Are you looking for the best travel deals? We’ve found that Skyscanner is the ultimate tool for scoring amazing savings for travelers who live for budget-friendly adventures. Let’s explore some tips to find the cheapest flights and turn your travel dreams into reality!
Skyscanner has a variety of features that make it easy to find unbeatable travel deals. You may be already used to the basics – searching round-trips or multi-city, one-way, or non-stop flights only. However, there are a lot more powerful tools and lesser-known features that can help you save.
From price alerts to flexible dates, these are our top-secret Skyscanner tricks to book the cheapest flights.
1. Incognito Window
You might be familiar with this trick, but have faith, this can make a difference! Most people swear by it, but there are some skeptics. Using an incognito window will help you find cheaper flights and this is how you can do it in your browser, step by step. Open the browser, go to the File menu, and click New Incognito Window. After this, just use Skyscanner like you normally would and search for flights. This is the easiest hack that you can do to score better deals without too much effort.
Give it a try and you might get a positive surprise.
2. The “Whole Month” Option
If it’s possible for you to get flexible travel dates, the “Whole month” option on Skyscanner is the best way to find cheaper flights.
This is how you need to work: Fill in your departure and destination cities as usual. Instead of picking specific dates, click on the “Whole month” tab when you select the travel dates.
Your calendar will show prices for every day of the month and make it a super way to spot the cheapest days for flights.
For example, August 23rd to August 29th can cost $350, and switch to $455 by choosing August 25th to August 31st. To spot the cheapest flight easier, you can use it in a chart format.
Try to plan your trips earlier and be flexible with your dates. If you can be flexible, you can save a lot of money.
3. The “Cheapest Month” Button
If your travel budget is pretty tight and you want to find the best time to travel, this button on Skyscanner will save your life.
What you need to do is enter the departure and destination airports as you would normally do, and when it comes to selecting travel dates, choose the Whole Month.
After this, instead of following the normal steps of choosing the date, click on “Cheapest month”. This way, Skyscanner will come with the cheapest months to travel.
Using this option will help you find the best deals for vacations without breaking the bank. Look how easy it is to plan your trips and fit both your schedule and budget.
4. The “Everywhere” Option
This is a game-changer especially if you’re open to exploring new destinations and it shows you the cheapest places to fly from your chosen departure city making it perfect for spontaneous travelers or choosing to plan a budget-friendly vacation.
Follow these steps to access it: Enter your departure city and instead of choosing a destination, simply type “Everywhere” in your destination box. You will get a generated list of countries where you can get the most affordable flight options from your departure point.
Browse through these options and after you find a destination that catches your eye, start planning your new adventure.
The best thing is Skyscanner also lists the cheapest cities within each country, with general prices and the stops for each flight. This is how you can fit your budget with your travel preferences.
You can also combine this function with the Whole Month Button to find the cheapest destinations and the best dates. This is a powerful combination that will help you with great deals and planning your next trip with ease.
5. The Country Feature
There is another smart trick that you can use for booking flights. As we said, the “Everywhere” feature will save you money, and here is where you can see if flying into a different city within your destination country can save you more money.
Let’s say you plan to go to Portugal and Lisboj is your final destination. Instead of booking the flight directly to Lisbon, use the Everywhere feature to check the cheapest airports nearby.
For example, you can find in this context a flight to Porto that is almost $200 cheaper than flying to Lisbon.
This is how you can do it:
Book the flight, for example, from Boston to Porto; add a separate roundtrip flight from Porto to Lisbon – around $30 and here is the breakdown:
Boston – Lisbon – $750
Boston – Porto – $590
This is what you can save by booking a multi-city journey and giving yourself a day or two to explore Porto as well, turning a simple trip into a mini-vacation. Checking flights near airports and considering a stepover is a great way to see more of the world while saving money.
6. Check out the “Map” feature
These are by far the coolest tools out there – it’s like a treasure map for finding cheap flights and, as we know, there are no other search engines that offer something like this.
This is how it works: Start by entering the departure city and select your travel dates. You can as well use the “Whole month” option to keep it flexible. After you have done these steps, click on “Map” in the top right corner. Skyscanner generates a world map for you that’s dotted with green and red markers. Green dots symbolize the good deals and the red ones are the pricier options.
The awesome thing about the Map is the world of possibilities it offers, introducing you to destinations you might have never considered or even knew about. Spontaneous travelers who look for adventure on a budget will love this feature.
Take a look and you’ll find endless options and deals waiting for you. You might discover your next dream destination for a fantastic deal.
7. Price alerts
If flexibility is not available for you on travel dates, don’t worry. Skyscanner can also send price alerts.
This is what you need to do to turn them on. You need to fill in the departure airport and travel dates and click “Search”. With the flight options appearing, look for the “Get price alerts” button that should be located top left corner.
By clicking it, you’ll be prompted to create an account and the easiest way to do it is by using your email, Google, or Facebook. When you’re signed up, you will receive a notification in your email when the price of your chosen flight drops.
This is how you can lock in the best deals without checking constantly the prices. This is a handy tool for planning trips in advance and this will allow you to set for a good deal when it pops up and it feels like you have a personal assistant that monitors the flight prices for you.
As we said, Skyscanner would be our top choice when it comes to scoring amazing flight deals and typically people can save between 30-40% on flights thanks to their creative features.
With these tips, you will have all the tools to hunt down the best prices and fly all around the globe.
