Express & Star

Does using a VPN really get you cheaper flights? Here’s what we found

Travel influencers claim a VPN gets you cheaper flights. We tested the viral TikTok hack to see if it really works.

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VPN flight booking has become a hot topic on social network site TikTok with travel influencers suggesting using one will mean cheaper flights.

The reasoning is that using a VPN blocks the flight booking website from tracking your previous searches. This prevents the site from bumping up the price of flights because it knows you have previously been looking for a trip on those dates.

In reality unless you are trying to book flights that are only on offer in certain countries using a VPN does not actually impact the price of flights. Usually the prices are influenced by demand and availability of seats and a VPN will not help you secure lower prices.

We tested this theory on flights from Manchester, Birmingham and London Heathrow airports to destinations in Spain, USA and Dubai and found no difference between the price with or without a VPN.

However, that does not mean a VPN will not save you money on travel. There are ways to get money of hotels, attractions and package holidays by using the VPN trick and you can get one here.

Disney Paris and Disneyland Florida are great examples. You can often get cheaper hotel stays and discounted passes if you use a VPN to set your location to the local region, potentially saving you hundreds on a trip to the theme parks.

Using a VPN you can visit the French version of the Disney Paris website and save money on your stay and the trick works for hundreds of hotels and attractions around the world. 

The trick works for major booking sites such as Booking.com, where going to the local version of the site can often lead to lower priced hotel rooms. 

How does it work?

A VPN is a service you pay for on a small monthly subscription or a yearly payment. It allows you to mask where your internet access is located and connect from different locations around the world.

It is a secure, encrypted connection and is used for extra security. It helps to prevent your internet connection from being hacked but it also has other benefits.

The ability to connect from different regions means you can access services that may not be available in your own. For example, people may use a VPN to view Netflix programmes that are only available in other regions. It is completely legal to use a VPN.

You can sign up for a VPN here.