-
More on this topic
Budget flight fee-fighting
Budget airlines' prices miss out costly 'extras' such as taking baggage and even checking in.…
How to get a flight upgrade
They're the Holy Grail for regular travellers but while rare, flight upgrades do exist. The…
Has your airline changed your flight time?
The holiday's booked, you're all set, but the airline suddenly announces a change to your flight…
MSE weekly email
FREE weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today – it's spam-free!
Cheap flights
Bag cheap scheduled & charter flights
Updated 17 January 2023
Leave it till the last minute and flight costs are often sky-high – but plan ahead and book the right way and savings can soar. We've loads of clever tricks to help you book flights at the right time, sit together for free and more. Also see 65+ overseas travel tips for more ways to save.
MSE weekly email
FREE weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today – it's spam-free!
-
Use the top comparison sites to slash costs
Don't go direct to an airline – use a price comparison site as they search online travel agents (such as Expedia and Ebookers), as well as airlines.
They quickly show you the cheapest flight for where you want to go and the cheapest place to buy from, which is important as prices can vary wildly, even for the same seat on the same flight. For example, we saw a London-New York City return at £250 booked through an agent, but it was £260 for the SAME Virgin Atlantic flight booked direct with the airline.
Top-pick comparison sites
Below is our suggested order, though as prices are much of a muchness and change from day to day, we've ranked them based on features and ease-of-use as well as prices returned in our quick spot-check. However...
Different comparison sites search different firms, so check at least two.
Comparison site Why we like it
A comparison including baggage. We argue within MSE Towers about the very top pick, but Kayak* is Martin's favourite, so it wins. It's got a decent range of user-friendly filters – for example, you can specify at the start of a search whether or not you want to check in bags so you can compare costs more accurately. 
Its flight data info. We like Momondo* for its nifty tool that tells you the cheapest and most expensive dates around your flight, as well as helpful insights such as the cheapest airport to fly from/into. It doesn't do it for all destinations, but it has the biggies – New York, Dubai, Sydney, Cape Town. 
Google FlightsSpeed and ease of use. The search engine might not be the first place you think of when booking a holiday, but Google Flights is a decent rival to the likes of Kayak and Momondo. Once you've selected a route, it immediately shows you how prices vary depending on which dates you fly. Other sites worth checking Skyscanner* Fly.com Dohop Expedia* Discuss which ones you prefer in the forum.
MSE weekly email
FREE weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today – it's spam-free!
-
It's sometimes cheaper to book a hotel too as part of a package (even if you don't use it)
![lying on beach on deck chairs]()
Online travel agents allow you to book flights, hotels and car hire, often giving extra discounts if you combine them in a 'package'. Sometimes you can even find a deal that includes travel and accommodation, for less than the cost of the flight alone.
With package holidays, you also have greater protection if travel restrictions change due to the pandemic.
Our top sites are Expedia* (which also owns Ebookers* and Travelocity*), Opodo, Lastminute.com* and Netflights for long-haul.
WARNING. These sites can be cheap but we've heard about problems people have with getting refunds when they've booked through online travel agents. We're currently investigating some firms, based on feedback provided by people who are struggling to get their money back. If you are having problems, see our Flight reclaims guide.
A number of comparison sites include packages. See the Cheap package holidays guide for our top picks, and how to find the best deals.
What's more, most package operators are ATOL-protected (though always check before you book). So if the company goes bust, your holiday is automatically protected. This means you'll get a refund if you haven't left yet, or you could carry on the trip and still get home if you're already there.
-
When is the best time to book?
When looking for cheap flight tickets, we've always said timing is crucial. Flights should generally be booked early (business folk will pay top dollar at the last minute, so prices soar). Last-minute bargains can be found too though, particularly if you're flexible about when you travel.
If you're looking further into the future, unless you prefer sticking with the same airline and you're holding out for a sale you know is coming up, it's usually best to book as early as you can. Of course, there's always the chance the price may drop in a sale, but holding out for that is a bit of a gamble as they can't be predicted. So if you know a good price for the route you've chosen, and you see it – go for it.
To find out when tickets are released, see our Flight tickets release dates guide.
-
Check the rules on where you can travel
Check the entry requirements for the destination you want to visit so you’ll know if the country will actually let you in, and what tests you may need. Most countries now do not require quarantine or a test, but do check our list of the top 20 holiday destinations' entry requirements.
