How to Always Get the Cheapest Flight Before Prices Jump

Being flexible regarding the date and time of your flight is essential. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are usually the cheapest days to fly. Also, early-morning or late-night departures tend to cost less. Booking too early or too late can be expensive. Experts recommend booking 1-3 months in advance for domestic flights, 2-8 months in advance for international flights and 6-10 months for peak travel times. Use Kiwi.com to find the cheapest flight to anywhere by selecting ‘Anywhere’ as your destination.

Use a Repeatable Search Routine

Start Wide

Search flexible and broad dates and destinations and check out nearby airports to reveal the cheapest time windows and alternate routes. 

Use Kiwi.com to find cheapest flights

Let the deals come to you. Use Kiwi.com by choosing a range of dates to find the cheapest option. If you want to find the cheapest flights to anywhere, simply choose your departure location and select ‘Anywhere’ as your destination. This will show you the cheapest routes from your location. You can also use the Kiwi map search to find a cheap destination: zoom in or move the map, and destinations and prices will appear. You can see the best deals highlighted in green, so you’ll know you’re getting a great price.

Be Flexible With Dates and Times

Flight prices swing dramatically depending on the day and time you fly. Being flexible is the single biggest money-saver. In fact, according to travel experts at Thrifty Traveler, the single biggest mistake is picking your exact dates first; instead, you should let the flight price determine when and where you go. But that’s not for everybody.

Fly Midweek

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are typically the cheapest days to fly because business and weekend leisure demand is lower. But this is not a hard-and-fast rule, as airlines use dynamic pricing to set fares. So use calendar and price-graph views to spot the low-cost days. 

Follow the “Goldilocks Window” 

Booking too early or too late can be expensive. Experts at The Points Guy recommend: 

• Domestic Flights: Book 1-3 months in advance.
• International Flights: Book 2-8 months in advance.
• Peak Travel (Holidays/Summer): Book even earlier, often 6–10 months ahead. 

Check Nearby Airports

Search all relevant airports for both origin and destination – small changes can save a lot. Searching for “London (All Airports)” instead of just Heathrow can reveal budget airline flights to smaller hubs like Gatwick or Stansted .

Embrace Connecting Flights

Direct flights carry a premium. Adding a stopover can often save hundreds of dollars, particularly on long-haul routes. 

Be Prepared to Lose Sleep

Early-morning or late-night departures tend to cost less. However, there is no longer a specific day or time of week that is absolutely the “cheapest to buy on.” Modern algorithms update prices in real-time based on demand. 

Mix and Match Tickets When It Helps

Try one-way combinations or separate carriers for each leg; sometimes two separate tickets are cheaper than a single round-trip. This works especially well for long-haul travel.

Automate and Optimize

Save Searches and Routes 

Use filters to find and save stops, times, and alliances in your accounts so you can scan new alerts quickly. 

Check Baggage and Flight Change Fees 

Add-ons can erase savings, so spare yourself a late, unpleasant surprise before choosing the lowest headline fare. 

The Myths

It’s natural that myths about the process of finding cheap tickets have grown up and persisted in an era in which saving money has become an essential lifestyle strategy. 

The Myth of Search “Private” or in Incognito Mode

Some experts argue that repeated searches can cause price increases due to cookies and that using private browsing avoids this. However, most travel specialists as well as data from major flight platforms consistently debunk the idea that airlines track your individual search history to hike prices. Here’s why:

Dynamic Pricing

Airlines use complex algorithms that adjust fares in real-time based on overall demand, seasonal trends, and current inventory.

Fare Class Availability

Seats are sold in tiers (fare classes). If someone else buys the last seat in a cheaper tier while you are searching, the system automatically moves to the next, more expensive tier.

Cached Data

Sometimes a “new” higher price is actually the current price, while the first one you saw was an outdated result cached by your browser or the search tool. 

The “Tuesday Afternoon” Rule

The “Tuesday Afternoon” rule is a popular travel myth suggesting that Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. is the absolute cheapest time to book a flight. While it originated from real airline practices decades ago, it is largely considered outdated today due to real-time, algorithm-based pricing. 

Advanced Saving Techniques

Positioning Flights

Positioning flights are separate tickets booked for the sole purpose of reaching a different airport (usually a major hub) to begin a primary, much cheaper itinerary. For example, if a flight to Asia is $1,200 from your city but only $600 from Los Angeles , book a separate cheap domestic flight to LAX first. By manually “positioning” yourself to a city where a deal originates, you can bypass the higher prices typically found at smaller or less competitive regional airports. 

How it Works

1. Identify a Gateway Deal: Search for the best fare (cash or miles) from major hubs like JFK , LAX, London, or Dubai rather than your home airport.
2. Check Local Connection Costs: Compare the price of a single ticket from your home to your destination against the combined price of the deal + a short “positioning” flight to that hub.
3. Book Separately: Purchase the long-haul “deal” flight first, then book a separate short-haul ticket to get you there. 

Key Risks & Best Practices

• No Protected Connections: Because these are separate tickets, if your first flight is delayed and you miss the second, the airline is not obligated to rebook you. To mitigate risk, experts recommend a minimum buffer of 4-6 hours. Many seasoned travelers choose to arrive a full day early and stay at an airport hotel.
• Baggage: You must collect your bags from the first flight and re-check them for the second. Traveling with carry-on only significantly simplifies the process.
• Self-Insure: Booking with a credit card that offers travel protections can help recover costs if a delay ruins your separate itinerary. 

Hidden City Ticketing

Hidden city ticketing (also known as “skiplagging”) is a strategy where you book a flight with a layover in your actual desired destination and simply get off the plane at that layover city, skipping the final leg of the journey. 

