When is it cheaper to buy plane tickets? Saving secrets: how to find a cheap air ticket

The cost of air tickets is quite high, and not every traveler can easily shell out N-sum of money for a flight to a chosen point in the world. Despite this fact, finding cheaper airline tickets is quite possible. There are a few good advice from experienced travelers, allowing you to save a lot of money on buying a ticket to the desired destination.

When is the best time to buy plane tickets?

Airlines begin selling flight tickets 330 days before departure. But you shouldn’t make a reservation for this long term. If your plans suddenly change, without financial losses will not work. The best solution is to book suitable tickets 2-3 months before your planned trip. We invite you to familiarize yourself with -

On the search site, enter the approximate date of your trip and “play” with time, that is, look at the pricing policy on different days of the week. Often, the buyer uses this method to find the lowest price for a ticket on a certain day.

Experienced travelers have long known that daytime departure tickets are in greatest demand. Air carriers also know this, and they routinely set inflated prices for flights departing at a time convenient for passengers.

Based on this, we can conclude: tickets for planes departing late at night and in the early morning hours are sold at more affordable prices. When researching the fares of your chosen carrier, be sure to look at the prices for morning and night flights.

And one more important piece of advice: . Such sales already allow you to save a certain amount, since the cost of tickets at a stationary airport ticket office is always higher. You will find 10 tips on how to save on air tickets.

For domestic flights

For domestic flights, you can purchase a cheap ticket for chartered flight. If it makes no difference to a traveler what day of the week to go on a planned trip, you can monitor the site daily, looking for the best option for purchase.

Many airlines that want to sell all tickets for an upcoming flight hold sales and promotions 1-2 days before departure. This method for buying a cheap plane ticket is risky for those who have planned a flight on a specific date. If you have no restrictions on the departure date, use this opportunity to purchase a “hot” ticket at a reduced cost.

For international flights

To fly on an international plane, it is better to purchase a ticket in advance, which is especially important for travelers who have an open visa with a limited period of stay in a foreign country.

As a rule, most Russian tourists plan their trip several months before their vacation. Throughout the entire preparation period, you can monitor the site selling tickets, selecting the appropriate tariff. With map low prices can be consulted .

If you find a very advantageous offer on the website from an airline offering to buy flight tickets at a very low price, ask about the fuel surcharge. Quite often, the unrealistically low cost of a ticket has a catch due to the fact that the tourist will have to pay an additional fuel surcharge, the price of which can be equal to 50% of the cost of the ticket itself.

Tariffs for cheap tickets may also not include additional services for, meals on board, etc. It is better to clarify all these nuances in advance, which will allow you not to overpay for the services provided during the flight, which you can find out about immediately before departure.

Tips from experienced travelers:

  • if you want to save on international flight tickets, look for suitable options for a flight to;
  • It is better to buy plane tickets abroad in two directions at once, which will already allow you to save a certain amount of money;
  • If you are not afraid of transfers along the way, buy tickets for transit flights.

You may also be interested in:

What days of the week are plane tickets cheapest?

Air carriers set the highest fares for tickets that require departure to holidays and weekends. If you're in a hurry, book more affordable options on weekday flights.

According to experienced experts, the best day to buy cheap tickets on the site is Tuesday-Thursday.

What time of day is best to book flights?

The optimal time to purchase an air ticket at a reduced price is after 15:00, when many carriers launch promotions and sales, as well as night hours, between 01:00 and 05:00 in the morning. At this time, most residents of the country are on vacation and do not show much interest in buying plane tickets.

To attract the attention of potential customers to the transportation service, companies organize night sales, allowing them to buy flight tickets at very low prices. favorable prices. You will find more tips on how to buy airline tickets profitably.

If you are looking for tickets for two or more people, enter a request for one passenger into the search engine and buy a separate ticket for each. When searching for tickets for two or more people, the program automatically displays standard fares.

It is better to start monitoring the site for purchasing air tickets 5-6 months before departure. During this period, you will definitely be able to find cheap plane fares in the desired direction to save your personal budget.

When purchasing urgent tickets for a flight in the coming days, which was not planned in advance, the traveler can only hope for luck.