Do also check Foreign Office country advice, which is about safety when away – this is key for travel insurance cover and your rights to a refund, as if there's an advisory against travel it can invalidate travel insurance policies if you go away, but it also increases your chances of a refund from travel firms.
-
Sit together for FREE on BA, Easyjet, Virgin and more
Paying extra to choose your airline seat can soon add up. A family of four could spend £100s to guarantee they sit together on return flights – yet unless your heart's set on particular seats, it's usually unnecessary.
See our Airline seating guide for full info on what you'll pay, your rights and how to sit together for free on a basic economy ticket.
-
How to hunt down mega-cheap bargain flights
The key to nabbing jaw-dropping flight deals is to find them first, as they're usually snapped up quickly. If you want to take advantage, you often need to be flexible – ideally on both destination and dates – and able to swoop in and book quickly, so this isn't for everyone.
But if your travel plans aren't set in stone and you're just after a really keenly-priced deal, there are a few nifty flight-finding services which can help. While all work in slightly different ways, they'll alert you when an airline's dropped prices on a particular route – and also flag up pricing mistakes or 'error fares', which can be mega-cheap. Here's our pick of the best:
Site How it works Jack's Flight Club (JFC)*
JFC sends its members email alerts with details of cheap flights. If you're flexible about when and where you go, this can be a good way to grab a bargain.
Its basic service is free, though it also has a £39/year premium service which sends out more deals. See how to get a free 30-day premium trial.Holiday Pirates
Holiday Pirates mainly searches for cheap package holidays, but it also lists deals on flights and hotels. You can get free alerts if you sign up to its email newsletter or download the app. Some deals can be booked through its website – for others, you'll be directed to a travel operator's site to pay. Secret Flying Secret Flying can also be a winner. There's no need to sign up – simply visit its free site to view cheap flights. You can filter by destination and month. It will direct you to the airline's website to book. Some deals may be in euros or dollars – make sure you pay with a specialist card to avoid hefty conversion fees. Where else to look
There are a number of other places worth keeping an eye on to be sure you can pounce on deals first. For example, frequent-flyer sites God Save the Points and Head for Points sometimes flag cheap flight deals (though both sites' main focus is on making the most of schemes such as British Airways Executive Club, and the deals aren't always for economy fares).
HotUKDeals has a travel section, where users flag cheap flights they've spotted. And we'll flag any hot deals we spot in our weekly email, and on Twitter and Facebook. Let us know on the forum if you've used the sites above, or found any others we've missed.
If you purchase an error fare, where an airline has made a mistake with the price, it will often honour it simply to avoid any bad PR. Other times it will cancel your booking and you'll be refunded.
Jack's Flight Club says about 70% of error fares are honoured by airlines, so it can be well worth giving it a go. But if you do book one, it recommends waiting about two weeks before booking any non-refundable aspect of your trip, just in case.
It can be difficult to know at what point your error fare is confirmed, as airlines' T&Cs don't always clearly spell out at what point your contract with them is legally binding, and therefore your ticket is guaranteed. For an example of an airline refusing to honour an error fare, see our BA cancels cheap tickets to Middle East MSE News story.
Realistically, it may be difficult to fight your corner if an airline does cancel your flight. If you've already booked other aspects of your trip such as accommodation, you can try to claim it as a 'consequential loss' from the airline you booked with – but there are no guarantees this will work. Ultimately, you'd likely need to go to the small claims court to try to get back any additional costs incurred (but again, there are no guarantees).
-
Stopping over when flying long-haul could save you £100s
Direct flights are always more convenient. But if you've a bit more time, sometimes an indirect flight only adds a couple of hours to the journey, so you can often cut the cost by stopping over.
What's more, if your flight has a longer stopover, a number of airlines will offer you a free hotel.
How to save
We checked return flights from London to 10 popular long-haul destinations and how much you could save by stopping over. The results are in the table below – as a rule, we found the bigger savings were on longer, non-US flights.
All the examples below obviously take longer as they're indirect flights, but you can usually find stopovers that are less than three hours, so not a huge amount of extra travel time. We haven't included Dubai, Los Angeles, New York and Miami in our comparisons below because when we looked it's often cheaper to fly direct.
