Booking flights can be stressful and expensive, especially if you have left booking your holiday until the last minute.
Ticket prices soar the later you book, not to mention the extra fees airlines like to tack on after you’ve sought out the best deal.
So if you’re keen to get away this summer but you still haven’t booked your tickets, we’ve gathered some simple travel hacks to help you score cheap flights this holiday season
Make the most of your Tuesdays and Wednesdays
According to Warren Chang, vice president of Fly.com, airlines typically release new airfare sales midweek. In particular, Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be the peak times to find cheap airline tickets. While the sales often target the following weekend, they are not always limited to these.
Double hack: Tuesdays and Wednesdays are not only the best days to find the cheapest deal; they are also the cheapest days to fly!
Sign up for specials
By signing up to e-newsletters from travel sites, you can be assured that you won’t miss out- with sale alerts sent straight to your email. The best part about this? You can even customise your alerts if you are looking for sales to a particular holiday destination. All you need to do is log on to a few of the major airline's official websites and sign up with your email!
Search smart
If you know where and when you want to go, there are some sites which can help you compare airline against an airline.
Some of the best comparison sites that we’ve found are:
Whilst these sites are great for finding the cheapest deals around, beware of booking with them! They can sometimes charge you a hefty booking fee for using their service. So how can you use these sites? Once you’ve found the cheapest flight, you can head to the particular airline’s site and book directly through them to save yourself on potential service booking fees.
Alternatively, you can use the Matrix Airfare Search to compare. While you can’t book directly through the website, it does present all the best deals you can find on the market, in Australia and around the world.
Beware of fees
These days some airlines offset cheaper prices for flights by charging fees for almost everything else. If you pick your seat before you fly, you could be charged a fee. If you want a meal included, you may get charged a fee. If you pay with your Visa card, you may be charged a fee. Whilst some fees cannot be avoided you can definitely skip the non-essentials to save you the most dollars.
BYO Food
Even if you haven’t included a meal on your ticket, a lot of airlines offer snacks during your flight. Save your cash for when you actually reach your holiday destination, by bringing your own snacks on board! It might not sound like much, but by bringing an assortment of your favourite snacks you won’t only prevent those mid-air cravings- you’ll save yourself a small fortune too!
Frequent Flyer Points are your friend
There are countless rewards programs which airlines offer to encourage continued business with them. Use this to your advantage! Some reward programs even allow you to pool your points or status credits with family members who live at the same address. You can use your points to purchase flights, extra baggage or even lounge passes. Who doesn’t love a free airfare?
This blog post is for general information purposes only and is not intended as financial or professional advice. It does not have regard to the financial situation or needs of any reader and must not be relied upon as financial product or other professional advice. You should seek your own independent financial, legal and taxation advice before making any decision about any action in relation to the material in this article. Railways Credit Union Limited trading as MOVE Bank ABN 91 087 651 090. AFSL/ Australian Credit License number 234 536 | ABN 91 087 651