We hope you will find on our website the best offer for your destination on the right day and time.

The issue of half-price flights worries many people. After all, only a few travelers manage to save on travel. Although any passenger who sets a similar goal for himself will be able to find cheap tickets. Let's learn about the nuances of this procedure and find out the secrets of budget flights.

Today, people who do not fly regularly are wondering where it is more profitable to buy plane tickets: at the airport or on the website. Travelers who spend a third of the year in the air are unanimous in their opinion: booking and purchasing a seat on board online is the most economical option. Shopping on the Internet is convenient, because you book a suitable seat on the ship, do not risk losing your travel card at the most inopportune moment, independently adjust the price range of offers and choose the route. Online registration is an additional bonus.

Today, experts call the best online booking sites aviasales, Yandex.Air tickets, buruki, onetwotrip, skyscanner.

To use this service, just go to a search engine and enter the name of the desired portal. We list the following sites where you can find the cheapest plane tickets:

  • Yandex.Air tickets;
  • buruki;
  • onetwotrip;
  • skyscanner.

Moreover, it is appropriate for a person who intends to truly save money to use several Internet generators at once. By comparing the proposed options, you will quickly find the optimal method. Here it is advisable to use clarifying criteria to find the right flight for an affordable price.

However, there are certain tricks that beginners do not know about. Such services remember the user who made the request. In addition, modern operating systems allow search engines to accurately determine to such programs the location from which the request was made, the type of computer, and the OS distribution. Purchase aggregators also use this information to differentiate the price range of offers.

Accordingly, in the future, marketing tricks and psychological techniques are practiced here with the aim of forcing people to purchase seats at a slightly inflated cost. Use incognito mode or clear your cache regularly to see actual airline deals. And yet, such generators are the best way for people who do not know where and how to buy the cheapest air tickets. User reviews about the work of such programs are usually positive - here you can quickly select the desired flight at a minimal cost.

Saving options

Now let’s decide when you can buy the cheapest plane tickets. In this matter, airline workers recommend early booking. After all, purchasing a seat on a plane three to four months before departure helps reduce the nominal cost of the flight by a third. Airlines set highest price travel 14–21 days before the start of the flight. Accordingly, if you want to save money, it is advisable to refrain from purchasing during this period. a link to such a service of low-cost carriers is provided.

However, sometimes it is appropriate to act in exactly the opposite way. Resort routes require the availability of last-minute tickets, and here the answer to the question of when is the best time to buy discounted air tickets is the last 48 hours before the plane departs. True, such situations require the passenger to have experience in analyzing airline offers and subscribing to the targeted mailing list of these promotions. As for prices, such air tickets sometimes cost an order of magnitude less than face value. For example, a last minute flight to Tunisia will cost 6,700 rubles. against the average cost of a trip on the same airlines of 59,800 rubles.

Time intervals

Continuing the topic of saving on booking time, let's take a closer look at when it is cheaper to buy plane tickets: on what days of the week, dates and times. According to airlines, flights are especially booming on Friday evenings and weekends. The popularity of these flights also contributes to an increase in the cost of flights. So, when time permits, it is advisable to book a seat on a flight that flies on weekdays.

Having figured out how many days before departure it is better to buy tickets, it is appropriate to take a closer look at the time of the flight. The traditional influx of passengers, and, therefore, flight prices increase in the morning and evening hours. Choosing to travel at lunchtime or overnight will result in small savings. Try to adhere to these rules when time and situation permit.

Airline offers

Many people are interested in when is the best time to buy plane tickets for the summer in Russia so that it is inexpensive. Considering the surge in consumer demand for such routes already in March, employees of carrier companies advise booking seats in the winter. This recommendation is especially useful for passengers intending to purchase tickets under discount programs. Do not forget that purchasing a ticket is in full swing tourist season will cost half as much as purchasing in advance.

In order to improve their image and develop a customer base, airlines periodically run promotional offers, offering discounts on flights to popular destinations. Such actions of the carrier can save up to 30% of the fare. To make sure you don't miss out on a great deal, ask your airline to send you email newsletters. In addition, try to book a round trip - this moment makes the price of the flight lower by 2-3%.