London to: Direct Non-direct Layover time and location Bangkok £509 £366 3h10 outbound via New Delhi, 6h50 return via Mumbai Beijing £495 £389 8h20min outbound via Vienna, 0h50 return via Munich Cape Town £1,056 £604 2h10 outbound, 1h45 return via Johannesburg Kuala Lumpur £596 £431 1h30 outbound, 1h05 return via Doha New Delhi £472 £370 3h10 outbound, 1h45 return via Bahrain Rio de Janeiro £971 £595 14h45 outbound via Zurich, 1h30 return via Frankfurt Seoul £619 £500 2h55 outbound, 1h45 return via Beijing Singapore £485 £399 3h20 outbound, 1h45 return via Istanbul Tokyo £926 £507 1h30 outbound, 5h05 return via Beijing Vancouver £506 £382 2h12 outbound via Toronto, direct return To look yourself, search through the big price comparison sites we've used above. Kayak*, Momondo* and Skyscanner* all show you, and allow you to filter by, direct and indirect flights, so you can easily compare prices.
-
Charter can be cheaper if you're heading to a traditional resort
Package holiday companies reserve (or 'charter') flights to ferry their passengers. As such, they typically cover traditional holiday destinations, so if that's where you're headed, you could bag a flight super-cheap if they sell off unreserved seats. Tough luck if you're flying to Mali, but quids in if you're flying to Malaga. Here's how to find charter flights:
- Use our top-pick comparison sites. While in the past you used to have to really search around for the cheapest charter flights, most can now be found on comparisons, including Kayak*, Momondo* and Google Flights. It's also worth checking Skyscanner* and Expedia*.
- Go direct to charter airlines and travel agents. To ensure you've covered all bases, it may also be worth checking with the airlines themselves – try Tui*. Travel agents may also manage to find cheap deals.
- If there are no charter flights, book a package but don't stay. This can sometimes be much cheaper than booking a scheduled flight. For destinations such as Orlando, package holidays can be dirt-cheap. It won't always work, but it's worth a try. Also see Cheap package holidays.
- Use our top-pick comparison sites. While in the past you used to have to really search around for the cheapest charter flights, most can now be found on comparisons, including Kayak*, Momondo* and Google Flights. It's also worth checking Skyscanner* and Expedia*.
-
Check niche travel agents for specific destination bargains
The UK's a melting pot of different immigrant and ethnic communities, and this can be used to great advantage for a cheap flight booking. Niche travel agents often specialise in finding deals to the relevant communities' linked countries.
For example, Shepherd's Bush in London and the surrounding area has some Caribbean specialist tour agents, or buy the Jewish Chronicle, which has firms advertising cheap flights to Israel.
Don't forget to check prices elsewhere before you buy to make sure you're getting a good deal. If you know of a cheap specialist travel agent, please add your finds/read others' in the forum.
-
Use the 'codeshare' trick – buy a seat on the same flight through a partner airline for less
![guy checking flight times]()
If you like flying with a specific airline or know the exact flight you want, 'codesharing' could be a way to get a flight with that airline through another one. It's when airlines buddy up to sell seats on each other's flights, sometimes at a different price.
For example, we saw a Virgin Atlantic return flight from London to Las Vegas in September for £881, booking through Virgin Atlantic. But exactly the same flights booked through its partner Delta cost £816, saving £65.
Codesharing flights are included in comparison site results, so you'll find them using the sites above. You won't spot them if booking directly with an airline. It should be clear on the comparison site, for example, if you book with Virgin, but it's a Delta flight, it should say so. This works best on popular medium or long-haul routes – simply book through a partner airline to grab a seat on the same plane for less.
-
Pay by credit card for extra protection – and know your rights if an airline goes bust
Even if you think an airline's safe as houses, it's important to protect yourself as fully as possible. The easiest way is to book on a credit card, as when a flight costs more than £100, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act means the card company's equally liable if something goes wrong (see the full Section 75 refunds guide, or the Chargeback guide for protection on debit card purchases).
So if you book a flight and the airline goes bust, you can at least get your money back from the card company. Always pay your card off in full at the end of the month so you're not charged interest.
With package holidays, most operators are members of the huge ATOL and ABTA travel protection schemes. This means if the firm goes bust or there's another issue, your getaway's protected that way. However, if you book flights and/or hotels directly, this won't apply unless the provider's ATOL-registered.
