What day of the week should you buy an airline ticket?
While there is no single "magical" day to book that guarantees the lowest price, studies often suggest that booking on Tuesday or Wednesday can yield better deals, partly because airlines release sales early in the week. However, with dynamic, AI-driven pricing, the best strategy is to be flexible with travel dates, book 1–3 months in advance for domestic flights, and set up price alerts rather than relying on a specific day of the week to buy.
What is the best day of the week to book a flight?
Typically, the lowest fares appear earlier in the week, while higher prices are more common toward the weekend. This is why the answer to “When do flight prices go down?” is sometimes… a Tuesday.
Book Midweek Snag your tickets on Tuesday or Wednesday for the best deals! Airlines often drop prices on Tuesday evenings, and midweek bookings beat the weekend rush. 2. Plan Ahead (But Not Too Far) Buy your tickets at least 3 weeks before your trip, but don't book too early.
The day of the week that you book a flight does not affect the price, but the days when you fly do. Traveling during off-peak months often leads to significant savings, with lower fares compared to peak travel periods. Use fare comparison tools to monitor prices and set price alerts.
The cheapest time to buy flights involves booking 1-3 months ahead for domestic and 2-6 months for international (longer for peak holidays), flying on Tuesdays/Wednesdays, and targeting the shoulder seasons (spring/fall) instead of peak summer/winter, using price alerts to track fluctuations as airlines use dynamic pricing now, rather than a fixed "Tuesday rule".
Depending on the airline you're looking to fly from, finding cheap flights can be done on either Sunday or Tuesday. Sunday because it's the beginning of the week, and Tuesday because many different airlines choose to release all of their sales on Monday nights.
Some people say Tuesday is the cheapest day to book and fly, since it's far from the weekend, and it's often true. Flight comparison site Skyscanner says sales are usually dropped on Monday nights or Tuesday morning, which skews this data, but it's all about the route and destination.
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How can you avoid price manipulation when booking flights?
Using incognito or private browsing when shopping or booking travel, which helps avoid price manipulation based on your history, is a must, but it's also important to consider the browsing history of other people in your household.
Evening is cheaper: Booking flights between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM local time often yields better deals, especially midweek. Avoid mornings: Prices are usually higher in the morning due to business travelers. Time zones matter: Booking during off-peak hours in the airline's home country can reveal lower fares.
The best websites for cheap flights are comparison sites like Google Flights, Skyscanner, Momondo, and Kayak, which find deals from many airlines and agents, but you should always check multiple sites and the airline's own site, as prices vary; Momondo is praised for its "Flight Insight," while Google Flights offers great price tracking. Use these to find deals, but also look at budget carriers (like EasyJet) or specialized sites like Kiwi.com (for complex routes) and Skiplagged (for hidden city fares) for unique savings.
"Skiplagging, or hidden-city-ticketing, is when you purchase a connecting flight itinerary with the intention of only taking the first leg of the route," says travel blogger Natalie Becerra.
Here are some useful tips based on this travel research from Expedia: The best day of the week to book a flight: is Sunday. Domestic flights: The cheapest day of the week to fly is Saturday; the most expensive is Sunday. International flights: The cheapest day to fly is Thursday; the most expensive is Sunday.