We are looking for charters and low-cost airlines

Cheap flights are offered by tour operators. True, there will be certain nuances here. You'll either have to buy package tour, which includes round trip travel, or catch “hot” offers a day before the planned departure of the liner. In addition, the geography of routes here is limited, as a rule, these are resort destinations. In addition, such flights are delayed and rescheduled - after all, at the airport the dispatcher gives preference to regular flights.

Many tourists use the services of low-cost airlines and fly charters in order to save money

Independent road planning allows for a combination of several domestic flights with international flight. That is, you fly directly to the desired country, choosing a cheap direct route. And then you use the services of local low-cost airlines to get to the desired point. Such schemes allow you to save up to 40% of the cost regular flight offered by the airlines. A similar scheme is appropriate when flying within your own country.

Ways to fly cheap

Traveling with connections helps save a third of the cost of the trip. This method is appropriate for long flights, especially when the passenger uses the stopover function. This concept means downtime lasting more than 24 hours at a temporary location. In such situations, airlines compensate for such inconveniences by providing overnight accommodation and meals. That is, the traveler will be able to walk around the country where the transfer is planned, and then safely fly to their destination, significantly saving on the cost of travel.

Transit flights using the stopover function are a good choice and save money

However, when planning your trip in this way, do not forget that in European countries you will need a temporary Schengen visa, so it is advisable to create a route that will allow you to avoid unnecessary costs for paperwork. In this case, the number of transfers does not matter - the main thing is that the flight is convenient for the passenger.

Sometimes it is appropriate to think about false transit - purchase a ticket for a long-haul flight with a connection, where the point of temporary stay will become the city you need. However, travelers find a lot of disadvantages here. Here they talk about the need to check in luggage to a transit point, the inability to fly back on the same flight, and the mandatory knowledge of tariffs and base points of the required airlines. Although some tourists speak positively about this opportunity.

Another way to buy a cheap plane ticket is to search for flights in the desired direction from other cities in your country. Moreover, the cost of a flight from the provinces is usually slightly higher than similar offers from capital carriers. Study the schedule and cost of trips from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg - perhaps you will find an economical and convenient route.

When purchasing air tickets on the Internet, use anonymizers and disable location-detecting services. Keep in mind that prices for flights from different countries over the same distance vary. Look for flight options that include savings bonus miles. After all, such an offer allows you to save on flights, hotel rentals, and transfer orders.

The accumulative bonus miles program is a great way to save on your flight

To take part in such a program, you will need to register on the carrier’s portal and provide the required details of the purchased ticket. It also becomes useful to clarify the business partners of the airlines - after all, today, working on co-branding programs allows you to accumulate miles by making daily purchases in the supermarket and paying for them with a partner bank card. Sberbank of Russia and Alfa Bank cooperate in a similar way with the Aeroflot group.

Affiliate programs of booking aggregators are a good option for saving money. This offer is valid for the aviasales service. You register, make a purchase using a referral link, and receive an amount in your personal account that becomes the equivalent of several percent of the transaction.

Finally, when you see a ticket on sale at an unrealistically low price, hurry to purchase it. Don't forget, these company offers disappear quickly, so don't hesitate to purchase. Even when the program fails and the indicated cost does not correspond to the real price, in the worst case scenario, you do not risk anything.

Today, experts call the best online booking sites aviasales, Yandex.Air tickets, buruki, onetwotrip, skyscanner.
Buying an electronic ticket is much more profitable than purchasing an air ticket at the carrier's ticket office
Purchasing a last minute ticket reduces the cost of a flight by almost ten times
It is best to purchase flight tickets 3 - 4 months before the planned departure date
Sales and bonus programs airlines - good way take advantage of the offer and save on your flight

Traveling is a very pleasant, but also very expensive process. When is the best time to buy plane tickets to avoid overpaying? With a competent approach to purchasing, you can save up to a third of the cost of tickets, and sometimes more. The main thing is to know some nuances and tricks when planning a budget vacation.