If you book a flight and/or a hotel through a travel agent, you're unlikely to be covered by Section 75, because there's no direct relationship with the supplier (though you may still be covered by ATOL/ABTA).
If you book a flight plus separate hotel or car hire together from the same travel website in the same transaction, you get full ATOL financial and legal protection, just as with a traditional package holiday. If you book these elements from the same site, but in different transactions, you'll only get limited protection. See our Holiday rights and Coronavirus travel rights guides for more.
Quick question
-
Don't forget travel insurance – get it as soon as you book
If you book but don't have travel insurance, you won't be covered if you get ill or need to cancel, so buy it straight away.
But beware – some cheap airline and holiday websites try to add expensive travel cover when you book. Always double-check the full cost, and beware tick boxes for any rogue policies before paying. Holiday firms' own insurance is usually a massive rip-off and offers more limited cover. Instead, check out our Cheap travel insurance guide to see how to undercut their prices.
Will I be covered for claims related to coronavirus?
With very rare exceptions, travel insurance won’t cover cancellation due to Government rules, but most policies will cover you if you get coronavirus before you go away and can no longer travel, or while you’re away and need treatment or to delay your flight home.
Also check if you have a valid EHIC or apply for a free GHIC
A Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) and European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) give you treatment at state-run EU hospitals and GPs at the same cost as a local.
If you already have an EHIC, it will continue to cover you in EU countries for the entire time it's valid, so you MUST check it's still in-date as they expire after five years.
If you need to renew, or apply for the first time, you'll receive a GHIC instead – but it does the same thing. For full help, including how to get one for FREE (never pay), see our Free GHIC or EHIC guide.
MSE weekly email
FREE weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today – it's spam-free!
-
Clever tools tracking routes' cheapest prices can help if you've complete flexibility on dates
![guy watching plane take off]()
If you're flexible on your dates or have an open mind about where to go, try using internet tools to home in on the cheapest destinations and times.
Momondo Flight Insight
Momondo* is a metadata search engine and works similarly to the likes of Skyscanner. However, its standout feature is the 'Flight Insight' data it offers for a number of popular routes (you can find it at the top of your search results). It helps pinpoint when to book, which day to fly and even which airport's cheapest.
For example, when we checked, London to Phuket prices were cheapest in November, and most expensive in December. Yet for a London to New York search, it's cheapest to go in March. Momondo says the time to book for the cheapest flights to both destinations is at least 60 days before departure.
While this is a handy tool in normal times, to help you work out when to book and travel, of course the pandemic has massively changed availability, and the insights may not be as helpful for travel this year.
The results are a useful average to help plan your trip dates rather than a cast-iron guarantee. The data's based on prices quoted in flight searches and includes sales too, so take it with a hefty pinch of salt, and if in doubt book early.
When you're ready to book, don't assume Momondo will always come up cheapest either – try the other comparison sites to see if you can beat it.Quick questions
-
How do I use it?
![Illustration of aeroplane and boarding pass.]( "Illustration of aeroplane and boarding pass")
Put your dates into Momondo* and click 'search'. If it's available for your route, you'll find a 'Flight insights' option at the top of the results. Click it – you'll find handy stats to help you hone your dates.
As well as the cheapest month and day of the week to fly, it shows you the cheapest airline and the cheapest route/airports (for example, London Gatwick to New York LaGuardia).
If you're set on a British Airways flight, it's also worth checking BA's cheap fares finder for its lowest prices to worldwide destinations.
-
-
When to book the cheapest Easyjet seats
The orange-loving airline releases seats in several tranches throughout the year. Keep an eye on our Easyjet tricks guide for the latest dates.
Now there's no way to know if you'll get the very cheapest tickets as soon as they're released – prices are based on demand and Easyjet could easily change its pricing policy or cut prices in a sale. But it does tend to be the cheapest time to book, especially for peak dates like the summer holidays.
-
Check the real cost of your ticket and look out for hidden extras
![airplane ticket]()
Luggage, check-in, reserved seats and food are just some of the extras you may have to fork out for with a flight booking. And what's worse, they're not always made clear.
