For people who always want to explore new places and destinations, traveling must never stop for them. If you are a person who loves traveling, there is no way that forces you to wait for the festive seasons or off seasons when most airlines come up with special fares. However, it's significant to find the best days to fly and save money especially if you are a frequent flyer and aware of the other unwanted expenses when travelling.
In this blog, you will learn the cheapest day to buy airline tickets. However, there has been a conventional wisdom for many years that booking your flight on Tuesday will get you the best price deals. But, are Tuesdays still the best day to book flights? As gathered from the different studies, let’s understand the best time to buy plane tickets and how far in advance can you book a flight.
Historically, passengers have been advised to book flights on Tuesday as it was considered one of the cheapest days to fly. This is completely true because the major airlines generally used to launch new airfare sales on Tuesday. Additionally, all the other airlines were too quick to match each other’s prices and attract passengers.
However, the advice that the best days to fly and cheapest day to buy airline tickets is Tuesday no longer holds. Today, airlines don’t just release the cheapest airfare sales on Tuesday and also don’t always match their competitors’ sales.
How many people are there who believe that the best time to book a flight is choosing a Tuesday as one of the cheapest days to fly? Are you one of those who think it's true? If so, then all the tips and tricks you have heard about the best days to fly or the best time to buy plane tickets are wrong.
The truth is, Tuesday is not the only one of the best days to fly. The best time to book a flight or the cheapest day to buy airline tickets is whenever you find a cheap deal. Frequent flyers can get pop-up notifications at any hour, seven days a week.
Airlines usually release flights available for booking about a year ahead. By incorporating the data from different sources including Google, here is what passengers are suggested on when to buy plane tickets for domestic and international flights while looking for the cheapest days to fly.
Although you don’t plan to travel too far out, you also don’t want to wait for the best time to buy plane tickets or until the last minute to purchase flight tickets. Let’s come to find out the best days to fly or choose the best day to book a ticket for domestic flights. As per the studies, a passenger should book a domestic flight at least 28 days before the departure date as this can be the best time to book a flight. This way, they can save an average of 24% compared to those who like to wait for a better deal. On the other hand, a Google study found that airfare goes down 44 days before departure. However, both studies clearly state that you don’t need to wait until the last minute to find the best time to book a flight and the cheapest days to fly.
Before finding out the best days to fly, it's important to know the best time to buy plane tickets especially if you are looking for an international trip. As per the Expedia studies, you must ideally book your flight around 60 days before the flight departure no earlier than this time frame. The studies also state that it would be the best time to book a flight as you may save an average of 10%.
Additionally, there is another reason to book your international flight in advance and take advantage of the cheapest day to buy airline tickets when prices drop. On most airlines, basic economy fares are still restricted when it comes to changes in tickets to get a list of the cheapest days to fly. However, standard economy fares are changeable for no fee.
Suppose you have booked your flight ticket and waiting for fare drops. As soon as the airfare drops, you have the option to change your flight and claim a voucher for the current fare difference to experience the best days to fly in the future. Passengers can utilize this voucher to save out-of-pocket costs on future flights.
To understand the best time to book a flight for domestic and international destinations, here is an overview in a table form mentioned below -
| Destination | Best Time To Buy Plane Tickets |
|---|---|
| Domestic Flights | One to Two months before the scheduled departure |
| International Flights | Two to Six months before the scheduled departure |
Last minute has different meanings to different people. For some people, the last minute might mean a month before a trip. However, in an ideal world, passengers should try to book their flight at least a week in advance as this can be the best time to buy plane tickets. However, when it comes to finding out “Do flights get cheaper last minute?” The answer can be both yes or no depending on the seasonal and airline requirements.
Firstly, Most airlines support increasing the airfare closer to departure. The reason is airlines know that last-minute traveler book the ticket out of their necessity (business or any other emergency) and are willing to pay the current fare. Airlines may increase the airfare as the departure date gets closer.
On the other hand, on holidays and peak travel times like summer vacations, prices for flight tickets rarely go down at the last minute and often sell out. So, booking your ticket in advance for these periods is recommended to find out the best time to book a flight or the cheapest days to fly.
There are several tips and tricks passengers can utilize to get cheap flights at the best time to book a flight period and save money. These are -
The best time to buy plane tickets while saving money is to book your flight early and rebook it at a cheaper rate when the airfare drops.
