[Infographic] 7 Nifty Tricks to Get the Best Flight Deals

Flight tickets, whether with a budget carrier or not, can get very pricey. Don’t spend unnecessarily when you can get them for cheaper.

With a few long weekends left in 2015 and the upcoming six in 2016, you’re probably ready to get cracking on booking a trip just to get away from it all. If you’ve booked flights for the public holidays, you would know how expensive air tickets can get.

To avoid paying three times the amount you normally would (we’ve been there), or to simply become a savvier traveller, you’ll need to arm yourself with enough tricks on getting the best flight deals possible. Every dollar you save can go into spending on something else, like getting a hotel in a better location or hiring a tour guide to show you around.

The key to finding the best flight prices is to plan way in advance. Those long weekends in 2016 are trips you should already be booking for if you want to save yourself hundreds of dollars.

Take a look at the following infographic for more tips and tricks on getting the best flight deals:

1. Book as early as possible

For popular holiday destinations (e.g. Bangkok or Hong Kong): Book 12 weeks in advance

For other destinations: Book 8 weeks in advance

The exceptions to this rule are long weekends and peak periods. If you’re still planning to travel during this time, be prepared to book months in advance for the best deals. Even then, you might have to shell out more than the usual fares.

2. Check multiple sites to find the best deal

Don’t book from the first site you log on to. The airline’s official site might have cheap tickets, but flight aggregators and comparison sites sometimes offer the better deal.

3. Search undercover

When searching for flights, delete your internet cache or use your browser's private or incognito mode. Airline websites record your visits, increasing ticket prices the more times you view their site.

The browsers that support privacy mode are:

• Google Chrome 1.0
• Mozilla Firefox 3.5
• Safari 2.0
• Opera 10.50
• Internet Explorer 8
• Amazon Silk

4. Sign up for airlines’ newsletters

Each airline has its own promotions, some even on a regular basis. To keep in the know, sign up for newsletters of your preferred airlines, or follow them on their social media pages.

For example of regular sales, check out Scoot and its Morning Glory Tuesdays.

5. Get flexible with dates in a week to fly

There are cheaper days in a week to fly, and sometimes this difference can save you hundreds of dollars. Keep your options open by searching for other days within the week of your preferred departure date.

Buy ticket on: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

Fly on: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday

6. Use different airlines on separate legs of the trip

Indirect routes might take much longer but are usually cheaper. Using different airlines on separate legs of the trip might help you get the cost down even lower.

If you don’t have time to spare, consider using one airline for the departure and another for the flight home.

7. Use a travel-friendly credit card

Sign up for credit cards that have partnered up with airlines so that you can get the best deal on flights. Some cards also offer turning reward points into air miles that you can later redeem for flights.

Some travel credit cards in Singapore include:

• DBS Altitude American Express Card: 1.3 miles per S$1 local spend
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: 0.83 miles per S$1 local spend
• ANZ Travel Visa Signature Card: 1.4 miles per S$1 local spend

To increase your savings, switch to a credit card specially geared towards frequent travellers.

Want to find a credit card that earns you the most air miles? Use our travel credit card comparison tool to help you.