Things that Are Not True about Flight Booking

Some travel tips resemble horoscopes: fun to read, but either too general or plain wrong. Here are a few myths that don’t hold up. Let us know if you think we missed any.

Better days to book

For some reason, people think that the day of the week you book matters. It might stem from the fact that flying on Tuesday or Wednesday tends to be cheaper (people generally avoid breaking their week with travel). Somehow, the idea morphed into a belief that the same logic applies to the day of purchase. The legend became popular enough that travel businesses started introducing "Travel Tuesday" deals. Like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, it's largely a marketing gimmick.

The only consistent valid rule is that booking in advance tends to be cheaper. Prices fluctuate, leading people to search for the perfect time to book, but overall, fares are more likely to increase as the departure date approaches. Tools like Google Flights or Hopper can help you track prices and identify trends.

VPN or incognito mode for cheaper fares

There are various urban legends about using incognito mode or a VPN when searching for flights. They have been largely debunked, and there's yet to be evidence of a significant difference in fare using these methods. However, some airlines apply different fares for local customers and foreigners (e.g. LATAM), sometimes up to 50% cheaper, but requiring a local credit card to bypass. In those cases, it can be worth purchasing the ticket through a trustable reseller, as they might have access to those fares. Otherwise, you are better off booking directly with the airline.

You can also try purchasing the flight with a virtual credit card or a local friend's card. So yes prices can vary by location, but VPN or incognito mode won't make a different. You can simply toggle the country on airlines' websites to check for price variations.

Last minute deals

Although "last minute" is often associated with cheap flights, in reality, you’ll almost always pay more than if you had booked in advance. This belief is a relic of the 80s, and modern pricing models have made it obsolete. There are still ways to lower your fare if you end up booking too late, but they don't come from airlines offering discounts close to departure.

Cheap flights rebranded as travel hacks

Too many travel tips are basically just restating "save on flights by booking cheap flights." Sure, flying on a Tuesday might save you some cash, but you’re also cutting into your time off. Sometimes it’s worth paying a bit more to travel when it works best for you. If a ticket is cheap because nobody wants it, you haven’t unlocked some secret strategy — you’ve just found a route with less demand. Airfare search engines already show you the cheapest options by destinations, dates, and more - far superior to any general rule of thumb.

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