How to get cheaper flight with a VPN

If you’re a frequent traveler, then you probably know how expensive flights can be. Their prices can vary based on where you’re based. This means that you can use a VPN to change your geographic location and get different prices.

By connecting to a server where flights are cheaper, you can get a pretty good deal. The best VPN for cheaper flight will spoof your IP address, making it appear as if you’re in a different location.

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the best 3 VPNs for changing the prices of your next flight. We’ve also explained how this VPN flight hack works in simple steps and what other ways you can use to get cheaper tickets.

Why do you see different flight prices?

The reason why you see different prices for flights is because of your location and your online profile. Generally speaking, if you’re based in a first-world country, you’re more likely to see higher prices. The cheapest country to book flights from is Thailand or India.

Here are some factors that influence flight prices:

• Browsing history and cookies – if you repeatedly search for the same route on the same browser, there’s a good chance you’ll see higher prices. This is because sites can track your online activities using cookies and they know what flight you’ve been searching for.
• Devices – sometimes, you’ll see different prices based on what device and browser you’re using. Mac users may sometimes end up paying more than Windows users, for example. This is why you should search for flights on different devices before making any decision.
• Time of booking – if you book your ticket in advance, you’ll easily find lower fares. Prices tend to surge closer to the date of departure.
• Other factors – there are many other factors that determine the prices of flight tickets, most of which we may not even know about. Some of these factors include: seasonality, demand, currency exchange rates, supply, and more.

Top 3 VPNs to get cheaper flight

Using the best VPN, you’ll be able to change your location in a matter of seconds and find cheaper airline flight. Here are our top 3 recommendations:

1. ExpressVPN – best VPN for finding cheaper flight in 2024
2. NordVPN – feature-packed VPN for saving on airline tickets
3. Private Internet Access – affordable VPN you can use to get cheap flights

Here’s a more detailed look at each of these VPNs:

1. ExpressVPN – best overall VPN to get cheap flights with in 2024

ExpressVPN

1

9.7

/10

Visit ExpressVPN

Pros & cons

• Find cheaper flights by connecting to servers from 105 countries
• Comes with many security features to keep your online traffic safe
• Has a minimalist UI

• Expensive

ExpressVPN is one of the most “global” VPNs on the market currently. With over 3000+ servers in 105 countries, you can easily find cheaper flights by changing your IP address. ExpressVPN can help you save up to $500 simply by connecting to a server based in a different region.

^{Using ExpressVPN to find cheaper flights.}

All the apps have the same minimalistic interface, which makes it easy to use them. To connect to a server, all you have to do is press the button in the center of the app. ExpressVPN comes with several features, including military-grade encryption, a kill switch, and split tunneling.

Compared to other top services, ExpressVPN is one of the cheapest monthly VPNs. Plans start from $4.99/month, and they all come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

2. NordVPN – feature-rich and secure VPN for finding cheaper flight

NordVPN

1

9.6

/10

Visit NordVPN

Pros & cons

• Lets you connect to over 6,800 servers to find cheap tickets
• Has a free 7-day trial version on Android devices
• Provides several advanced security features

• No trial version for iOS, Windows, and macOS

NordVPN also has 7,000+ servers in 113 countries. You can use it to find cheap airline tickets by connecting to servers in Montreal, New York, Manchester, and more. Moreover, it provides excellent security thanks to all the advanced features it comes with.

^{NordVPN on macOS.}

Some of its most prominent features include military-grade encryption, dark web monitoring, Onion over VPN connectivity, Double VPN servers. These features allow you to browse the web for cheap tickets while keeping your online traffic safe and secure.

NordVPN is also one of the best VPNs you can use for geo-blocking and watching content on sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

You can get NordVPN from $3.46/month. It also has a money-back guarantee of 30 days and offers a 7-day trial on Android.

3. Private Internet Access – budget-friendly VPN to get cheap airline tickets

PIA VPN

1

9.4

/10

Visit Private Internet Access

Pros & cons

• Cheapest VPN for finding cheap airline tickets
• Provides unlimited simultaneous connections
• Has a customizable app

• Located in the USA, a 5 Eyes country

Private Internet Access is a great option for those who want to save money on flights as well as VPNs. It has 30,000+ servers in 91 countries and a single plan can be used on any as many devices as you want. With this VPN, finding cheaper tickets should be a breeze!

^{Private Internet Access’s app in the menu bar of macOS.}

The app has a customizable dashboard, allowing you to change what you see on the main screen. It comes with several features, including a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and even a dedicated IP (albeit with an additional fee).

