Flight bookings are a major expense nowadays for most of us and it takes a heavy toll on our pocket. We are always looking for the best offers because who doesn’t like cheap flights. But, most of the airlines marketing communications are nothing but a cheap trick. We all know there are hardly any discounts when we get on their platforms to book the flight. And then, of course there is that never ending anxiety of what if the flight prices increase next day due to dynamic pricing. Let me book the flight now only!!
In most cases, we are hardly able to get any good discounts. But what if I tell you there are some smart ways to get lucrative discounts? We have done a lot of research and explored various options to bring to you some of the best ways to get the best flight prices. It can help you save 15%-70% on your next flight booking
- Credit Card Discounts:
Most of the times banks offer discounts from 10-20% on their credit cards across different platforms. Now, a lot of times people don’t have those cards and are not able to avail this offer. The trick is to have at least one card of some of the popular banks like HDFC, ICICI, Axis, Kotak, etc. And, most of the banks offer lifetime free cards. So, you can just keep these cards in your wallet and use them when necessary. There is nothing to lose. On top of the instant discounts, you also accumulate reward points or cashback which is additional return.
Note – If you plan to use credit cards, don’t forget to pay the dues on time else you’ll end up paying very high interest penalty. You can use Cred app to keep track of your credit card payment due dates. Download the app using this link
- Travel Credit Cards:
This is by far one of the best ways to get flight tickets at dirt cheap prices. Many banks offer travel credit cards which offer higher rewards in travel category. These cards accumulate more points when you spend on travel like flights, hotels, etc. and also offer higher redemption rate when using the points to book flights or hotels. Some of the cards also offer free flight tickets as a joining benefit or on reaching certain milestones.
Here are some of our favourite cards-
- Axis Atlas Credit Card
- HDFC Diners Black/ Infinia Credit Cards
- Axis Vistara Co-branded Credit Cards – Platinum/ Signature/ Infinite
- SBI Vistara Co-branded Credit Cards – Club Vistara/ Club Vistara Prime
- SBI Air India Co-branded Credit Cards – Platinum/ Signature
This is a great option if you have HDFC credit cards especially Infinia, Diners Black, Biz Black cards. This is an aggregator platform which not only offers competitive prices but you can also get 16.66% cashback as reward points. These points can be used to pay up to 70% of the price of you next booking through the SmartBuy platform and moreover you’ll again earn points on the 30% amount you paid via credit card.
- Aggregator platforms:
This is one of the common but still one of the most effective ways to get cheap flights. These includes platforms like Skyscanner and Google flights which search various different websites and provide a list of best prices. This can also be used as a starting point to get an idea of general pricing trend across various platforms and on different dates.
- Airline Loyalty Programs:
This is a very unpopular and neglected option but can definitely provide some additional returns. Most airlines like Vistara, Air India, and Indigo have their loyalty programs which offer loyalty points for every flight taken which can be later redeemed for free flights or upgrades. The best part is these points can be claimed even if you book the flight via any other platform and not necessarily the airline’s website. There is a feature of “Retro Claim” to claim points for past flight.
This is essentially additional return over and above the regular discounts. All you have to do is to enrol in the loyalty programs of airlines which you usually prefer. So, if the flight prices across different airlines have very less difference, it is much better to stick to a particular airline as it is more rewarding in the long run.
These are some of the best ways to book you next flight at the best price. Let us know in the comments if you know of any other smart ways to save money on flight booking. Read more about the benefits of credit card in this post.