Tip #1. Buy in advance, but not too much
On the Internet they advise buying tickets as early as possible, but this is not always a winning strategy. Our analysts are sure: air tickets for domestic flights must be purchased 45 days before departure, and for foreign flights – 60.
Why so? The fact is that airlines that set prices base their forecasts not only on seasonality, but also on demand. Moreover, the company takes last year’s data and then corrects it. Therefore, the price may decrease, for example, if the weather is unlucky this year and demand is lower.
But with train tickets, the tactics are different: it is better to buy them immediately after the start of sales. Railway tickets in Russia begin to be sold 90-120 days before the travel date (depending on the train), and the sooner you buy them, the better the price.
Tip #2. Check nearby dates
If your flights or transfers are not tied to specific dates, be sure to compare the cost of tickets with departures on neighboring days. The difference can be several thousand rubles.
In our experience, flights on Friday-Saturday are most often more expensive, but tickets on Monday or Tuesday are more profitable.
It’s easy to compare prices on OneTwoTrip: our calendar will show you on which days tickets are cheaper.
Tip #3. Look for another way
Tickets to the desired destination are expensive? Open the map and see if there is an opportunity to fly to a neighboring city. For example, you can fly Pobeda to Bergamo and go to Florence by train (or even rent a car and then drive around the surrounding area).
Another great option is to use European low-cost airlines that do not fly from Russia. For example, you can fly to Sicily from Moscow, or you can buy cheaper tickets to Rome, and from there look for a flight to Palermo or Catania. The total costs may be lower, it all depends on the dates and season.
Tip #4. Check train prices
Yes, yes, you want to go by plane. The train is a long time. But this is not always the case: for example, getting to countries neighboring Russia by train only takes a few hours longer than by plane, and the trip can be planned for the night: you board the train in the evening and get off at the station in the city center in the morning. However, train tickets are often cheaper.
By the way, when you calculate travel time, do not forget to add an hour and a half for the waiting time at the airport and a couple of hours for the road to the airport and then to the city.
You can also get to some cities by bus. In general, before purchasing, check all the options: air, train and buses.
Tip #5. Watch the price
If there is still time before departure, and you are not sure about the cost of tickets, sign up for notification of price changes. To do this, search on the website as usual, and then click on the “Watch price” button that appears above the search results. Enter your email and we will send you an email when the price changes.
You can sign up for tickets in advance for your future trips or dream trips to get an idea of the price level. This way you will know the average cost of a ticket and be able to recognize a big discount.
Tip #6. Accumulate bonuses with a special card
For every purchase at OneTwoTrip we award special bonuses – tripcoins. You can return up to 10% of the order value. 1 tripcoin = 1 ruble, and you can spend them on future travel: tickets, hotels and “Flight + hotel” packages.
The number of accrued tripcoins depends on the type of purchase (plane or train ticket, hotel room) and the place where it was made (in the mobile application we accrue more). You can receive up to 6% tripcoins if you pay for purchases with any bank card, and up to 10% if you get our loyalty card.
This is the arithmetic: the more often you travel, the cheaper your next trips.
Tip #7. Let’s be friends
In order not to miss a single cool discount or promotion, subscribe to our accounts on social networks. We are on Facebook, VKontakte and Instagram. We not only share interesting news and report on promotions, but sometimes we also organize competitions with prizes in the form of tickets or travel.
