Lots of people who read travel blogs are those who are interested in the nitty-gritty of travel. They’re pros at getting the most frequent flyer miles or hotel points from credit cards. They can easily differentiate an Airbus from a Boeing with a quick glance (Psst! Here’s how!). They pride themselves on status, lounge access, etc.
And then there’s the rest of us.
I’ve said more than once that Joe is the points and miles person in the family. I’m happy to enjoy the fruits of his labor, and I’ve admittedly learned some travel stuff along the way, thanks to osmosis. But deep down inside I’m just a typical traveler, not any sort of frequent flying superstar.
So when my fellow “typical traveler” writes in and asks a question. I take it to heart. That’s what happened the other week, when one of our readers wrote in and asked:
“Is it better to book two one-way tickets or one round-trip ticket?”
Decades ago, it tended to be cheaper to book a round-trip flight nearly all the time. Options for flying also weren’t nearly as complicated as they are now, so round-trip tickets were just fine. That’s not the case anymore.
Generally speaking, it’s better to book two one-way tickets nowadays than one round-trip one. The general point of view is that if you have a round-trip reservation and need to make a change to one part of it – because the price changed, because you need an earlier/later flight after all, because the airline changed one leg and that gives you just cause to make your own changes, etc., it’s going to be easier to change just the one leg than the hassle of changing that and maintaining the other flight.
One-way flights are also good if you know exactly when you’re going to go somewhere but aren’t exactly sure when you’re going to come back (what day, what time, etc.). If there’s a sale, at least you can get the good price for one leg of the trip.
Except when…
No advice is ever 100% right 100% of the time. There are always caveats such as these:
International trip – If you’re booking an international trip, the country in question may require you to book a round-trip fare. That way they know you have plans to return back to your country of origin. Note: Some countries may be OK with just proof of a return trip, not necessarily a round trip ticket.
Good sales – There could be a good sale on a round-trip flight. If it works for you and the price is worth any of the potential hassles you may experience by booking an R/T ticket, go for it.
You’re skiplagging – Airlines don’t like skiplagging (just ask this guy!). When they’ve discovered you’ve skipped out on the second leg of your trip going in, you can be pretty sure they’re going to cancel your return leg of a R/T ticket (frankly, if you plan on skiplagging, I’d recommend flying out on one airline and back on another).
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6 comments
The answer is 2 one-ways for both revenue and award tickets. If one direction becomes cheaper or has a better schedule, the airlines will want to reprice all legs of a round trip ticket due to “married segment logic”. The days of round trip tickets being any cheaper are long gone.
” The days of round trip tickets being any cheaper are long gone.” Just not true. Transatlantic airfare is still often much cheaper RT than oneway. quick example, nonstops from EWR-ARN. One way econ price is over $2,000 any day on the schedule. Round trip the trip is almost always around $500.
Do keep in mind that if you fly Southwest, their systems allow you to change each segments flights (or even cancel one) on a RT ticket and it won’t effect the pricing on the other flight. I believe their systems are way ahead of other airlines in this area. Also, whereas Basic Economy tickets were always “use it or lose it all”, Delta allows you to cancel the ticket but there is a $99 fee, with the remainder going to your SkyMiles account as an eCredit. If you did this on 2 separate one-way tickets, the $99 would be charged for each ticket ($198 total).
I end up buying one way/RT out of necessity.
ANA requires RT for award redemptions. Usually it turns out I don’t depart and return to the same US airport, so I need two positioning flights I get as two one way’s.. even if they’re to the same airport I still get two one ways just in case something goes wrong with one or I use two different carriers depending on routing/timing.
Which country “may require you to book a round-trip fare” (i.e. a one-way fare out of the country is insufficient)?
Any Latin american country requires a return or onward ticket unless you are a resident. If denied entry the airline is responsible for return to origin.