How to Find Cheap Flights: Smart Tips and Tricks to Score Them

If you’re the dedicated vacay organizer in your group, you know too well that flights are often the most expensive part of the trip. Since every penny counts, you have to try your best to find cheap flights. The whole endeavor can be frustrating at times, but it is what it is.  

There are several ways to score affordable plane tickets, and the good news is they aren’t that complicated. Read on to learn more.

How to Find Cheap Flights: 11 Tricks of the Trade

From being flexible with your travel plans to being open to mixing and matching airlines, here are some tips on how to find cheap flights:

✈️ Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates and Destinations

If you have the money, you can simply book your flights on your ideal dates. But since you’re looking for cheap flight tickets, you need to reverse the process. You’ll have to let the ticket prices dictate your travel dates.

Sometimes, the cheapest flights you’ll find are not the best dates. And that may mean adjusting your expectations since those dates may not be peak season, a period when the weather is usually less than favorable. If you’re willing to compromise, you will be rewarded with huge savings. Moreover, fewer tourists travel during off-peak seasons, making your trip much more relaxing.

Read more: Different Kinds of Friends You Love and Hate Traveling With

✈️ Choose Underrated Destinations

Everyone is flying to Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Boracay, Coron, and Siargao. Most of the time, flight prices for these destinations are expensive. 

This time, you may want to go against the grain and travel to underrated travel destinations. Usually, the flight costs for less-traveled places are cheap. And since these spots are yet to be ravaged by mass tourism,^[1] you may find that hotel and attraction prices there are affordable.

✈️ Use Flight Search Engines

You can find and book cheap flights on flight search engines, as they aggregate different flight prices and even directly point you to the most affordable options. There is a sea of flight search engines out there, but a lot of travelers swear by the reliability of Google Flights.^[2]

Use its Track Prices feature to monitor the prices for your chosen travel dates or routes. You’ll also get a notification or email when the price of the flight you’re tracking is likely to go up or expire soon.  

Some flight search engines are called online travel agencies or OTAs. These are the likes of Skyscanner, Expedia, Agoda, Kayak, Booking.com, and Traveloka, among others. Take this route if you’re looking to increase your savings, as some OTAs offer flight-hotel bundles.

✈️ Consider Flying Midweek  

According to Google Flights, flying in the middle of the week is one tip on how to book cheap flights. You may even save up to 20%.

While you’re at it, avoid last-minute bookings, as they’re usually the most expensive. Plan your trip ahead of time and book your flights ideally months before the travel date.

✈️ Book Early Flights

If you scan flights regularly, you may notice that early-hour flights are much cheaper compared to those scheduled during mid-day. Take advantage of those prices if you want to save big!

Booking early flights comes with other benefits. First, flights during this part of the day are likely to depart on time. The queues are usually short, making going through airport procedures a breeze. Upon landing, you’ll have a productive day since you’ve arrived early; if you catch enough sleep the day before, you will have the energy to start your sightseeing right away.

Early flights are not without some cons, though–but they’re easily solvable! For one, taking public transport to the airport in the wee hours of the morning may not be possible. You can deal with it by booking a TNVS vehicle like Grab. 

Concessions at the airport may be closed at such times of the day, but you can always pack some snacks to get you by.

✈️ Subscribe to Your Airline’s Newsletter

If you want first dibs on the cheapest airplane ticket promo, you need to be in the know on the latest seat sales and discounts. Subscribe to your airline’s newsletter so that promos will be sent directly to your email.

Don’t forget to follow your airline’s social media pages, too. On Facebook, turn on the post notifications of the airline page you're following, so you will be instantly notified of any upcoming or ongoing promotional fares.

✈️ Use Your Miles

If you have a credit card that accumulates points and miles, use them to slash the price of your flights. Or if you have enough of them, you can even score free tickets.

