Traveling can be an expensive venture, especially if you plan on traveling by plane. But, if you’re on a budget for your next trip, knowing the best day to buy plane tickets can help you take advantage of deals and save money.
The best day to buy plane tickets is a Tuesday, at least seven weeks before a scheduled trip to save on airfare.
However, other factors, such as dates of travel, individual airline fees, and more, can influence how much you’ll actually be able to save when booking your tickets. In this article, we’ll review all these considerations and offer tips on finding the best deals for your trip.
What Makes Tuesday the Best Day to Buy Plane Tickets?
Airfare pricing, just like with any other business, is based on supply and demand. You may be surprised to learn that there is no straightforward answer to explain why Tuesdays are the best days to buy plane tickets, although standard wisdom indicates that midweek purchases—in any industry—tend to be cheaper.
As most people prefer traveling on the weekends, airlines hike their fares, knowing that their tickets will sell out. Low-performing airlines in the market use this as an opportunity to attract customers by offering lower ticket prices on weekends. Eventually, other airlines try to follow suit, and by Monday or Tuesday, even the highest-performing airlines are compelled to lower their costs to stay in the fare war.
Because most airlines release their weekly discounts by Tuesday, this day is considered the best day to book plane tickets.
However, this comes with a caveat: Nowadays, airline prices are set by algorithms; therefore, the day of the week customers buy tickets does not always have an exact correlation with how much lower the cost of tickets actually are. It can be as little as a difference of $1, which is not exactly huge savings. Therefore, if you want to save on airfare, it is best to plan ahead of time and be flexible in your travel dates to get the best deal.
What Are the Cheapest Days to Fly Internationally?
Although buying your plane tickets on a Tuesday may not offer significant savings, it can still help you save a little extra cash.
According to CheapAir, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days to fly for all overseas destinations, and departing on Wednesday can help you bag the most budget-friendly savings of around $60 compared to the most expensive day of the week.
While statistics show that Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the cheapest days to fly internationally, these are partly affected by your destination as well. For example, some specific cities may have their own fare calendar depending on the season’s cycle in that location.
However, if Tuesday or Wednesday isn’t the best day for you to travel and you’re flexible, consider purchasing tickets with travel dates during a weekday rather than a weekend.
So, whether you are looking for things to do on your first trip to London or you are trying to do Paris in three days, these tips will help you get the best price!
(For tips on how to fly to Europe for cheap, check out this article!)
What Are the Best Days to Fly Domestic?
Similar to international travel, it is cheaper to travel domestically on weekdays. According to Qtrip, travel fares on Tuesdays were the lowest, averaging at $301 for airfare, while Wednesdays average close to $304. The most expensive day to fly was Sundays, averaging at $398.
FareCompare statistics reveal that domestic travel costs in the US are usually the lowest on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. In contrast, Fridays and Sundays are the most expensive days to fly. In terms of flight times, it is advised to fly when most people don’t travel, such as dawn, overnight, or during meal times, such as lunch and dinner.
How Far in Advance Should I Buy a Plane Ticket?
Buying tickets in advance is always beneficial, but it can still be a gamble. If you purchase flight tickets too early, you could be spending more. On the other hand, if you buy too late, you could still pay an arm and a leg. Therefore, it is essential to find the sweet spot for the best shopping window.
CheapAir breaks down the booking timeframe into six zones:
- The first zone is “First Dibs” about ten to six-and-a-half months before the flight. In this time frame, airlines have just opened bookings for a flight, and it could cost around $50 more in this time frame than the “Prime Booking Window.”
- The next time frame is the “Peace of Mind,” which is about six-and-a-half to four months before the flight. During this period, you are more likely to pay over $20 compared to the “Prime Booking Window.”
- The “Prime Booking Window” lasts between four months to three weeks before the day of the flight; this is when travelers can get deals within 5% of the lowest flight price.
If you are looking to buy international tickets, it is recommended to purchase tickets between five-and-a-half months to one-and-a-half months before the date of departure. For US domestic travel, it is advised to shop between three months and 30 days before departure.
What Are the Best Months to Travel?
According to Skyscanner, January is the cheapest month to fly for domestic trips. The next two cheapest months to fly are September and October. Traveling in September could help you save 10% on flights compared to the average yearly ticket price.
