Finding cheap flight tickets is no easy task nowadays. Travel agencies and airlines use various techniques to gather online information about you and your ticket-searching habits. That way, they can increase the fare costs whenever they need to. Thankfully, there is a way to fight price discrimination. You’ll need a reliable VPN for cheap flight tickets to get better deals.
The best VPN for the job will help you change your location and hide your browsing habits. That way, you’ll be able to jump through regions and hunt for the best deals. Additionally, you’ll boost your security and privacy by using a virtual private network. So you won’t have to worry about cyber attacks while on holiday.
Thus, in this article, we’ll tell you more about VPNs and how they can help you get cheaper flight tickets. Moreover, we will share some tips on how to pick a reliable virtual private network. Not to mention, you’ll find other methods on how to get better discounts when buying plane tickets.
What is a VPN, and how does it work?
A virtual private network is a tool that creates a secure tunnel between your devices and the internet. VPNs use sophisticated encryption to hide your data, IP address, and actual location. So, with a multi-device VPN, you can protect as many devices as you want. Plus, you’ll be more anonymous while on the web.
In addition, many people use VPNs to bypass geo-blocks on various streaming services. Not to mention, reliable service can help you get multiple digital services cheaper, including flight tickets.
So, a VPN will encrypt your data, increase your security, boost your privacy, and change your location. That way, you’ll get an opportunity to roam the free web safely.
How can a VPN get you cheap flights
Mainly a VPN can help you avoid inflated prices by encrypting your data. Most travel agencies and airlines use trackers and sophisticated algorithms to follow you around and gather various information. That way, they can use this data to their advantage and increase the prices on a whim. However, you can prevent tracking with a VPN and look for the best, non-inflated prices.
Furthermore, a VPN lets you access geo-specific deals. Some airline companies might offer better prices compared to the region you are browsing from. So, a VPN can help you change your location and IP address. That way, you’ll unlock exclusive deals and promotions and get the tickets cheaper.
But remember, while a VPN can help you find cheaper tickets, it does not guarantee savings in all cases. Other factors, such as timing, travel dates, and airline promotions, also play a significant role in securing affordable airfare.
How to choose the best VPN for cheap flights?
If you want a reliable virtual private network, we recommend paying close attention to those aspects when picking a service:
- Geo-block bypassing. If a VPN can’t circumvent restrictions, getting cheaper plane tickets will be nearly impossible. Therefore, make sure that a VPN can unlock various geo-blocked services.
- Privacy. A VPN should mask your traffic and hide your browsing history. That way, you are more confidential online. More so, you’ll avoid pesky trackers that may follow you around while looking for tickets.
- Security. AES-256 encryption, a robust kill switch, and IP & DNS leak protection are mandatory safety features. Moreover, some VPNs provide ad/malware blockers, which prevent annoying ads, viruses, and other malicious nasties.
- Servers. A bigger number of servers and locations might increase your chances of finding cheap flight tickets in various countries.
- Speeds. A slight delay might cost you cheaper flight tickets. Thus, make sure that your VPN won’t slow you down. Look for services that use the WireGuard or NordLynx tunneling protocols for the best performance.
- Price. There is no point in overpaying for a virtual private network. Most industry-leading services offer plans for around $4.00/month.
Best cheap flights VPNs: suggestions
To spare you some time, we tested & picked the best VPNs that will help you in your searches of the cheapest flight tickets:
- NordVPN. The ultimate virtual private network for all needs. It can easily bypass geo-blocks and anonymize your traffic. That way, you can hop through regions and look for the best prices. Moreover, it will keep all of your devices secure when you are traveling.
- Surfshark VPN. Inexpensive and effective option. You’ll be able to explore 100+ countries while searching for cheap fares. Moreover, it will give you access to loads of new content and infinite connections.
- ExpressVPN. A versatile service that will help you bypass various restrictions and curbs. The provider offers loads of servers globally, so you’ll have plenty of options to choose from. While on the pricier side, it will keep up to 5 devices secure and private.
4 tips to find cheap flights online
Apart from using a VPN, there are a few other methods that you can use to find cheap flight tickets. Actually, we recommend combining a few of them for the best results. So, here are 4 tips on how to get better deals when looking for cheap flights.
Use flight comparison sites
The best way to save some money and time is to look into various flight comparison sites. These web pages let you analyze all possible times, prices, stops, and other things. We recommend checking out Skyscanner, Momondo, Priceline, Kayak, or Google Flights.
While they are great for finding and comparing flight prices, we recommend getting a ticket directly from the airline unless the flight comparison site offers a special deal. Moreover, you can use a VPN to change your location and find geo-specific deals.
Look for error fares
Error fare is exactly what it sounds like – a mistake made somewhere within the system that determines fare prices. In most cases, you’ll run into human pricing errors or fare class errors. However, these deals are not very common, and if they do happen, the tickets are gone almost instantly.
We recommend checking out sites like Fly4Free, Secret Flying, or Jack’s Flight Club. They constantly track and detect error fares. So, get notifications from these sites and get ready to buy extremely cheap tickets!
Try airline loopholes
You can outsmart the system by using the hidden city and throwaway ticket methods. The former is when you get off at the layover rather than the final destination. For instance, A direct flight from New York to Denver costs $120, but a flight from New York to Los Angeles with a layover in Denver is $80. So you can buy a cheaper ticket and get off in Denver.
As for throwaway tickets, it works in a similar way. You might want to travel one way only, but a round trip might be cheaper. So, you get the tickets, go to your desired destination, and throw away the ticket that is supposed to take you back.
But be cautious. Some airlines have stringent rules when it comes to loopholes. Non-compliance may result in hefty fines. Thus, be careful when using these methods.
Check out budget airlines
While not the most comfortable way of traveling, budget airlines will take you from point A to point B without burning a hole through your pocket. Additionally, these carriers often have holiday or last-minute flights, so you can save even more. We recommend checking out Ryanair, EasyJet, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, and Southwest Airlines.
What causes different flight ticket prices?
Airline algorithms are not the only things that impact the fares. Here are a few of them:
- Booking platform. Instead of going through Google Flights, Skyscanner, or other services, you can buy the tickets directly from the Airline. For example, you can join a server in Scandinavia and try getting tickets cheaper from the SAS website.
- Popularity of a destination.
- Dates. Going off-season is a wise decision. You’ll notice dramatic price increases during school holidays, Christmas, and summer breaks.
- Wealth of a country. In most cases, travel agencies in wealthy countries will have bigger price tags than in others.
Cheapest VPN locations for buying flights
Some countries might offer better flight deals than others. That may be due to overall lower GDP or better airport infrastructure. So, we checked out loads of different regions to find the cheapest countries to book flights from:
- Singapore
- India
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- Thailand
- Portugal
- Hong Kong
- Australia
Nevertheless, even if you do use a VPN to change your location to any of these countries, that won’t guarantee cheaper flight tickets. You’ll need to be more flexible and play around with destinations and layovers.
Wrap up
Airlines and booking sites use sophisticated algorithms to increase your flight ticket prices. But don’t let that kill off your wanderlust. Luckily, you can outsmart them by using a reliable VPN. It will help you hide your browsing history, real IP address, and actual location. That way, you can explore different locations and find the cheapest options.
You can increase your chances of getting inexpensive flight tickets by using other methods. Check out error fares, use the hidden city method, try budget airlines, or use flight comparison sites. And don’t forget to fire up a VPN and explore the cheapest locations for buying tickets.
