Flight tickets are one of the most expensive parts of a holiday itinerary, especially when planning an international holiday trip. If you are a frequent traveler and fly to destinations across the world for leisure and business purposes, you may be more interested to buy airline tickets for a cheap cost. Airfare usually makes more than half of the total cost of a trip and buying cheap flight tickets will help you thrash the expenses down significantly. While low-cost airlines offer a good way to travel for cheap, there are times when you end up paying more because of add-ons and extra charges.
Here’s how you can Buy Flight Tickets for Cheap!
Airlines introduce tons of deals and discounts every year. Sometimes the prices are slashed for just a day and there are times when special promotions are launched during off-peak season to compete in the market. Keeping an eye on these offers can help you plan a trip for quite less.
The average cost of airfare has gone down in recent years because of the Covid 19 pandemic but it still burns a hole in your wallet. This article will help you learn about ways to find cheap flight tickets and cut the costs of your total airfare.
Here are 18 of the most effective and proven tips to save on international flight tickets regardless of the location where you are traveling to.
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Book Ahead of Time
After figuring out the location and time of your holiday trip, book flight tickets at the earliest. Airfares typically begin to rise as the departure date nears. Book your tickets at least 3 weeks before the travel date to save yourself a good amount of money. You are more likely to find an affordable air ticket if you make reservations a month or so before the actual date of departure.
Booking early also helps in getting your preferred seats without having to pay extra. It’s better to move with a plan and avoid making sudden holiday trips.
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Be Flexible about the Dates
The price of flight tickets fluctuates drastically. You may find a cheaper date before or after your selected date of departure. Be flexible about the dates and book the one you find the cheapest. It would be much easier for you to find an affordable ticket if you consider changing the travel date according to the availability of cheaper fares.
When planning a holiday, keep a margin of 2 to 3 days in mind when looking for flights, and book your hotel room only after finalizing the air ticket. This will save you from any possible inconvenience and you will most probably be able to cut the cost of airfare down.
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Book a Flight using a different Currency
Most low-cost airlines urge you to pay for the tickets in the currency of the location you are flying from. Sometimes you can get your hands on cheap flight tickets if you consider paying in a different currency. When choosing to pay using another currency, make sure your credit or debit card won’t charge you extra for making foreign transactions. A lot of times passengers end up paying more because of the fees charged for making transactions in a different currency.
You can perhaps use a VPN and set your location to another destination when reserving an airline ticket online.
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Compare Different Airlines
You can always choose to book a flight directly from the airline or visit a third-party vendor to reserve an air ticket. Generally speaking, third-party websites and portals usually offer better rates and discounted deals to help you save money. However, it is advised to search and compare different platforms and see which portal is offering the best cheap flight rate.
Visit the airline carriers’ websites also and make a comparison between services, dates, and total costs. You can also sign up for email alerts and notifications to receive the latest discounts and price reductions in fares of the flights set to fly to your selected destination.
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Prefer to travel with Low-Cost Airlines
Choose to travel with budget airline carriers as they offer more affordable options for international travel by cutting down on services including food, drinks, and extra baggage allowance. Low-cost airlines generally do not offer premium amenities but do offer a comfortable and safe experience during flight. You can enjoy a sound flying experience by paying considerably less amount.
Wizz Air, Air Arabia, and Fly Dubai can be your preferred airline carriers for budget traveling.
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Search for Cheap Flights using Incognito Mode
The majority of third-party portals and airlines’ websites make use of cookies to save customer information on their system. This helps them increase the airfare when a particular destination is looked out for several times using their platform.
It is better to search for flights using incognito mode in your web browser. Browse the web in private mode or use a VPN mode when looking for affordable air tickets. You can also choose to clear your browsing history including saved cookies after every search you make on your device.
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Check for Credit Card Discounts
Many times, special promotions and discounts are introduced for credit and debit cards. Users of a specific card are often provided with special privileges, deals, and offers that help them cut down on airfare expenses.
Check with your credit card carrier if any special discounts are being offered for an airline. Cashbacks, add-ons, and extra baggage allowance are common benefits usually offered to debit and credit holders.
To learn more about how you can travel for less with Emirates Airlines using credit cards, click here.
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Look for Student Discounts
A lot of airline carriers offer special discounts for students who travel abroad for academic and leisure purposes. You as a student can save up on your ticket costs when using special promo codes and coupons. Etihad and Emirates Airlines have student discount offers where you can enjoy reduced ticket costs to multiple destinations and extra baggage allowance.