A common mistake travelers make is thinking that the earlier you book your tickets, the better. However, buying earlier than 8-9 months before the trip is not the best decision. The fact is that airlines often set prices depending on the passenger flow last year, but this year it may decrease for a particular route. Therefore, by purchasing tickets too early, a tourist risks overpaying for the trip.

What month is the best time to buy plane tickets?

It is more profitable to buy air tickets in advance. The optimal period for purchasing a ticket for domestic flights is 4-5 months in advance, and for international flights - 5-6 months in advance. As you get closer to the departure date, air tickets will only become more expensive, and already two weeks before departure the cost increases every day and, approximately 5-7 days later, reaches its maximum.

Sometimes you can find cheap air tickets a couple of weeks or even days before departure, when companies arrange if there are extra seats left. But this is a matter of luck, not a pattern.

You can buy a plane ticket at a discount if you plan your vacation in advance so that it does not fall during the seasonal months. The most “expensive” periods are July, August and new year holidays. From mid-January to February there is a decline in prices. In February you can buy tickets 30-40% cheaper compared to hot August.

It is also profitable to purchase tickets from mid-November until approximately December 12th. Such purchase of air tickets allows you to save up to 40%, and sometimes up to half the cost.

If it is important for you to purchase tickets specifically for the summer, then you can save a little here too. Avoid popular destinations as some routes increase prices only slightly. For example, in June there is even a slight decline in Israel; there is no significant difference in cost when traveling to Croatia or Bulgaria in the summer. A good option is to plan your vacation for September-October; the weather in many countries is still warm, and prices are much lower.

It is important to take into account the characteristics of specific areas. Eg:

  • the most economical tickets for Maldives and Sri Lanka can be bought in June;
  • December is considered the most expensive month to travel to Thailand;
  • The best months to travel to Canada and the USA are November and February.

What day of the week is best to buy airline tickets?

When is the best time to buy cheap flights? It is believed that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the most suitable days for purchasing economical tickets. According to statistics, the best option To purchase tickets is Tuesday afternoon. It is on this day after 15:00 that airlines often hold sales. Besides, good time to book an air ticket - this is at night, approximately 1:00, and be sure to take into account the airline’s time zone.

What is the best date to plan your flight? Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are also considered profitable options here. This is due to the fact that the majority of tourists plan trips, adjusting to the standard work schedule in order to capture weekends, and weekdays are less popular.

The ideal day of the week for departure is Wednesday; these are the dates most often tracked. If we talk about departure times, then the morning hours will be the most profitable, followed by lunch time.

Tricks for buying profitable air tickets

  • Play with the days of the week. If the date of the flight is not important to you, it would be good to check the neighboring dates; perhaps tickets for them will be cheaper than for the date you are looking at.
  • Buy round-trip air tickets immediately - it’s more profitable than buying a one-way ticket.
  • If you are flying together, it is better to buy tickets separately for each person. When a search is set for two people, the system usually gives a standard cost.
  • Monitor promotions and sales on official airline websites. As a rule, companies announce cost reductions for specific areas in advance.
  • Also use various services - they provide offers from various airline companies. For example, the popular resource aviasales focuses specifically on cheap tickets and, upon request, gives the client the best offers in the first line.
  • For better search Clear your browser memory regularly. The fact is that the search engine remembers your queries and begins to tempt you with marketing techniques - notifications may appear that there are only the last places left in the chosen direction.

A general recommendation is that if you know a specific destination, then you need to start tracking tickets six months in advance. If you haven’t yet decided on where to travel, then on the air sales resource or other services you can choose the cheapest air tickets for the near future or upcoming holidays.

(Peter Greenberg). It's based personal experience formulated several tips regarding the day and time of purchasing air tickets, which may help you save a couple of tens of dollars.

When?

Air tickets usually go on sale 330 days before departure. According to many travelers, it is best to book tickets 8 weeks to 2 months before your trip.

Greenberg believes that the optimal time to buy an air ticket is 45 days. Six weeks. And that's why:

The number one mistake many tourists make is booking too early. If your trip does not fall on high passenger days, such as Christmas, then you have a much better chance of saving if you buy tickets 45 days (for domestic flights) and 60 days (for international flights) before departure.

