How to save money on the most popular flight bookings

There are some of the most popular ways to save money on airline tickets.

Airfares aren't always the cheapest on Tuesdays, and booking early won't always save you more money.
This article can save you money and some non-refundable tickets are refundable.
You can choose to buy tickets online while in incognito mode to save more money.
From regional pricing to flight search engines, there are many variables that determine how much you pay for air travel.

Here are 12 airline ticket myths, plus how you can save money on your next trip:

Tuesday is the cheapest day of the week to buy tickets

Tuesday is not always the cheapest day to buy airline tickets, but prices can be more reasonable on some days of the week.
Tuesday's rule only applies to 1.6% of domestic US flights, and only if you book now, according to a 2017 Bloomberg report analyzing data from airfare forecasting firm Hopper. midnight. Even if you close the sale at 12 o'clock, you'll only save $18 on average.
Larger discounts still exist, but they're more common on international flights. Nine hundred of the 3,500 global routes Hopper examined offered an average discount of $20 per ticket on Thursdays and $600 off on Mondays.
Thursdays are also a good option for cheaper domestic flights. Hopper found that, on average, 3,500 of the 7,500 domestic routes dropped in price by $12 that day. On Wednesdays, 3,000 US routes are similarly discounted.
Plus CheapAir.com's annual Airfare Research, which looked at 917 million airline tickets across more than 8,000 markets, and found that the day of the week you buy the ticket "has a negligible effect on flight costs " with a price change of about $1 within a week.

The earlier you book your tickets, the more money you save

The same study from CheapAir.com also notes that if you book your tickets 203 to 315 days in advance, you'll have the widest selection of airlines and seats - but on average you'll pay an extra $50 per ticket ticket.
According to CheapAir, the prime booking period (the time frame where you'll save the most) is 21 to 115 days before departure.

Some destinations are always expensive

In 2018, using data from flight search engine Hipmunk, GoBankingRates determined the cheapest destination to visit in each month of the year.
If you time your trip right - and open to smaller cities like Lille, France and Comporta, Portugal - the savings could be worth it. For example, if you're planning to go in May, you can fly to Sao Paulo for as little as $750, instead of $2,000 or more.

You must book all segments of a long-haul trip through the same airline

If you book multiple sectors of an individual international trip and are open to low-cost airlines such as Vietjet Air, Wow Air and Norwegian, long-haul flights may be more affordable.
According to the thrifty travel blog Thrifty Nomads, Kiwi.com (which also calculates affordable train and bus options) is one of the best sources for mixing and matching long-haul routes.
Likewise, booking separately can save you money on domestic flights.
If you and your friends are booking on the same flight, you should buy your tickets in one transaction
In other situations, such as when a grocery store is on a two-for-one sale, buying in bulk will save you money. But airlines sometimes charge more per ticket if you're booking for multiple passengers.
Due to the reservation algorithm, there can be up to 10 different prices for the same seat on a domestic flight.
To avoid paying more than necessary for multiple tickets, Consumer Reports recommends breaking up your ticket purchase among members of your group, or finding airlines that take group bookings, which are suitable for your needs. groups of 10 or more people.
Trap placement is a nuisance - and should be avoided at all costs
Rescheduled flights are known to be cheaper than direct flights. Layovers also offer another benefit known as "hidden city ticketing".
In a 2018 interview, Scott Keyes, CEO and co-founder of Scott's Low-Cost Flights, explained the concept with the following example: If you want to travel between two major cities , such as Chicago and New York, you can book a flight from Chicago to Burlington, Vermont, stop in New York and skip the connecting flight.
While the practice is legal, there are some caveats to keep in mind.
"It's 100% legal, but it goes against the airline's contract of carriage, which means they don't like it when passengers do this," Keyes said. "If the airline knows you're doing it, they might not let you on that plane, or they might can chase you."
If you want to take your chances with a hidden city booking, he advises against buying a round trip ticket and only carrying hand luggage.

Your browsing history doesn't matter when buying tickets

Thanks to dynamic pricing, fares can increase simply by continuously searching for certain routes. To avoid price increases, clear your browser's cookies or search in an incognito tab.

You always have to pay to upgrade

To improve your chances of getting a free upgrade, you can try buying an economy class ticket with booking code Y or B.
Amy Lee of TravelNerd.com says that in 2013, if there's space in the next tier of service, you'll get a free upgrade.
This trick is most effective if you are a frequent flyer and are loyal to a particular carrier.

All flight search engines are created equal

If you look up the same route on different flight search engines, don't be surprised if prices differ.
To illustrate that not all airfare search sites are created equal, Frommer's compared and contrasted 10 booking and aggregator tools, including Priceline and Kayak, based on price last minute tickets and pre-purchase prices for main gates (NYC to LAX), side gates (Philadelphia to Rome), and less popular routes (Denver to New Delhi). The guidebook company already knows that only some search engines determine the cheapest routes.
In general, each website has its own pros and cons, so it's a good idea to experiment with search engines until you find one you like.

Regional price does not exist

Flight prices may vary depending on your location, especially for international flights. Thankfully, there are several ways to overcome this difficulty.
You can spoof your computer's IP address using a virtual private network or buy a ticket from an airline's overseas website in your local currency. For example, if you're flying to India from somewhere in the US, you can book through www.airindia.in instead of www.airindia.com.
If you choose the local currency solution, be sure to purchase your ticket with a card that does not charge foreign transaction fees.

Non-refundable tickets are never refundable

Flight change fees are notoriously expensive, but there is actually a change/cancellation window built into all non-refundable tickets regulated by the US Department of Transportation.
If you booked your ticket seven or more days before your scheduled departure, DOT requires a free change or cancellation within a 24-hour period.
The only point is that airlines are not required to offer both options. This also only applies to flights to or from the United States.

Frequent flyer miles are not helpful

You might think that airline bonus programs are just a gimmick, but they are quite useful if you do your research.
Some programs allow travelers to earn and redeem rewards by booking through other airlines in the same alliance or partner network, such as Vietjet Air which successfully partnered with MOVI earlier this year. 2022 to launch fly now pay later products, providing installment airline tickets for all customers in Vietnam.