5 Tips on how to save on flights to the Philippines
Written By Niko Del Rey
If you’re anything like myself, you haven’t been to the Philippines since before the pandemic, since world travel was brought to a screeching halt. And if you are exactly like me, you have recently looked at flights and have noticed that prices have been a little steeper than you had remembered. Well don’t panic just yet, we have researched a few ways to bring back peace of mind (and peace of wallet) to your future travel plans back to the Philippines. All clear for take off, here are 5 Tips on how to save on flights to the Philippines.
Be Flexible
One of the best and easiest ways to save money on your flight is to be flexible on your travel dates. We have all heard that flying mid week is more affordable, which is understandable because nightlife and big events mostly happen on the weekend. But taking a look at a snapshot of flights from Los Angeles to Manila using Google Flights, for future travel in May 2024, we can see a savings of $445 USD if we decided to leave earlier in the month rather than later. Well maybe you can’t put it off for a whole month, I get it. If we left on Wednesday, May 1st, and returned Wednesday, May 8th ($838 roundtrip), we could save an easy $110 in contrast to choosing to fly out on Saturday, May 11th ($948 roundtrip). Although $110 may not sound much for a single flier, I’m sure a family of 4 would appreciate the extra $440 by simply flying out a week earlier.
Use Points and Miles
With the ease of Apple Pay and Tap to Pay, racking up points on your card has never been easier. If you plan ahead and use your miles correctly, the 112,000 points needed to fly Delta to Hong Kong, would cost you approximately $933 dollars that you could have amassed through routine purchases like gas, groceries, work expenses, etc. I understand that Hong Kong isn’t Manila, but remember “Be Flexible”. After spending a calendar year, adding up the travel points, you can spend $100 for a roundtrip ticket from Hong Kong to Manila, taking a final account for taxes and fees, you could have spent as little as $200 for a round trip flight to the Philippines and if you’re willing to use miles and even spend a day sightseeing in Hong Kong. For more
Travel During The Offseason
Again, if you are not on a time constraint on exact dates to visit Manila, consider planning your vacation during the offseason which would be sometime between June and October. If you were to book a flight for September 2nd 2024, Google Flights is currently listing that price $136 dollars cheaper than usual for the average price of flying from Los Angeles to Manila. To put it into perspective, flying at the most popular season in 2024 can cost you about $1,412 while it might be as low as $850 if you booked during the off season. And don’t get me started if you were to book last minute for the 2023 holiday season which is as high as $2,400. Remember to plan ahead and book on time!
Book at the right time
Speaking of booking on time, the amount of time leading to your travel plays a huge part on how much you are spending (or saving). According to a 2021 study from CheapAir.com, there are specific times of the year that could yield cheaper airfares. Luckily for us, Asia has a relatively wider window where you can find good value. Let’s take a look at the best recommended times to book a reasonable airfare when traveling to Asia.
Prime Booking Window: 2.5 months to 6.5 months before departure
Best time to buy: Around 119 days out from your travel date
The average airfare: $1,643
Cheapest month to travel: February
Most expensive month to travel: June
Least expensive day of the week to fly: Tuesday, Wednesday
Seasonality: Winter travelers should be looking around 4.5 months out for the best deals, while spring travelers can find deals under 2 months in advance.
Set a Price Alert
Lastly, being aware of changes in prices is always the quickest way to pounce on a good deal. We are fortunate to live in an age of technology where we can set alerts to notify us when flights become cheaper. I have heard of other apps like Hopper or Expedia using this function, but again, I am more accustomed to Google Flights and would recommend using their price alert feature. As you do your research and set your parameters for your travel dates on Google Flights, on the toolbar page you would simply turn on the price tracking tool and you’re good to go. This way you can see how low your airfare can get in addition to seeing it rise and hopefully getting a good airfare before it’s too late.
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