How to use a VPN for cheaper flights in 2025

Your location can heavily influence flight prices, as airlines use dynamic pricing based on IP addresses, demand, and browsing history. That’s why I recommend using a VPN to book flights. With a reliable provider, you can change your virtual location and find lower fares.

Based on my research, flight prices vary by country. Turkey, Mexico, and India are among the cheaper countries to book flights from, with economy fares 10-40% lower and premium cabins 5-20% cheaper than in high-income nations.

If you’re wondering how to use a VPN to get cheaper flights, my guide covers the ways you can bypass airline price discrimination. Alongside Cybernews’ in-house research team, I reviewed 41 VPN providers to find the best VPN for cheaper flights, with NordVPN and Surfshark ranking the highest.

Best VPNs to get cheaper flights in 2025

1. NordVPN – overall best VPN for cheaper flights
2. Surfshark – reliable VPN to book flights
3. Proton VPN – excellent VPN with servers in the cheapest countries

Cheapest country to book flights from with a VPN

Together with the research team, I reviewed 41 VPN providers and connected to servers in various countries to score cheaper flights. In the end, we found 9 cheaper countries to book flights from with a VPN.

Below is a table showing which country is most likely to offer cheaper flight tickets and the number of servers each provider on my list has in that specific region as of February 2025.

Cheapest flight countries	Probability of getting cheaper flight tickets	Amount of NordVPN servers in the country	Amount of Surfshark servers in the country	Amount of Proton VPN servers in the country
Mexico	High	56	14	76
Thailand	High	12	20	36
Malaysia	Medium	10	8	36
India	Very high	27	48	30
Sri Lanka	High	2	4	52
Indonesia	Very high	10	10	20
Philippines	High	6	10	12
Colombia	High	10	16	28
Ecuador	High	2	4	8

According to my research and thorough testing, cheaper flight ticket prices often depend on airlines offering special deals or rates to their home market. Airlines typically provide lower fares to customers booking from their home country due to local promotions, government subsidies, or loyalty incentives.

For greater savings, I recommend monitoring airline promotions and comparing fare types, as different booking methods and additional fees can influence the final price. Prices may also be lower in the destination country, as airlines adjust fares based on local demand and economic conditions. Additionally, low-demand routes tend to be more affordable.

My research also revealed that booking tickets in advance generally leads to better deals, with the ideal window being 6-8 weeks before departure. In contrast, last-minute tickets are usually more expensive.

Mid-week or off-peak flights are often cheaper than weekend or peak-hour departures. Lastly, currency exchange rates can impact ticket prices, so booking from a country with a favorable exchange rate can further reduce costs.

Airlines often use advanced technology to detect VPNs, sometimes blocking transactions or adjusting prices. That’s why choosing a trusted VPN provider and following the correct method to get cheaper flights is essential.

How to use a VPN to get cheaper flights

1. Pick a VPN with a global fleet of servers. I recommend NordVPN, now 76% OFF
2. Download and open the VPN on your device
3. Pick a server and search for your flight (try servers in Mexico, India, Thailand)
4. Check and note the flight’s prices, and then clear your cookies
5. Repeat this process with servers in different countries until you find the cheapest country to book a flight from
6. Choose the server with the cheapest flight and book your ticket

• Note: According to my tests, NordVPN’s cheapest plan (Basic) is powerful enough to find the cheapest flights and save you money on flight tickets.

Best VPNs for cheaper flights – detailed list

To change the IP address for cheaper flights, you need a trustworthy VPN with the right attributes. However, choosing the best VPN to book for cheap flights might seem daunting, considering the number of VPN providers on the market.

This is why I reviewed over 41 VPN services and came up with the top 3 VPNs for cheaper flights. I then ranked them based on their performance, consistent ability to get cheaper flights, and additional features for improved undetectability.

1. NordVPN – best VPN to get cheaper flights in 2025

Servers/countries:	7800+ servers in 118 countries
Based in:	Panama
Compatible with:	Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Current deal:	Get 76% OFF NordVPN + free eSIM data

Get cheaper flights with NordVPN

NordVPN is the best VPN to find the cheapest countries to book flights from because of its extensive network of over 7800 servers in 118 countries. In addition, it’s one of the speediest VPN providers on the market, thanks to its NordLynx protocol.

In my tests, NordVPN easily found better flight deals when I connected to a US server looking for a flight from New York to Nairobi. In addition to finding cheap flights, I liked that NordVPN also added extra security to my connection. This is especially important if you plan on traveling to highly restricted countries like China or Russia.

