When to buy plane tickets? That’s THE question! Every traveller wants to pay as little as possible on their plane tickets. And they get more expensive each year! I am the happiest the day after I buy my plane tickets and the price has got up by 50$! Since I recently bought tickets to go to Belize, let’s see when was the best time to buy them.
Besides the unusual super deals that happens once a year, I expected to pay around 700$ to go to Belize from Quebec City. The first time I looked at the price, on a Saturday morning, they were at 700$, but I told my husband: ‘let’s wait, the best time to buy plane tickets is on Tuesdays or Wednesdays’. On Saturday afternoon, they got up by 20$. On Monday, they cost 740$. Tuesday: 755$. Really? Ok, Wednesday is the ‘deal’ day of the week. Wednesday arrived: 765$. What??? On Thursday, same price. On Friday, voilà! 700$! Friday is the new Tuesday!! We bought the tickets. The next day, the price was up by 130$!! Good job!
So is Friday the best day to buy plane tickets? Or Saturday morning? If you only consider this experience, then yes. But you know it’s more complicated than that. For a while now, the best time to buy plane tickets was on Thuesday, at 3PM (eastern time). I still consider it’s a good time to buy. The advice I would tell you is to look at the price a couple of times during the week and weekend, for a couple of weeks, and you’ll see the price curve. You will then have a good idea of what is a good price for a ticket to your destination.
You should also check fares early. Flights usually go on sale up to 11 months in advance of the departure date. For those who don’t plan that much ahead, two months in advance is still a good time to book, unless there’s a seat sale (that could happen anytime throughout the year). So sign up for email alerts to find out about the newest deals first.
So is there such thing as last minute deals? There still is, on charter flights, if you’re not too picky about where to go. Those flights operate during peak season for either sunshine or ski resorts. If flights start selling out, this is the time to buy.
You can save money choosing the right departure date and time. Very early and very late departures are the best options for a good-value airfare; and flying on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are generally the least expensive days. You can also check for alternate airports, break up families or group in separate purchases, travel during low season and sign up for airfare alerts. Finally, follow the airlines you want to travel with on their social media channels and through their mail newsletter sign ups: some airlines offer travel deals to their followers and subscribers that are not advertised to the general public.
Hope you will find the airfare that will suit your budget!
Have a nice trip!!