To help, the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) website has a useful airline charges comparison table which shows extra fees for a host of big airlines, as well as luggage allowances, seat selection charges and even whether a meal's included with your ticket. While you should always double-check these with the airline before you book, it's handy to see the real cost of your ticket so you can make a more accurate comparison.
-
Get cheap airport lounge access and avoid the chaos of the airport
Airport lounges aren't just reserved for first class, business class or elite frequent flyers. Access can be free with certain credit cards or bank accounts, or you can get it cheaply through frequent flyer schemes such as Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club.
One-off passes typically start from around £20 per person. Given you could pay that for food, drinks and snacks alone at the airport, it can be good value, especially when you usually get a comfy seat in peace, and a newspaper or magazine thrown in too. See Free or cheap airport lounge access for full tips.
-
Budget doesn't necessarily mean bargain
Booking budget airline flights can be a minefield. Outrageously, budget airline 'extras' can include taking bags and checking in.
The Budget flight fee fighting guide has tricks to beat those nasty charges, from paying the right way to beat the fees to multi-pocket jackets so you can take extra carry-on luggage. Plus see our Easyjet tricks and Ryanair tips guides if you're flying with them.
Some tips may even work with non-budget airlines. If you're flying British Airways, for example, you can save about £10 each way on short-haul hand-luggage-only trips compared with its cheapest singles with checked bags.
-
Book parking in advance if you're driving to the airport
While public transport usually wins, for large families or groups, driving to the airport can be cheaper. Yet booking early is crucial. Wait till you get to the airport and you're a captive customer – a dream for airport parking companies, not so for MoneySaving. Even booking in advance on the day could save money.
Some inspiration from MSE Forum user Bigdaddy10:
I paid £40 instead of £115. Granted we booked for the August bank holiday in March, but it goes to show there are bargains to be had by booking ahead.
To maximise savings, book well in advance. Just as with flights, comparison sites are the best place to start, but it's also worth trying booking direct, combining parking with a hotel room or renting a personal space near the airport. Our Cheap airport parking guide has full step-by-step help, plus we've blagged extra discounts on top to help bring costs down further.
-
Flying then driving? It's usually best to book car hire early
Holiday car hire can save a hefty whack on taxis to and from the airport, as well as transport costs while you're there, providing you do it right.
If you're going to need it, book the right way and generally as early as possible to grab it cheaply. What can be £5/day months ahead can be triple or more just before you go and far more when there, adding £100s overall.
You can find full details of current deals and tips 'n' tricks in the Cheap car hire guide, but here are the key points:
- Work out what you need. There's often a mass of costly add-ons on offer, including sat-navs and extra drivers. Before you book, work out what you need and ditch the rest.
- Quickly compare quotes. Next, take the legwork out of your search by using the right comparison sites to grab the most quotes in the least time. Our top picks are Skyscanner*, Kayak*, TravelSupermarket* and Carrentals*.
- Check for extra discounts. See if you can squash the price further through fly-drive package deals, cashback, specialist travel brokers and online vouchers.
- Get cheap excess insurance before you go. The hire firm will want you to get up to £25/day excess cover on top of the included insurance. Instead, get Cheap excess insurance for as little as £2 before you go.
MSE weekly email
FREE weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today – it's spam-free!
- Work out what you need. There's often a mass of costly add-ons on offer, including sat-navs and extra drivers. Before you book, work out what you need and ditch the rest.
-
Loyalty sometimes does pay – join airline schemes to earn 'free' flights
![passport and suitcase]()
Many mistake Avios for a frequent flyer scheme. Actually it's a points scheme like Nectar and Clubcard. You earn points in Shell, Tesco and by spending on credit cards, though rewards are travel-focused.
However, you still pay taxes and fees on flights, wiping out some of the gain. These can be up to £100 for European return flights with BA, for example. But if you opt for its Reward Saver scheme, you pay a fixed fee on most short-haul economy flights, as long as you earn at least one point the year before you book.
For full info, plus 30+ ways to push it to the max, see Boost Avios points. Also see Airline credit cards for point-earning credit cards for Avios and Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club.
-
You can split tickets on flights too and sometimes save £100s
It's easy to search for flights from A to B but don't assume it's the cheapest way. By being a little creative about the route and splitting the ticket, you can slash the cost.
It's commonly associated with trains (see our Cheap train tickets guide) but it does work on flights too, you just have to be willing to do the research.
