How to Buy a Plane Ticket Online

Tips for buying a plane ticket online

1. First, decide when and where you want to go. The more in advance you buy your ticket, the less it’s likely to cost. It’s best to make your plans at least a month ahead of time. The usual cut-off point for cheaper plane tickets is 21 days before the flight date. Of course, airline ticket prices can fluctuate dramatically over the course of hours and even minutes. Yet in the vast majority of cases, early ticket buyers will pick up the best deals.
2. You can also save money by flying into and out of smaller regional airports or airports that are further away from your destination. For instance, in the San Francisco Bay Area, it can be cheaper to fly into the Oakland or San Jose airports than to land at the San Francisco Airport. Compare prices for airports when you are buying online.
3. When you go to a Web site to buy your ticket, whether it is an airline’s site or a general travel site, you will need to enter the date you wish to depart and the date you wish to return. You will pay less money for the ticket, and often significantly less, if you leave before and come back after a Saturday night. If you leave on a Monday and come back on a Saturday morning, the ticket will cost more. Make sure your trip encompasses a Saturday night if you want to save money.
4. You can also save money by traveling mid-week. It is cheaper to fly out on a Thursday and come back on a Tuesday or Wednesday than to fly out on Friday and come back on Monday. Traveling midweek is cheaper simply because most people do not travel this way. They like to come home on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, which means tickets sold for those days are in higher demand and cost more. Early morning or late night flights are also cheaper.
5. You will need to choose whether you plan to fly first, business or economy class. Once you have chosen your airport, the class of seat you want, and the time of day and the day of the week you want to fly, the Web site should present you with at least a few ticket choices. There will likely be a range of times and prices. Choose the flights that work best for you. You can then purchase the ticket with a credit card.

Caution

All airline tickets have restrictions when you buy them. There are even more restrictions when you buy tickets from a travel site. Always read the ticket limitations and refund restrictions before you buy. Otherwise, you may end up with an airplane ticket you cannot use or even exchange.

Where to Buy a Plane Ticket Online

You can purchase a plane ticket online from one of these travel Web sites:

You can buy plane tickets in minutes from Expedia. Find sales and package deals.

Shop for airplane tickets by price or dates at Orbitz.

Priceline lets you name your price and them matches it with available airplane tickets.

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