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What is the Best Day to Buy Plane Tickets?

Feb. 03, 2011

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2 min read

What is the Best Day to Buy Plane Tickets?

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I get asked this question a lot and I'm not sure if I'm ever able to answer it correctly since airline fare pricing is fickle and you should never count on deals on a certain day.

However, that being said, one of the best deal I ever found was a Delta fire-sale on European flights, which came to $230 total round-trip, and that was on a Tuesday. In my unscientific experience, I've also noticed cheaper fares on Wednesdays.

By the way, I found the epic fare to Europe (which hundreds of people took advantage of) by setting a Travelocity FareWatcher Plus Alert for JFK-MAD. When the airline lowered the base fare below $300, I received an email. Normally they add so many taxes and fuel surcharges that it doesn't make the fare that special, but this time the fare actually stayed at $230, which got my adrenaline pumping as I quickly pulled out my credit card and started booking! I recommend setting FareWatcher Plus (click on the My Travelocity tab on the home screen) alerts for any city pairs you travel so you can get in on a deal before the masses. Airlines usually only release a certain number of seats for fare sales, so they are usually gone by Thursday/Friday.

My experiences seem to coincide with Scott McCartney's recent article on buying airfare in which he finds that fares are usually lower on Tuesday/Wednesday. This piece was pretty interesting and McCartney interviews some of the industry's top fare experts for their opinion.

I also get asked about the best day to book award tickets. Unfortunately, even with my practice with redeeming millions of miles, I don't think there is a specific day of the week that can be counted on over another. Airlines have become smarter about releasing award inventory, whereas back in the day, they'd release a bunch 11 months before a flight and then intermittently throughout the year. That can still happen, but the trend I've seen is for the airline to open up closer to departure when they have a better sense of their actual flight sales. Overall, buying airline tickets (whether revenue or award) is a cat and mouse game, but the better informed you are, the more value you can get out of the system.
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Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Pros

4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
Solid welcome bonus

Cons

Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits

You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
$120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
$84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
$100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
$120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
No Foreign Transaction Fees.
Annual Fee is $325.
Terms Apply.