The Top 11 Tips to Save Money While Booking Your Flights to India
After the Covid situation, international tourism is now set to explode, and in a big way. International, as well as domestic flights to India, are particularly popular over the holiday season, as Indian railways considerably boosted locomotive fares. Below we have listed the top tricks to help you save money on your next trip to India, the Land of Wonders.
As the epidemic fades, an increasing number of individuals are setting out to explore the globe in the same way that they did in the old days. India is no different. This is especially true given the country's reputation as a birthplace of varied topography and culture.
Even when the country was going through constant stages of lockdown and air bubbles, the Indian tourist industry saw commercial opportunities in attracting domestic visitors. International tourists have become more enthusiastic and zealous in their travels to the country. Indian states were always willing to receive visitors who tested negative in RTPCR in between the long intervals between peak covid surges
Government of India allows visit to India by applying for Indian Visa online on this website for several purposes. For example if your intention for travelling to India relates to a commercial or business purpose, then you are eligible to apply for Indian Business Visa Online (Indian Visa Online or eVisa India for Business). If you are planning to go to India as a medical visitor for medical reason, consulting doctor or for surgery or for your health, Government of India has made Indian Medical Visa Online available for your needs (Indian Visa Online or eVisa India for Medical purposes). Indian Tourist Visa Online (Indian Visa Online or eVisa India for Tourist) can be utilised for meeting friends, meeting relatives in India, attending courses like Yoga, or for sight-seeing and tourism.
Do Not Overlook the Special Credit or Debit Card Offers
Many credit cards provide cashback and other incentives when you plan a trip to a certain location. Certain programs and cashback may be available to help you travel more affordably.
Try looking for these specific key terms in Google: bank name + flight discounts code, and you will find a website with a few deals.
If you have a Kotak bank card, for example, you should Google "Kotak offers flight tickets" and you will almost certainly find a page on the official Kotak website or on several flight-booking sites that will get you some unique codes with surprising discounts.
Reservations Must Be Made 30 To 90 Days In Advance
Expedia conducted an intriguing analysis and discovered that the lowest flight tickets booked on average were 57 days in advance.
They looked at the rates of several domestic flights and saw a pattern, discovering that booking a trip early is not necessarily the best option. There is still ample time to fill the tickets, so airlines are not in a rush to snag as many consumers as possible at low costs.
According to their research, costs were reasonable at first and continued to decline until roughly 50 - 60 days before the departure date, when prices began to rise and then spiked in the last 2 - 3 weeks. This tip stands especially true during the festival or peak seasons.
Read more:
If you are planning to visit India, then the most convenient method is to apply online. Learn more at How to obtain an India Visa online?
Take Flights at Late Hours
If you are willing to go rather late at night, you can save money on flights. This might not be possible if you are traveling with your family or need to arrive at specific hours.
People traveling alone who may not have a set time to arrive can, nevertheless, consider this alternative. The very basic reason for this occurrence is the fact that most individuals do not want to reach their destinations before 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., for which they avoid taking flights during the night, resulting in lower demand.
However, if you wait until the last minute to book a flight, you will not be able to obtain a good deal.
Experiment With Different Dates
If you do not have any firm arrangements, you might certainly consider dates that are one or two days sooner or later than your scheduled date. Often, you will discover that a cheaper choice is available on a day that is quite near to your scheduled date.
An easy approach to figure this out is to first look for your flight for the date you want to go, and then attempt to alter the date, and it will offer you a calendar with pricing for several dates.
Much worldwide research on airline fares has found that Tuesday and Wednesday are the cheapest days to fly since they are weekdays and traffic is less.
>Go Incognito While Searching For Your Flights
The majority of airlines currently adjust their flight ticket pricing dynamically in response to demand and supply. This is basically known as dynamic pricing.
So, if you search for a specific flight on a specific day and then spend the next 20 - 30 minutes researching it, the airlines and intermediary websites know that there is a demand for that flight, and if you spend too much time researching, they know that your chances of purchasing a flight ticket are now high.
And then you will see that when you attempt to reserve your ticket, the costs have risen dramatically! There are technological things like browser cookies that monitor and remember what you are looking for, so using incognito mode when online is a good precaution.
Also, keep in mind that this may be more relevant when booking using mobile applications because the websites know who is doing it (you register your email or phone in-app).
Book Two Single Flights From Different Providers
If you want to go a little extra mile and are ready to spend your “valuable” time then you can also explore booking two single flights instead of a single return flight or connecting flights. This will expand your opportunities for cash back and discounts.