Outside the 45-day window, airline computer programs cannot calculate the current cost, but form it based on last year's passenger traffic. If a year ago the flight was full, then this year the price will be high. But this year there may be a price collapse (there is unrest in Bangkok - people are not going to Thailand), so by booking tickets more than 45 days in advance, you risk overpaying for last year's forecasts.

In addition, Greenberg notes how important it is to “play around” with departure dates. If you are not strictly tied to a certain number, then you can save a significant amount of money. Peter advises flying in the middle of the week, when most flights, except for business destinations, are practically empty, which means their tickets are cheap.

At what time?

As for the ideal time and day of the week to buy an air ticket, Greenberg calls - Wednesday, one o'clock in the morning.

If you want to buy cheap air tickets, then there is an hour for this. This is Wednesday, 1:00 (one in the morning). But it is important to monitor the time zone of the place where the airline is located - exactly an hour must pass from the moment the day changes according to their time.

Why exactly the night from Tuesday to Wednesday? Greenberg explains: Most airlines offer discounts on tickets between Sunday evening and Monday evening. This means that passengers have a day to redeem them. On Tuesday, at midnight, tickets booked but not redeemed are again entered into the airlines' computer systems.

However, Peter Greenberg warns that to use this trick, you should call the carrier and book a ticket over the phone, not over the Internet.

You will learn even more about the tricks of airlines, as well as hotel booking services, in the article by Lifehacker editor Slava Baransky -.

Good afternoon, my readers! Any independent travel starts with purchasing air tickets. Today I will tell you how to save as much as possible and what tricks you can use to buy a cheap air ticket.

I have been traveling independently without the help of travel agencies for almost 10 years and always try to buy tickets abroad at low prices, which I search on the Internet on various sites.

There have been times when I accidentally found myself in a very interesting countries and cities thanks to purchased inexpensive air tickets.

Do you want to fly to China as often and cheaply as possible? different countries? I will reveal all my secrets and teach you the tricks of purchasing cheap tickets.

Where to buy cheap tickets?

The most convenient way to buy cheap air tickets is through the Internet in the following ways:

  • on the official websites of airlines,
  • on the charter exchange,
  • on search aggregators.

To purchase cheap tickets on the website of a certain airline, you need to subscribe to their newsletter and receive news about promotions and discounts.

Several times a year, large companies hold very profitable promotions with discounts of up to 50%, follow the newsletters and buy much cheaper than the standard price. Most often, airlines hold promotions and ticket sales during the off-season – in February-March and October-November.

A great way to save money is to buy a cheap ticket on the exchange charter airlines, where travel agencies dump their unsold offers.

Charters are irregular flights with departures on certain days and can sometimes be postponed or cancelled, you need to be prepared for this.

Look for flight tickets on the following websites:

  • chartex.ru,
  • aviacharters.ru,
  • tourdom.ru.

On search aggregator sites you can see all airline offers and compare their prices. To choose the most suitable and cheapest option, you can subscribe to a direction you are interested in or connect several options: find a low cost, buy cheap flights, use the map and price calendar.

The best services for finding cheap air tickets are:

  • Momondo,

To stay updated on new budget tickets for the destination you are interested in, you can subscribe to one of these sites by leaving your email.

Buying tickets online is much more convenient and saves you time and money. You don't need to go to the office, you can be anywhere in the world and pay via the Internet. All flight information and e-ticket you will receive it by mail, all you have to do is print it out and come to the airport with it and your passport.

When to buy air tickets?

Plan your trip and purchase tickets in advance if you want to get them at a good price. Usually the price increases every day in the last two weeks before departure, and when purchasing 2 - 3 months or earlier, there is a chance to save 30% of the cost of the flight. If you are planning your summer vacation in advance, it is more profitable to buy tickets in December.

In rare cases, you may be lucky and get an inexpensive ticket a day or several days before departure. If you are not too attached to specific numbers, always look at the price for a neighboring date, it may turn out to be 20% cheaper.

