A list of life hacks tourists use to save on plane tickets: do they work or not
There are some airplane passangers who know how to save money on tickets and successfully use simple life hacks. However, not everything that is discussed online actually helps to save money.
A TikTok user with the handle @guletravels shared tips on how to book cheaper airline tickets. However, expert Katie McClure, editor of Detour, a weekly newsletter from the British travel app Jack's Flight Club, set the record straight in an interview with SSPDaily.
Partially true: Airfares are cheaper on certain days
The first travel tip given in the video was, "Flights are cheaper on Tuesday (midnight), Wednesday, and Saturday."
"There is some truth in this, but this method is not universal," the expert said.
She shared that a weekend trip from Saturday to Tuesday is likely to be cheaper than a trip from Friday to Monday. "Demand is higher on these days, and people hope to get the best out of the weekend," the author explained.
False: Don't book for the weekend
Tip number two, "Don't book airline tickets for the weekend." McClure called this advice "quite unfounded" and said that airlines can sometimes even reduce prices on weekends, although she believes that this life hack used to work.
False: Airlines can charge more based on your search history
Tip number three, "Always use anonymous browsing mode and clear your cache and cookies. Airlines charge higher fees for search history."
There's a long-standing theory that websites will increase airfare prices if you browse more often to increase your sense of urgency and encourage you to buy. While McClure acknowledged that this may have been true in the past, today she called it "practically an urban legend."
Sometimes true: Save money by using a VPN
The fourth tip in the video, "Use a VPN from a cheaper country. It will save you a lot of money. Try India".
A private network or VPN uses encryption to hide your personal data and increase your privacy online. It can also allow you to access blocked or censored websites and change your location. According to McClure, there is some truth to this advice. "But you don't really need a VPN to see different prices," she said.
Instead, she suggests changing the region and currency in whatever tool you use to search for flights so you can see prices from online travel agencies located in different countries.
True: Using a price aggregator tool and setting your destination to "Anywhere" can help you find cheaper flights
The fifth tip was, "Use Skyscanner or Kayak and select 'Anywhere' in your destination to get airfare under $100."
While McClure said this is true, she added that these flights often involve "unpleasant layovers" or that they will involve "your least favorite budget airline."
True: Some airlines offer discounts to students
The last tip in the video, "Check out the student discounts on StudentUniverse. Sometimes the prices are half off."
McClure said this tip is also true. "It's a little known fact, but many airlines do offer student discounts," she said. Of course, this will only work if you are actually a student.