13 Proven Ways To Save Money On Flights in 2026

Who doesn’t love saving money on flights? I love being able to save money on flights because this means that I have more money to spend when I get to where I am flying.

There are several important things to note when shopping for flights, and I share 13 proven ways to save money on flights in this post.

By reading this blog, it is for sure you will get complete information about how to save money on flight booking and enjoy the vacation within the budget.

And for the bigger picture on funding family travel, read my guides on How to Build a Family Travel Fund and How to Travel the World With Kids on a Budget.

What is the best way to save money on flights?

• Follow the sale, and go where flights are cheap
• Subscribe to error fare sites like Going for deals you’d never find alone
• Search in incognito mode or use a VPN to see real prices
• Use a travel credit card and redeem miles for near-free flights
• Be flexible on dates, one day either side can save hundreds

1. “Follow The Sale, Not The Location”

Follow the SALE, and not the location, is the motto I live by. It is also the number one piece of advice I give people when they ask me how we can travel so often. There are so many places that I want to visit in this big, beautiful world we live in, but unless there is a flight sale to that place, it can wait. When you follow the sale, you are able to base your travels on places you can afford by purchasing cheap tickets. I don’t mind following the sale and traveling multiple times a year, versus spending a lot and visiting one place a year, because it is on my bucket list. If a flight sale comes up for a place I am dying to visit, then Yay! If not, then I’ll patiently wait. Indeed, following the flight sales offer is one of the best ways to save money on flights.

How much can families save with these flight methods?

• Chile round trip: $165 per person using error fare sites
• Stockholm: kids flew free using a targeted airline deal
• Los Angeles to London: $12.40 airfare via Skyscanner sale
• Los Angeles to Accra, Ghana: $16 in taxes using 40K United miles
• Orlando: $14 one-way on Frontier during a flash sale

2. Subscribe To Websites That Send Out Error Fares & Flight Deals

I have been able to snag some pretty good airfare deals by following websites that send out error fares and flight deals. What these websites do is they track flights from all over the world and send out deals as soon as they find them to those who subscribe to their email lists, so that you can save money on flights. They also post on their Facebook pages, but I much prefer email as the alerts are delivered directly to my phone. We were able to fly to Chile for $165 round trip because of websites like this. They are all free, so why not? You have absolutely nothing to lose. We were also able to take advantage of the kids fly free deal to fly to Stockholm, Sweden, and took my son and his 3 cousins.

3. Use More Than One Search Engine When Booking Flights

Prior to purchasing a flight ticket, I check at least three different search engines to make sure that I am getting the best flight deal. Every search engine has its own deals. I say so because when searching for a flight, you will notice that the prices vary on each website. When you search for flight tickets, you will notice that prices will vary for the same flight on the same airline on each different search engine. It is very important to compare and contrast booking tools and prices. My favorite search engines are Google Flights, Momondo, and Skyscanner.

[How To Fly On Frontier Airlines For $14 Each Way]

4. Clear Your Browser Cookies

Just in case you are not familiar with cookies, cookies are small files that are stored in your computer’s browser every time you visit a website. What this means is that when you visit any website more than once to search for flights, that website saves your data. Because that website knows that you have been searching for flights, you’ll notice a slight or even huge increase in the price of flights the next time you search. The best way to get accurate flight prices is to delete or clear the cookies on your computer prior to searching for flights. When you clear/delete your cookies, websites have no data from your previous visit, and thus it is one of the most reliable ways to save money on flights.

5. Search For Flights In Incognito Mode

Using the incognito option on your web browser is a way to visit websites secretly without them ever knowing you were there. Any page that you visit while in incognito mode does not save to your browsing history; hence, no cookies are collected. This helps because websites can’t use your previous browsing history to mess with the flight prices. What you see is what the flights actually cost.

6. Use A VPN

A VPN is short for virtual private network. This is a network that offers users the option to maintain secrecy while browsing online. This includes secrecy while sending and receiving data. When you use a VPN to search, your search is hidden, so these flight websites have no way to manipulate flight prices. A VPN can also trick these flight websites by giving them a false location. Some sales are targeted to people in a certain region only, so using a VPN will allow you to trick the airline, hence offering you the resident discount. For example, if I wanted to book a ticket from Los Angeles to Paris, but the airline has a sale for Paris residents only, I can use my VPN to trick the website into thinking that I am in Paris, hence being able to take advantage of that deal. I switched to NordVPN, and it has been the most reliable option I have used for travel booking. It’s fast, easy to switch locations, and worth every penny.

7. Flexibility is Key

In order to save money on flights, you absolutely must be flexible. Sometimes flying the day before or after the day after your preferred date can make a huge difference in the price of your ticket. So make sure to use the flexible option and check one to three days before the actual trip date. It isn’t always easy to be flexible, but if you can, you will notice a huge difference in flight prices. Skyscanner and Google Flights let you see the flight calendar so you can choose the cheapest day to fly on. Skyscanner is my top website to use. Make sure you download the Skyscanner App also, it allows you to track flight prices and search for the cheapest time to fly anywhere in the world.