NordVPN subscriptions start at $3.39/month (2-year plan). Also, NordVPN pros include its 7-day free trial or 30-day money-back guarantee to see whether the service is right for you before committing to a long-term plan.

2. Surfshark – fast VPN to get cheaper flights

Servers/countries	3200+ servers in 100 countries
Based in:	The Netherlands
Compatible with:	Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Current deal:	Now up to 86% OFF Surfshark + 3 months FREE

Get cheaper flights with Surfshark

With 3200+ servers spanning 100 countries, Surfshark is a great choice to search global markets and find the cheapest country to book flights from. In addition, Surfshark is perfect for protecting you from cyberthreats when traveling and using public Wi-Fi.

By using Surfshark to change my IP address to one in Thailand, I could find cheaper flights from São Paulo to Miami. I also appreciated Surfshark’s CleanWeb feature, which blocked trackers while browsing, so booking sites couldn’t raise the prices when I revisited them. Moreover, as noted in our Surfshark review, the interface was easy to navigate, making it ideal for beginners and less tech-savvy users.

With prices starting at $3.39/month (2-year plan) for premium subscriptions, Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections. That means you can share your account with family and friends to help them score cheaper flights as well. Surfshark also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 7-day free trial to test its services first.

3. Proton VPN – VPN with servers in low-income countries for cheap flight tickets

Servers/countries:	13300+ servers in 117 countries
Based in:	Switzerland
Compatible with:	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Current deal:	Get up to 64% OFF Proton VPN

Visit Proton VPN

Proton VPN is excellent for getting cheap flight tickets with an extensive server network of 13300+ servers across 117 countries. The infrastructure includes locations in India, Ecuador, Mexico, and Thailand, where the probability of scoring cheap flight tickets is high, making it ideal for finding the best deals.

Moreover, key Proton VPN features include NetShield, which blocks ads and trackers – perfect for searching ticket prices without triggering dynamic pricing spiking.

I put Proton VPN to the test to book cheaper flights. I was quickly connected to a server in Sri Lanka, as my research indicated it is a great location for more affordable fares. With Proton VPN, I could find cheaper flights from Manila to Cape Town.

Proton VPN’s premium plans start at $3.59/month (2-year plan). While it does offer a free version, it limits access to servers in 5 countries (the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, Poland, and the US), where finding discounted fares is unlikely. Therefore, I recommend subscribing to the premium version for the best results. If it doesn’t work out, you can always take advantage of Proton VPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

What causes different flight prices?

The price you see when you search for a flight is determined by several behind-the-scenes factors. Here are a few of the main influences that cause different flight prices:

• Destination popularity. The popularity of destinations can vary between countries due to geographical, political, or cultural reasons. The bigger the demand, the pricier the flights.
• Your location. The same flight can have different prices depending on the market. Generally, you might find more expensive price tags for flights while browsing from a wealthier country.
• The airline’s location. Individual airlines sometimes offer more favorable pricing to the market in their home country. If you want to book with a specific airline, check to see where its headquarters are and use your VPN to connect to that country.
• Dynamic pricing. The prices airlines show to different customers are based on what they know about these customers, their past purchases, and how much they’re willing to pay for a ticket.
• Your online activity. If you ever searched for a flight two days in a row and found that the price increased, your cookies may cause flight prices to go up. This is because travel search engines and airlines aim to instill urgency and get you to purchase your seat as soon as possible.
• Seasons and holidays. It’s no surprise that flying around Christmas and other high-traffic holidays is more expensive. Tickets to vacation destinations may be at a peak in summer when demand is higher.
• Currency fluctuations. The value of currencies changes due to economic factors, impacting flight prices. If your currency is strong, you might pay less for a flight in a country with a weaker currency, and vice versa. Watching exchange rates can help you find cheaper flights at the right time.

How to get cheaper flights with a VPN

To test whether a VPN could get cheaper flight tickets, I used the Skyscanner platform to compare prices for a one-way flight from New York to Bali. I chose NordVPN since it’s the best VPN for cheaper flight tickets due to its vast network of over 7800 servers in 118 countries. For my experiment, I connected to servers in the US and Indonesia to observe any variations in pricing.

