How To Get Cheap Flights & Save Money With a VPN in 2024

Airlines and booking sites show you prices based on your location — so you could be paying way more for flights than someone in another country looking at the exact same ticket. Costs can also escalate depending on your browsing history.

A VPN lets you shop online from a virtual location of your choice. This allows you to find better prices for flights because you can browse different markets. It can also keep your browsing private to stop travel sites from tracking your data and raising its prices based on your browsing history.

After testing 40+ VPNs, my top choice for getting a cheaper flight is ExpressVPN. It has servers in 105 countries that you can use to access travel sites worldwide. You can even try ExpressVPN completely risk-free since it offers a 30--day money-back guarantee.

Editors' Note: Expressvpn and this site are in the same ownership group.Get Cheaper Flights With ExpressVPN >>

Why You Need a VPN to Get Cheap Flights & Save Money

Websites use your IP address to determine your geographical location, which often dictates the prices you see online. This method allows airlines and booking platforms to adjust prices based on the economic conditions of your country.

Changing your IP makes you appear to be browsing from a different region. You can then access prices that may be more favorable in other markets, such as lower flight prices offered in specific countries.

While VPNs open the door to potentially lower flight prices by bypassing geographical price discrimination, it's important to tread carefully. Circumventing geo-restrictions to access specific markets might conflict with some airlines' or booking sites' terms of service, so inform yourself beforehand.

By sending your data through its private server network and encrypting your connection, a VPN shields your personal information from hackers and snoops, ensuring your shopping for deals doesn't put your data at risk. This is essential for staying safe when using airplane WiFi.

Short on Time? Here Are the Best VPNs to Get Cheaper Flights in 2024

Editors' Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, Cyberghost and Expressvpn are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company.

Understand airline pricing tactics

Before you can take steps to land the best flight deal, you need to understand how airlines' pricing strategies work. Several factors influence the fluctuating prices of flight tickets, shaping the cost you encounter during your search:

• Air travel demand. The demand curve is influenced by the appeal of specific destinations. Geography, politics, and culture affect demand and, thus, flight prices to these destinations.
• Your location. Flight prices can vary based on where you're searching from, often higher in more affluent countries, like the US and UK.
• Airline base of operations. Airlines may offer better deals within their own country. You must change your IP address to match the airline's home country to snag these deals.
• Your browsing history and behavior. Have you noticed flight prices jumping after repeated searches? Your online footprint can trigger price hikes, pushing you to book quickly.
• Timing and seasonality. Flying during peak seasons, like holidays or summer breaks, typically costs more due to increased demand for certain destinations.

How to Get Cheap Flights: Ultimate Guide

Airlines and booking websites often adjust their prices based on your location and browsing history. This dynamic pricing model can result in significant discrepancies in airfare costs for the same flight, depending on where and how you access the site. You can unlock significant savings by implementing the strategies below:

1. Clear cookies and go incognito

Clearing your cookies often prevents booking sites from tracking you and raising ticket prices accordingly. Cookies are pieces of data stored in your browser based on your internet use. Websites analyze cookies to create a digital profile of you and determine your location — this information affects the price of your flights.

It’s easy to clear your cookies and only takes a few seconds. In Chrome, I found the option under Chrome > Clear browsing data, which also pulled up the option to clear cookies. In Safari, click History > Clear History. This prevents travel sites from using cookies to raise fares.

I recommend clearing your cookies often, especially when revisiting booking sites and changing locations

You may have noticed that the more you revisit a site to look at a flight, the higher the fare becomes. This is because travel sites use your history to analyze your browsing habits and see which flights you’re interested in. Raising prices creates a sense of urgency and pressures you to book immediately before fares go up higher. Even a simple page refresh can cause the price to increase.

To avoid fluctuating rates, I advise browsing in Incognito (Chrome) or Private mode (Safari). Opening an Incognito or Private window allows you to browse sites without them analyzing your previous internet use. Though doing this offers you a degree of privacy, it won’t hide your geo-location or fully protect your data. For this reason, I recommend using a VPN to completely block trackers.