Don’t have this frequent flyer credit card? Now’s the right time to get one and start earning points and miles! Check out a few of your best options for earning air miles and points

Credit Card	Air Miles and Travel Benefits
Metrobank World Mastercard®	1 air mile for every ₱17 foreign currency spend 1 air mile for every ₱50 spend on other categories 3 rewards points for every ₱20 spend on foreign currency Up to 50% discounts on deals locally and internationally Free 2 global lounge passes every year via Dragon Pass
HSBC Red Mastercard	10,000 points = 1,000 Asia Miles 10,000 points = 1,000 KrisFlyer 15,000 points = 1,500 Mabuhay Miles 4x bonus points on online, dining, shopping, and overseas spend Exclusive travel deals worldwide via HSBC’s home&Away Privilege Programme
Security Bank Platinum Mastercard	11,667 rewards points = 1,000 Mabuhay Miles Free travel insurance Unlimited access to local lounges like A Lounge, Marhaba Lounge, and PAGSS  Lounge Access to over 1,300 lounges in more than 500 airport lounges worldwide
Security Bank Gold Mastercard	11,667 rewards points = 1,000 Mabuhay Miles Access to local airport lounges at exclusive rates. Lounges include A Lounge, Marhaba Lounge, and PAGSS Lounge.
BPI Signature Card	16,000 points = 1,000 PAL Mabuhay Miles  Bonus 2,200 PAL Mabuhay Miles for every 1,000 PAL Mabuhay Miles redeemed Free access to local airport lounges like PAGSS Lounge (NAIA 1 and NAIA 3) Up to ₱20 million travel insurance Global services via Visa’s 24/7 Concierge, Airport Meet & Greet Immigration Services, Luxury Hotel Collection, and Airport Transfer Program
BPI Platinum Rewards Card	16,000 points = 1,000 PAL Mabuhay Miles  Bonus 2,200 PAL Mabuhay Miles for every 1,000 PAL Mabuhay Miles redeemed 0% installment on airline tickets for up to six months (available all year round) Access to more than 1,300 lounges worldwide Up to ₱10 million travel insurance
PNB-PAL Mabuhay Miles NOW Mastercard	₱58 spend = 1 rewards point = 1 Mabuhay Mile   1,000 Mabuhay Miles welcome gift 5% discount on select Philippine Airlines flights booked at www.philippineairlines.com  Pay bills in PHP even for transactions abroad
PNB-PAL Mabuhay Miles Platinum Mastercard	₱48 spend = 1 rewards point = 1 Mabuhay Mile 2,000 Mabuhay Miles welcome gift Additional 10,000 Mabuhay Miles when you reach ₱100,000 worth of transactions at Philippine Airlines within one year (only applies to first-time PNB-PAL Mabuhay Miles Mastercard cardholders only) 5% discount on select Philippine Airlines flights booked at www.philippineairlines.com Single or dual currency billing
RCBC Visa Platinum	1 Preferred Airmile for as low as ₱25 in-store or online spend overseas 1 Preferred Airmile for every ₱48 local spend  1 Preferred Airmile = 1 point at Mabuhay Miles / AirAsia Rewards / Asia Miles
RCBC Visa Infinite	100,000 non-expiring Welcome Rewards Points for new RCBC credit cardholders; can be exchanged for miles 1 rewards points for every ₱30 spend 3x rewards points on local online spend 5x rewards points on in-store and online spend overseas Free Priority Pass membership Unlimited free access to the PAGSS Lounge (NAIA 1 and NAIA 3)   24/7 Visa Concierge

✈️ Use Your Travel Fund

Maybe you have some airline travel funds you’ve forgotten about. Use them to cover portions of your flights. Moreover, you can use them to pay for flight add-ons, such as seat selectors, extra luggage, and meals.

✈️ Grab the Seat Sale as Soon as You Can

If you already have flight dates in mind and they happen to be cheap, book them as soon as possible. Don’t think twice or wait for the prices to get cheaper, because chances are, they won’t.  