8. Purchase Your Ticket At The Counter

Sometimes purchasing your ticket at the counter can save you hundreds of dollars. This is not the case with all airlines, however, I have been able to purchase tickets on Spirit Airlines at the counter and was shocked at how much cheaper it was, versus how much I would have paid if I had bought it on their website. So if you live by the airport, head over tothe  Spirit Airlines counter to purchase a ticket. Make sure you know what flight and times you want to make it easier.

9. Travel Light

A lot of airlines now charge to travel with a carry-on, as well as charge for checking in a bag. This applies to low-cost carriers and full-service carriers as well, which now offer buyers the option of purchasing a basic economy ticket, which is much cheaper. I call it a no-frills ticket as these come with nothing, so be smart, pack light,t and avoid the extra fees. My kids use Osprey, and I use a Boarding Blue bag as a personal item bag on Frontier & Spirit Airlines with no issues, and I use packing cubes to ensure that I pack smart.

10. Get A Travel Credit Card

How to save money on a flight with a Travel Credit Card? If you have a travel credit card, you’ll be able to build miles each time you use your card to shop or pay a bill. You are already spending money on everyday things, so why not get something from it? When your miles add up, you’ll be able to save by using those miles to purchase tickets to wherever in the world you want to travel. For example, we pay all our bills and do all our shopping with our travel credit cards so that we can get as many miles as possible. Remember to make sure you spend within your budget, or you’ll end up drowning in interest fees, and that defeats the purpose of saving money. Once we have enough miles, we are able to book a trip with them, and all we have to do is pay the taxes and fees, which isn’t that much. Keep in mind that these taxes and fees vary by airline and flight route. My favorite airline mileage redemption was flying from Los Angeles to Accra, Ghana, for 40K miles and $16 in taxes and fees on South African Airways using United Airlines Miles.

11. Sign Up For EveryAirline’ss Reward Programs And Earn Free Miles

You can earn miles without having a travel credit card. All you have to do is sign up for your favorite airline’s reward program. Make sure to sign up your kids too, as there is no age restriction. Even if it isn’t your favorite airline, still sign up for their reward program and make sure to sign up your kids as well. It is free, and you can sign up for as many as you want. You’ll accumulate miles from every flight you take with that airline. In addition to earning miles from flying, each airline has a shopping portal that you can use to earn extra miles. For example, at one time, JetBlue was offering 5X miles on every dollar spent on Amazon. I shop on Amazon every week, so I was able to get a lot of JetBlue points that way. United Airlines has a shopping portal, and shopping on there will get you a certain number of miles for every dollar you spend. Shopping on these airline portals doesn’t cost you any more than it would if you purchased it directly from the website itself. You can read more about “12 Ways To Earn Miles Toward Flights.“

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12. Sign Up For Cash Back Reward Program

My favorite cash back reward program is Ebates, now called Rakuten. Rakuten offers up to 15% cashback sometimes when booking on websites like Priceline, Hotwire, and more. This offers an even greater travel discount. The cashback is offered after your trip has been taken, and Rakuten usually sends out a check or deposits it in your account. This is like free money, as it doesn’t cost you anything to use. Sign up at Rakuten.com

13. Book A One-Way Ticket and/or Fly Two Different Airlines

You’ll be surprised to find out that sometimes booking two one-way tickets is actually cheaper than booking a round-trip ticket. With this option, you will be able to get a cheaper deal; however, you may end up flying two different airlines. When we got a deal to fly for $14 on Frontier Airlines to Orlando, I was excited; however, the return ticket on Frontier Airlines was not as cheap. I found a cheaper ticket on Spirit Airlines and purchased it at the counter,r and that’s how we got back home.

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Frequently Asked Questions About How to Save Money on Flights

• BONUS: Search For Ticket Prices For One Person

Airlines usually show an increased price when you search for tickets for a group of people (2 or more). It will try to group your party together by selecting seats close to each other, and each seat may vary in price. The way to avoid this higher-priced group ticket is to search for tickets for one person and then, when you find them, change the passenger count at the end and pick seats later. This has worked for me on several occasions, and is something a lot of people don’t know about.

These are the most preferred and proven ways to save money on flights. Before purchasing flights, make sure to try each of these methods, and I can guarantee you that you’ll be able to find cheaper tickets.

These are the most preferred and proven ways to save money on flights. Before purchasing flights, make sure to try each of these methods, and I can guarantee you that you’ll be able to find cheaper tickets.

What other ways do you save money on flights? Share your personal experiences here about how to save money on flight bookings.

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