2. Check flight comparison sites

Some of my favorite flight comparison sites include Skyscanner, Kayak, and Expedia. They’re easy to use; just enter the details of when and where you’re flying, and you’ll be presented with fares. This lets you compare price, layover times, stops, etc.

Other popular sites to check out:

• Thrifty Nomads — Always on the hunt for the latest deals, tips, and tricks for traveling on the cheap.
• Kiwi — Its user-friendly map feature lets you compare fares between different destinations around the world.
• Momondo — It searches a massive database of fares and almost always finds the lowest price.
• Going Flights — A useful error-fare and sale locator (see tip 10)
• CheapOair — This flight comparison site sometimes offers promo codes for even greater savings.
• JetRadar — Unlike many search engines, this one also includes budget airlines.
• Cheap Flight Finder — Compares fares offered on comparison sites. Using this, you can see flights available on most of the above mentioned comparison sites, which is super convenient.

Remember that each flight comparison site offers different deals, so I’d recommend comparing a few before booking. For instance, Skyscanner offered a roundtrip ticket for Finnair between Stockholm and Moscow for $245, while Kiwi listed it for $306.

Flight comparison sites don’t always have the same rates — so compare as many as possible

3. Consider budget airlines

You’ll usually find flights for much cheaper with budget airlines. These are sufficient for short, quick flights as they typically don’t include many amenities like meals, seat selection, or baggage check. Popular budget airlines from across the world include:

You can stay on top of their latest deals by signing up to receive regular notifications. These alerts are usually sent through social media and email. Whenever budget carriers offer a last-minute or seasonal discount, you’ll be the first to know.

When I was looking for a trip from Berlin to Mallorca, I found booking with Ryanair was much cheaper. Not only that, but the flight was direct and quicker than the one offered by Air France.

By choosing Ryanair, you’d not only save on money but also time as there’s no layover (like with Air France)

Budget airlines use money-saving methods which are easy to overlook if you’re not careful. A few points to consider when booking budget airlines:

• Baggage. Avoid unexpected costs by reading the terms and conditions of your trip. Look to see if checked baggage is included or if there’s a separate charge. Be sure to follow the airline’s exact measurement guidelines for the dimensions of your baggage — otherwise, you’re likely to face heavy fines.
• Airport location. Sometimes, budget airlines fly in or out of smaller airports located further out of town. Be sure to check airports to avoid inconvenience.
• The fine print. Budget airlines have to make their money somehow, and they usually do it with fees and extra charges. For instance, if you forget to check in online and have to do it at the airport, Ryanair will charge you extra.

4.Use a VPN

The easiest way to beat location-based pricing is with a VPN. This simple app masks your real location by routing your internet connection through a server in a different part of the world, making you appear to be browsing from a region with more favorable pricing. To use a VPN on restricted networks, like the WiFi at the airport or hotel, activate its obfuscation technology (if it's available) so your VPN traffic appears as normal HTTPS.

A premium VPN also follows a strict no-logs policy, so the websites you visit and your browsing data won't be revealed to anyone. Choose a VPN with robust security features, like high-level encryption, a kill switch, and IP/DNS leak protection to safeguard your online activity when using the in-flight WiFi.

To get the cheapest flight with a VPN:

• Install the VPN. Connect to a server in your current location. You first want to investigate prices without revealing your online identity or activity.
• Note the initial flight price, then clear your digital footprints (cookies, cache, browsing history) to prevent price manipulation based on your search habits.
• Switch to a server in a favorable country. Now, choose a server in a country where prices may be more affordable (e.g., where the airline is located).
• Compare prices of different countries, and choose the cheapest one. Ensure your VPN is connected to that country before continuing, and clear your cookies and cache again.
• Finalize your booking.

Not only was the flight cheaper, it showed me different connections which saved about 19 hours

5. Be flexible on times, dates, and destinations

To save on airfare, opt for flights during less popular travel times. These could include holidays, weekdays, and low seasons for your destination. Booking flights during these periods can result in significantly lower ticket prices than those for more popular travel days, such as weekends or during the Christmas break.

Off-peak hours also have the lowest prices. Most travelers try to avoid super early flights, between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. The same goes for overnight or "redeye” flights departing after 8 p.m.

