The Skyscanner website has long been hailed as the best booking flights website. The robust search engine offers amazing features for travelers looking for the absolute best flight deals.

Our favorite feature is the Whole Month price comparison. If your travel dates are flexible (which is one of the hacks for cheap flights that we discuss in more detail later), rather than entering a specific date, the Whole Month calendar displays the cheapest price for every day of the month. You can even search by Cheapest Month (which is helpful if you know exactly where you want to go, but you are searching for the cheapest time to go to that destination).

Tips to booking cheap flights isn’t just about where you book or who you fly with. As a matter of fact, a few of our top tips on cheap flights are about gaming the system.

One of our best booking flights tips is to always (always, always) check the fare for two one-way tickets, rather than round trip. It takes just a minute or two to price compare booking multiple flights one way rather than roundtrip – and sometimes it can save you heaps of money.

With this method, how to get the cheapest flights may require you to fly (and buy tickets from) two separate airlines. With the right booking engine websites, however, it just takes a few clicks to find one-way airfare tickets for cheap.

Using this tip for how to trick airline websites by opting for one-way tickets has more benefits than just saving money. We also like booking one-way for the flexibility in trip planning; we can opt for the best flight times or choose to fly in one airport and out of another.

While we think flight websites are great for finding cheaper flights, sometimes the best online booking site for flights is the actual airline website. There are a few reasons why booking direct is one of our best tips for buying airline tickets.

First and foremost, flight search engines don’t always show all of the flights. As a matter of fact, some airlines – like Southwest – don’t appear in flight search engines. Other low-cost carriers in the US – like Allegiant and Spirit – don’t always display their best fares with flight booking engines. Plus, the booking sites for flights only show information based on what you enter – and they sometimes miss plane ticket combinations that would result in a lower fare. Therefore, it is essential to go directly to the airline websites to find the best deals.

Another reason why going directly to an airline website is one of our top tips when booking flights is that there are some benefits that only apply to direct bookings. The most advantageous is the 24-Hour Rule that applies to US flights. If you book directly with the airline at least seven days in advance of the flight, you are granted a 24-hour window in which you can cancel your plane ticket for free.

Other benefits of booking directly with the airline carrier is that if something does go wrong (like cancellations or delays), the actual airline can help get it sorted out and get you on your way. If you book through a third-party, you have to deal with them.

Bonus Cheap Flights Tip: On websites like Skyscanner and Google Flights, you are given the option to book directly with the carrier – and we recommend that you do (as long as there isn’t a big price difference). This way, you can still use the robust search engines, but reap the benefits of booking direct.

Another one of our best tips for getting cheap flights is to adjust your airport selection. In big cities – like New York City and Chicago, there are multiple airports. Often, it is cheaper to fly into smaller airports that are further away from the city center. Or, for that matter, you can fly into a different city altogether (like Oakland instead of San Francisco or Colorado Springs instead of Denver).

Be aware, however, that this can cut into your vacation time – especially if you just going somewhere for the weekend. On the flip side, flying into one airport and out of another can substantially increase your opportunity for experiences – like a fun road trip from San Francisco to LA, where you fly into SF and out of LA.

Also, if you are booking a route that requires connecting flights, we never recommend booking a flight into one airport and out of another – unless you have an extensive layover time and transport between the two airports is seamless. You will need to do the math to see what works best for your wallet, while still considering your trip experience.

Just like being open to what airport you fly into, being flexible with your dates and times for flights is another one of the tricks to get cheap flights.

Trying to book cheap flights around the holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas), school breaks (Spring Break and 3-Day Weekends) and major events (Mardi Gras and Superbowl) can be tough – if not impossible.

Certain days of the week – like Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays are in high demand by business travelers, which makes those days more expensive, too. Typically, the cheapest days to fly are usually Tuesday and Wednesdays.

In addition to booking travel mid-week, another one of the tips to get cheap flights is to fly during the shoulder season, which in most cases is in the spring and autumn.

Travelers can also score a cheap ticket for flights by taking early morning or late-night flights. The first flights of the day – at 6am or sometimes earlier – are often the least desirable, thus the cheapest flights. Late night flights – and overnight red-eye flights – can also come at a bargain.

In our experience, booking the cheapest flights happens when tickets are booked a couple of months in advance of the trip.

One of the little-known tips for buying airline tickets is to ask for applicable discounts.

Many large employers offer discounts on certain airlines – travelers just need to inquire with their HR representative to find out if there are any such flight deals. Furthermore, most US carriers, like American Airlines, offer a small discount to college students.

While the discount is usually a small percentage and the flight will need to be booked directly with the airline, all you need to do to get the cheaper airfare is ask!

If you or your family is or was in the Military see this article for more information on obtaining a Military Discount from many major airlines.