The idea behind using a VPN to get cheaper plane tickets is simple. Local airlines often offer discounts for residents—so you spoof your location to make yourself look like a local resident, and unlock those sweet deals. No-brainer, right? Well, it used to work that way, but airlines, credit card companies, and banks have cracked down on the whole process, and use a variety of factors to make sure people looking at the same flights, regardless of where they seem to be from, get largely the same information.
Are there any workarounds? Or can you save even a few bucks by using a VPN to book a flight? I decided there’s no better way than to find out than by putting it to the test.
Using a VPN to Find Cheaper Flights
To compare ticket prices, I went to Google Flights, Kayak, Momondo, and Skyscanner to find the best deals. I first searched the catalogs without a VPN connection to get a baseline price for a set date range. To mitigate fluctuation, all tests were conducted on the same day during the same time period.
(Credit: PCMag/Google )
Next, I searched for these same travel plans while connected to a selection of VPNs in over a dozen regions such as Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, and the UK.
(Credit: PCMag/Google)
Google Flights offers the best visual comparison of flight prices and times, so I decided to use it for the images above. After converting the prices back to USD, the majority of figures were either exactly the same or within a small percentage point of the original price. The verdict: Using a VPN did not help me find a cheaper flight.
The Dangers of Using a VPN to Book Cheaper Flights
A discounted rate can still happen to slip through the cracks, but your purchase may get flagged by the service provider or your bank if they notice something unusual about your location versus the flight you’re trying to book, and you might see that charge bounce back if it looks like you’re trying to game the system.
Even if your bank doesn’t block the purchase, there are other issues to contend with. Your ticket information will be in the language of the country you ordered it from. Auto-translation can help, but you’re placing faith in the technology to work accurately. You might arrive at the airport only to find that some detail on the ticket doesn’t match your booking record exactly, which could be reason enough to bar you from the flight. The discrepancy in your purchasing location could get flagged as well, potentially leading to a canceled ticket weeks or days before your flight. Having to rebook closer to the event negates any savings you may have gotten by using a VPN.
Get Our Best Stories!
Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
How Do Sites Know Your Location?
Beyond what you willingly disclose, many sites use cookies and trackers to get a gauge of your browsing habits. These don’t vanish when you’re using a VPN. Whenever you see that pop-up asking you to hit “accept all,” you’re giving sites and advertisers permission to keep tabs on you. You can mitigate this with a standalone ad blocker and by using your browser’s built-in privacy tools. Buying a ticket on a mobile device makes trackers even harder to dodge, since apps and sites will often use your GPS location to tailor prices and services based on your exact location.
The Best VPNs We’ve Tested
The bottom line: Even with a VPN, successfully avoiding detection is tough. The task becomes nearly impossible when the purchase requires disclosing your identity, location, and payment information.
Recommended by Our Editors
How to Actually Get Cheap Airline Tickets
Now, I’m not a travel writer, but from experience, I know that patience and flexibility will land you the best prices. Booking last-second, regardless of platform or VPN, is going to result in high prices. It’s not always possible to be flexible with your travel dates, but having some wiggle room will go a long way. Prices can fluctuate by hundreds of dollars between adjacent dates, simply due to supply and demand. Some other easy ways to cut down on cost:
-
Check ticket prices to different cities and airports near your destination
-
Travel light and try not to check bags (to avoid additional fees)
-
Opt for budget airlines
-
Pick flights with long layovers
A good way to start deal hunting is to set a price alert on a few ticket aggregator sites for your prospective dates. I usually set a handful of these alerts a few days in either direction. You’ll receive an email the moment the price drops, so make sure you’re actually ready to buy once you get that ping. Ultimately, you’re trading the convenience of an instant purchase for a lower price with some legwork involved. It’s going to take checking alerts, adjusting dates, and scouring aggregator sites to get the best ticket possible.
Aside from aggregator sites, you can try your luck with a subscription-based site like Going.com (previously known as Scott’s Cheap Flights). This site does all of the hard work of hunting a deal down for you by automating many of those tasks based on your itinerary, but a membership costs $49 per year to alert you to international economy flights and $199 per year for anything higher class. (Though there is a free tier for economy domestic flights in the US.) It’s likely not going to pay for itself if you fly only once a year, but it could be a good investment if you’re a frequent flyer.
About Justyn Newman
Senior Security Analyst
