Every so often, an airline accidentally publishes a fare that's dramatically lower than it should be. A $3,000 business class ticket to Tokyo shows up for $300. A $500 roundtrip to Europe appears for $150. These are mistake fares, and they're the holy grail of cheap travel.
How Do Mistake Fares Happen?
Most mistake fares come from one of these scenarios:
- Currency conversion errors — An airline prices a fare in the wrong currency (e.g., pricing in pounds instead of the local currency)
- Missing a digit — A $1,200 fare gets entered as $120
- Fuel surcharge glitches — The system drops the fuel surcharge, cutting the fare dramatically
- Route pricing errors — A connecting itinerary gets priced using the wrong segment fares
Do Airlines Have to Honor Them?
It depends. The U.S. Department of Transportation used to require airlines to honor all published fares, but that rule was relaxed. Now airlines can cancel mistake fare tickets, but most of the time they don't — especially if the ticket has already been issued. The general rule: if you get a confirmation email with a ticket number, you're probably safe.
How to Catch Mistake Fares
- Subscribe to deal alert services (like this one). We monitor fares around the clock and flag anything that looks unusually low.
- Follow flight deal accounts on social media. Mistake fares spread fast through the travel community.
- Be flexible. Mistake fares appear on random routes and random dates. You can't plan for them — you have to be ready to jump on them.
How to Book a Mistake Fare
- Book immediately. Don't wait, don't comparison shop, don't ask your friends. Book first.
- Book directly with the airline when possible — third-party sites sometimes catch and correct the error faster.
- Don't call the airline to ask about the fare or change anything. This draws attention to the error.
- Wait 2 weeks before making non-refundable plans (hotels, activities) in case the airline does cancel.
Our Best Mistake Fare Catches
We've sent subscribers deals like business class to Asia for under $500 and roundtrips to South America for under $100 from Tampa. These are rare, but when they happen, being subscribed is the difference between catching it and hearing about it the next day on Reddit.
Bottom line: You can't predict mistake fares, but you can be ready for them. Sign up, stay alert, and when one lands in your inbox — book it before it's gone.