So if you wish to go from point A to point B and also return back, then instead of booking both trips from a single website, you can book an A to B flight from one website, thus using their cashback and discounts, and then book B to A return flight from another website (use their cashback and discount offers).
While this may not give you a better deal all the time, it is a good idea to explore especially when you are booking tickets for a higher value or international flights.
Book Your Flight Directly On The Airline's Website
If you are not receiving any cashback or discounts on intermediary websites such as Paytm, MakeMyTrip, ixigo, Expedia, goibibo, and so on, it is a good idea to check the flight fares directly on the airline's website. The middlemen websites receive a commission from the airlines, and the costs at the airlines are frequently lower (not much, but a little).
So first filter and search for the best flight for your needs, write down the flight number and timing, and then go to the airline's website and buy the trip directly since you could save a few cents.
What causes this to happen? Because the airline's fees are lower than those paid by middleman websites, you will save money on convenience fees.
Travel Light By Booking Only Carry-On Baggage
Flying light not only saves you money but also reduces carbon emissions, making it a more environmentally friendly alternative. Many planes will let you fly with only hand baggage if you do not want to check your bags. For an additional fee, check-in luggage can be added. This is the finest choice possible if you are traveling alone and in light.
Choose the hand-baggage-only option when booking your ticket if you are traveling alone and do not have much luggage. Airlines' costs rise when a flight is overcrowded, so they reward you for carrying less luggage.
Take Advantage Of The Student And Senior Citizen Discounts If Eligible
Some airlines provide a basic discount to students and elderly citizens on the base cost; it is a modest reduction, perhaps 8 - 10 percent, but it saves you money. If you are traveling with your children or parents, see if there are any additional savings available.
These savings, however, are only valid on the airline's websites. Spicejet, for example, offers students an 8% discount on base fares. Please read the terms and limitations for this student and senior citizen discount offer, as some days or routes may be excluded.
Look For Coupons And Special Offers
Searching for deals while buying flights is something that anybody can do. Almost every time you purchase a flight, there are a variety of websites that provide different forms of discounts or rewards.
Sometimes you will discover specials for buying round-trip flights or overseas flights, and other times you will find offers depending on the total ticket price (for example, "valid only if ticket costs exceed Rs 8,000").
Spending a few minutes looking at the deal pages of websites like Makemytrip, goibibo, Yatra, Cleartrip, and others is never a bad idea.
You might also look for flight coupons on different coupon websites. Make coupons websites provide you with additional payback as a result of the commission they receive from aggregator websites.
Set The Price Decrease Notifications
Google Flights allows you to follow the price of a certain flight and will notify you through email when the price changes. So, if you have a lot of time left and are willing to wait for a booking, you should do so and keep an eye on the pricing.
Just make sure you are clear about when you will book the flights; otherwise, you can end up waiting for prices to drop and then paying a lot at the last minute).
While you put the pre-mentioned tips into use, make sure to take the following precautions as well -
- If you think you have already gotten a decent bargain, simply tweak it a little and book it. Do not get paranoid in your attempt to lower the price. While it is fantastic to save money, you should consider whether it is truly worth your time.
- If you want to eat on the aircraft (like me), it's a good idea to prepare ahead for your lunch. If you pre-book, you can get the same thing for Rs 250 or Rs 200 that you can have in-flight for Rs 300. So, since you already know you will be dining, why not save some money?
- Some of these tips may not be applicable if you are looking for cheap international flights, but you should attempt most of them because it would be fantastic to save money due to the high cost of international flights to the United States and Europe.
- Make sure you include the whole cost of getting from point A to point B. If you pick a cheaper ticket with a 6-hour layover at a city in between, be aware that you will also have to spend money on meals, a lounge, or entertainment. It should not be the case that in order to save Rs 200, you have spent Rs 500 in the meantime. When looking for low-cost tickets, many people overlook these factors.
Citizens of many countries including United States, Canada, France, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Singapore, United Kingdom, are eligible for Indian Visa Online (eVisa India) including visiting beaches of India on tourist visa. Resident of over 180 countries quality for Indian Visa Online (eVisa India) as per Indian Visa Eligibility and apply the Indian Visa Online offered by the Government of India.
Should you have any doubts or require assistance for your trip to India or Visa for India (eVisa India), you can apply for the Indian Visa Online right here and if you need any need any help or require any clarifications you should contact Indian Visa Help Desk for support and guidance.