A very important point is the choice of day of the week and departure time. Tickets are usually sold at the lowest prices for morning and evening flights and midweek (Tuesday to Thursday). On weekends prices rise for obvious reasons. Also, during the holiday season and holidays, air tickets are more expensive, but in the off-season they can be purchased much cheaper.

Don’t forget to buy round-trip tickets, it will be 20–30% cheaper than if you buy separately in each direction.

When choosing a city of departure or arrival, compare prices for air travel in neighboring cities, they may turn out to be much cheaper and where you can get to by plane ground transport(by train or bus).

For example, flights from Moscow are cheaper than from St. Petersburg. It’s the same in Europe - you can fly cheaply to Brussels and from there, in a couple of hours, get to Paris by bus, or fly to Girona and get to neighboring Barcelona by bus.

It is better to make the purchase itself at night or in the morning before the start of the working day - at this time there is a greater choice of flights and prices are lower.

The best time to buy a ticket is on Wednesday at 1 am. This is due to the fact that many airlines offer discounts and Special offers on Sunday or Monday evenings, you can redeem them by reservation within 24 hours, and after that on Wednesday tickets appear again at a low cost (if they have not been redeemed).

Map and calendar of low prices

For the convenience of searching and booking cheap air tickets, aggregator sites have a convenient low-price calendar function, where you can see all offers by month and select the cheapest option for specific dates. Using filters, you can eliminate unsuitable options and find out information about interesting events, events and holidays in certain months.

Another convenient and original function is the low price card. It will help you find all the inexpensive options on the world map according to the given parameters. By specifying travel dates, specific or approximate range, desired budget for air tickets, turning on the visa filter, you will see all the most budget prices for flights to different countries.

A price map and low price calendar are available on the Skyscanner and Aviasales websites.

What are low-cost airlines?

Low-cost airline is a low-cost airline with minimal service. The low cost of flights for low-cost airlines is determined due to the lack of additional services and possibilities: non-refundable tickets, minimum amount of luggage, paid meals during the flight.

Air tickets for low-cost airlines cost from 10 euros if purchased in advance or on special offer. But in order to fly at a really low price and not face unexpected surcharges at the airport, you need to carefully study all the rules of the low-cost airline and follow them.

First of all, this concerns luggage transportation. You are only allowed to carry on board the aircraft hand luggage with a total weight of 10 kg and your suitcase or bag must not exceed the dimensions of 55 x 40 x 20 cm. Carriage extra baggage is paid separately and is quite expensive. Therefore, think over this issue in advance and it is better to pay for baggage transportation on the website online than to face this requirement at the airport itself and pay a much larger amount.

Air tickets for low-cost airlines cannot be returned, and for changing the date you will be asked to pay a fine, that is, if there are changes in plans, it will be much easier to buy a new one.

Also pay attention to the location of the airport you are flying into. For example, when flying to Milan, Dusseldorf, Munich, you do not arrive in the city itself, but in a neighboring suburb, which may be 50 km away.

In this case, you will have the opportunity to see new town and save on housing, which will cost much less than the neighboring tourist city of Milan.

If you don’t have the time or desire for this, then find out in advance how to get by train or bus to the city you need and check the schedule so you don’t have to pay for an expensive taxi.

Low-cost airlines flying from Russia to Europe:

  • Victory,
  • EasyJet
  • Wizz Air,
  • AirBaltic.

Low-cost airlines with flights within Europe:

  • Ryanair,
  • EasyJet
  • Germanwings,
  • Wizz Air,
  • Air Italy
  • AirBaltic.

C full and others low cost airlines you can read our next article.

Cheapest flights

The cheapest flights can be found on search aggregator sites by choosing a flight with transit or stopover. A transfer at the airport can last from several hours to several days, which will give you an additional opportunity to visit another country.

You can choose a long transfer from a day using a stopover, connecting it for free or for a fee depending on the number of days of transit.

Not all airlines provide this service; to do this, when booking, you must select “composite or difficult route"or the "multiple destinations"/"multicity" buttons. If necessary, additional transit visa, the airline will help you arrange it, and will also provide a transfer and a discount on hotel accommodation.