PIA has a free trial version on Android and iOS that lasts for 7 days. You can get the premium version from $2.03 per month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

How does a VPN help with finding cheaper flights?

VPNs help with finding cheap flights by altering your IP address, helping you browse the Internet from different locations.

They have two primary objectives: to mask your original IP address and to encrypt your online traffic. The former helps with finding cheaper tickets and the latter prevents sites and your ISP from finding out that you’re using a VPN.

^{How to use a VPN to find cheaper flights.}

Airlines adjust ticket prices based on your geographic location, which they determine with the help of your IP address (and sometimes the GPS on your phone). You can change your location with the help of a VPN. For example, if you’re based in New York and you connect to a server in London, any site you visit will see your location as London.

Geo-restriction isn’t limited to airline and travel sites. Many streaming sites do it, too. For example, you can get YouTube Premium cheaper with a VPN. In Turkey, you can get it for just  $1.90 per month, whereas in the USA, it’s $13.99 per month. This practice is called price discrimination.

The best way to bypass these geo-restrictions is to change your IP address with a premium VPN like ExpressVPN.

Cheapest country to book flights from with a VPN

To find the cheapest country to book flights from with a VPN, we recommend connecting to a server based in a country where the cost of living is low, like Thailand or India. You’ll have to experiment a little as flight prices tend to fluctuate. Here is a list of some countries you can book cheaper flights from:

• India
• Mexico
• Thailand
• Portugal
• Malaysia
• Sri Lanka
• Vietnam
• Colombia

Keep in mind that airfare depends on a multitude of factors. That’s why we recommend checking ticket prices in these countries regularly, so you can get the best deals. It’s best to use a VPN that has servers in a large number of locations, as that will allow you to check flight prices in several different countries. ExpressVPN has 3000+ servers in 105 countries, which means there are tons of places you can check for cheaper flight prices if you don’t find them in the above-mentioned list. 

Other ways to get cheaper flights

There are a couple of other ways you can find cheap flight tickets, and most of these methods don’t require you to pay any money. Here are a few options we recommend trying:

• Clear your browser’s settings – if you visit the same airline website multiple times, it’ll show you higher prices. These sites store your information and track your online activities, which means they can see that you’re in a hurry to buy a ticket. You can change this by clearing your browser’s settings (history, cache, and cookies).
  
  You can also just use incognito mode or a different browser to compare the prices.
  
  
   
• Consult a comparison website – Comparison sites like Skyscanner and Momondo are great at finding the cheapest flight tickets and hotel bookings. They scour the Internet to find the best flight options from various airlines and travel agencies, and then consolidate the results.
  
  
   
• Book in advance – booking in advance is one of the best ways to get a cheaper flight ticket. Many airlines sell a limited number of seats at lower fares months before the departure date. Just keep in mind that these sell out extremely fast, so you have to be quick.
• Use proxy – proxies are a bit like VPNs. They change your IP address to make it look like you’re in a different region. They’re not as safe, though, because they don’t encrypt your online traffic.

Can I use a free VPN to get cheap airline tickets

Yes, you can use a free VPN to get cheap flights, but you won’t have a lot of servers to connect to. Free VPNs have limited features and they only let users connect to 2-5 server locations.

To find cheaper tickets, it’s essential to have access to a large pool of servers so you can compare prices across various locations.

Another problem with free VPNs is that many of them show ads and sell your data to advertisers since they don’t have any other way to make money. They also don’t have unlimited data so you can’t use them all the time.

Proton VPN is a good option because it has many free servers in the USA but it has a small server fleet. We recommend checking out our list of best free VPNs to explore other options.

That being said, it’s much safer to use a premium VPN like ExpressVPN. It has 3000+ servers in 105 countries and unlimited data, so you can use it as much as you want.

Bottom line

Flight tickets can be expensive, but there are many strategies that can help you find more budget-friendly options. Airline sites usually determine ticket prices based on where you’re located and how often you’ve visited them. They use cookies and other methods to track your online activities.

A premium VPN, such as ExpressVPN, can help you find cheaper flights by changing your location. It’ll change your IP address and encrypt your online traffic, so airline sites can’t find out if you’re connected to a VPN server.

You can also give other methods a try if you’re not ready to spend money on a VPN. Clearing your cookies, booking in advance, and using incognito mode are some methods that may help you find cheaper flights.

But we recommend sticking to ExpressVPN as it has a 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you can request a refund if you’re not satisfied with the results.