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Here are some tips to finding cheap flights depending on where you are coming from/going to:

Cheap Flights within Argentina – Aerolineas Argentinas and LAN

There are two main airlines for flights within Argentina – LAN and Aerolineas Argentinas.  One of the best ways to find cheap flights is by flying as an Argentine Resident with Aerolineas Argentinas.  Residents get a significantly lower price than foreigners, but you need to be able to prove you are living in Argentina.  This isn´t possible for most people;   however, if you plan on living here for a decent amount of time, this is another reason why you may want to consider getting a temporary residency or visa.  A student visa, work visa, or any kind of temporary residency will suffice. Anything less, and you´ve stuck paying the full price for foreigners. If you are unable to fly as an Argentine resident, you should compare prices between LAN and Aerolineas Argentinas.  AA usually has cheaper fares, but LAN is a far superior airline.  Unless it is significantly more expensive, it is a better idea to fly with LAN.  AA is known for poor service and lots of delays, and the headaches caused by flying with them are probably not worth a few dollars. For cheap flights to the north of Argentina, you can try http://www.andesonline.com/.   It is a very small airline, and service is often poor, but you can find the best deals on flights to the north of Argentina.

Travel Agencies

Travel agencies are slowly going extinct throughout the world, but are still going strong in Argentina.  There are many located throughout Buenos Aires, though the majority are in the microcentro. These travel agencies often have great package deals during slow months and during the week and you can often find economic trips by both plane and bus to different parts of Argentina and surrounding countries.  Be sure to check with a few different travel agencies to see what kinds of deals they have.  It is possible you will find better deals with the travel agents than you will find on the internet.

Despegar.com

Whether you are searching for flights within Argentina, South America, or worldwide, you should always check travel websites such as Travelocity and Expedia.  These are two of the largest sites that sell plane tickets for a huge selection of airlines, at exactly the same price (and sometimes less) than the airline itself.  It is an easy way to find the cheapest flight available to the chosen destination.  The South American version of Expedia is Despegar.com, so it’s a good place to start when looking for cheap flights to South America.

Cheap Flights from Buenos Aires to Uruguay and Brazil

Check FlyPluna.com, which is a small Uruguayan airline.  They often have the cheapest flights between Buenos Aires and the major Brazilian and Uruguayan destinations.   In addition to cheap flights, Pluna flies out of Aeroparque Jorge Newberry (located in Palermo), which is cheaper and much easier to get to than Ezeiza.

Cheap Flights from Buenos Aires to/from Peru

If you are flying to Peru, you will have to go through Lima.  You can find various deals throughout the year with different airlines, you are best off checking out Despegar.com and going to the different travel agencies.  Again, LAN is the best option in terms of quality, but it is often the most expensive.  Other options include Aerolines Argentinas TACA, and TAM, which are all about equal in terms of prices and quality. If you are looking for an economic flight to Lima, try flying through Cordoba.  LAN offers a dirt cheap flight from Lima to/from Cordoba.  You can then take a bus to Buenos Aires from Cordoba, and the total cost ends up being far less than a direct flight between Lima and Buenos Aires.

Cheap flights from Buenos Aires to the U.S.

There are tons of airlines that fly through different parts of the US, and it all depends on where you´re going.  Check out sites such as Expedia, Travelocity, CheapFlights.com and Kayak to find out the best rates at the time.

Cheap Flights from Buenos Aires to Canada – AirCanada.com

Flying to Canada is often cheapest with Air Canada, although there are certain times throughout the year where this is not the case.   The AC flight is either a direct flight, or a flight with a short stop-over in Santiago, before going to Toronto.    The service is excellent (unlike their service within Canada), as are the planes, making this a great budget option.  Check out the Aircanda.com website as they have promotions throughout the year for flights to/from Buenos Aires. Its also worth checking kayak.com and expedia.ca for other options.