Most often, transfers and stopovers are used for trips with long flights to countries and destinations such as the USA, Canada, Southeast Asia, Latin America with transfers in Istanbul, Dubai, Doha, Singapore, New York, Bangkok, etc. This service of long transfers is most often carried out by large airlines, for example, Turkish Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airlines, Etihad Airways.

Buying air tickets with transit or stopover not only reduces their cost, but also allows you to take a break from long flights and see another country for the same money.

How to use airline miles?

If you fly with the same airline often, save up miles and buy cheaper tickets. A mile is the distance of your flight. Accordingly, the further you fly, the more bonus miles you will receive.

The most popular loyalty programs for purchasing air tickets:

  • Aeroflot Bonus,
  • Lufthansa Miles & More,
  • S7 Priority,
  • Panorama Club.

Using the accumulated miles, you can get new tickets, use business class instead of economy class, or receive pleasant gifts from partners in the form of a discount to a restaurant or spa.

Large banks cooperate with many airlines (Sberbank, Raiffeisenbank and others) and have a joint loyalty program (for example, Aeroflot bonus together with Sberbank). By making purchases using their joint partner card, you can also receive bonuses, which you can then spend on purchasing an air ticket.

Now let’s take a closer look at how to accumulate miles and use them correctly:

  1. You must register in the loyalty program and subscribe to the newsletter to receive all the news about ticket promotions, partner programs and all changes in the bonus program.
  2. Earn miles while flying. To do this, during online check-in or at the airport, enter your card number in the loyalty program.
  3. Earn miles without traveling. Use cards to pay and receive bonuses. You can view the entire list of loyalty program partners on the website and use their services. This can be not only banks and their cards, but also hotels, restaurants, travel companies etc.
  4. Make the most of all the benefits of participating in the loyalty program - you can spend time in the business class lounge, skip the line at boarding, and take extra baggage for free.
  5. Keep an eye on current sales and promotions to make sure you use your miles correctly. You can redeem your miles for an air ticket and fuel surcharges, or just for the air ticket and pay the surcharges separately. Or take advantage of the opportunity to fly business class over long distances. If you are a Miles & More member, you can use your accumulated miles to make purchases in the Miles & More Shop or pay for hotels.

How can I get some money back from purchased air tickets?

Recently, it has been very popular to return part of the purchase price using an affiliate program. The same goes for air tickets.

To do this, you need to register in the affiliate program on one of the sites, follow a special referral link, purchase a ticket and receive compensation for the purchase in the amount of several percent. The larger the purchase amount or the number of flights, the more money you can get back.

This is a great option for saving money. From each air ticket you can return 0.5 - 3% of the cost. This will be more noticeable if you fly frequently.

You can get cashback on the following sites:

  • Momondo,
  • Anywayanyday,
  • AirBaltic.com
  • Qatarairways.com
  • City.travel,
  • Travelplanet24.com.

The most important tricks when buying air tickets

With every purchase or search, the computer remembers all your actions, and the next time you contact you, you will see prices with an increased cost.

To avoid this and outwit the system, while saving a lot, I have a few tips:

  1. Turn on incognito mode so that the browser shows new data every time and does not remember your past requests. To do this, use the keys Ctrl + Shift + N in the Google Chrome browser, Ctrl + Shift + P in the Internet Explorer browser, and in the Opera browser select “Tabs and windows” and “Create a private window”.
  2. Clear the cache on your computer - this is necessary to clear your browsing history. If you have already searched for low-cost flights, then when you make a similar request “Buy cheap tickets” again, the system will remember your data and give you limited results.
  3. Use anonymizers (hideme.ru, hideguard.ru, hidemyass.com or others) to hide your location.
  4. Don't use a MacBook when booking and purchasing airline tickets - many airlines are tailored to a specific laptop model, and if you buy with a MacBook, you will be shown the most expensive options.
  5. When booking on special search sites, use complex (composite) routes. By choosing several cities for your trip, you can save a lot.

I hope my article was useful to you, and my tips will help you travel more often and inexpensively. If you also know some tricky ways to buy cheap air tickets, write in the comments and share your experience.