When Is The Cheapest Day To Buy Plane Tickets

The Google Flights team looked over five years' worth of airfare data to find patterns on the cheapest days to fly and the best time for booking your flights during each season. Here are the cheapest days and times of the year to buy plane tickets.

when is the cheapest day to buy plane tickets

While you may have heard that it's cheaper to book and pay for your plane tickets on a Tuesday rather than a Saturday, that's not necessarily true. "There isn't much value in purchasing your tickets on a certain day of the week," Google said.

Looking for the best time to buy tickets to Europe or other international locations? Book a summer trip. Expedia data shows that August is the cheapest warm-weather month to fly, with average ticket prices nearly 10% lower compared with July. Tickets are also cheaper in August than during the December rush.

While the cheapest day to actually pay for airfare can vary from one week to the next, Expedia data shows consumers who book airfare on Sundays instead of Fridays tend to save approximately 5 percent on domestic flights and 15 percent on international airfare. Expedia also notes that Sunday was the cheapest day to book flights in 2021 and 2022, but that travelers saved 5 percent more when booking on Sundays in 2022 compared to the previous year.

The other big factor is when you actually travel. According to the CheapAir study, the cheapest days to fly are Tuesday and Wednesday, when you'll save an average of $73 per ticket. Sunday is the most expensive. The Expedia/ARC study found that the cheapest day to travel domestically depends on the airport, but internationally, Thursday and Friday are best.

According to these two studies, along with many others on the internet, the cheapest time to buy flights is almost never when they're first released. This means that if you plan your weekend break months and months in advance just to save money on flights, you're wasting your time.

So, yes, flights do get cheaper as the date gets closer. Sometimes the best deals are found by booking last-minute flights. When airlines want to fill the empty seats on the plane, they are likely to lower the flight price to encourage people to buy tickets. But, be mindful that at some point, they will most likely will go back up.

According to the internet, the best day of the week to buy flights is a Tuesday. Apparently, this is due to airlines announcing deals on Monday evenings. By Tuesday at noon, other airlines are trying to match those deals. So Tuesday afternoons are the best time to hunt for reduced airfare. But is Tuesday really the cheapest day to buy airline tickets?

If you know how much flights SHOULD be, You'll know when you're getting a good deal. If you keep searching for flights, you'll get an idea of what's a rip-off and what's an absolute steal. $550 USD round trip from the UK to Japan? Yes, please! $550 USD round trip from the UK to India? Hmm, you can probably do better. Once you've done a few searches on a search engine like ours, you'll start to see how prices change and know when you've stumbled across a good deal. It's not a quick fix, but it's definitely an effective one. We suggest that you use Alternative Airlines for an easy comparable flight search - you can see which airlines offer the cheapest deals for the destination you wish to travel to.

You can't expect the cheap flights to appear exactly when you want them. This is where tools like Alternative Airline's Best Fare Finder come in handy. Our Best Fare Finder tells you how much you could save by slightly altering your dates of travel and allows you to see the cheapest time to fly across a week from your original search. You may find that it's cheaper to fly out a day or two later than you originally planned.

There's a good chance that the REAL cheapest day to buy flights is actually on 'special offers' days. Keeping an eye on when these kinds of 'special offer days' are may help you find some excellent deals! Days to watch out for include:

According to a recent Farecompare.com study, the cheapest day to fly is Wednesday. According to the Jack's Flight Club quote above, it's Tuesday or Thursday. I think it's safe to say in general it's cheaper to fly on a weekday or a Saturday. Why? Because it's slightly inconvenient. Maybe the question you should ask is 'when is the best day to fly?'.

However, if you plan to visit popular summer holiday destinations in Europe, the Caribbean, or Asia, book your flight for Monday through Thursday for lower prices. The second half of July is when tickets are cheapest if you depart between June and August.

The prime booking window for U.S. domestic flights is typically 3 to 3.5 months in advance, but many books at 5 weeks successfully. The prime booking window for international flights is around 2 months before the travel dates. This is when you can find the cheapest airfare. Watch the fare closely when you search flights for your timeframe.

