Australians: bookmark these pages before your next trip.
Dreaming of your next getaway, but on a tight budget? We’ve curated a list of the best online platforms for Australians to snag those wallet-friendly flights and turn your travel dreams into reality.
1 Skyscanner (Our personal favourite!)
Skyscanner is our go-to platform when we want to book cheap flights. (It’s also got hotels, and car rentals.) It lets you search dozens of airline websites and online travel agencies in just one search to easily compare prices to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
Spontaneous and inspiration-seeking travellers. Skyscanner’s “Everywhere” feature is a game-changer for those open to exploring any destination with the best available deals. You can search for departures from your home city going to “Everywhere” and see where you can fly for the lowest price. You can either select specific dates or opt for the cheapest dates in a month of your choosing. We don’t understand why more sites don’t have this!
Skyscanner doesn’t have a direct buy now pay later program, but if your booking is made through a partner’s website rather than via the Skyscanner site, you may be able to use one.
Skyscanner itself is fee-free, but some of its partners may charge a booking fee. When comparing flights, it always pays to check the final price for a few different sites because they may charge different fees that are added on at the end, such as credit card fees or ticketing fees.
Skyscanner’s clean and easy-to-use design offers a great user experience. Functions like the “Everywhere” option and ability to search for a whole month at a time make finding a deal easy.
2. Kayak
Kayak is a comprehensive travel search engine that scours the internet to find you the best deals on flights. Its user-friendly interface and powerful filters allow you to customize your search, ensuring you get the most bang for your buck.
Data-driven flight research. Kayak offers some great charts and graphs to help you better understand how to search when you book cheap flights online. You’ve probably seen us referring to them on our flights guides for certain cities, such as Melbourne, because they clearly paint the picture for you.
Technically, Kayak does not currently offer buy now pay later options. But that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use them. Let us explain. Flights found on Kayak’s site aren’t actually booked there. Since it’s an aggregator, it will show you a list of available flights from a list of different is because transactions aren’t actually made on Kayak’s site,
Kayak itself doesn’t charge booking fees, but keep an eye out for any fees imposed by the airline or third-party booking sites.
Try Kayak yourself:
3. I Want That Flight
I Want That Flight is an Australian-based platform offering a straightforward interface to find the best flight deals. With a focus on simplicity, it’s a great tool for travelers looking to quickly secure budget-friendly airfares.
Deals that come to you. I Want That Flight highlights some of the day’s best deals in a newsletter. You can select which airport is closest to you, too, so you only get the most relevant deals.
I Want That Flight does not currently offer buy now pay later options when you book cheap flights on its site, as transactions are actually done on the airline or travel agency’s site..
Good news – I Want That Flight doesn’t charge booking fees, ensuring a transparent booking experience.
4. Cheapflights.com.au
Exactly what it says it is! As part of the Kayak network, Cheapflights.com.au provides a straightforward platform to find affordable flights. Like Kayak, it’s also pretty good at displaying data to find the cheapest times to travel and best times to book flights.
Comprehensiveness.. Cheapflights.com.au offers not just data on the flights, but also the destination you’re travelling to. Want to know when you’ll have the best weather or how to get to/from the airport? It will tell you.
Cheapflights.com.au doesn’t directly offer buy now pay later options itself, as bookings are made on the partner’s site it refers you to. You may be able to use a program like Afterpay or Klarna on one of them.
Similar to Kayak, Cheapflights.com.au doesn’t impose booking fees as it doesn’t take booking directly. You’ll need to check for any fees from the chosen airline or booking provider.
What is the best platform to book cheap flights?
We recommend any aggregator to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible. That includes all of the sites above.
Why use an aggregator? It allows you do one search and see results for loads of airlines’ websites and online travel agencies that are reselling tickets without having to go to each one individually.
Any other tips to finding the cheapest fares online?
Knowing when to book is key! We’d recommend scrubbing up on your knowledge of the cheapest days to fly and looking at some of the data Kayak offers for destinations.
(You can find Kayak’s destination pages by Googling “Kayak” and the name of the destination with flights. For example, if you’re flying to Nadi, Fiji, you’d look up “kayak nadi flights”)
Now armed with the knowledge of these top-notch flight booking sites, you’re ready to embark on your budget-friendly travel journey, so say goodbye to hefty airfares and hello to unforgettable adventures.
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