The founder of Going recently published a blog about 10 hacks that can help you pay less for your flights. How accurate are these tips?

Tip #1

• Scott: Use Google Flights to find the cheapest destinations from your airport.
• Sky Key: Agreed. Google Flights is a great way to compare flight prices. If you can save $200 by flying out a day later, this could make sense depending for your budget. Google Flights is also a great way to quickly see how alternating your travel dates can affect your ticket prices and to compare prices across different airlines.

Tip #2

• Scott: Look for flights Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays which are less busy-and sometimes less expensive-days.
• Sky Key: Partially agreed. The key word is “sometimes”. Sometimes you’ll lucky by flying out on one of these days, but the odds are pretty low.

Tip #3

• Scott: Book an open-jaw, multi-city, or one-way trip.
• Sky Key: Partially agreed. This can be complicated. Sky Key always recommends comparing the price of:
  • Booking the round-trip flight
  • Vs. the price of booking two separate one-way flights

Instead of booking a round-trip flight, Sky Key often sees that booking two separate one-way flights gives you more flexibility and savings potential.

Tip #4

• Scott: Always compare prices on Momondo.
• Sky Key: Disagreed. Momondo offers flights from online travel agencies (OTAs)… Sky Key strongly encourages you to book flights directly through the airline. Don’t book flights through OTAs because you lose the opportunity to build airline loyalty, can’t easily change your ticket, and you lose savings opportunities (like Sky Key being able to save you money when the price of your flights drop).

Tip #5

• Scott: Use the 24-hour rule to snag a great fare before it disappears.
• Sky Key: Agreed. If you book your flight and decide to cancel it within 24 hours, you can usually get your money back.

Tip #6

• Scott: Change your currency or location, but don’t bother clearing your cookies.
• Sky Key: Strongly agreed. If you have time to change your currency/location, try it. You are unlikely to find a better deal but it’s worth trying. We completely agree with Scott that clearing your cookies or using a different browser won’t make any difference at all. This is a very common rumor in the travel industry. Don’t waste your time doing this.

Tip #7

• Scott: Buy two separate round-trip tickets and save.
• Sky Key: Partially agreed. This strategy depends on your personal preferences. If I’m flying to Paris, I don’t want to fly into Amsterdam to save money. It just isn’t worth the time or hassle for me. Other people would disagree. If you are the type of person who wants to fly into a neighboring airport and then pay for a bus/Uber to get to your actual destination, we aren’t stopping you.

Tip #8

• Scott: If you’re gonna add extras to a basic or budget ticket, compare the cost to the price of upgrading.
• Sky Key: Partially agreed. If you want to select your seat, eat a meal provided by the airline, etc. make sure you compare apples to apples. For example, if you are looking at a United economy ticket against an American basic economy ticket you aren’t comparing apples to apples. You have to be looking at the American basic economy ticket plus the price to select your seat because basic economy tickets don’t allow you to select a seat.

Tip #9

• Scott: Score a free tour or hotel stay on your layover.
• Sky Key: Agreed. If you have a layover of more than six hours, Sky Key thinks this is a great suggestion.

Tip #10

• Scott: Pack light-especially on budget carriers.
• Sky Key: Agreed. Who likes paying extra to check bags?

Conclusion

Overall, Sky Key mostly agrees with Scott’s tips. It’s worth noting Sky Key recommends avoiding basic economy tickets and strongly encourages you to book directly through the airline whenever possible.

But wait, we have one more suggestion. Use Sky Key to ensure you’re always paying the lowest price. After you book your flight, Sky Key will ensure you get credits, money or miles back to your account if the price of your ticket drops. Get started in two minutes by uploading your flights.

– Billy Bund. Co-Founder @ Sky Key