9 Top Tips For Booking Flights

How do you find the best prices on flights? Here are some of our top tips to help you save money on your next trip.

1: Quick tips

Search for flights on comparison websites and the airlines website

Be flexible with you travel dates (if you can)

Use budget airlines (Air Asia, Ryanair, Spirit)

Consider stop over flights - When travelling long haul

2: 2 One-way flights Vs 1 return flight

Whenever you want to book a return flight, especially on budget airlines, compare the price to book 2 one-way flights. Sometimes the total price for the same journey is cheaper when booking this way.

3: Fly from & return to different airports

If you can be flexible in the airports you use to start and finish your trip, this can be a great way to save some cash, as you increase the choice of airlines you can fly with. Search using your 2 most preferred airports and see which airport is better to fly from or back to (consider flight times as well as price).

4: 2+ travelling? Book the same flight on separate bookings

When you want to book flights, for 2 or more people, search for 1 person first and then then for the actual number of passengers travelling and compare the price per passenger. For example, instead of booking a flight for 3 adults on one booking, it can be cheaper if each adult booked individually for the same flight. How?

This is because some algorithms, especially on budget airlines, can increase the base flight price per passenger, when there are more passengers on the booking. One potential down side is you may be sitting apart but if the plane has empty seats, you could ask to move and sit next to your friends or family.

5: Use the ‘multi-city’ search tool

If you are flying to multiple destinations, consider searching with the ‘multi-city’ tool some airlines offer, which is great if you are flying to and from different cities. Your savings will ultimately depend on the airlines flight network or partner airline network but is cheaper than booking multiple independent one-way tickets.  

6: Flash sales

If you know where you want to go or just feel spontaneous, watch out for airline flash sales. Simply follow the airlines you are likely to travel with on social media and sign up to their newsletters to be the first to know.

7: When to book flights

The best month of the year to book flights in is typically January. This is because demand is lower, following Christmas. Most airlines use algorithms and dynamic pricing systems, so as demand increases, prices increase and as demand falls, prices fall.

8: Get cashback

Check if the website you are booking your flights on is listed on the Top Cash Back website. If it is, you can earn cash back. Personally, I love cashback websites and use them for anything I buy online. I have earned over a £1,100. It is quick and simple to use. You can click here to join.

Before you book your flights, just visit Top Cash Back and ‘click through’ to the website you want to buy from. The click is ‘tracked’ to determine your exact amount of cashback. This will appear in your Top Cash Back account and then after a few weeks, you can withdraw the cash.

9: Discount day flights

Most people do not want to fly on Christmas day. But if you are willing to, you can save up to 30% compared to flying on Christmas eve or Boxing day.