10 tips on how to score cheap flights and finding the LFP (lowest fare possible)
It pays to plan ahead, quite literally. The closer you are to your travelling day, the more you pay. Why? Because a while back, airline companies figured out that business travellers tend to schedule meetings at the last minute and have the least flexibility. So while the airlines stick it to the business folk, well-organised, confident holiday planners can take advantage.
To find the best travel fares for you, search for your trip on KAYAK and complete your booking 21 days or more in advance; for next best try for 14 or more. Still here? What are you waiting for?
Make sure you use a tool that searches all the important travel websites and companies.
This is a bit of a shameless plug, but instead of having multiple windows open on your browser and trying to second guess every website’s extra costs and hidden fees, just stick to one website that does it all. And unlike other travel search websites, we display all-inclusive prices, meaning no hidden fees, extra costs or surprises. We compare hundreds of airlines across hundreds of travel sites to get you the best price. You could say we have a flair for finding the cheapest fare (but maybe not for poetry). Make sure you download our app as well; it makes it easier for you to search while you’re on the go.
Be flexible with your dates to get the best flight prices
Which day is cheapest to fly? While there are many theories, the truth is you can’t always predict this in advance. But don’t let this hold you back – with our flexible date search you can easily search more than one day to find the cheapest times to fly. The flexibility to travel on another day can result in dramatically lower fares. So next time you search on KAYAK, select the flexible dates option. You’ll probably find that flying Saturday is cheaper. Likewise, travelling mid-week (Tuesday or Wednesday) is usually cheaper than on a Monday or Thursday/Friday. And don’t forget, you can always stop over in another city for a day to further enhance the experience of your holiday.
Avoid peak travel seasons.
See a theme here? Don’t travel when everyone else is. Not only will the flights be cheaper but the queues shorter, too. Instead of summer, travel in spring or autumn, when the weather is still nice but the prices are lower – and avoid the crowds while you’re at it. You can also save by flying on holidays like Christmas day when many airlines have lower demand and lower prices (and the flight attendants are extra nice).
Watch the prices & know when to book
If you absolutely must travel during those pesky peak seasons, is a well-kept secret amongst the bold and well-travelled. The moment you have an inkling of where you want to go or if you’re keen to take advantage of the many long weekends we have a year, then make sure you check the top right hand corner of the search results page and heed our advice. Take advantage of our data based on billions of searches over the years!
Utilise and redeem your airline miles
This is pretty much a given, but you’d be surprised how many points you can collect from credit cards and other loyalty cards after a few months. Take the time to study which credit card, hotel and mileage programme works best for you. It’s always key to use miles for free upgrades and it’s better value for money (miles) to claim one expensive long-distance flight than to divide them up between several short distance routes.
Location, location, location. Fly into an alternative airport.
Many airlines fly into alternative airports (like Stansted instead of London Heathrow) and what they save in airport fees, they pass onto you. If you’re planning a trip around Europe, you may find this especially useful, as many of the low-cost airlines tend to base their operations out of these smaller/alternative airports. You may also appreciate the added benefit of less traffic, cheaper rental cars and fewer people at the airport bars, too. Whenever you search with KAYAK, we can automatically show you rates from nearby airports.
Be prepared to take red-eye flights or travel at weird hours.
Life is all about timing. The key to getting the lowest fare is to fly when others are not. The ‘dead times’ will vary by route (early morning and late night are good for leisure routes, mid-day is usually best for business routes). Adjust the slider on the ‘Take-off’ and ‘Landing’ times on the left-hand side when you get your flight options; keeping it open lets you focus your way to a cheaper fare. Of course, it’s also key to confirm that you can check into your accommodation when you land at odd hours and take into account the availability of transportation and its costs. The last thing you need when you save money on a flight is to spend all your savings on an expensive executive taxi because public transport options are unavailable.
Take advantage of search functionalities for flights and hotels
Our Fee Calculator was designed to help you better understand how flight costs change according to which payment method you choose. The Fee Calculator sits on the top left-hand side of your flight search results. Select your preferred payment method and watch as your results magically update. Now, you can easily see how these fees affect the overall flight price. We do this to avoid any nasty surprises with hidden fees, so you can feel more confident about your purchase.
Set Price Alerts
What if we told you there was a better way to track prices on flights and hotels than repeating the same search every day? No, this isn’t spam, we promise. Our Price Alerts will send you a notification as soon as the price drops. Maybe you know exactly where you want to go but you’re not really concerned about the when, as long as you get a good deal. If a low price is more important to you than the departure date, you can set up a Flexible Flight Price Alert. After adding a new Alert, select ‘Flexible’ in the top navigation and enter your departure and arrival airports. You can make your travel dates ‘Anytime’, ‘Upcoming weekends’ or select the month you’d like to travel. You’ll receive notifications for that route with whatever is the lowest price during the time period you selected (if it was ‘Anytime’, travel is generally within the next 8 months). This is often a win for long-haul flights, which can sometimes have huge fluctuations in prices.
Use KAYAK Explore to see how far you can go on your budget
Sometimes, you just want to go somewhere. You’re not even sure where — but at least you know how much you can spend. Enter: KAYAK Explore. Also available on our app, this tool lets you see where in the world you can fly to on your budget. Whether you’re looking for a weekend adventure or a month-long journey, Explore is a great place to start. The results will include the cheapest routes by every airline within the next 6 months or so, including direct flights and stopovers, which you can easily adjust based on your preferences.
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Note: All prices shown for illustrative purposes only, prices shown may change or no longer be available.