Here’s what you need to do -
You may start by booking your flight ticket as soon as you know when you might travel. Additionally, make sure you select the fare type that is effortlessly changeable and cancellable, and helpful to find the cheapest days to fly or the best time to book a flight. Remember, basic economy tickets come with non-changable and non-cancellable features so double-check before you buy it. Your work does not just end here. Now, you need to track the airfare associated with your flight ticket. If you catch a fare drop, there is complete freedom to change your flight to a lower price and find the best days to fly or the best time to buy plane tickets. This may be the cheapest day to buy airline tickets. Please note that you won’t get any refund in return. Perhaps you will get a travel voucher in which the fare difference gets collected for your unforeseen travel needs.
Passengers with Capital One credit cards have the right tool on their behalf for finding cheap flights at the best time to book a flight. Capital One partners are provided with the ability to analyze flight prices daily to predict when the best time to book a flight is. Whenever you search for flights, the Capital One travel portal provides you with advice on whether these are the best days to fly the best time to buy plane tickets, or whether you should wait for the cheapest days to fly or the cheapest day to buy airline tickets.
Also Read: Is It Cheaper To Buy Airline Tickets At The Airport?
There are different best days to fly in different seasons. Similarly, the best time to buy plane tickets may differ in several seasonal conditions like winter, summer, and spring. Let’s evaluate all the details thoroughly.
Winter Season - Travelling in winter, especially on these occasions usually costs more than other times. No matter what best days to fly you choose. On the other hand, Winter can be considered the most affordable season where finding the cheapest day to buy airline tickets gets easy. January is the best time to buy plane tickets that cost an average of USD 125 which is less as compared to travelling in November. Hence try to book tickets 42 days in advance as the cheapest days to fly.
Spring Season - In the spring season, March and Pril tend to have more expensive flights than May. Passengers should book their flight at least 44 days in advance as the cheapest days to fly and get the best deals.
Summer Season - Summers are the most important season when it comes to vacations and traveling. As per the studies, to experience the cheapest days to fly, the best time to book a flight ticket is to book your ticket 35 days in advance to get the best deals.
To pay less and explore more destinations, finding the best days to fly or the cheapest days to fly is an essential part of saving money for travelers who are passionate about traveling and exploring more destinations than others.
Here are some tips to consider while booking if you want to know the best days to fly or the cheapest days to fly.
What do you think if you see raised airfare every time you visit your preferred airline’s website? This information may be false as your system cookies and server details are automatically recorded with these websites. To avoid these issues and get the cheapest days to fly or find the best time to buy plane tickets, you may use the incognito mode or private browsing mode in the Chrome browser.
If you want to find the best days to fly with cheaper airfares, you may avoid booking flights on weekends as it's not at all a good idea. If you notice airfares usually increase on Friday and end up decreasing the fare amount on Monday or Tuesday, that means these days are the best time to buy plane tickets. Monday or Tuesday can be recommended as the best time to book a flight at a cheaper price.
There are so many travel booking websites like MakeMyTrip or Goibibo. But these websites are smart and no matter how much of the best time to book a flight or cheapest days to fly that show with several discounts, you will probably end up paying the increased amount. This is because they include their service charge while preparing the final bill. From now on, don’t look for the best days to fly or the cheapest days to fly using the other website when you have the option to use the official website without extra charges.
The cheapest days to fly and the best time to book a flight are whenever you find a cheap deal. It is not only on Mondays and Tuesdays that you can book a flight at a discounted rate. Depending on the airline, they may announce sales or price reductions on certain days of the week. As far as the airfare is concerned, the winter, summer, and spring seasons have also different criteria.
The more time you have before your travel dates, the more options you will have for seats and itineraries. Booking just a few days or weeks before departure will result in fewer options and higher fares. Hence the best time to buy plane tickets is within a window of 21 to 74 days before the departure date to get tickets at a reasonable price.
Ans - Weekends can not be considered as the best time to buy plane tickets as the airfares may be higher than weekdays. Especially on Saturday, don't buy airline tickets on this day of the week if you want to save money.
Ans - generally, there are no specific best days to fly or best time to book a flight. Airlines may anytime launch the sales and announces airfare drops. It recommends tracking on your mobile through several apps about the cheapest days to fly and save money.
Ans - There are several best days to fly, and Tuesday is not the only one. To save money and get the best time to buy plane tickets, you should book your flight whenever you find the deals for the cheapest days to fly.
Ans - When it comes to finding the best time to book a flight and the cheapest days to fly, for domestic flights, you should book your ticket at least 28 days before the departure. Additionally, for international flights, booking 60 days before the flight departure is required.
Ans - Monday and Tuesday can be the cheapest days to fly/book your tickets. However, the airfare drops can be occasionally changed due to seasonal requirements and may shift to another day of the week. Hence passengers should go through the travel tracking app to find out the best time to buy plane tickets and save money