Click here to learn more about the Emirates Student Discount Program. For details on Etihad's global discount offer for students click here.
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Find out the cheapest most Days to Travel
Keep a check on the flight fares for the entire month. There is no hard and fast rule to identify the cheapest flights on specific days. However, for some destinations, the airfare is less during the weekdays (Monday to Friday) and a bit expensive over the weekends. This is not a definite rule and is only implied for certain routes. For some destinations, the airfare is higher during the weekdays and less over the weekends. Keep checking for flights regularly to see what days the fare is at its lowest. Online air flight search engines and portals can be of great help when finding out the cheapest day for booking a ticket.
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Prefer booking a Return Ticket
It is a widely known fact that the total cost of an air trip cost much less when you book a return flight instead of booking a one-way ticket. Also, reserving more tickets at the same time for the same airline can help save money. Book all your family’s tickets together and choose to fly on the same date and time.
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Travel during Off-Peak Season
Traveling during the off-peak season is the best decision you can undertake to reduce the cost of airfare. A lot of prayers plan their itinerary from January to March and August to November. Tickets generally cost more during the holiday and festive season and during the summer break in schools and universities.
Try booking your flight at least a month ahead if you still choose to travel during the peak season to save yourself from exorbitant airfare.
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See if you can choose the hidden city ticketing
Sometimes, air tickets cost less when you book a flight that stops over at your preferred destination. Instead of booking a direct flight to your destination, choose a flight that has a layover at your destination so that you can get off the plane and depart from the spot. Such flights are usually cheaper but have their risks. Sometimes passengers are not allowed to leave the plane during the stopover and the checked-in baggage is sent to the final destination only. In such cases, you can choose to travel with a piece of hand luggage only.
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Reserve tickets that are non-refundable
If your plans are certain and you expect no change in the schedule, then it’s advised to book non-refundable tickets. It’s a commonly known fact that the cost of non-refundable airline tickets is priced at a low-cost rate as compared to refundable tickets.
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Register for Loyalty Programs with the Airlines
Most airlines have loyalty programs designed specifically for passengers who travel frequently. When you travel with a specific airline consistently, you are rewarded for being a loyal customer. Members of the loyalty programs accumulate points each time they travel with an airline. The earned points can later be redeemed for booking tickets, dining, or shopping.
Emirates Skywards Miles Program and Etihad Airways Guest Miles Program are attractive options for earning points and redeeming them against valuable rewards and exciting discounts on retail, travel, and food.
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Book your tickets on the day of departure
All airlines offer a certain number of cheap flights and when all the tickets are sold out, the cost starts to rise. It’s a common belief that flight tickets cost expensive when booked on and around the date of departure. However many times you can grab incredible deals when you choose to book the flight at the last minute. This fact holds especially when you book directly with the carrier. This happens when some passengers cancel their flights and the airline needs to fill in the seats. It’s quite a risky bet but can save you a good deal of money.
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Do not Over Pack
Most airlines have baggage restrictions and you are not supposed to carry extra weight. If your baggage exceeds the said limit you would need to pay extra. To save yourself from such unforeseen circumstances at the time of departure, it’s better to pack light. Do not overstuff your suitcase. Keep the essentials only especially if you are going for a short trip.
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Cross Check all the Details before Finalizing the Booking
Before you hit the checkout button and pay for your tickets online, it’s advised to double-check all the details to make sure you are not being charged with something extra.
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Accept the Seat the Airline Offers
Usually, all passengers on a cheap flight are allocated seats randomly. Changing your seat or selecting a seat may cost you extra money. Accept the seat that the airline offers you and avoid paying unnecessary costs for a seat. The plane will ultimately take to you to the destination no matter which seat you fly on.
If you are not happy with your seat, you may perhaps board the flight at the last. Boarding the airplane at the last allows you to choose from free seats available on the plane Tuck into your preferred seat without it costing you an arm or a leg.
Wrapping it up
International airfares are expensive without any doubt. Planning a holiday trip gets ridiculously extortionate because of the high-priced flight tickets. Whether you choose to travel alone for business purposes or plan to fly with family for leisure, it’s wise to plan and schedule your travel itinerary keeping in mind a few essential facts. Book your tickets early, choose to travel during off-peak season, reserve a return flight instead of a one-way ticket, and look out for discounts curated especially for credit and debit card holders. Travel light and enjoy your journey on a budget!