fare is actually a good price.
- For same-day return flights, check out Extreme Day Trips – a custom search engine that finds day trip flights from your preferred airport within a one month time frame (or longer if you upgrade to the Pro version).
- Changing your flight by one day could save you hundreds – play around with return flight dates to get the cheapest combination
Real example
I searched for flights to Palma in August and they were £66. But the same dates in July were only £46. And I managed to get them down to £28 by moving both dates just one day earlier.
✈️ Start your search for cheap flights on Skyscanner
✈️ Or find Extreme Day Trip return flights the easy way for your next same-day adventure
Set Price Alerts
If you want to travel on specific dates, but the price is higher than you’d like, it’s possible to favourite the journey and set a price alert.
Skyscanner offers this option, if you’re signed in and so does Extreme Day Trips if you’re a Pro user. The price may not change, or it may only go up, but either way you’ll be notified.
This is one of my favourite hacks for booking cheaper flights, for journeys that aren’t essential. If the price falls, I book. If it rises, I don’t.
How alerts work
- If you use the Skyscanner app, you can set in-app notifications to alert you if the price changes for your watched flight(s). You can also opt for alerts by email when prices change.
- In Google Flights you can track when flights for specific dates or any dates change in price.
- Make sure you have notifications switched on and set the email sender to ‘VIP’ so you can catch any deals fast before the price increases again
- With Extreme Day Trips, just tap the bell 🔔 and they’ll email you the moment the price drops.
Best tools
- Google Flights offers a price alerts function, but my go-to is Skyscanner generally, or Extreme Day Trips for same day returns. I usually have multiple flights saved that I’m watching, and may book if the price is right
- On the Skyscanner app there’s also a new ‘Drops’ tab, which shows flights from your preferred airport that have just seen a reduction in price of 20% or more. These won’t always be a great deal, as they may have been overpriced already. But you can snag some cheap flights this way if you’re happy to scroll through and check regularly.
Real example
By checking the Skyscanner app Drops tab the day I wrote this, I was able to find:
- A return to Palma reduced from £68 to £35
- A weekend in Paris down from £60 to £43
- Return flights to Memmingen cut from £45 to £28
You don’t get to choose the dates, but often what’s available at the right price can inspire your next trip if you’re not set on a specific destination or timeframe.
Book At the Right Time
Some people say that when you search and book can affect what you pay for your flights. And there may be some truth in that, based on the whole ‘supply and demand’ rule.
I say that if you see a flight price and think it’s a good price, then buy it – as it often has more chance of increasing than dropping.
But if you want to experiment with this hack for booking cheaper flights, here are some insider tips:
When to buy tickets
- It’s said that booking 6 to 8 weeks before departure is ideal.
- Some last-minute price drops sometimes appear 2 weeks before, if demand hasn’t been as high as expected. But this is less likely for popular destinations, busy dates and high season.
- In peak times, such as during school holidays, it’s often cheapest to book as soon as the flight goes online. EasyJet release flights in three-month blocks about a year ahead, but you need to be online early.
Avoid peak booking times
- Sunday afternoons often show higher prices, because more people tend to be online looking for flight deals
- Early mornings and late nights can have better deals, potentially
Check for mid-week price drops
- Airfares often fall on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and those dates are usually the cheapest to book tickets to fly on
- It’s also thought booking when fewer people are online may save you money. So if you’re a 3am night owl, that could be an advantage!
All of these will only be true on routes where there hasn’t been a huge demand. For example, I keep trying to find cheap Manchester to Tirana flights, but this route has become very popular so there are few tickets available and so they’re priced really high.
Real example
I saved over £200 on the six plane tickets I needed by setting my alarm for 6am on EasyJet’s summer flight release date. That was definitely worth getting up a bit earlier for!
If you really want to drill down into the statistics, Opodo has a great article on specific flight price trends.
Consider Nearby Airports and Budget Airlines
Departure airports
If you’re able to fly from larger airports, you’ll likely have more choice and cheaper flight options. This is a great hack for booking cheaper flights, if the timings and transport options work out.
- London airports are almost always cheapest, because there are four to choose from and so that competition drives the prices down. Where as flights from smaller airports with no nearby competition will be priced higher.
- I rarely use my nearest airport, and usually fly from airports I can reach within a 2-hour drive. But I’ll often travel for longer for a destination that I can’t reach otherwise.
Arrival airports
The opposite is often true with your arrival airport.
- Smaller airports that are further away from the city centre are usually the cheaper option. These airports are often served by budget airlines, offering cheaper fares for a less convenient location.
- For example Brussels Charleroi is usually cheaper to fly to than Brussels.
- However, some airports can be up to 2 hours away from the city contained in their name. Not ideal if you’re planning a day trip! So always check the travel distance and time between the airport and your intended destination to see if the difference is price is worth the cost, time and effort.
- Finally, consider if you can travel to or from your selected accommodation for your scheduled flight times.
Real example
- When I searched for flights to Paris, a ticket to Charles de Gaulle (CDG) was £49 but a flight to Beauvais (BVA) that departs ten minutes later was only £23. Or I could travel six hours later direct to CDG for £27.
- However, it’s a 90-120 minute bus journey from BVA to central Paris, with transfer prices starting from 17 Euros. So it’s worth weighing up the total cost versus convenience.
Avoid Additional Fees
Budget airlines in particular advertise a cheap base fare, but the price can double if you add luggage, reserved seating and priority boarding.
It’s worth considering firstly, do you really need these? And secondly, are you entitled to them without having to pay?
Here are some lesser-known hacks for booking cheaper flights, which may surprise you.
