5 ways to save on airline tickets Bankrate.com Caret RightMain Menu Mortgage Mortgages Financing a home purchase Refinancing your existing loan Finding the right lender Additional Resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Bank Banking Compare Accounts Use calculators Get advice Bank reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Credit Card Credit cards Compare by category Compare by credit needed Compare by issuer Get advice Looking for the perfect credit card? Narrow your search with CardMatch Caret RightMain Menu Loan Loans Personal Loans Student Loans Auto Loans Loan calculators Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Invest Investing Best of Brokerages and robo-advisors Learn the basics Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Home Equity Home equity Get the best rates Lender reviews Use calculators Knowledge base Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Loan Home Improvement Real estate Selling a home Buying a home Finding the right agent Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Insurance Insurance Car insurance Homeowners insurance Other insurance Company reviews Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Caret RightMain Menu Retirement Retirement Retirement plans & accounts Learn the basics Retirement calculators Additional resources Elevate your Bankrate experience Get insider access to our best financial tools and content Advertiser Disclosure
Advertiser Disclosure
We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free - so that you can make financial decisions with confidence.
Bankrate has partnerships with issuers including, but not limited to, American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Discover. How We Make Money
The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site, including, for example, the order in which they may appear within the listing categories. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site. We do not include the universe of companies or financial offers that may be available to you. SHARE: July 29, 2011 Rachel Hartman Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation for how we make money. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by and edited by , who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy. Our banking reporters and editors focus on the points consumers care about most — the best banks, latest rates, different types of accounts, money-saving tips and more — so you can feel confident as you’re managing your money. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers. Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information. Bankrate logo How we make money
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. Saving for airfare
As airlines tack on more fees, saving money on airline tickets may appear to be a mere wish. But even with all the added costs of flying, there are still deals to be had; you just need to know where to look and when to travel. Researching before you book your next vacation or plane ticket can save you the added headache — and the added costs — of your next flight. Read on and get ready to book those airline tickets to wherever your travels will take you — for less than what you’d expect. Travel during the shoulder season
Airfares are generally lower during the shoulder season — the period of time between high and low season, says Nicole Hockin, author of TravelSmartBlog.com. Any season can be a shoulder season, depending on your destination. Europe’s high season lasts from May through September. But head to London in October and you’ll enjoy fewer crowds, comfortable temperatures and cheaper airline ticket prices. The Caribbean and Mexico have great weather in late April and May, but prices for flights drop during these months as they fall after spring break and before summer vacation. But remember to consider these caveats of traveling during the off-season: Hotels often do their renovating when there are fewer crowds, which could mean staying in a place with a lobby under construction or an obstructed view from your window. Still, the rates will drop accordingly, often between 10 percent and 20 percent. Some hotels will offer a free room upgrade during this time as well. Museums may limit their hours or even close on certain days during the nonpeak season. Make sure to check that the attractions you want to visit will be open and available before booking an airline ticket. Make the most of your days
Airlines typically release new airfare sales midweek, says Warren Chang, vice president and general manager of Fly.com, an airfare search engine. Tuesdays and Wednesdays in particular tend to be the peak times to find cheap airline tickets. While the sales often target the coming weekend and the following weekend, they are not limited to these, Chang says. To save yourself some legwork, scour travel websites and sign up for e-newsletters from travel sites that list the best deals for the week. When booking a flight, arrange your schedule to travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, if possible. These days are generally the cheapest times to travel, Chang says. As an added bonus for Saturday travelers, airports tend to be less crowded on the weekend, which can reduce stress levels for you and your family as you move through security and head to your gate. Research the fees
If you’ll need to check one bag (or more) on the flight, find out how much you’ll be charged before purchasing the fare. Most airlines and travel sites offer this information online. To compare rates side by side, visit Airfarewatchdog.com’s baggage chart, which lists baggage rates for different U.S. airlines, including fees for overweight and oversize bags. Airline policies for checked baggage vary greatly, depending on the flight route and status, Chang says. For domestic flights, average airline fees range between $15 and $50 per checked bag; rates for international flights fluctuate more, depending on the airline and destination. To avoid reading through the fine print, Fly.com offers a baggage icon. When searching a flight, click on the baggage icon to check luggage fees before booking a ticket. The information displayed is relevant to the airline and the flight you’re taking, Chang says. For example, if you search for a fare from New York to India you’ll see fees related to that specific flight. Plan to bring a pet, ask for extra legroom or eat a meal on the flight? Check out FareCompare.com’s domestic airline fee chart, which lists these fees and others charged by U.S. airlines. However, it’s a good idea to double-check fees on the official airline website as well, in case policies have recently changed. Stretch your travel times
If your departure and return dates are flexible, use airfare search engines to play around with various dates and land a cheap airline ticket, says Susanna Zaraysky, author of “Travel Happy, Budget Low.” These search engines scour the Internet for airline fares, covering hundreds of travel sites in a matter of seconds and saving you the time of clicking through each airline site on your own. Sites such as Kayak.com will show you the fares for each day of a calendar month to help you spot the lowest price. While some sites let you book your ticket through them, you may get extra perks by purchasing directly from the airline website, Zaraysky says. You’ll often receive bonus travel miles for booking through an airline site. You’ll also be eligible for refund options and other airline programs. If you know your departing city, but are flexible as far as final destination, head to Airfarewatchdog.com. The site will send you alerts regarding deals on different destinations, Hockin says. She also recommends following your favorite airlines on Twitter. By tracking their tweets, you could snag a deal on a cheap plane ticket. Some airlines regularly tweet travel deals sales known as “Twares,” which are discounts on airfares offered to the company’s followers on Twitter. When it comes to booking your ticket, bing.com’s flight search offers a price prediction function that will tell you whether fares are rising, steady or dropping, with a confidence measure. For instance: Fares rising or steady, 80 percent confidence. Follow your flight
Most U.S. airlines have guaranteed airfare policies that enable you to claim a refund for the difference if the price of your flight becomes available for less after you book it, says Jeff Pecor, communications director at Yapta.com, an airfare tracking service. “Not many people know the policy even exists — nor do they bother to check the price of their ticket after purchasing it.” After booking your ticket through an airline, you can enter your flight information at Yapta. The website will track the airfare and alert you via email if you’re eligible for a refund from the airline. Refunds typically come in the form of a travel voucher, which can be used to purchase more tickets through the same airline within the following 12 months. According to Pecor, customers who book at least 60 days in advance of their flight become eligible for an airline refund about 11 percent of the time. A family of four can save quite a few dollars by going this route. Related Articles: Hospitality club deals Related Links: Boost your buck overseas SHARE: Rachel Hartman Related Articles