Worst times for travelling

Just like everywhere else in the world, air travel is most expensive during public holidays.  If you need a list of Argentine public holidays, visit: http://exposebuenosaires.com/public-holidays-in-argentina/ Avoid these dates as much as possible to ensure you aren´t paying a premium for your flight.  The busiest times for air travel are during Christmas, Easter, in July-August (student/winter holidays), and on long weekends.  During these dates, prices skyrocket, flights are full, and airports are chaotic.  They should be avoided as much as possible.

General Tips for Finding Cheap Flights

• be flexible with travel dates.  Don´t travel during holidays or when locals take their holidays.  Make sure to check the difference in prices for slightly different dates.  You´d be amazed at how much cheaper a flight can be if you change the dates by one day.
• save up your points with different airlines.  It may not seem like it is worth it once, but the points eventually add up, and it feels great when you can use them for a free trip.
• don´t assume that every website/travel agent will have the same price for flights.  They are often different, and it is worth checking out the different options.  Finding a cheap flight often takes effort, but ends up being worth it.
• don´t always pick the cheapest option available.  Price isn´t everything.  You want to make sure you fly with a reputable airline that is less likely to have delays and that makes safety a priority.  In the end, this may “cost” less, even if the price is higher.  Also, a direct flight that is more expensive may be more desirable than a cheaper flight with multiple connections.  Each connection you have means a longer journey and a chance of missing your connection.
• look for flights to nearby airports.  You can often save a lot of money by flying in to a nearby airport, and busing to your final destination.
• if you trip involves multiple destinations, consider purchasing all flights at the same time through the same airline.  Airlines give big discounts to customers booking multiple flights at once, to make sure you book all your flights through them.
• if you are on a trip around the world and  Argentina is only one of many stops you will be making, consider purchasing a “Round the World Pass.”  These passes allow you to fly to numerous destinations while you travel around the world, and it can end up saving you a ton of money.  Some of the most popular options for round the world passes include StarAlliance, SkyTeam, and OneWorld.

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1. Get familiar with prices, because they vary hugely, and there is no single supermarket that is cheaper than the rest.  In general, Supermercado del Dia is the cheapest, and Disco is the most expensive.  However, this is not the case for all products, and keep in mind that prices in chains vary, depending on what neighborhood they are in.  There are also your neighborhood Chinese grocery stores…and even the prices in these can vary significantly from stores two blocks apart. By knowing what is cheaper where, you´ll know what and where you should buy.
2. Keep your eye open for big sales.  Starting last year, the large supermarket chains (Coto, Disco, Jumbo, and Carrefour) began offering really big sales every so often.  These sales now happen as often as every week.  For example, for three weeks in a row, Carrefour had a sale where if you bought two of the same product, the second was 70% off…each week this sale was for different categories of products. This is equivalent to 35% off, a huge savings!!   You can find out about these deals by going to their websites, or keep your eyes open for ads posted around town.
3. Credit and debit cards – if you are able to get a bank account, make sure to get a debit and a credit card.  Each bank offers special discounts for certain days of the week at certain stores.  For example, Fridays you get 15% off with your Banco Frances Debit card in Jumbo.   **To get a bank account with a debit card, you need to have a temporary residency.  To get a credit card, you will need to have a DNI.
4. Get a membership card for the supermarkets you do your shopping in.   Most member cards build you points, so you can get free stuff later.  This may not be great if you are here for only a few months.  However, there are a few member cards, such as Supermercado del Dia, that offer immediate discounts if you have their card.  You can sign up for these cards for free, and you don´t need a DNI!
5. La Nacion club card – you can get this card if you purchase a subscription to La Nacion newspaper.   This is one of the best benefits cards, offering large discounts tons of restaurants, lots of 2 for 1 offers (including entrance fees to great shows), and discounts at movie theatres.

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If you sign-up as a registered user, you will receive an email every month with about 20 restaurants that are offering anywhere from 15%-50% off of food and sometimes even alcohol.  It may only be for certain days of the week, or just for lunch/dinner, but some of them are valid at all times.  You can save a lot of money with these, and some of the restaurants on the list are pretty decent.

You can also sign up for the Guia Oleo Benefits Card, which is free.   From time to time, they will offer extra discounts for people with the Guia Oleo card.

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