Luggage
- You may be allowed to take additional luggage if you have a medical need or you’re travelling with very young children. Check your airline’s website for details of what you can take for free before you pay.
- Otherwise, it’s surprising how much you can fit in the free under-seat bag if you buy a good one and use packing cubes to take only what you need. I often travel for up to six days with just this small allowance.
- If you’re struggling, wear your heavier items and tie any thicker sweaters around your waist before you board. You can pack any overflow clothing items into a neck pillow cover, and buy a bottle of water and a duty free carrier bag to carry any souvenirs you’ve purchased to take home.
Seating
This varies a lot by airline, so it’s always worth checking their general rule of thumb.
- All passengers on the same booking are usually seated together on EasyJet flights – if you check in as soon as the 30-day window opens and there’s availability.
- However, Ryanair and Wizz will always randomly assign seats. And it might be worth just taking separate seats to keep costs low.
If the flight isn’t full you may be able to move seats after take off. If the flight is full, you could try asking nicely after boarding, and another passenger may be willing to swap if they’re travelling solo, particularly if you’re offering a window or aisle seat for a middle one. If they decline though, remember that they may have paid for that seat where as you didn’t, so that’s fair enough. You’re not entitled to a seat you didn’t pay for.
Special assistance
If you have an additional need, whether this be physical disability or a neurodivergence (indicated by PYM), you can request special assistance.
- This free service can allow you, and (in some instances) one travel partner, to be assigned seats together, without additional cost.
- It can also include priority boarding, if the passenger has a specific need to board and settle earlier than the rush of passengers.
Real example
A passenger with ADHD or autism travelling with a friend or family member saves on average around 20 Euros each way on reserved seats by selecting PYM at the time of booking.
Free ‘upgrades’
Another option, if you’re game, is to play what I like to call ‘check-in chicken’. This is probably my most fun hack for booking cheaper flights, but with extra leg room!
- ‘Check in chicken’ is where you wait until much nearer the online check in closing time to improve your chance of bagging a more expensive seats that hasn’t been reserved yet.
- It works better on full flights, but I’ve managed to get a seat right at the front or in an exit row with extra leg room a few times this way.
- Always check first when the online check in cut-off is and closely monitor what seats are left, then check in when the odds look good. Overselling or an aircraft downgrade could mean you’re left with no seat if you were last to check in.
- On the bright side, you’d be entitled to compensation if you’re denied boarding for this reason. But obviously don’t do this if being left behind will cause you issues!
Bonus: Budget Airline Loyalty Schemes
If you’re a frequent flyer, you might also be able to save money by making the most of various budget airline loyalty schemes.
- EasyJet Plus offers perks including a free premium seat, luggage upgrade, ticket price promise and a free earlier return flight. Check out the benefits calculator here to see if the cost is worth it for you.
- Wizz offer various levels of membership, with different benefits and fees. You can check which option might suit you on the Wizz website. Or check out their ‘All You Can Fly’ pass, which reduces their flights to under 10 Euros for a one-off annual fee.
- Ryanair have also recently launched their own Prime membership. It’s worth considering, but for me personally I think it’s too difficult to calculate the potential savings as there’s no set price reduction.
Why You Don’t Need To Use Incognito Mode or Clear Cookies
It’s a commonly-held belief that websites increase prices if they detect repeated searches. However this is really only true based on the demand rule we covered earlier, and the price will rise for everyone, not just the person searching.
So clearing your cookies or using an incognito/private browser isn’t likely to change the price – although it certainly doesn’t hurt to try.
You may get a different price based on location, so you could try using a VPN before you search. But bear in mind the price will usually be shown in that local currency, so you’ll need to take into account the conversion and any fee your bank may charge (Monzo doesn’t charge fees for foreign debit card transactions, sign up here and get up to £50 free to get you started).
Let me know if you’ve had success doing this!
FAQ
What’s the secret to cheaper air fares?
Flexibility on dates is key to finding cheaper flight prices.
What are the cheapest days to travel?
Tuesdays and Wednesdays are often the cheapest days to travel, while weekends, bank holidays and school holidays are the most expensive.
How can I find out if flight prices drop?
Set price alerts on Skyscanner, Google Flights or Extreme Day Trips to track price changes on specific flights.
How can I find reduced price flights?
Use the Drops tab on the Skyscanner app to see recently reduced flights.
How far in advance should I book flights?
Booking at the right time can help you save on flights – as soon as flights are released for high-demand destinations and dates, otherwise 6-8 weeks before for less popular routes as a general rule.
What if my my nearest airport doesn’t offer any cheap flights?
Consider other nearby airports for departure and arrival – taking into account logistics such as time of day and transport costs.
Why is the final flight price not the same as the advertised price?
You’ve probably not unticked options for extra luggage, security fast-track, priority boarding, reserved seating, travel insurance, etc. Take advantage of basic budget airline fares by checking and declining any extras. However, also note that prices can fluctuate quickly, and so occasionally aren’t fully up-to-date on comparison sites.
Where are the cheapest places to travel to?
Flight price is one thing, but it’s important to consider the cost of accommodation, food, drink and sightseeing at your destination too. Check out my post on the cheapest countries in Europe to visit if you’re on a budget.
Small changes in how and when you search can lead to big savings on flight tickets. And the more you save, the more you can travel within your means – which opens up a world of possibilities.
So start applying these hacks today to fly for less. Book that trip and go enjoy all your destination has to offer.
And don’t forget to arrange your travel insurance, as soon as you’ve booked your flights, for full protection of your trip.
