My goal was to do a new blog post every week but if you’ve moved before, you know that moving week is just a big ball of stress and consistently being busy moving useless clutter you’ve accumulated since the last move, but any who, I’m back.
My usual go to and recommendation on travel is, of course, driving but sometimes we don’t have the time to drive cross country 1,000 miles, one way, so the next best thing is flying. If I’ve researched anything more than Britney Spears YouTube videos it’s been how to fly the cheapest way. So here’s my bullet points at being extremely frugal on scoring your next ticket.
1. Shop on a Tuesday and 6 Weeks in Advance.
This I can 100% attest to, I’ve bought every single flight I’ve ever purchased on a Tuesday, 6 weeks in advance. This is the “sweet spot.” I’ve flown countless times, round trip, for just $89. I’ve also noticed that Tuesday’s and Wednesdays are the best depart days as well. Usually people that are traveling for leisure or business are not heading out in the middle of the week. (Friday’s are the most expensive day)
2. Shop Around.
Shopping around takes the most time and after a while you just want to put your head in the sand because it’s definitely a lot of numbers, days and sites to keep track of in your brain. There’s about 4 websites I constantly use and bounce between. Kayak.com is probably the most popular, it also has a really neat “explore” option where you can see where the cheapest flight is from your location. My favorite site to use is Cheapoair.com for two reasons. You can mix and match flights. Example: Taking Delta one way to Los Angeles and taking United back home. It also shows you a calendar for flexible days and what would be the cheapest depending on your departing days. I also go straight to the source, I preferably use Frontierairlines.com, I’ve noticed this kind of depends on where you live and where you are going but the cheapest flights I’ve ever gotten have been through Frontier. I also use Cheapair.com, not really a specific rhyme or reason other than I’ve scored some good deals.
3. Browser History And Cookies
CLEAR IT. As much as possible. Let’s say you go to a website, the deal isn’t that great so you decide to come back the next day hoping to see a big price drop. Chances are, it will just increase. Why? Airlines will drop cookies into your browser history to show you are interested in a certain flight, especially if you continuously keep checking back.
4. Check Flights Out Of Different Cities.
If you live in a bigger city or a “hub” then ignore this, however, if you didn’t read my last blog, I live in La Crosse, WI. We have an airport but it usually adds at the very least $200 onto the ticket price VS. just driving(for me) two hours to Minneapolis or Madison. I know this is more inconvenient but the title of this blog isn’t “How to Fly in the Most Convenient Way”
5. Consider Extra Fees
If you’ve EVER flown Spirit, you already know this. When you search for a flight on Kayak.com, Spirit is 99% almost always the cheapest but in retrospect it really isn’t. Let’s paint this picture.
Delta: Free Carry On, Free soda and/or juice, Free Movies, Free Pretzels, More Comfortable Seating.
Spirit: None of the Above and your carry on price is actually MORE than your checked in bag price.
By the time everything is said and done, you are actually paying more than you would be if you just payed that $50 more for a flight with Delta.
6. Sign Up For Alerts.
If you know you want to go to Hawaii next May, then this is perfect for you. I’m an extremely spontaneous traveler so this doesn’t work as well for me. I do go to a different Steeler game in a different stadium every year so I do use alerts for that. Kayak has a price alert option but I prefer to use Airfarewatchdog.com. They email you every time their has been a price drop from your location to Hawaii and when the best time in percentages is to buy.
7. Price Refunds
One of my best kept secrets is price refunds. It obviously varies from airline to airline but it’s a trick few people know. Any of the major airlines, such as; Delta, United and American have a 24 hour policy. If you book your flight on a Monday and it goes down on a Tuesday, cancel your flight and rebook. Read the fine print though because sometimes you can get screwed with fees. Airlines like Alaska, Virgin or Southwest is your best bet on refunds. Sites like Yapta.com helps you keep track.
Make sure to check back for more tips and tricks on flights and other cool stuff 🙂
thegypsytraveler 