CheapAir.com's survey on airline ticket prices recognizes six booking periods. The best time to book an airline flight is the prime booking window, which is 21 to 115 days in advance. Airfares generally average 5% of their lowest prices during this period. Compare that to last-minute bookings (between 0 and six days in advance) when you'll pay an average of $220 more than the prime booking window."}},"@type": "Question","name": "Why Do Airline Prices Fluctuate?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "There are a number of reasons why airline prices fluctuate. These factors include booking and flight seasons, holidays, seasonal changes, and overall volatility. For instance, the travel restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic pushed prices down as demand for travel waned. Similarly, higher fuel costs and consumer demand can push ticket prices higher.","@type": "Question","name": "How Do I Find the Best Airline Ticket Prices?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "The best way to find the cheapest airline ticket price is to shop around. Price your tickets with different airlines and agents. You can always consult individual airlines and traditional travel agents, or search online for the best price yourself. We know that emergencies arise but the earlier you book your ticket, the better. The best time to book your ticket is the prime booking window, which is between 21 to 115 days in advance.","@type": "Question","name": "What Is the Best Day of the Week to Book Airline Tickets?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "You may have heard that there is a cheap window of time during the week to book your airline tickets. According to CheapAir.com, that's a myth. The day and time of the week have no impact on ticket prices."]}]}] Investing Stocks Bonds Fixed Income Mutual Funds ETFs Options 401(k) Roth IRA Fundamental Analysis Technical Analysis Markets View All Simulator Login / Portfolio Trade Research My Games Leaderboard Economy Government Policy Monetary Policy Fiscal Policy View All Personal Finance Financial Literacy Retirement Budgeting Saving Taxes Home Ownership View All News Markets Companies Earnings Economy Crypto Personal Finance Government View All Reviews Best Online Brokers Best Life Insurance Companies Best CD Rates Best Savings Accounts Best Personal Loans Best Credit Repair Companies Best Mortgage Rates Best Auto Loan Rates Best Credit Cards View All Academy Investing for Beginners Trading for Beginners Become a Day Trader Technical Analysis All Investing Courses All Trading Courses View All TradeSearchSearchPlease fill out this field.SearchSearchPlease fill out this field.InvestingInvesting Stocks Bonds Fixed Income Mutual Funds ETFs Options 401(k) Roth IRA Fundamental Analysis Technical Analysis Markets View All SimulatorSimulator Login / Portfolio Trade Research My Games Leaderboard EconomyEconomy Government Policy Monetary Policy Fiscal Policy View All Personal FinancePersonal Finance Financial Literacy Retirement Budgeting Saving Taxes Home Ownership View All NewsNews Markets Companies Earnings Economy Crypto Personal Finance Government View All ReviewsReviews Best Online Brokers Best Life Insurance Companies Best CD Rates Best Savings Accounts Best Personal Loans Best Credit Repair Companies Best Mortgage Rates Best Auto Loan Rates Best Credit Cards View All AcademyAcademy Investing for Beginners Trading for Beginners Become a Day Trader Technical Analysis All Investing Courses All Trading Courses View All Financial Terms Newsletter About Us Follow Us Facebook Instagram LinkedIn TikTok Twitter YouTube Table of ContentsExpandTable of ContentsAirline Ticket PricesBooking ZonesSeasonal ConsiderationsAdditional TipsFAQsThe Bottom LinePersonal FinanceBudgeting & SavingsWhat Is the Cheapest Time to Book a Flight?ByRajeev Dhir Full Bio Twitter Rajeev Dhir is a writer with 10+ years of experience as a journalist with a background in broadcast, print, and digital newsrooms.Learn about our editorial policiesUpdated June 08, 2021Reviewed byAndy SmithFact checked byKimberly Overcast Fact checked byKimberly OvercastFull BioKimberly Overcast is an award-winning writer and fact-checker. She has ghostwritten political, health, and Christian nonfiction books for several authors, including several New York Times bestsellers. Kimberly also holds a Class C private investigator license.Learn about our editorial policiesWant to get the cheapest flight possible? You're not alone. We're always trying to lock in the lowest price for airline tickets, whether it's to visit family or for that next great vacation. Thanks to the internet and online travel agencies and discount providers that replaced traditional agents, we now have access to a broader range of prices and options and all at our fingertips. 041b061a72