Ex-MSE Guy broke down his search for flights from London to Singapore and Malaysia and saved £170:
I wanted to book flights from London to Malaysia and Singapore, including a trip to the Malaysian island of Penang.
I originally searched for open-jaw tickets from London to Singapore, then Kuala Lumpur to London with the intention of booking internal flights from Singapore to Penang and Penang to Kuala Lumpur. The initial cost, including internal flights, was £910.
Being a MoneySaver and to fully compare costs, I tried searching London to Penang then Kuala Lumpur to London. The quote dropped to £760. But as the outbound flight was via Singapore anyway, I broke it down further – London to Singapore, Singapore to Penang, Penang to Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur to London.
New quote: £740, a huge £170 less than tickets on my initial search.
Found your own split ticket bargain? Please post details in the MSE Forum.
-
Can you beat airline baggage fees by POSTING your luggage?
A number of firms offer to ship your holiday luggage abroad, allowing you to avoid sky-high budget airline fees. We've crunched the numbers and found this can save serious cash – some of the time.
How does it work?
We've found three firms that offer competitive prices for sending luggage abroad – Send My Bag* and Mybaggage. Both are well reviewed – though this is a new, untested concept so let us know what you think in the forum. Here are the basics:
- Get a quote and compare prices. This varies by destination, so you'll need to visit each courier site and get a quote, then compare it with what airlines charge.
- Choose a collection/delivery date. They ask you to pick a date for your bags to be collected and then give you an estimated delivery date, usually two to three days later. (Send My Bag recommends your bag arrives a day before you.)
- Print labels and wait for your bag to be collected. You'll be emailed labels (Bags Ahead and Send My Bag will post them if you book far enough ahead). Then you'll be given a collection window (9am to 5pm or 9am to 6pm) – Send My Bag says it's happy to collect from a neighbour if you won't be home, or your office/place of work.
- Meet your luggage at your destination. All the courier sites say you don't have to sign for your bag personally – anyone at the delivery address can do it, for example, the hotel reception desk (though make sure you notify them in advance).
While doing this can be cheaper than paying to take your bags on the plane (see our full cost analysis below), this isn't just about saving money. Shipping bags ahead means you don't need to lug them to and from the airport – handy for families, the elderly or those with disabilities.
What's more, this can be a way to avoid eye-watering last-minute luggage charges on your return from holiday, if your bag's over the weight limit. For example, Easyjet charges £12 per KILO for excess weight at the airport.
Need-to-knows
How does the cost compare with airline baggage fees?
There's no overall winner here, as prices vary hugely by destination, dates and how much luggage you're taking. But to get an idea we spot-checked prices in 2018, for 108 flights across eight airlines, to four destinations, in August and October, looking at luggage for an individual (15kg), couple (30kg) and family (55kg).
Our snapshot analysis found it's cheaper to post your luggage roughly a THIRD of the time – it often won for couples and families flying short distances, but rarely for single bags and almost never for longer flights.
While of course this wasn't a scientific sample, posting luggage beat flying with it on 39% of the 108 flights we looked at – it won on 64% of Malaga flights and 60% to Berlin, but just 4% to New York and none of those to Paphos, in Cyprus.
In one case it was £41 cheaper to post a family's luggage – and on three of the 24 routes and dates a courier firm beat ALL the airlines we checked.
- Get a quote and compare prices. This varies by destination, so you'll need to visit each courier site and get a quote, then compare it with what airlines charge.
-
Plan where to sit and check out food reviews before you fly
![airplane food]()
Once you know what the flight is, there are a few sites which should help you improve your experience on it after booking (or do it before if you want to check out an airline/plane).
Use Seatguru to check out the plane's seating plan so you can see whether 18E beats 19C. Also try similar site Skytrax, which includes airline reviews and rankings. And FlightStats details punctuality on current flights and other data.
-
If you're flying Stateside, don't forget your ESTA
Everyone from the UK going to the USA by air or sea, even those just passing through, must fill out the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) in advance. Once you've got it, it's valid for two years, providing you keep the same passport.
For full info on how it works and how to avoid paying more than the official $21 per-person fee, read the ESTA guide.
-
Sign up to airline email bulletins to monitor upcoming sales
If the date you plan to fly is a good number of months away, sign up to the email lists of all the relevant airlines. Often they email details of short-term sales, so if you've definite plans, you can pounce when the moment comes.