How it Works

• The Price Gap: Airlines often price flights based on competition and demand for specific routes rather than distance. A direct flight from City A to City B might be more expensive than a flight from City A to City C that happens to stop in City B.
• How You Do It: You book the cheaper ticket to City C, disembark at the layover in City B, and never show up for the second flight.
• Popular Tools: The website Skiplagged is specifically designed to help travelers find these types of fares. 

The Strict “Rules” of Skiplagging

To use this method successfully, you must accept several constraints:

• Carry-On Only: Checked bags are automatically routed to the final destination on your ticket (City C). If you get off at the layover (City B), your bags will continue without you.
• One-Way Trips Only: As soon as you miss a flight segment, airlines typically cancel all remaining segments on that same itinerary, including your return flight.
• Visa Requirements: If the final ticketed destination is international, you may still need a valid visa for that country to board the first flight, even if you don’t plan to go there. 

Major Risks & Consequences

While not illegal, the practice violates the Contract of Carriage (the legal agreement between you and the airline). Airlines actively monitor for this and may: 

• Revoke Rewards: Confiscate your frequent flyer miles and elite status.
• Ban Passengers : Issue a temporary or lifetime ban from flying with that airline.
• Charge Fare Differences: Send you a bill for the price of the direct flight you bypassed.
• Reroute Flights: If your first flight is delayed or canceled, the airline may reroute you to your final destination through a different city, bypassing your intended “hidden” stop entirely. 

Mistake Fares

Occasionally, airlines list incorrect prices due to a technical glitch or human error. Sites like Secret Flying or Going specialize in alerting members to these rare deals before they are fixed. This is a high-risk, high-reward strategy. While it can lead to massive savings, it comes with specific risks and rules to follow. 

Key Takeaways for 2026

• Booking Channel Matters: Mistakes booked directly through the airline are more likely to be honored than those booked through third-party online travel agencies (OTAs).
• Wait to Plan: It is advised to wait at least two weeks after booking a mistake fare before purchasing non-refundable hotels or activities, as most cancellations happen within that window.
• Extreme Fares: Fares that are “too good to be true” (e.g., $50 for a business class ticket) are much more likely to be cancelled than smaller errors.
• Do NOT Call the Airline: Contacting the airline to “confirm” the price often alerts them to the error, leading to a faster cancellation for everyone who booked it.
• Use a Credit Card: Booking with a credit card provides an extra layer of protection for disputes and faster refunds if the airline cancels the ticket.
• 24-Hour Rule: If you see a mistake fare, book it immediately. In the US, you generally have a 24-hour grace period to cancel for a full refund if you change your mind. 

Primary Risks

• Ticket Cancellation: This is the most significant risk. Airlines are not legally required to honor mistake fares. If they detect the error, they can cancel your ticket and issue a full refund.
• Long “Limbo” Periods : Airlines can take anywhere from a few hours to several weeks to decide whether to honor a fare. During this time, your travel plans remain uncertain.
• Stranded with Non-Refundable Plans: If you book hotels, tours, or connecting flights before the airline confirms your mistake fare, and the airline later cancels, you may be stuck with those non-refundable costs.
• Limited Legal Protection: In the US, a 2015 Department of Transportation allows airlines to cancel mistake fares as long as they provide a full refund and reimburse “reasonable, actual, and verifiable” out-of-pocket expenses incurred in reliance on the ticket. However, claiming these expenses can be a lengthy customer service headache. 

Note on Success Rates

It is estimated that 70% to 80% of mistake fares are eventually honored by airlines to avoid bad publicity.  

Book Smarter Now: Urgent Flight Hacks That Save You Money

What are some common mistakes that make flights more expensive than need be?

Common mistakes include booking without comparing multiple platforms, booking too early or too late, ignoring nearby airports, waiting too long for a “better deal,” and only checking round-trip options instead of mixing one-way tickets. It is essential to stay flexible when searching. Rigid dates, single-airport searches, and focusing only on one airline often result in paying far more than necessary.

What is the most important factor in finding the cheapest fare?

Flexibility with your travel dates and times is the single biggest money-saver. Instead of choosing exact dates first, let price guide your decision. Search all relevant airports for both departure and arrival, and test one-way combinations or separate carriers for each leg. In many cases, two separate tickets cost less than one round-trip booking.

What is the best strategy for finding the cheapest flight?

Use Kiwi.com with a flexible date range to uncover the cheapest options. To discover the lowest fares to anywhere, select “Anywhere” as your destination. This reveals the most affordable routes from your airport. Also search nearby airports, consider adding a stopover if it reduces the fare, test one-way combinations, and always review baggage fees and change penalties before selecting the lowest advertised price.

Are there any special opportunities or tricks for finding cheap flights?

Positioning flights involve booking a separate ticket to reach a major hub where international fares are cheaper. For example, flying to Los Angeles first may unlock a much lower long-haul fare than departing from Chicago directly. Skiplagging involves exiting at a layover city instead of completing the final leg because the full itinerary is cheaper than booking the shorter route alone. Occasionally, mistake fares appear due to technical or pricing errors. All of these strategies carry risks, restrictions, and potential airline penalties, so research carefully before booking.

Do airlines actually honor tickets bought on a mistake fare?

As of early 2026, approximately 70% to 80% of mistake fares are honored by airlines, while the remainder are cancelled and refunded. Airlines are not legally required to honor pricing errors, but they sometimes do so to avoid negative publicity. However, with AI-driven pricing systems becoming more advanced, true mistake fares are increasingly rare and corrected quickly.