U.S. regulations require airlines to offer either a 24-hour refund policy or the option to lock or hold a flight at the current price – but not necessarily both.
It may not work last-minute: Airlines are only required to offer a free cancellation window for flights booked at least seven days before departure.
Some of the major online travel agencies (OTAs) like Expedia honor the 24-hour rule, but many smaller sites do not.
Put it all together, and you can use the 24-hour rule to book an insanely cheap flight the moment you find it. After that, do the legwork to make sure you can get the vacation time or your favorite travel buddy can come with. Not going to work out? Just cancel within 24 hours of booking and get your money back.
We like to focus on finding cheap flights through deals on the major, full-service carriers. These are the big airlines with names you know like Delta, American, and United or big foreign carriers like Lufthansa, SWISS, Japan Airlines, and Emirates.
But there's no question that budget airlines have their place for travelers looking to save. Whether you're flying within the U.S. or down to the Caribbean, criss-crossing your way through Europe, or heading all the way over to Asia, there are a ton of low-cost carriers (or even ultra-low cost carriers) that pride themselves on offering low fares.
But be warned: These cheap fares can be a mirage. These airlines survive by nickel and diming passengers for everything imaginable, with high fees to check a bag, bring a carry-on, pick a seat, and buy food onboard. Some of these airlines even charge an extra fee for printing purchasing tickets online – a fee you can avoid by buying your tickets from the airport.
So if you're content traveling with just a backpack, you can often come out way ahead on these fares. But for anything else, you'll want to do the math and make sure you're actually saving once you've added up all those “extra” costs that may come free with a spendier ticket.
Not seeing cheap deals from your airport? Think you're stuck paying $1,000-plus to fly to Europe or Asia? Think again.
Positioning flights can be a game changer to save hundreds on international travel. These are short domestic flights from your hometown airport to a second hub in order to hop on a cheaper fare. You can score huge savings by booking an international flight from major airports like Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Boston (BOS), New York City (JFK), or Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), then book your positioning flight to get there.
If you've got international travel on the brain, broaden your search to some bigger airports that are relatively cheap to fly (or drive) to. Just be sure to give yourself enough time between these flights in case things go wrong. And consider packing in a carry-on bag to simplify your connections.
We know points and miles can be intimidating at first. We've been there. But trust us, it's worth the effort to save even more on flights. The good news is that there are a few points and miles programs that are perfect for getting started. If you're looking to dip your toes into points and miles, we've got a few favorites.
This is our top card for beginners – and for good reason. Chase points are extremely valuable and easy-to-use, as you can book flights straight through the Chase travel portal (it looks just like searching with Expedia!) with points. Find flights for $400? Make it free using just 32,000 Chase points from your Preferred Card.
You can currently earn a 60,000-point bonus after spending $4,000 within the first three months of card membership. And there are some amazing ways to put those Chase points to use.
There's a new travel card on the scene, and it might just be the best we've seen in years.
Launched last year, Capital One launched The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card – a souped-up version of the ever-popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card that’s chock full of extra benefits. That includes access to Capital One Lounges and Priority Pass lounges, a $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, great travel and rental car insurance protection, and more. The annual fee clocks in at $395 a year, but the benefits can easily outweigh that. It’s the reason why we think the Venture X annual fee shouldn’t scare you off.
Here’s the best part: You can currently earn 75,000 Venture Miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months. Considering you earn at least 2x for every dollar you spend on the Venture X Card, you’ll earn a total of at least 83,000 Venture Miles.
If you're ready to learn more, read our guide to getting started with credit cards, points, and miles. From there, check out our Points Principles series, where we tackle hot travel rewards topics and reader questions.
That's it. That's all it takes to find cheap airfare and start flying more for less. There's no magic in how to buy airline tickets, or magic day or time to book cheap flights. If you're really set on finding cheaper airfare, it all comes down to using the right tools and, more importantly, having the right mindset.
Cheap FlightsUse these tips and tricks to rethink the way you book flights, and save hundreds on your next trip. If you do, you'll discover a whole new world of discount flights – and that finding cheaper flights isn't rocket science.
Choosing to fly during the week is generally cheaper than at weekends. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are good for bargains (they're not usually popular days of the week to travel).
A lot of airline websites have made it easier to spot the cheap days to fly. Look out for 'calendar view' booking systems that let you view prices across the whole week you're searching for.
Comparison site Skyscanner has made this function even better by presenting flight prices in a handy graph. With it, you can see clearly which days are the cheapest to fly!
Also, think carefully about the time of your flight. It might be cheaper to go for a 6am flight, but work out whether you'd be able to get to the airport in time. Public transport might not be running and the chances of you getting a lift are slim.
Remember that peak season in the UK won't necessarily be peak season elsewhere in the world. Prices vary depending on where you're flying to.
You'll see a list of all the flights leaving from your chosen airport on that date, in order of cheapest to most pricey.
You'll see a list of all the flights leaving from your chosen airport on that date, in order of cheapest to most pricey.
This is a great option if you can't be flexible with dates, but you're up for trying somewhere totally different.
Don't be turned off by places you've never considered before. Do a bit of reading online and you might find it has all the sun, sea, sand and everything else you're looking for.
Skyscanner lets you filter by flights with lower CO2 emissions. This is worth doing, along with offsetting the emissions of your flight to reduce your carbon footprint.
As with virtually everything you purchase, shopping around and doing your research is the best way to find great deals.
The good news is there are loads of sites that make it quicker and easier to compare the prices of flights.
Try using sites such as Expedia to look for a good deal on a bundle (flights and a hotel, for example). Do this before checking airline websites to see if it works out cheaper to book separately.
Momondo provides a graph that clearly indicates the cheapest days to fly around the dates you've searched for. You can also alter the search to focus on the quickest route if that's more of a priority to you.
There are some specialist student travel agencies that have a good reputation for getting students where they want to go, for less. Student Universe is a good shout for students and anyone under 30.
Booking with Student Universe or other travel agencies can also lead you in directions you might not have considered. Plus, there are loads of student-focused holidays that offer activities, social events and, most importantly, student discounts!
