How to achieve the cheapest airline tickets: 7 tips to save

It is no secret that the volatility of prices when buying a plane ticket is reminiscent of the whirlwind of buying a share in the stock market, with prices that change very frequently.

While the airline business and new technologies have revolutionized ticket purchasing processes, there are practices that give good results when caring for money while traveling.

Before, when airlines were few, making a reservation at the last minute was the best trick to save, since airlines needed to sell their empty seats urgently. That changed a lot with the numerous low cost airlines. Now the ways to search for savings are a bit more sophisticated.

Consider these seven tips the next time you buy plane tickets.

Better day and time to buy

A recent Expedia study shows that when we travel we spend more than expected. If you want to save on your flight, skip a few minutes of your obligations and buy the ticket on a Tuesday, as at 3:00 PM, Eastern time. Why? Many airlines release discounts that day early and that's when the competition starts. If you give some time to get on the peak of offers, at mid afternoon there are low prices after 4:00 PM. they will have vanished.

How much advance booking?

According to the Skyscanner metasearch engine , although seven weeks is the average to book, each destination has its period of anticipation to reduce the price. Although the general rule is that if you travel internationally and the destination is very popular, you should consider 8 to 10 weeks to book in advance. For example, according to that tool, for Paris you must book ten weeks before the flight, for Rome eight and for Brussels seven. This extension in the reservation time becomes even more obligatory when we talk about summer holidays or Christmas.

The local flights are different, in them the best offers can be found five to six weeks before your flight.

A lot of anticipation is not always convenient

The airlines start selling flights at very high rates, then introduce several sales a few months before the flight time, in a wild race to fill all the empty seats. Therefore, rates still tend to be lower than 1 to 4 months before the trip than the 11 months prior to the flight. However, that difference is not as pronounced as it used to be.

The general pattern for Cheapair is that from the moment a flight goes on sale, rates will go down slowly, but steadily until it reaches a low point. That time is what search engines call the "main backup window." If you do not book within that period, it is generally better to do it earlier than you do it too late.

And remember not to fly during the weekend, which is when you see the highest ticket prices.

Search and subscribe to all the alerts you can

Track good prices in Google Flight , in search engines and on the websites of your favorite airlines. Sign up to receive emails with updates. In a short time you will have to choose options and offers of the day, with new routes and packages, above all, you can receive low prices. If you can, buy the offer that best suits you as soon as you see it. However, in some places recommend to wait a day after email because many times the price drops even more.

Try to buy the separate tickets

Sometimes buying round-trip flights in the same company can be more expensive than buying a one-way ticket on one airline and returning on another. It is worth exploring this possibility that also gives you more flexibility, since you can return at the time you want and not when the airline assigns you, you can even return home from another cheaper airport.

Check your credit cards

If you have good credit, another way to reduce costs on flights is by requesting a credit card from an airline that generates miles. These cards are excellent for use in the purchase of tickets for long distance flights. Of course, make sure you pay them in full each end of the month.

Play with the 24-hour margin

Many airlines give you the opportunity to cancel in 24 hours at no cost. If this is the case, keep checking prices in that period to see if a new and better offer is generated. If so, you can cancel your original flight and reserve the new one. In addition to saving, this move will allow you to review more convenient times. Just make sure your reservation has that possibility.

So you already know:

Buy Tuesday mid-afternoon
Do not travel on weekends
Choose your departure date calculating from 2 to 4 months in advance if it is an international flight, and a month and a half if it is national.
Compare prices between Google Flight, search engines and airlines.

And good trip!