On the other hand, traveling in the summer season around July costs the highest. If you are looking to travel to international destinations, it is recommended to fly in March as you could save around 15% compared to the average yearly price. October is the second cheapest option after March, while December is the most expensive month to travel internationally.
How to Get the Best Deal on Plane Tickets
You may not always have time to buy tickets during the best purchasing window, or you may not receive the price you are looking for. While it could be disheartening not to find the best deal you are hoping for, there are some other strategies you can try to get the best value out of plane tickets.
Clear Cookies and Search Using Incognito Mode
If you see ticket prices rise after searching the same flight for some time, you may get confused into thinking that the prices will skyrocket.
Website cookies follow your internet searches and have all your user information, and travel search engines use algorithms to estimate the prices they offer each customer. Therefore, if you have searched for flight routes or destination information online, you will likely see higher prices for flights from $20 to $40 more.
For that reason, when searching for affordable plane tickets online, it is best to clear your browser cookies and use a private browser (incognito mode) so that your search history does not affect the flight prices you see.
Mix and Match Airlines
When you book directly with an airline‘s website, it only provides you the option to fly with that carrier or its partner airlines; this can limit your options, and you may end up losing money trying to find your perfect itinerary.
Instead, if you look into booking each leg of the flight separately by mixing and matching your airline carriers, you are more likely to get a great deal on your flight tickets; this is when most third-party search engines come to your aid. They are not controlled by a single airline carrier and can, therefore, show you the most advantageous flight options.
Use Optimal Flight Search Engines
Not all search engines are equal, so you should use a combination of search engines to ensure you are finding the best deals for your travel destination, dates, and times.
Fly with Budget Carriers
If you are comfortable with having less leg space or no full flight services (such as complimentary food or drinks), you have the option of flying with budget carriers. These airlines typically offer lower-priced tickets compared to their elite counterparts.
Regional and local airlines should also be considered when booking flight tickets; they usually have more options regarding flight times, dates, and prices available.
Book Connecting Flights
If your travel plans have longer flight durations, you can book connecting flights to your destination as they are usually cheaper than non-stop flights. You can also investigate booking flights from nearby airports.
Use Points and Miles
Nowadays, most airline carriers have their own travel rewards card or mileage plans, where you can collect points and bonuses based on your flight travel. You can earn travel perks such as free flights, free hotel stays, or upgrades if you sign up and use the rewards program’s benefits.
Always keep an eye out for such flight deals; sometimes, you may be able to travel at a low-cost or even free of charge by signing up for a rewards program.
Curious about upgrading your travel experience? Explore the question, “Are last-minute upgrades cheaper?” in our guide to make informed decisions for a more comfortable journey.
What Are Your Options If You Need to Book a Last-Minute Flight?
You can take every possible measure to save on airfare when a trip is planned, but it’s hard to avoid paying more than you’d like when last-minute travel plans come up. However, there are still a few ways you can get creative to take advantage of savings:
- If you are traveling due to a family emergency such as a death or illness, then you can try calling the airline’s customer service directly to get reduced fares. These are known as bereavement fares. These prices may not be significantly lower, but they are also not typically the high last-minute price, either.
- If you are traveling as a group, searching for individual tickets—rather than multiple—can help you save money on last-minute flights. Sometimes, flights have one or two seats left, and they usually sell out for lower prices.
- Note: You can review these prices only if you search for single tickets; they do not show up in searches if you are plugging in criteria for two or more people.
- Hidden-city tickets can help you find deals while booking last-minute flights. Hidden-city ticketing is a term used to describe a situation when your destination is City B, and you purchase a lower-priced ticket from City A to City C that includes a layover in City B where you get off the flight. This way, you can reach your destination without continuing to City C—while still taking advantage of the savings.
- Skiplagged is a great place to look for last-minute flights, as they also search hidden-city tickets.
In Summary
If you’re on a tight budget and want to buy plane tickets for less, generally, the best day to purchase airfare is on a Tuesday—and sometimes Wednesday, depending on if you plan on traveling domestically or internationally.
The timing of when your purchase your ticket will also influence how much you save; buying an airline ticket way in advance may give you more flight options but can potentially cost more while waiting until the last minute means you should expect to pay higher fees with more limited options.
Finally, if you happen to need a flight last-minute, there are various ways you can still save on airfare. A combination of the tips described above will help you get to your destination without breaking the bank.
(For more on how to find the cheapest flights, follow that link!)