To grab seat sales as quickly as possible, take note of the following: 

• Set up an airline account. Not only does it help you manage your upcoming flights but it also makes booking quicker and easier. 
• If you’re the designated flight booker, get your trip buddies’ important details ahead of time. These include their birthdays, email addresses, passport numbers, and contact numbers. When there’s a seat sale, you don’t have to call your friends to get these details. 
• Be decisive and don’t hesitate. As mentioned, cheap flight prices won’t likely get cheaper. Book the flights right away, as the competition will surely get cutthroat. Otherwise, you’ll regret it in the end.

✈️ Fly with Budget Airlines  

Gone are the days when only the rich could actually ride the plane. With the proliferation of budget airlines over the years, everyone can now fly to their intended destinations. While there are a few trade-offs, such as small leg rooms and occasional delays, you can enjoy significant savings.

In the Philippines, the most popular budget airlines are Cebu Pacific and Air Asia. If you’re traveling within just within Asia, you may add these budget air carriers to your list:

• Jetstar
• Scoot
• Hong Kong Express
• Jeju Air
• Peach Air
• VietJet Air
• Tigerair Taiwan
• Nok Air

Read more: 8 Cheapest Airlines in the Philippines for Your Next Trip

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✈️ Book Connecting Flights

Instead of flying directly to your destination, break your trip down into two legs. Often, connecting flights are much cheaper than direct flights. This is a sensible strategy if you’re wondering how to find international cheap flights to Europe, the Americas, or anywhere outside the Southeast Asia region.

This bargain, however, may mean enduring a long layover. There’s also a danger of missing your connection if you have underestimated the amount of time needed for the trip. Here are some tips to help you manage your connecting flights: 

• Make sure you have enough time. When booking connecting flights, see to it that you have enough time to travel between gates at the airport. Factor in screening, luggage pick-up, and security procedures. 
• Book seats in the front section of the plane. Better yet, book the actual front seats! Every second counts when it comes to connecting flights, and a step as simple as this can make a difference. 
• Study your connecting airport. Remember that airports are sprawling structures, and you can’t afford to get lost. Thankfully, a lot of airports make their maps and layouts available on their website. Take note of landmarks near your boarding gate and shuttle services that can quickly take you there. 
• As much as possible, avoid buying two separate tickets. This applies even if it’s on the same airline. If your first flight is delayed and you miss your connection, the connecting airline will consider your non-appearance no-show. As such, the airline isn’t obliged to get you on another flight for free. 
• Plan your long layover. There are many ways to deal with a lengthy stopover at your connecting airport. You may go on an organized tour of the city, check out the duty-free stores, or relax in the airport lounge. Large airports like Singapore Changi, Doha Hamad, and Tokyo Haneda offer passengers facilities to combat layover blues.

✈️ Use Two Airlines  

More often than not, seat sales apply only to one-way trips. If you want to know how to find cheap flights, consider booking your departure and return flights with two different airlines. You may even enjoy two promos if both air carriers launch seat sales at the same time.

✈️ Ditch the Add-Ons

Sometimes, ditching the add-ons is a practical tactic on how to find cheap flights. If you’re a light packer, you won’t need extra luggage. Skip the in-flight meals by getting your fill before the trip. If you already have personal or travel insurance, you may opt out of the policy offered by your air carrier.

Related reading:

• Sand, Sun, and Sea: 12 Travel Destinations in the Philippines for Your Revenge Travel
• 10 Pinoy Travelers Share Their Budget Secrets
• Cold Places in the Philippines: Where to Chill with Your Loved Ones
  

Final Thoughts

If you know how to find cheap flights, you can plan your travel budget accordingly. The money you save can go toward other things, such as food and attraction tickets.

Everything boils down to having the right travel mindset and being open to changes. If it’s your first time scouting for cheap flight tickets, don’t worry—you’ll get the hang of it in no time!

Sources:

• ^[1] 26 Underrated Destinations in the Philippines That You Should Visit Now
• ^[2] Google Flights
• ^[3] Google Flights Says These Are The Best Times to Book Travel (Forbes, 2022)