Today’s hot question: Should you book flights as one ways or round-trips?
Truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Depending on your plans, one could be a smarter move than the other. Choosing wisely can help you stretch your budget, get better value from your points and avoid any travel headaches. Here, we’ll dive into when each approach makes sense, and clear up a few common misconceptions.
When Round-Trips Are the Better Deal
Airlines have long incentivized round-trip flights by offering lower prices compared to two separate one-way tickets. While this has been most common for international flights, domestic carriers have started to follow suit.
For example, a flight from Paris to New York may cost $1,039 one-way, but booking the exact same route as a round-trip drops the price to $498 total… a massive difference. These trends are showing up more on domestic routes, as well.
Take a recent flight from Nashville to New York:
One-way: $384
Round-trip: $235
By booking a return ticket, the total cost is $149 less than the price of a single one-way ticket. These kinds of savings make round-trips a pretty obvious choice when your dates are locked in.
The Downsides of Round-Trip Bookings
Despite those savings, round-trip tickets do come with limitations.
Airline policies apply to the entire booking, meaning any necessary changes, whether before or during the trip, can complicate things. Canceling just one segment might not be an option, forcing you to make some pretty big changes. This could ultimately lead to extra fees or restrictions. Not fun.
Award travel can also be affected. Some loyalty programs, including Delta SkyMiles, discount round-trip redemptions compared to one-way bookings.
For example, a flight from Atlanta to London can cost 38,000 SkyMiles one-way but just 40,000 miles round-trip, making the return flight nearly free.
If you have set plans and locked-in dates, round-trip flights can really help you save. But if you’re looking for flexibility, one-way flights often make more sense (and they’re a fan favorite around here).
Why One-Way Flights Offer More Flexibility
Booking one-way flights gives you a little more control over itinerary changes, airline choices and award redemptions. You’re essentially able to customize them, whether by mixing and matching airlines, adjusting departure and return locations or scoring the best individual flight deals.
One-way tickets are super valuable when using points and miles. Tons of loyalty programs price flights per segment, meaning a one-way redemption could cost half the price of a round-trip.
This is especially useful when booking premium cabins, where availability fluctuates and locking in a single leg at a time increases your odds of getting the best deal.
For example, a budget flight from New York to London on Norse Atlantic might cost just $125. But on the return, if no cheap options are available, it might make sense to redeem Alaska miles for a business-class flight from Frankfurt to New York for 70,000 miles.
This mix-and-match strategy can go a long way in maximizing your miles and points.
One-way flights are also a great idea when visiting multiple cities. Instead of flying round-trip to and from the same location, you can fly to one city and depart from another without having to backtrack.
The Drawbacks of Booking One Way
While one-way flights give you more flexibility, they aren’t always the best option. Some airlines still charge higher fares for individual segments, meaning a round-trip booking gives you better value.
Plus, if you run into any problems with your flights, managing multiple one-way tickets could make things a little complicated. If your flights are booked on different airlines, chances are, those connecting segments will not be protected.
Plus, certain award programs (like Flying Blue, for example) offer discounted round-trip pricing, so you should always compare redemption costs before booking.
The Best Strategy for Booking Flights
Choosing between one-way and round-trip flights depends on several factors: budget, flexibility, travel plans, and more.
If you have fixed dates, you should always check round-trip tickets first, since they often have better pricing, especially for cash fares. On the other hand, when using points and miles, booking one-way flights can give you more redemption opportunities.
Round-trip bookings tend to work best for set itineraries, while one-ways are ideal for multi-city trips, positioning flights and getting the most value from loyalty programs.
Ultimately, there’s no universal rule. The best approach is to compare both options before booking since the difference could mean hundreds in savings or just smarter use of your miles and points.
💡 Pro Tip: Award flights start with miles and points. Miles and points start with credit cards. Have travel plans coming up? Check out our favorite credit cards and start earning toward your next booking!
