Many of us dream of soaring through the skies in style, nestled in the plush comfort of a business class seat. But the price tag often throws a wrench in our travel plans, with business class tickets costing a hefty five to ten times more than their economy counterparts. That’s why our ears perked up when we stumbled upon a viral hack promising business class tickets for the same price as – or even less than – economy flights.
The Facebook post, shared by British photojournalist and camera operator Cameron Stewart, detailed his supposed success. He claimed to have used a VPN and changed his internet browser’s language settings from English to Spanish while booking a flight from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island. This simple tweak, he asserted, tricked the airline’s website into thinking he was already in Chile, granting him access to discounted business class fares. While he needed Google Translate to navigate the Spanish-language booking process, Cameron ultimately snagged business class seats for less than what he was quoted for economy.
Though years have passed since Cameron first shared his tip, it continues to circulate online as a money-saving success story. Unfortunately, we have to burst the bubble – the outcome Cameron experienced was likely just a lucky fluke. Attempting this trick in 2024 will only waste your time.
Nicky Kelvin, editor at large at travel advice website The Points Guy, clarifies for Metro.co.uk: “Unfortunately, “hacks” like this really don’t have an impact in any significant or consistent way. Airline prices are constantly fluctuating, so similar tricks like browsing with your VPN or clearing your cookies is unlikely to impact price.” Airlines have caught on to most of the glitches savvy travelers have exploited over the years. While flight prices do fluctuate, these changes are primarily driven by market factors.
“You’re more likely to save money depending on when your flights are and whether they are at times of more or less demand both in terms of day, time and season,” Nicky advises. He recommends traveling outside of peak seasons (Tuesdays and Wednesdays typically have the lowest demand) and enabling notifications for your desired route on flight search engines like Google Flights. This way, you’ll be alerted to any price drops or good deals – and act fast because they tend to disappear quickly!
Real Strategies for Scoring Cheap Business Class Flights
While the VPN trick might be a bust, there are legitimate ways to slash the cost of business class flights. Aside from utilizing accumulated points or miles to offset the additional expense, Nicky recommends considering flights from other European airports instead of London.
He explains: “If you’re flying to New York, for example, sometimes you can find incredibly cheap business-class flights from cities like Dublin, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam – easy cities to get to from London.”
Another clever tactic is to take advantage of airline shopping portals to earn points towards future flights. Nicky elaborates: “British Airways and Virgin both have shopping portals… all online retailers are on there, and you just click through to your retailer then make your purchase as usual. It tracks in the background and you get paid lots of points on your purchase – the multiple is huge, especially combined with the points you might earn by paying for your purchase on a rewards credit card.”
So, while the viral VPN trick might not be the shortcut to business class luxury, these proven strategies can help you rack up enough points for a more affordable upgrade. It may not be as instantaneous as Cameron’s supposed method, but it’s a reliable way to inch closer to those coveted business class seats.
