Travel is incredible.
But it can also be shockingly pricey — especially when you want to visit far-flung destinations. That’s why saving anywhere possible is crucial, and airplane tickets are the first place to look.
Seeing as much of the globe as you’d like starts with knowing how to travel on a budget. The good news: with the right methods, it’s completely doable. In fact, sometimes it’s surprisingly simple.
Case in point: what if I told you you could fly round trip from Houston to Melbourne, Australia, for $184?
On one occasion, my colleagues and I at Dollar Flight Club discovered that was feasible, thanks to a little-known quirk in the travel world: mistake fares.
Mistake fares — as the term implies — happen when airlines accidentally publish incorrect ticket prices.
There are several reasons this can occur:
- An airline staffer might enter the wrong digits.
- Online travel agencies might leave out fuel surcharges or additional fees.
- A currency conversion glitch could produce an incorrect fare.
One of the tactics our team employs to deliver on this promise is to comb the internet all day searching for mistake fares. Here are some of the standout mistake fares we’ve uncovered:
- San Francisco to New Zealand: $260 round trip.
- New York City to Ivory Coast: $318 round trip.
- Business class from U.S. cities to Lima, Peru: $450 round trip.
- East and West coast U.S. to India: $244 round trip.
Sounds great, right? But how do you actually take advantage of mistake fares?
Generally, you have two choices: do the legwork yourself or subscribe to fare alert services and wait to be notified of the best bargains.
We know some folks prefer to do it the DIY way — that’s understandable if you’re trying to keep costs down. If you opt to hunt for mistake fares on your own, here are some pointers to remember.
Check Sites like Google Flights and Momondo Daily
If you’re feeling particularly proactive, make a habit of checking Google Flights and Momondo several times a day.
These are the two heavyweights in flight search you should know about. You never know when you’ll spot an offer that’s too good to ignore. Our team suggests visiting both when hunting for cheap airfare.
Google Flights is the top search tool in the game because it lets you easily scan the calendar view to identify the cheapest travel dates for your route. Look up to nine months ahead in the calendar view to find the least expensive window, then zero in on the exact dates you want.
Keep track of the price you find and verify those dates with Momondo to ensure you’ve located the lowest possible fare. Momondo frequently returns the cheapest options — often undercutting Google Flights — so it’s worth a few extra minutes to check.
Book the Flight Right Away
After days or weeks of searching, you finally spot your first mistake fare. Nice work!
Book it immediately. Once an airline notices it has listed an erroneous fare, it moves quickly to correct it and raise the price. Typically, these mistake fares last only a few hours.
Not sure you really want to go to that destination? That’s fine. Many airlines offer a 24-hour cancellation policy, giving you a bit of breathing room to sort out travel details.
Tell Your Friends About Your Windfall
If fortune favours you, you’ve just saved hundreds — maybe thousands — of dollars thanks to a mistake fare. That’s fantastic.
Share it with friends. They might jump at the chance to join your adventure.
Wait to Book Your Accommodation Until Your Fare is Confirmed
It’s uncommon, but there have been instances when airlines declined to honor mistake fares.
Historically, the U.S. Department of Transportation required airlines to honor mistake fares when tickets were bought directly from carrier websites (rather than through third-party sites like Expedia or Priceline).
Recently, that rule has been relaxed a bit. Still, airlines generally don’t want bad publicity, and rescinding tickets won’t do them any favors, so outright cancellations are rare.
If an airline cancels a mistake fare or insists you pay the full amount, you should be able to get your money back. At the end of the day, booking the flight is generally worth the gamble.
Don’t reserve a hotel until the airline confirms your mistake fare. Otherwise you risk losing a nonrefundable deposit if the trip falls through.
Wrapping It Up
Scoring inexpensive airfare can be challenging. But it isn’t impossible.
Keep an eye on Google Flights, Momondo, and cheap flight alert services so you can see more of the world without wrecking your budget.
Good luck, and safe travels!
OwenHarringtonis the founder of Dollar Flight Club, where he helps 500,000 members find affordable international flights. Originally from South Africa, he now resides in drizzly Seattle, Washington. If you ever need assistance finding cheap flights, he’s the person to contact!
