The search that all travelers who need to take care of their budget do: find air tickets to the destination we want, on the date we need, with the best possible schedules and, of course,
the most economical price
on the market.
We consult travel agencies, we look at airline websites, we use price comparators, we check Google Flights, we become alert. Sometimes we get lucky and get a good price; others, not so much.
One of the keys is flexibility
. The more we can play with days, months and schedules, the more chances we will have of getting the most convenient rate.
Among all the strategies that are put into play during the search, there are those who maintain that
on certain days and times it is possible to get the lowest prices
.
To find out what is true in these theories, we consulted experts on the subject of looking at air ticket prices. And this is what they told us.
Myth or reality: is there a more convenient day to buy cheaper air tickets?
“There are theories that say that
Mondays and Tuesdays have better prices
,” Matías Mute, co-founder of Promos Aéreas, begins his response, a website where every day they collect the best offers to fly.
“But
we have verified that this is not true
, since the same flight can be obtained at the same or even better price on other days of the week,” says Mute.
For those who are looking for better offers, the proposal is to “
monitor the costs
of the tourist services that need to be contracted in order to determine when it is a good promotion. That is a key factor to avoid falling into false offers and have reference prices,” says the specialist.
Founder of Turismocity, Julián Gurfinkiel agrees. "
The day of the week does not usually influence the price.
There is the myth of Tuesdays, but after several years of analysis, we conclude that
a good offer can appear any day
."
Another theory is that opening an
incognito window
in the browser shows better prices.
"In our case, it makes absolutely no difference to enter Turismocity from an incognito window; the price will always be the same."
Keys to finding the best prices on air tickets
Dates, seasons and anticipation
“Very low prices are rarely achieved in
high season
, since due to a question of supply and demand, in seasons of greater tourist flow prices do not plummet as much. There are a lot of people who travel and who search/buy,” explains Mute.
The choice of season is usually decisive and the possibility of trying different dates is essential.
“What usually happens a lot in
very busy destinations
- and even in high season - is that they go down not significantly, but you can see a lower price than usual and that's when you have to take advantage. Although it is not an 'offer', it is a very convenient price for the time of year."
For example, a high-season flight to Miami generally costs US$800, and perhaps we found one for US$700.
“
It's not a deal, but it's a very good price since it's high season
. Outside of the peak season, we can find options for US$500. That will depend on our
flexibility to travel
: either we decide to take the cheapest dates or look for that small decrease in the common price to what corresponds to that season," he says. Mute.
These issues go beyond the current economic situation and theories based on prices. And they are important: "Much
in advance
when purchasing, more than 6 months if possible. Flexibility in dates and avoiding high seasons," Gurfinkiel summarizes.
Alerts and notifications
It allows you to quickly find out about promotions that arise so that you can reserve and issue them as quickly as possible.
They can be activated on different platforms, agencies and price comparators.
Payment in dollars
The data has been gaining weight in recent months and Turismocity and Promos Aéreas confirm it. Currently, it is
more convenient to pay for trips and expenses abroad in dollars
, due to the difference in contributions and taxes.
"At this moment the most important thing to save from Argentina is to pay for tickets in dollars to save 60% in taxes," says Gurfinkiel.
Cards ready to take advantage of offers
One of the recommendations that is usually given in response to promotional sales campaigns such as Hot Week, Travel Sale or CyberMonday is to have the
card limits
updated .
This applies at all times, especially if we are looking for good prices. It is known,
offers do not last long.
Airfares on the rise
After the
pandemic
, which hit tourism and the airline industry in particular hard, with thousands of flights cancelled, an increase in air ticket prices began to be noticed around the world.
“At the global tourism level there has been an increase in prices
. It is closely linked to the end of the pandemic because many more people travel. In fact, you can see how remote work contributed to this to a certain extent: many people work while traveling, or move places because the cost of living in this or that city is cheaper,” says Mute.