Here is the method I used to get cheaper flights with a VPN:

1. I first checked the flight prices on Skyscanner without using a VPN to establish a baseline
2. I downloaded NordVPN and connected to servers in the US and Indonesia
3. Using the same flight search on Skyscanner, I recorded prices from both server locations. Using the Indonesian server, the cheapest ticket was approximately $512 (converted from Rp7,750,900). Using the US server, the cheapest ticket came in at $568
4. I regularly cleared cookies, cache, and browsing history to ensure previous searches didn't influence the results. Alternatively, using incognito mode can also help achieve clean results
5. You can now enjoy cheaper travel

However, despite these positive results, there are more tips and things to consider before trying this method:

• Choosing a VPN server in a developing country, the destination country, or the airline’s home country can help reduce flight prices
• If prices increase at checkout, using virtual cards instead of country-based cards can prevent this

Get cheaper plane tickets with NordVPN

Keep in mind that airlines are getting better at spotting this strategy, so finding lower prices may be more challenging and not always guaranteed. Success in getting cheaper flights with a VPN can vary, depending on the airline's pricing tactics and your server choice.

How do websites determine your location

As flight prices highly depend on your location, it is important to know how booking sites determine it. Below, you can find key factors websites take into account when determining where you’re browsing from. Knowing this, you can take specific actions to hide your true location.

1. IP address

Your unique IP address stores your location. Therefore, booking websites can determine your location and track your actions. This way, they can increase the prices, knowing you’ve been continuously searching for the same flight.

2. Cookies

Websites use cookies to track different information – from the date and time of your visits to your IP address. Sites analyze this data to personalize the information you see. Cookies may contribute to the increased prices due to information they store on how many times you searched for a particular flight.

3. Wi-Fi

Google can see the location of your Wi-Fi hotspot. This allows them to match the Wi-Fi router SSID to a geographic location. Therefore, travel sites can track your location by checking your Wi-Fi connection.

4. Mobile tracking

When you browse on your mobile, websites can see your exact GPS location. Unless you turn the location services off on your device, websites will show you prices depending on your actual location.

5. Browser HTML5 geolocation

Most browsers have the HTML5 geolocation feature, which can tell very precise details of your location. This can only be overcome with a VPN.

6. Your payment information

When you enter your payment details, the website can know where your card comes from. For example, if you use a US-based credit card, you might see prices jump back up to those common in the US, even if you're using a VPN to show a different country. Use a payment method from the same country as your VPN to keep the lower prices you found.

Cheapest ways to book flights

If you’re wondering what other hacks can help you get the cheapest flight possible, here are a few things you can try with or without your VPN to get the best deal on your next trip.

1. Use a VPN

The first and most trustworthy method is to use a robust VPN, such as NordVPN. A VPN is a private network that can help you avoid inflated prices on booking sites. By utilizing a VPN, you hide the data that airline ticket operators use to customize your ticket cost.

A VPN not only hides your IP address, but also encrypts your traffic which precludes third parties from accessing your data or seeing your activity online. Thus, it can help you avoid targeted marketing.

Lastly, a VPN allows you to log on via US, Brazilian, or other servers, which might modify the price and offer better deals than other countries.

2. Clear cookies, history, and cache

On some occasions, the fare is higher after visiting the website several times. This is due to the fact that ticket operators analyze and store information about you and your browsing habits. In turn, prices skyrocket. However, there’s a quick and easy solution: you can just clear your cookies, browsing history, and cache.

Clearing your cookies will prevent the website from observing your habits, tracking your location, and raising their prices. You can even use Incognito mode – that way, the browser will not store your preferences, and there will be nothing for the operators to analyze.

3. Wait for Black Friday flight deals or other airline sales

Keep an eye out for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Travel Tuesday flight deals. Major airlines such as Southwest, Delta, SAS, British Airways, Iberia, and Ryanair often offer exclusive discounts during these sales events.

To stay informed, monitor airlines and travel platforms leading up to the events and sign up for newsletters and alerts. Be cautious with excessive price checking, and consider using a VPN to mask your activities for potentially better deals – try different locations for different destinations.

You can also get Black Friday VPN deals to save extra on your VPN subscription as well.

4. Use a flight comparison tool

There are plenty of sites out there designed to help you research and purchase flight tickets. Sites like Skyscanner, Momondo, CheapOAir, Skiplagged, Priceline, Kayak, or Google Flights can help you with pre-booking research. By simply putting in your travel dates and destination, you can see a list of available flights. Then, you can easily compare prices, layover times, the number of stops, and other flight-related details.

