You might feel victorious when you click to reserve the cheapest flight in the search results, you might be celebrating too soon. Sometimes, you really do win. But, if your flight is the cheapest option, the odds are that what you paid is just the beginning of what you’ll really owe. For many, the difficult realization is that the gap will close faster than they expect.
Baggage is the obvious one, and still catches people out
For many budget airlines, the cheapest flight paid for the easiest way to unbundle all the additional costs, and the first thing to go was any checked baggage. If you bought a checked bag for your week-long trip and your partners, you might have already spent the price of a more expensive flight before you even left for the airport. You probably won’t be surprised to hear this, but you might be surprised to learn that checked baggage is disclosed. The baggage price will probably be less than the total fare, and you’ll be so focused on the fare that you might miss the baggage price.
This is also the same for prioritized seat selection, priority boarding, and a “free” carry-on that actually is the size of a small smart phone. These add-on costs will never be hidden from you, but are so cheap, you might ignore them. When you book a budget flight, you’re also paying for a couple of extra flights.
Different Jobs, Same Cost at Different Airports
The cheapest tickets may land at airports more than an hour from your destination, while a more expensive ticket could land 20 minutes away. Considering a transfer, the “better deal” may be your cheapest arrival option after a taxi or longer coach transfer, and you’re losing time.
Valuing Your Time Differently, with Time as a Trade
The 5 a.m. or midnight flights often have the biggest savings. If you feel the need to take an unsociable flight, the savings may be worth the trade for the loss of your entire first evening or at least the first morning of the trip (assuming the loss is actually worth the savings and you’re not just thinking that the cheapest option always means the best value). The flights may cost more in time than the savings are worth.
Currency Conversion and Card Fees
Your card may charge a fee for every foreign transaction, making the costs of your trip more than the flight. Saving on a flight at the cost of losing time may be the best value, but switching to a card that doesn’t charge fees for foreign transactions may help you save even more.
Car hire has a similar added cost. The base cost for the car hire shown along with the flight excludes insurance excess cover, which can considerably add to the final cost if you chose to either risk it and pay for it yourself later, or arrange cover beforehand. Booking excess insurance beforehand, rather than at the counter, is usually the cheaper option.
What to Compare
Real comparisons can only be made when you add up the total costs of each option… flights, baggage fees, transfers, and the card you’ll be paying with in the destination. This takes a little more time and, in fact, may change the preferred option in the end.
The Bottom Line
Finding the cheapest flight and cheapest holiday are not the same, and is one of the many ways for people to pay more than they should. Always add it all up before you book, not just the first number the search engine provides.