Are you ready to uncover more tools to snag great travel deals? Let’s go!
Most popular online travel agencies have similar prices but each of them has its own set of benefits and search engines.
Booking directly through the airline?
This might get you a better offer or at least match the greatest deals out there. Booking directly will simplify things for you if and encounter any issues. Here you will have the advantage of dealing directly with the airline and not a third party to solve problems, assuring you a smoother process.
Booking directly may allow you to use frequent flyer miles and it can be a great way to earn and redeem points for future flights.
If you want to find out which airline has the best prices, you can use a travel search engine or OTA first. These are tools that can help you compare prices across airlines so you know where you can get your best deals. Some may offer perks like additional discounts or bundled services and it can be worth going for, as a plus compared to the other airlines with similar prices.
So, yes, booking directly through an airline can be more simple and cost-effective, especially the OTAs with extra benefits.
If you’re exploring options beyond booking the cheapest flights directly, we have more search engines for you:
1. Momondo
This is a user-friendly metasearch engine with a straightforward search box where you can add your travel details. What’s cool about this is the visual price trend feature, so you can quickly see if changing the dates could save you money. This price tracker and plenty of other filters that you will find on the left side of the screen will help you refine your search.
A feature that stands out is the Mix&Match fare, known as Hacker Fares, which can combine two one-way tickets from different airlines and get you the best price. Unlike other sides that practice these combined fares behind the scenes, you’ll need to visit two websites to book the tickets.
The advantage of Momondo is the excellent price tracking that spots the trends and potential savings for you. A limit of Momondo resides in the Mix & Match that requires booking on two different sites which makes it a bit cumbersome.
2. Kayak
This travel search engine is another amazing starting point for your flight search. The prices are pulled from multiple websites into one place, so you can easily compare options and find the best deals. In this case, you will also need to click through another site to finish your booking.
Kayak can also combine two one-way tickets from different airlines to create a single itinerary and this helps you score great deals that most likely don’t show up on other sites.
They introduced some new features in 2024. For example, Kayak PriceCheck where you can upload a screenshot of your itinerary and they compare the prices of their hundreds of sites and provide you with the best deal. Another one is Ask Kayak, an AI tool that enhances your planning experience by answering any specific question and giving you tailored advice.
There are some pros and cons in this case too. The good part is that they can combine two one-way flights into one itinerary and help you save, as well as set up alert prices so you can keep track of price drops. Kayak also offers you the best deals and even provides careful and close help with your planning.
On the other side, Kayak is better suited for people with flexible travel possibilities. When you look for a specific scheduled flight, this might not necessarily be a helpful tool.
3. Expedia
This go-to travel site has worked since the 1990s and it’s still a solid choice when it comes to booking flights. It may not always snag the best deals and booking through an agency probably brings you a better deal but for sure you won’t end up paying more than using other websites, a mistake you can easily make with some travel search engines out there.
A nice feature Expedia offers is its rewards program called One Key. This offers special member pricing and allows you to earn points on flights or hotels, cruises, car rentals, and a lot more. You can also earn airline miles when you’re part of an airline frequent flyer and you book through Expedia.
The advantages of this platform are that you can earn points for extra savings and rewards with their One Key program and have access to various travel options and deals. However, the cons are that booking through Expedia might be limiting when it comes to how many miles you earn towards elite status. You could miss out on perks that are available when you book directly with an airline, such as seat upgrades, etc.
Expedia is amazing for rewards and travel deals, but you need to be aware of their limitations as well.
4. Priceline
This is a well-known travel site and it used to be famous for its Name Your Own Price tool, which offered great discounts and kept many details hidden until after you booked. This tool got out of use in 2016, but Priceline still has some unique exciting features.
A beloved feature is their color-coded calendar which helps you spot the days with the lowest prices. This user-friendly platform will allow you to see the non-stop best flights and what options are available with no change of fees.
Priceline’s Express Deals feature offers huge discounts but keep certain details like the airline or flight time hidden until after you book. You just need a little flexibility and the willingness to trade off some information and you can score super deals.
The pros of this are the good savings if you are flexible, their Price Match Guarantee, assuring you of getting the best prices, as well as free online cancellation, within 24 hours (except for Express Deals).
There are some limitations and they are related to no reward program, points, or benefits. Express Deals can sometimes cost more than a standard booking, which doesn’t make Priceline the best option in this case.
5. Orbitz
This go-to travel site has worked since 2001 and it has some unique reward programs: Orbitz Rewards. Whenever you book hotels, flights, and vacation packages through them, you earn ORBUCKS. These points can be used for hotel bookings only.
The system works by earning 1% of everything you book in Orbuck form. (By using the mobile app, you will get 2%). For example, booking a $500 flight will bring you back $5 that you can use for your hotel. You should be aware that sometimes they charge a 1% booking fee, so check your trip summary before finishing your purchase to see if the overall deal is affected by any fee.
There are some interesting pros when it comes to Orbitz, more than their Orbucks. You have the benefit of a 24-hour cancellation policy, and if you find a lower price on another site within 24 hours, they agree to refund the difference.
Orbitz is a solid choice especially if you value a rewarding system in your traveling journey and planning. However, keep an eye on their potential booking fees to make sure you still get a good deal.
For comfortable journeys, this is where you can find comfort sets to make the most of your flight: BlueHills Premium Soft Travel Blanket Pillow Airplane Flight Blanket
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