Whether you are traveling for
leisure or for business, finding flight deals that won’t take a bite out of
your wallet can be very challenging. Going through the many travel comparison
websites just to find a good deal can be time-consuming, and the worst part is
the prices keep fluctuating upwards. The reason why you may be unable to
consistently pin down a good deal on flight prices is comparison websites
usually track your location and serve you prices based on where you are
browsing from and the demand rate in your specific location.
Flight
comparison websites track your location using:
Cookies: Cookies
track and store your browsing history, so comparison sites are able to detect
when you query the search engines for the same search item several times and as
such increase the price of available flights.
IP Address: Your
IP address, also known as Internet Protocol, is arguably the easiest way travel
sites are able to detect your location and therefore serve you different flight
prices accordingly. (Read more about hiding your IP address here.)
Mobile tracking: The
GPS feature on your mobile device, like your smartphone or tablet, can indicate
your location. If you are browsing travel sites from your mobile device you
will likely see different prices depending on your location.
HTML5 code: HTML5
coding is also another way websites can detect your location when using a
personal computer.
Wi-Fi: If you
give websites permission, they will be able to detect your location using your
Wi-Fi.
When quoting air tickets,
travel comparison sites consider your location, the currency you will pay with,
the point of sale, and other factors. It is common for customers in different
countries using different currencies to see different prices for the same
airline, destination, and travel date. It goes without saying that if you are
looking to save money on air tickets without wasting too much time sifting
through the different sites for a good deal, your best bet is to simply hide your location and your browsing history using a VPN.
Here
are some useful tips on how to use a VPN to save money on flight tickets.
Browse
from a lower income country
Use a VPN to set your IP
address to a lower income country and watch the price difference. For example,
if you set your IP address to a server in India while browsing Kayak.com, you
will see different prices than if you were booking your flight in the USA.
Since August is a big month
for traveling, we decided to check out a flight from New York’s JFK Airport to
Italy’s Naples Airport with a departure date set for August 14 and a return
date of August 21.
With the IP address set to
India this is the quote we saw:
When we changed the IP address to seem as though we were browsing from the USA, the prices were significantly different:
Even though the timing and the
airlines are the same, the prices change. Sure, it’s not going to save you
hundreds of dollars, but those $72 you save could be used for buying souvenirs
or a dinner at a nice restaurant. Changing your location to a lower income
country can make a big difference if you’re flying on a budget.
Change
your IP to the airline’s country
You could also try to change
your IP to the country where the airline is based. In this case, we’re
traveling using Brussels Airlines, which is based in Belgium. Changing to a
Belgian IP address for the same journey will show a different price.
IP address set from Belgium:
IP address set from the USA:
In this scenario, that same
flight saved us $67! Again, it’s not tons of money, but these little savings
can really add up. Changing your IP address to the airline’s country could save
you lots of money in the long run.
Alternative
Ways of Saving Money on Air Tickets
Clear
your browsing history
As mentioned earlier, travel sites are able to track your location and
browsing behavior based on browser cookies and adjust prices upward
accordingly. Clearing your cookies and browsing data can help reset prices,
allowing you to see the initial flight tickets. However, there is no guarantee
that you will be able to secure cheaper prices as if you were browsing
anonymously using a VPN. Some travelers say that browsing the international
version of a travel site e.g. (.ca) for Canada or (.co.uk) for Britain could
let you see different price quotes for air tickets, so you might be lucky to
spot a good bargain.
Search
Prices by Date Using Google Flights
Google Flights offers numerous perks for the budget conscious traveler.
One of these perks is the ability to choose prices based on dates. If you
already have a destination, you will need to choose specific dates to and from
your destination. Google Flights can help you find the cheapest day to fly by
listing the price in each day. This tool is especially useful if your travel
dates are flexible.