Using a flight comparison site can help you choose which airline has the best route for your trip and which days or times can get you the best deal. You can make purchases directly on some of these sites, while others direct you to the airline’s official website to make your purchase.

These sites often show the cheapest flying dates in a calendar view. To save on plane tickets, consider traveling during less popular times, such as early mornings, late nights, weekdays, and off-peak seasons. These periods typically offer lower prices compared to popular travel times like weekends or holidays.

While there are many sites to choose from, exercise caution before making your final purchase. If you buy your ticket from a third-party site offering a low price, keep in mind you’ll need to deal with this third party if any problem arises with the flight.

5. Check for error fares

Errors happen even in the most calculated environments, and ticket pricing is no exception. Error fares is one of many options to get cheap flight tickets, as many booking sites and airlines sometimes offer very low prices either due to human or automation errors.

However, such deals expire or are sold out quickly, so you should hurry up and seize the moment. Sites like Secret Flying, Jack’s Flight Club, or Fly4Free provide an advantage by tracking error fares and can help you find exclusive deals. Bookmark these sites so you don’t forget the next time you want a workation in Bali.

6. Use airline loopholes

Some of the best tricks that can help you save money come from understanding the system and using it to your advantage.

Here are some ways you can hack the system:

• Hidden city. If you buy a ticket to a different city or country with a layover in your destination, sometimes it might be cheaper to buy the full trip and just not board the layover flight. However, such plane dodging can sometimes incur fines, so be sure to check the terms of your contract.
• Throwaway tickets. In some cases, a roundtrip ticket costs less than a one-way ticket. However, if you plan for your stay to be longer than the roundtrip ticket allows, just throw away your return flight ticket and enjoy your vacation. Flyers frequently do not board planes, so it’s almost impossible for airlines to penalize them. However, check the terms just to be sure.

What to do if you can’t find cheap flights with a VPN

If you’ve run into unexpected issues while using a VPN for cheaper flights, there are a few common troubleshooting options you should try.

Here are a few examples of issues you might be experiencing:

• Your real location and IP address are visible
• Your browsing history and interest in the airline are visible
• Your device is running on out-of-date software
• You’re not using a reliable and trustworthy VPN

Luckily, you can solve many of these issues on your own. Not sure what to do? Try some of these common solutions:

• Clear the cookies, cache, and browser history
• Connect to another server
• Update and restart your device
• Upgrade to one of our recommended VPNs
• Reach out to your VPN’s customer support team

Does a free VPN work for booking flights cheaper?

Yes, free VPNs work for booking cheap flights, but I don't recommend using them when searching for a cheap flight or any other occasion. Free VPNs may leak private information due to a lack of security features. If your VPN can’t keep your online data private, it might cause ticket prices to rise as your interest in a particular airline is recorded in your cookies. Moreover, free-of-cost VPNs come with small server fleets, resulting in a poor flight direction selection.

To get full access to a VPN service, you can always take advantage of free trials and money-back guarantees. Most premium VPN services allow you to test the services risk-free for over a month, so you get heaps of time to find cheaper flight tickets.

Here’s a quick overview of the free trials available from our recommended providers:

• NordVPN – try out the service using a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. After that, the pricing starts from only $3.39/month
• Surfshark – snatch a 7-day free trial, combine it with a month-long money-back guarantee, and enjoy this top-notch VPN for free for 37 days. The starting price is $2.19/month

Try NordVPN for free

How to book cheaper flights with a VPN – video guide

Check out the video guide the Cybernews team prepared explaining how to find cheap flights with a VPN so you can get the best deals:

Is it legal to buy flights with a VPN?

Yes, it’s perfectly legal to book flights with a VPN or do any other online shopping, for that matter. There are no specific statements against using a VPN unless stated otherwise on the booking site.

However, make sure to always use a reputable VPN service like NordVPN to keep your connection secure. This is especially crucial if you’re looking for cheaper fares from a country with restricted internet usage, like China or Iran.

Final thoughts

Flight ticket prices vary between locations due to market differences and currency fluctuations. Therefore, a powerful VPN to mask your location can help you find the best deal for your next trip.

To ensure your online activity is properly encrypted, I recommend NordVPN, which is undoubtedly the best VPN for cheaper flights. You can research prices using 7800+ servers in 118 countries until you find the lowest price for your trip. When you travel to your destination, NordVPN is just as helpful as it protects your online data while using a public or other network.

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