Unfortunately, there is still some inconsistency in this and it can be difficult to predict when flights will be the cheapest. However, I found that some flight comparison sites will give you a broad overview of the cheapest dates to fly.

Skyscanner color-codes your prices — Green = cheap, amber = moderate, red = expensive

You can further reduce your travel costs by being adaptable with your destination. The peak season differs for each location. Therefore, if your destination isn't predetermined due to work or family commitments, start by exploring the most attractive offers for your desired travel period and arrange your journey accordingly.

Kiwi makes this process easy — Entering "Anywhere” in the destination box, I searched for the best deal from my location for May 13-20. I found out that the cheapest place for me to travel during these dates was Cancun for a $247 roundtrip.

Check rates from around the world to see which offer discounted prices

6. Know when to book

Airlines have created a fluctuating price system based on the specific timeframe in which you book tickets. Reserving tickets too far in advance can sometimes end up costing you almost as much as waiting last minute.

According to a study conducted by CheapAir, there’s a "Prime Booking Window,” for domestic travel which is the ideal time to purchase your low-cost ticket. The research suggests that the perfect time to buy a domestic plane ticket is between 20 and 115 days before departure.

When it comes to international travel, it’s recommended to secure your ticket between 2.5 and 6 months prior to your planned departure. Furthermore, if you are booking trips during holidays, it is advisable to purchase your ticket well in advance. In such cases, I suggest booking an extra month or two ahead of time due to the significantly higher demand for these dates.

When traveling to a destination during off-season, you can find the best savings by booking your ticket closer to the departure date. During these times of low tourism, airlines are usually left with a lot of empty seats — so, they drop rates significantly at the last minute in an attempt to get more sales.

7. Purchase tickets individually

Booking flights for groups can cost you more money than booking tickets separately. Airlines typically give the same ticket price for every seat in the group, even if some are cheaper than others. For instance — if I reserve 3 tickets: a window seat ($300), middle ($200), and aisle ($250) — I’d most likely be charged $300 for all 3 tickets since it has the highest price point.

You can easily get around this by purchasing individual tickets and choosing your seats afterwards. However, you can’t book individual tickets for children, as they require an accompanying adult to fly.

But if you’re booking a multi-leg journey, I recommend getting all of the legs on one ticket — this ensures that you’re not liable for rescheduling expenses for your remaining trip, should one of the legs fail.

8. Use airline booking ploys

There are a few loopholes that can save you money when booking a flight. I recommend checking that you don’t breach your contract and that you consider any penalties you may incur. This isn’t always an issue, as some airlines have failed to include information regarding booking ploys in their carrier agreement.

The subsequent two weaknesses pose a straightforward and difficult challenge for airlines to approve:

Throwaway tickets

Usually, you can get a roundtrip ticket for significantly cheaper than one way. This is a major money-saver if you plan to move abroad or will be staying in another country for an extended period. All you have to do is book a roundtrip fare and "throw away” your return ticket.

Before booking a one-way ticket, check to see if roundtrip will save you money, then skip the return flight

Hidden city tickets

With this method, you book a flight with a layover in your desired destination and end your trip there. Since ticket prices vary on the popularity of the destination, there are times this can save money. Plus, it’s almost impossible for airlines to penalize this because travelers regularly miss flights. Just note that it doesn’t work with checked baggage, since your luggage will end up at the final destination.

Skiplagged automatically finds these deals for you when you enter your departing city and desired destination. For example, I looked at a trip from Seattle to Dallas. Skiplagged showed me that booking a ticket from Seattle to Phoenix with a layover in Dallas was cheaper. I compared the same trip on Kiwi, but with Dallas as the endpoint of this journey it turned out to be $62 more expensive.

The same leg was cheaper when it was connected to a flight with the end destination in Phoenix

9. Use points to fly for free

As one of the most uncomplicated ways to save money, you can sign up for rewards programs that earn you free trips. These programs are typically offered by airlines, as well as some credit cards.

