Research has shown that Singaporeans are crazy about getting the best bang for our buck when planning our travel. It involves tiresome repeated searching when trying to get cheapest flights possible to our desired destination. With the numerous search engines in the market and continually fluctuating prices, this may not be the smartest method to get what you want. We are here to help you save time, frustration and get cheapest flight possible to anywhere in the world for your next getaway!

1. Airlines Know You Have Been Searching 

Don’t you find it strange that your flight price changes after searching it a few times in your web browser? Well, based on your browser cookies, the sneaky airline folks do increase the price when a particular route is repeatedly searched so as to scare you into booking the flight quickly. To work around that, always search for flights in incognito or private browsing mode. 

2. Use A Good Flight Search Engines

All search engines inflate flight costs to get their cut from the airlines but at different degree. You should also note that many flight search engines do not include budget airlines. If this is exactly what you’re after, do an additional search for regional budget airlines. You should familiarise yourself with good flight search engines such as Skyscanner and try a combination of search engines to ensure you’re not missing any results. There doesn’t seem to be one that gets the cheapest flight 100% of the time. 

3. Find The Cheapest Day To Fly Out

Although many folks say that Tuesday is the cheapest day to fly out, there is no consistent evidence to prove it. However, most of the time it is cheaper to leave on a weekday. Your best strategy is to get a quick visual of prices for a whole month to see what days are cheapest for your specific route. Apps such as Skyscanner and Google Flights offer such information.

4. Befriend budget airlines

Budget airlines more often than not offer significantly cheaper tickets than the full-service airlines. You get to save more on the journey but it also comes with compromises such as less leg room, no meals etc. You must be adaptable, do your homework, and know the budget airline’s requirements and restrictions.

5. Get Long-haul Flights On Your Own

Going for a long-haul trip that requires a transit? It may be cheaper to book these flights separately on your own than to add another destination to your trip. Take care not to book tight transits or transits with too many hours in between unless you are looking at an additional destination stopover.

6. Get A Travel Agent

They may cut a commission but sometimes travel agents do enjoy special undercut rates that help to cut flight cost even on top of their commission. Before you engage them, you should do your own research first and present your best price to them to see if they can match or beat it. This is particularly beneficial for long-haul flights, where savings can go up to a few hundred dollars. A travel agent may also have a way to help you extend your layovers so you can enjoy a few days in a different city.

7. Don’t Miss Out The Local Airlines

Flight search engines tend to miss out the smaller, local airlines.  Always visit the website of these local airlines to check if they are offering exclusive online offers not found in a regular search engine.

8. Book Early If You Can 

Airline tickets hike as your departure dates draw near. Budget airlines usually offer low rates as a baseline price and subsequently increase the ticket prices as seats run low. If you know exactly when and where you are heading, don’t wait for a potential price drop. You may not get to see a price that is as good as now.

9. Currency Game

Before making payment, check if you can get a cheaper rate in another currency. Budget airlines normally require payment in the currency of the country you are departing from but that is not always the case. To benefit from this, do make sure your credit card that is free of foreign-transaction fees. Else, your efforts to save may be eroded by currency exchanges charges.

10. Search For Airline Error Fares

Airlines do make mistakes on their fares sometimes, resulting in seriously discounted flights. If you’re in the know-how on where to find airline error fares, you can save yourself some serious bucks on a ticket. Websites such as AirFare Watchdog and Secret Flying are fantastic sites to stalk for mistake pricing as they consolidate slashed ticket rates all in one spot.

Bonus Tip: If All Else Fails, Use Your Flight Points

Well, if you have attempted all of the above and is still slapped with a costly flight fare, it is time to go check your flight points and use them!

We hope you find the above tips on how to get the cheap flight tickets to anywhere in the world helpful. Do share with us your other tips in the comments below.