Ones to try for sales are the newsletters of Air France* and KLM*. Remember, though, before you book in an airline sale, always use a comparison site to check that you've actually found the cheapest price.
MSE weekly email
FREE weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today – it's spam-free!
-
Beware – having multiple web pages open could lead to a wrong booking
A few forumites have reported problems booking flights while having two or more web pages open, where the flight details get booked using the wrong details from an older search.
If you're using more than one page to search, it's a good idea to close the other pages before you book, and try deleting your browser's cache to ensure you're seeing the most up-to-date price. Forumites recommend clearing your internet cookies and starting with a new browser page, too, or even using a different browser altogether to look for quotes.
Always double-check the exact details of the flights before you book.
If it's happened to you, contact the airline or booking site straight away to see if you can get it amended (see How to complain for help). Let them know it's a known fault others have reported too. Yet sadly you've few rights if the airline refuses to correct it, as it'd be difficult to prove it's their error, and it may charge you fees to amend or cancel.
If it's happened to you, let us know in the Wrong flights booked forum discussion.
-
Planning on treating yourself at duty-free? Pick it up on the way back
If you're looking to buy duty-free goods but don't want to have to carry them on the plane, website Duty-Free On Arrival has a handy airport search that gives info on whether you can buy duty-free when you arrive.
However, don't assume buying duty-free is always cheapest. If you're after an item, quickly check prices online before you go. This'll help give you a benchmark to compare with the duty-free price when you get there.
-
Cut airport transfer costs with shuttle buses or splitting airport travel with others
Hoppa* lets you book transfers between airports and popular resorts across the globe. It offers basic shared shuttle buses, as well as private transfers, and forumites report it can turn up some very competitive prices (though always check these for yourself before you book).
Allow plenty of time, and don't expect anything too fancy. Here's how MSE Jenny found it:
From my experience, don't expect anything too posh if you opt for a shuttle bus, and allow plenty of time to get to the airport. After all, if there are hordes of other passengers to pick up, you don't want to miss your flight.
Feedback's generally positive, though there are reports of occasional problems with missed pick-ups, so factor this in if you're considering it. If you've used it, please let us know how you've got on in the forum discussion.
MSE weekly email
FREE weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today – it's spam-free!
MSE Forum
Have your say in our forum!
Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com
-
Thousands of single bus journeys in England to be capped at £2 until 30 June - here's all you need to know
1 April 2023![]()
The fare for thousands of single bus journeys in England will be capped at £2 until 30 June 2023. -
Stamp prices to rise by up to 16% – but there's a way to beat the hike
31 March 2023![]()
From Monday 3 April, the cost of first-class stamps will be hiked to £1.10, while second-class stamps will increase to 75p. -
Going through the menopause? You'll be able to get your HRT prescriptions for less from 1 April - here's how
31 March 2023![]()
People going through the menopause in England will be able to access cheaper HRT prescriptions from 1 April with a new 'season ticket'. -
Bulb customer? Octopus has now completed its takeover – here's what you need to know
31 March 2023![]()
Octopus has agreed a deal with the Government to take over the failed supplier. -
Eight more 'banking hubs' to open in a bid to boost access to cash as high street branches close – here's a full list of the 47 planned hubs
31 March 2023![]()
Eight more 'banking hubs' are to open in the UK in the coming year, aiming to boost people's access to cash and other financial services as bank branches continue to disappear from the high street.
-
Martin Lewis: Is it time to ban unnecessary Christmas presents?
5 December 2022![]()
Update September 2017: It’s eight years since I first braved this subject, expecting a snowstorm of protest. Instead, year after year more join in, like Julia who recently tweeted me, “@MartinSLewis, finally took your advice and told my family I can’t afford Christmas presents. What a weight off my mind. Thank you.” One year even the Archbishop of... -
Martin Lewis: The one thing everyone aged over 66 needs to know
29 November 2022![]()
It is a national tragedy that getting on for a million pensioners, many of whom have been paying into the system for years, are missing out on a critical boost to their income. It's called pension credit, and this year it also means you get an extra £650 to help with energy bills.
.png.rendition.320.320.png)
MSE tools & calculators
Clever ways to calculate your finances
