Mistake fares -- also called error fares or fat-finger fares -- are pricing errors by airlines or OTAs that result in dramatically discounted tickets. We are talking $200 business class to Europe, $400 round trip to Asia, or $50 domestic flights that normally cost $500+. They are rare, unpredictable, and sometimes too good to pass up.
How Mistake Fares Happen
- Currency conversion errors: An airline prices a fare in the wrong currency (e.g., GBP instead of USD), making it 30-50% cheaper.
- Missing a digit: A fare filed as $230 instead of $2,300.
- Fuel surcharge glitches: The surcharge drops to $0 on certain routings, making premium cabins affordable.
- OTA errors: Third-party sites sometimes display wrong prices due to caching or feed errors.
Do Airlines Honor Mistake Fares?
| Scenario | Likelihood of Honoring |
|---|---|
| Small discount (20-40% off) | Very high -- airlines rarely cancel these |
| Moderate discount (50-70% off) | High -- most are honored, especially if ticketed |
| Extreme discount (80-95% off) | Moderate -- depends on airline and number of bookings |
| Free or near-free tickets | Low -- airlines almost always cancel these |
How to Maximize Your Chances
- Book immediately. Mistake fares last hours, sometimes minutes. Do not comparison shop.
- Do not call the airline. Drawing attention to the error increases the chance of cancellation.
- Wait 2 weeks before booking non-refundable hotels. Airlines typically cancel within 1-2 weeks if they are going to.
- Use Pointify Price Alerts. We monitor 300+ airlines for pricing anomalies and flag potential mistake fares automatically.
Best Sources for Mistake Fares
- Pointify Alerts -- automated monitoring across all carriers
- Secret Flying -- dedicated error fare blog
- The Points Guy Deals Page -- curated fare deals including errors
- Google Flights Explore -- search "everywhere" to spot anomalies
Set up Pointify fare alerts on your top 5 dream routes. Our system flags fares that are 40%+ below the 90-day average price, catching mistake fares and flash sales automatically.
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