TrekQuill · Flights
Updated June 2026Flight deals & error fares: how to catch a mistake fare
Every so often an airline accidentally sells a $2,000 flight for $200. Here’s how error fares and flash sales actually happen, how to hear about them first, and how to book one before it vanishes.
What are error fares and how do you find them?
An error fare (or mistake fare) is a flight accidentally priced far below normal — usually from a currency conversion slip, a missing fuel surcharge or a fare-loading mistake. They can be 50–90% off, but they’re rare and vanish within hours. The way to catch them is to let deal-alert services and price alerts watch for you, stay flexible on dates and destinations, and be ready to book the moment one drops.
Key takeaways
- Error fares are mistakes, not sales — they appear randomly and disappear fast, often within hours.
- Let alerts do the watching. Deal-alert services and price alerts find these far better than refreshing yourself.
- Flexibility is everything. The deal picks the destination and dates, not you.
- Book fast, book the flight only — don’t buy hotels or tours until the ticket is confirmed.
- Airlines don’t always honour mistakes, so treat it as a maybe until you’re ticketed.
What are error fares (and mistake fares)?
Error fares — also called mistake fares — are flights an airline or booking system prices far below what they meant to charge. They happen for a handful of predictable reasons: a currency conversion loaded wrong, a fuel surcharge left off, a human fat-fingering a price, or a system glitch during a fare update. The result is a genuine bargain of 50%, 70%, sometimes 90% off — a business-class seat to Asia for the price of an economy hop, or a transatlantic return for the cost of dinner.
They’re not the same as a flash sale, where an airline deliberately drops prices for a short window to fill seats. Both are worth grabbing, but error fares are unplanned, rarer and far cheaper — and because they’re mistakes, they can be pulled at any moment.
How to find flight deals and error fares
You won’t catch these by manually searching — they surface at odd hours and vanish before most people notice. The trick is to build a net that watches for you.
- Subscribe to deal-alert services. Free and paid services like Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights), Jack’s Flight Club, Secret Flying and Airfarewatchdog exist purely to spot error fares and flash sales from your home airports and email them to you.
- Set price alerts on your routes. A metasearch price alert pings you when a specific route drops, so a sudden crash in price lands in your inbox.
- Search flexibly. Use the whole-month and “everywhere” map views to spot anomalies — one destination priced far below the rest is often a mistake.
- Follow the deal, not the dream. The cheapest fares go to wherever the mistake is. If you’re open on destination, you’ll grab far more of them.
Verify and book the fare fast
When an alert lands, confirm the price yourself in a metasearch and jump straight to booking — error fares are measured in hours, not days. Comparing across sellers also shows you the cheapest way to lock it in.
Check flight pricesHow to book a mistake fare before it’s gone
Speed and a cool head win here. Once you’ve confirmed a fare is real, follow this order.
- Book immediately. Don’t sleep on it or ask around — mistake fares are often fixed within hours. If it’s real and the dates work, buy.
- Book the flight only. Do not book hotels, tours or connecting flights until your ticket is confirmed and ideally a few days have passed, in case the airline cancels.
- Don’t call the airline to “check”. Flagging the mistake can get it pulled faster. Just book through the normal channel.
- Pay with a card that protects you so that if the fare is cancelled, getting your money back is straightforward.
How to be ready for the next deal
The people who land error fares aren’t luckier — they’re readier. Set yourself up now and you can book in minutes when one appears.
- Deal alerts set for your home airports
- Price alerts on dream routes
- Passport valid 6+ months
- Flexible dates in mind
- A card ready with funds available
- A rough list of places you’d go
Deals aside, the everyday way to pay less is solid technique: see how to find cheap flights, the best time to book, and the best flight search sites for setting up those alerts.
How we know
The TrekQuill team has chased (and caught) its share of error fares over the years, and watched plenty vanish before we could book. The advice here reflects what actually works: outsource the watching to alert services, stay flexible, and move fast without booking anything non-refundable around an unconfirmed fare. Airline pricing and the rules on honouring mistakes vary by carrier and country, so treat this as practical guidance rather than a guarantee.
FAQ
Flight deals: quick answers
What is an error fare?
An error fare, or mistake fare, is a flight accidentally priced far below its intended cost — usually because of a currency conversion error, a missing fuel surcharge, or a fare-loading glitch. They can be 50–90% off normal prices but are rare and short-lived, often disappearing within hours of appearing.
How do I find error fares and flight deals?
The most reliable way is to subscribe to deal-alert services like Going, Jack’s Flight Club, Secret Flying or Airfarewatchdog, which watch for error fares and flash sales from your home airports. Add price alerts on your favourite routes in a metasearch, stay flexible on dates and destinations, and you’ll hear about the best deals as they happen.
Do airlines have to honour a mistake fare?
Not always. Airlines can cancel obvious pricing errors, and in many regions they’re permitted to as long as they refund you promptly rather than charging the correct fare. Some honour them for goodwill, but there’s no guarantee — so never book non-refundable hotels or connecting flights until your ticket is confirmed and a little time has passed.
How fast do I need to book an error fare?
As fast as you reasonably can — many error fares are corrected within a few hours of appearing. If you’ve confirmed the price is real and the dates work, book immediately through the normal channel. Don’t call the airline to check first, as flagging the mistake can get it pulled faster.
Are error fares and flash sales the same thing?
No. A flash sale is a deliberate, temporary price drop an airline runs to fill seats, so it’s advertised and reliable. An error fare is an unintentional mistake — rarer, usually much cheaper, and at risk of being cancelled. Both are worth grabbing, but flash sales are safe to plan around while error fares should be treated as unconfirmed until ticketed.
Is it worth paying for a flight deal alert service?
If you fly a few times a year and can be flexible, a paid tier from a service like Going or Jack’s Flight Club can pay for itself with a single deal, since they surface premium and error fares you’d otherwise miss. The free tiers are a great starting point — try those first, then upgrade if you’re catching deals but want more of them.
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Updated June 2026 · Some links on TrekQuill are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, which helps keep our guides free. Deal-alert services named above are mentioned for reference and are not affiliate links. Read our full disclosure.