To illustrate, Southwest Airlines operates a scheme known as Rapid Rewards, which awards you with points every time you travel with them. These accrued points have no expiration date; once you've amassed a sufficient amount, you can redeem them for complimentary flights.

10. Plan your own layover

Opting for layovers that span multiple days can often result in significant savings on round-trip airfare. This approach is an excellent way to economize if you have a flexible schedule and are keen on exploring multiple locations within a single vacation.

Keep in mind — this method saves money on flights only — you’ll likely accrue additional costs for accommodation, food, and other travel expenses.

11. Look for error fares

You can often find error fares on social media, forums, and websites like Secret Flying. These are mistakes made by booking sites and airlines which offer incredibly low prices — usually due to human error. It’s helpful to bookmark a few of these pages to ensure you’ll never miss a deal. When you spot an error fare, it’s best to act immediately as companies catch these mistakes quickly. It’s possible that after booking, your flight is canceled and refunded due to them catching the error before take off.

I advise checking Secret Flying daily to ensure you don’t miss out on the latest errors — it takes seconds

Best VPNs to Get Cheap Flights in 2024

Catch all the best deals by choosing the right VPN. My top picks provide reliable worldwide servers, robust security, multi-device support, and ad and tracker blockers for a clean interface and safe browsing experience.

ExpressVPN — Servers in 105 Countries for Access to Worldwide Fare Deals

Editor’s Choice Editor’s Choice Try Risk-Free for 30 Days
Tested April 2024

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Chrome Router Smart TV More

Try ExpressVPN >

www.ExpressVPN.com

ExpressVPN lets you access virtual locations to browse flights in global markets. By switching server locations, I saved nearly $500. While testing the app, I searched for a flight from London to Melbourne from a UK server. Skyscanner gave me the cheapest price of $1,144.06. Next, I connected to ExpressVPN’s US — New York location and got the same flight for $647.

The app is easy to navigate, and I could change my location with 1 click. All you have to do to browse global markets with ExpressVPN is pick a country from the list and click the connect button. To save a favorite, click the star next to the country’s name. I connected to Malaysia, India, and Italy to compare flights — all within a few minutes. It also has a reliable 30-day guarantee to try it risk-free.

CyberGhost — Ad and Tracker Blocker for Cleaner Flight Pages and Easier Comparisons

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Chrome Router Smart TV More

Try CyberGhost VPN >

www.cyberghostvpn.com

CyberGhost’s Block content feature stops annoying ads when you’re shopping for cheap airfares. It prevented websites from hiking my prices when revisiting a flight and also blocked the banner and sidebar ads on Expedia. During my tests, the pages on travel comparison sites were ad-free, making it easier to compare prices.

Its simple interface made it easy to browse for cheap flights. When I tried it out on my macOS, the app’s simplified view was fixed to my menu bar, so I always knew where to find it. I could disconnect and choose another country in 3 clicks. On the downside, monthly plans are expensive, but long-term options start at only $2.03/month and include a 45-day money-back guarantee.

Private Internet Access — Get Cheap Flights and Protect Yourself Online While Abroad

Available on:

Windows Mac Android iOS

Chrome Router Smart TV More

Try Private Internet Access >

www.PrivateInternetAccess.com

Not only does it get you cheaper flight prices, but Private Internet Access (PIA) is great for staying secure on airplane WiFi and public networks — with no device limit. Public WiFi hotspots often don’t require authentication, making them vulnerable to hackers. While testing PIA on my iPhone, I automated my WiFi settings. When I enter a public WiFi hotspot, PIA now connects me to a secure server, hiding all my data, including sensitive info like payment details.

If you're new to VPNs, PIA's many settings could be overwhelming. But, settings come pre-configured, so you can change servers without adjusting anything. Long-term plans cost only $2.03/month and, like ExpressVPN, include a 30-day refund period.

Our Methodology for Testing VPNs to Get Cheap Flights

The first thing we tested is that the VPNs can reliably mask your IP address and replace it with one from a country of your choice. All our listed VPNs have a global network of servers for accessing flight deals from various locations.

