Best Time to buy Airline Tickets and anything else. We don’t always think about it, but most items we purchase have a ‘season’… A time when they’re most popular, and therefore cost the most. Off season is the time when you’ll find the best prices on just about everything. And, for those things that don’t really have a season, like airline tickets, there’s a time range when the airfares will cost the least.
For the purposes of this blog post, we will focus on the best time to buy anything from a pricing perspective. That time is usually at the end of the season for that product. It’s pretty easy to guess when swimsuits will be available at the most discounted prices: at or near the end of summer. But what about sheets, tools, and electronics? Did you know those items also have a season? They do!
Also important to note is the fact that the time for best prices may not be the best time for you to buy… especially if you have a very specific product model you want to purchase. That’s because when you wait for the end of the season, supplies have dwindled, so what you want may be sold out. So, you have to make the judgement call on whether or not it’s worth it for you to purchase at a higher price in order to ensure you get exactly what you want … OR if you are willing to compromise and/or risk not getting exactly what you want in order to get a better deal on your purchase.
Best Time to Buy Airline Tickets
While there’s no definite season for airline tickets, there is a definite timeframe when airline tickets are most likely to be the lowest. As with everything else, you must decide if waiting for the lowest prices makes sense for you. For example, if you have a specific time you need to land in order to meet someone, waiting for a better price may not be as important as booking the exact flight you want.
Also, there’s a difference between the best time to buy airline tickets for Domestic travel and when to buy them for International travel. This is because international travel is typically planned for much further in advance than domestic travel. So, for domestic travel, the best prices on airline tickets will typically be between 37 and 87 days prior to departure. For international travel, the best prices will typically be between 67 days and 8 months prior to your departure date. The closer you get to your departure date, the lower the cost… UNTIL 37 days prior to departure (or 67 days prior to departure for international travel… after which time tickets will likely increase for ‘last-minute’ travelers, who expect to pay more.
Finally, another trick to purchasing the lowest cost airline tickets lies in the days you actually travel. Business travel is the bread and butter for most airlines. That’s the guaranteed travel for airlines. They don’t have to discount rates too much to attract business travel. And, since business travel typically departs Monday – Thursday and returns Tuesday – Friday, booking your departure Monday – Thursday AND your return flight for Sunday – Wednesday will typically save you hundreds of dollars per ticket.
Best Time to Buy Anything Else
The best time to by pretty much anything else is at or near the end of the season for that product. That seems pretty obvious, right? Well, it is IF you know the season for the products you want to buy. It’s pretty easy to figure out the season for clothing items. However, I was surprised to learn that things like sheets, tools, and electronics also have a season… or at least a best time to buy to get the lowest price.
Also, note that ‘end of season’ can vary by your location. for example, end of season for winter clothing in colder climates may be April, while in warm climates, it may be March. So, keep that in mind as you plan your end of season shopping.
Here’s a list I put together for myself a number of years ago, and still use to this day:
Sorted Alphabetically by Item
- Air conditioners July – September
- Air fryers December
- Air purifiers March
- Airline Tickets, domestic 37 – 87 days before departure.
- Airline Tickets, international 37 – 87 days before departure.
- ATVs/UTVs After major hunting seasons, usually December – January
- Auto supplies April
- Bakeware November
- Bath towels October – November
- Beach supplies July – August
- Bedding (sheets, etc.) January
- Blankets January
- Blenders May
- Cameras March
- Carpet Cleaners April
- Cars December
- Computers August
- Cookware January and October
- Dehumidifiers July
- Denim October
- Fall clothing October
- Fall/Winter Camping Gear/Supplies March – April
- Fitness equipment January
- Furniture February and November
- Garden supplies April
- Gift cards December
- Grills September
- Headphones August
- Holiday items January
- Home goods April – May
- Home Improvement Supplies June
- Home security December
- Homes October
- Hot Tubs September
- Humidifiers January
- Iphones, Ipads (previous generation) September
- Jewelry March
- Laptops July
- Lawn mowers September – February
- Leaf blowers April
- Luggage March
- Mattresses, including air mattresses May
- Multi-cookers December
- Office Supplies August
- Patio Furniture August – September
- Pet supplies January
- Picnic supplies July
- Pool Supplies September
- Refrigerators July
- Running shoes March
- RVs October
- Service lawn mowers (oil changes, blade sharpening, etc.) October – January
- Small appliances November
- Smartphones (non-Apple) March
- Smartwatches June
- Smoke detectors October
- Snow blowers August
- Space heaters February
- Sports Equipment (except Winter Sports) October
- Spring clothing May
- Spring outdoor gear June
- Spring/Summer Camping Gear/Supplies September – October
- Streaming devices November
- Summer clothing August
- Sunscreen June and September
- Swimming pools October – January
- Swimwear July
- Tax software February
- Team apparel March
- Thermostats October
- Tires April
- Tools June
- Toys December
- TVs November
- Vacuum cleaners March
- Video Games November
- Washers/dryers September
- Winter clothing February
- Winter sports equipment February – March