Key takeaways
- Tom's Guide searched three routes from 10 VPN countries on Skyscanner and Kayak; the best personal saving was $9.
- USA Today found Newark to London at $583 from both the US and UK versions, and Newark to Cancun $411.42 from Mexico vs $413 from the US.
- Skyscanner told Tom's Guide that flight prices are affected by sales numbers rather than search volumes.
- Country gaps are far bigger for hotels: 20-40% in Arbitrica's research. Arbitrica's agents work on hotels, online shopping and event tickets.
Short answer
Rarely, and by little. The best-known tests found savings of a few dollars. Tom's Guide searched three routes from 10 VPN countries and saved $9 at most (Tom's Guide test, updated January 2026); USA Today found differences of $0 to $2 (USA Today test, January 2026). Skyscanner says flight prices are driven by sales numbers rather than search volumes.
Where your location does change the price a lot is hotels, online purchases and event tickets, and Arbitrica's agents work on those. Arbitrica is a personal AI agent that shows up at the checkout. It searches the same hotel from 195 countries, checks that the room, conditions and final total with all taxes and fees are identical, finds the lowest price in the world and prepares everything in a new tab, so you only review and pay. Its approach keeps searching after you book, until free cancellation ends, and confirms any new booking before the original is cancelled.
What the flight tests found
| Route | Home version | VPN version | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newark to London (Iberia, via Madrid) | $583 (US) | just under $583 (UK) | under $1 |
| Newark to Cancun (United, via Houston) | $413 (US) | $411.42 (Mexico) | $1.58 |
| London to New York (Tom's Guide) | $529-532 (UK) | up to $566 (Brazil) | VPN higher |
| Madrid to Athens (Tom's Guide) | $305-308 (UK) | $298 (Vietnam) | $7-10 lower |
The Tom's Guide author concluded that a VPN would not save him money on flights, and noted most non-UK servers raised prices on the London to New York route.
Why flights barely move with your location
Airfares are mostly set by fare buckets that sell out: as seats go, the next, higher fare opens. Skyscanner told Tom's Guide that flight prices are affected by sales numbers rather than search volumes. Point-of-sale differences exist, but in the tests they were small.
What does lower a flight price
- Flexible dates: moving a day or two often beats any location switch.
- Nearby airports and one-stop routes, as in USA Today's Iberia and United examples.
- Booking early for peak dates, before low fare buckets sell out.
- Price alerts on Google Flights, Skyscanner or Kayak.
For the hotel at the other end, the country you search from matters a lot. See does a VPN make hotels cheaper? and using a VPN to save money.
Frequently asked questions
Does a VPN get you cheaper flights?
Rarely. Tom's Guide tried 10 VPN countries on three routes and saved $9 at best; USA Today found differences of $0 to $2.
What do people on Reddit say about VPNs for cheaper flights?
Threads such as r/travel's "Using VPN to find cheaper flights" discuss the trick; the published tests found differences of $0 to $9, and some countries showed higher fares.
Which VPN country gives the cheapest flights?
No country won consistently. In Tom's Guide's test Vietnam, Romania and Germany each produced the lowest fare on one route, and Brazil the highest on two.
Is it legal to use a VPN to book flights?
In most countries, yes. VPNs are legal in the US, UK, Canada and most of Europe. See our page on VPN booking and the law.
Where does searching from another country save more?
Hotels, online shopping and event tickets. In Arbitrica's research the same hotel was lower from about 80% of countries, typically by 20-40%.