Don’t Buy Airline Tickets on This Day of the Week
Written by
Caitlyn Moorhead
Edited by
Ashleigh Ray
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Maybe you have a much-needed vacation approaching, or you know you want to book a trip home for the holidays. You’re scouring the internet to find flights or packages at the lowest price possible, but it might not be just about what travel site you use or when you’re planning on traveling.
When it comes to saving money on flight prices, it could even come down to the day of the week you book. Though you typically never want to book only days before departure, there are some long-standing myths in the domestic and international travel industry about the best day to search for flight deals. Yet, few people know about them.
GOBankingRates checked in everywhere from Google Flights to Upgraded Points to find out what really are the worst days to buy airline tickets. Here’s what you need to know on the most and least expensive days to book flights.
GOBankingRates’ Take: Don’t Buy Tickets on Saturday
Finding the cheapest flights may not be an exact science, but there can be some methods to your madness. A study from Upgraded Tickets suggests that you may want to avoid buying a ticket on Saturday. As the end of the week approaches, ticket prices tend to surge on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Saturday in particular is a no-fly zone for your finances. The average cost of airfare on Saturdays is estimated to be about $242. However, if you book on a Monday or Tuesday, the flight cost comes in around $213. Here are a few key takeaways to consider:
- Prices go up during times of high demand as many people have free time on the weekends to plan trips, leading to higher demand for flights.
- Fridays and Saturdays can see a surge in bookings from people making last-minute weekend plans or arranging flights for the upcoming week, which drives up prices.
- Studies and user data suggest that ticket prices can be significantly higher on Saturday and Sunday compared to earlier in the week
- With the holiday season approaching, all of these factors will compound, so make sure to give yourself the best chance to find cheaper flights.
Also, Maybe Avoid Buying Tickets on Friday
While cheaper flights can be found by booking at the end of the weekend, shopping for flights on a Friday could end up costing you more than early or midweek. You might pay 5% to 15% more, depending on the flight. For example, the average cost of airfare purchased on Friday was found to be about $238.
Friday is notorious for last-minute travel bookings for an upcoming weekend. Business travelers are getting their flights booked for the next week as well, but those flights aren’t always out-of-pocket, so booking can be less financially stressful. However, this increase in demand may be the reason for the increase in airfare prices for everyone else.
It’s also good to note that if you can’t avoid booking on a Friday, try to aim to book at least four weeks out as flights that are over a month away typically have lower airfare when booked at least a month out.
Best Day To Buy Airline Tickets: Tuesday
Early in the week tends to be where the money is saved when it comes to booking flights in general. On average, Tuesday is the winner for your budget as the typical price for a ticket is about $213 compared to the weekend when it comes in over $240.
While waiting to book could yield you some savings, you might be better off searching your route on Google Flights, Kayak, Hopper or another travel service, and setting an alert to track prices for those dates. This ensures that you receive a message if the price rises or drops, and if it drops, you can quickly book it to lock in a low fare.
In addition, there are no guarantees that you will get a lower price when booking on a Monday or Tuesday versus any other day of the week. Airline ticket prices are far more fluid and can even change by the hour. Your best bet is to start searching early to find better deals, no matter the day of the week.
Final Take To GO: More Ways To Save on Airline Tickets
The bottom line is that while booking flights on the weekend can be convenient, it might not save you money in the long run. Fortunately, there are other ways to save big money on your next airfare purchase, such as booking well in advance, traveling during “off-peak” dates, remaining flexible on your bookings and setting up travel alerts to get the best deals.
If you want to avoid most of the cost of airfare altogether, consider using airline miles or credit card points to book flights. Many credit cards offer generous sign-up bonuses that can net you tens of thousands of airline miles or points, which can be used to book flights. This can save you hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars, but you do need to know how the points work to get the best value.
Jacob Wade contributed to the reporting for this article.
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