If you're planning on taking a flight during the winter holidays and haven't booked it yet, you’ll want to do it soon as prices will spike as December nears.
The average flight has 92 fare changes from the time it goes on sale until the time it departs. That can make securing the cheapest tickets tricky. But there are some simple steps you can take to save money.
Start off with an online search for the best travel deals and try to keep things flexible. If you’re worried about your searches being tracked by “cookies” it won’t make a big difference.
"We found you'll increase your odds of finding the lowest fare if you search for flights multiple times over multiple days with and without your search history cleared on your browser," said Mandy Walker, Consumer Reports money editor.
Websites like Google Flights and Kayak are a good place to start. They'll compare cheaper options on flights just hours apart and at nearby airports.
The best time to book winter holiday airfare is 80 days out. Every day closer to Christmas you wait could cost you almost two dollars a day and the 10 days before the holidays? Prices spike.
The best days to fly are Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
But if you want to get there well before Santa, it pays to know about "fare buckets". When limited seats are on sale, larger groups will often get bumped into a more expensive fare class.
"So you want to do airline searches as one individual or two maximum because you can still get certain tickets at a cheaper price and then the other tickets at the higher price," said Flight Centre’s Allison Wallace.
You also want to watch out for hidden fees with low cost carriers.
"Do I have a checked bag? Do I want a meal? Because if you pay them all as one-off items instead of all up front on a higher class you often end up paying more," advised Wallace.
Data shows the perfect moment to buy is Tuesday afternoon. That's when many airlines cut fares and competitors scramble to match prices.
Here's a little secret. It's a good idea to check the day after you book to see if you can find a better deal. Both West Jet and Air Canada will refund the price of your ticket if you cancel within 24 hours of purchase. In America it's actually law that you can cancel without penalty 24 hours after you book as long as you're not travelling for at least a week. Most U.S. carriers will still honour that, even if you're booking in Canada.
Finally, there are a number of apps that can be useful, like Skyscanner and Hopper. Hopper will predict and how and when prices will change and advise you whether to buy or wait. Kayak will also email you alerts when the price of a flight falls, which is helpful when you’re shopping for fares well in advance.