We then evaluate the VPN's ability to prevent tracking and maintain your privacy so that airlines and booking sites can't inflate prices based on your browsing history or location. Speed is another critical factor we tested so you don't experience slowdowns, which is vital for browsing discounts without the dreaded loading wheel affecting time-sensitive deals.

We also prioritize security during our tests. Our VPNs have strong encryption and verified no-logs policies to keep your online activity private and secure from hackers and snoops.

The Most Economical Countries for Booking Flights

Lower-income countries like Mexico, India, and Italy tend to have cheaper fares — although this can be inconsistent and depend largely on the destination of the trip. The biggest price drop I found was when I used ExpressVPN’s server in Vietnam to look at flights to and from Vietnam. On the other hand, Vietnam was the most expensive when booking international flights not connected to it.

To find more countries that offer cheap flights, consider regions with strong tourism industries, emerging economies, or those with multiple low-cost carriers competing for market share.

Flights were usually cheaper when I connected to a server in the country the airline is based in. For example, trips with Lufthansa were significantly cheaper when I connected to a German server since Lufthansa is based there.

I also noticed that the UK tends to see significantly lower-priced flights, especially when one of the destinations is within their borders. I tested this by checking prices for a flight between London and Miami. When I compared fares from 5 different servers, the UK had the cheapest rates, even though the airline (United) is American-owned.

I found the cheapest fare (from London to Miami) when I connected to a UK server

Note. While a VPN can theoretically change your virtual location to almost anywhere in the world, doing this might go against a travel or booking site's terms of use. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations to avoid accidentally breaking them and getting into legal trouble.

FAQs About Getting Cheaper Flights With a VPN

Why are flights cheaper in some countries?

Several factors influence ticket prices, including:

• The overall wealth of a country
• The current popularity of a flight in your region
• Holidays or significant dates
• Political changes or recent events
• If you’re located in the same country as your chosen airline (some airlines offer cheaper prices in their home countries)

How do airlines and booking sites know exactly where I'm located?

Airlines use your IP address to identify your location among other tracking techniques. But, you can mask your IP address with a VPN so airline sites won’t be able to see your true location. This way, you can browse other markets to find cheaper airfares.

Some other ways booking sites know your location include:

• Cookies. data collected through your browser, giving details of your internet activity
• Browser history. lets sites know from which location you browse from
• WiFi permissions. travel sites can track your location based on your WiFi connection; you can reject permission when the site prompts you for this information
• GPS. if you’re using a device with GPS enabled (like a smartphone), this is an easy way for sites to find out your location
• HTML 5. A code specifically generated by the geolocation of your device while you use it

How else can a VPN help me when I’m traveling?

VPNs are useful during travel for a couple reasons — online security and maintaining access to your local accounts. Using public WiFi poses a number of privacy risks and a VPN’s encryption and IP masking overcomes those. A VPN also helps to overcome bandwidth caps or network firewalls which are commonplace on shared public WiFi networks.

In addition, you might find that many of your local online services aren’t available while abroad. Connecting to a VPN server in your home country allows you to access all of them no matter where you are.

Is it illegal to use a VPN for finding cheap flights?

VPNs are not illegal in most countries. You can use a VPN if you live in a country that doesn't ban them. A few countries like China, United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Russia prohibit or heavily regulate the use of VPNs. You should also read up on the travel site's Terms of Use regarding a tool to change your virtual location so you don't break any rules.

Can I use a free VPN to get cheap flights?

It may be possible to use a free VPN to get cheap flights, but I strongly advise against it. The best way to get cheap flights is with a VPN that offers good speeds over distance, has plenty of global servers, and an easy-to-use app.

Free VPNs have limited locations and rarely have servers in countries that offer cheap flights such as Malaysia, Bulgaria, or Turkey. Since their networks are usually tiny, servers tend to be crowded, which causes lag and slow load times. Add data caps to this and you’re unlikely to get much use out of a free VPN (most free VPNs only let you use a couple of gigabytes per month).

Inconvenience is the least of your worries, really. Some free VPNs are dangerous and have been known to track and sell your data to third parties or infect your device with malware. You’re always better off opting for a low-cost premium VPN instead.

To summarize, these are the best VPNs to get cheap flights in 2024...

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