If your goal is to save money on your next trip, I’m going to show you how you can find the cheapest deal for an airline ticket.  As long as you set aside at least one hour of your day, I guarantee that you’ll be able to find the best deal possible in the long run.

Set your schedule

The first thing you need to do is know when you want to go.  If you’re flexible with your dates, this is great because studies have shown that flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday is usually the cheapest way to go.  Write down the dates you’re looking at.  This will make it easier for you in the long run when you’re making a search.

Go to a search portal

My absolute favorite website online to search for airline deals is Kayak.com.  Go to this website and throw in all the information on when and where you want to go.  Once you do this, look at the right hand side of your screen and browse the calendar.  This calendar will show you which days are the cheapest.  The next step you want to do is click on the days that are interesting to you.

Study the list

Once you click on the calendar list, the next steps you want to take is by looking at what airlines are offering the greatest deals.  Now, here’s the kicker.  You won’t want to go directly to the airline’s website because you’re going to get the best deal.  Let’s look at it this way.   The airline will have to pay these companies an agent fee and if you use the airline themselves, you’ll be able to bypass these fees.

Join the frequent flyer club

If you’re already loyal to an airline, that’s great.  I hope you have a frequent flyer number.  If you don’t, you might as well join.  The process is free and over time you can get free tickets.  Even if you fly twice a year or even every other year, the miles add up very quick.  Not only can you get free airline tickets, you can also get gifts like magazines and more.  It always pays to be loyal with an airline.

Whenever I purchase a ticket with an airline, I always do this process.  Every time, I’m able to save a lot of money just by taking a few minutes of my time.  Never just buy the first ticket you see.  As long as you do your research, you can really take advantage of the savings.