When purchasing a plane ticket, our recommendation is straightforward: select the fare that best fits your budget. There’s no use in booking two one-way flights if a round-trip journey will save you money. Generally speaking, it is best to purchase a round-trip flight if the cost is the same or less than that of two one-way tickets. Since many airlines no longer charge a fee to alter a reservation, a round-trip passenger is now free to modify or even cancel their outbound flight.
My mother, for instance, had to return home to the United States quickly from Europe in the middle of a round-trip Delta flight because of a family issue. Her flight might be changed with no additional costs from Delta. However, the Delta airline price difference was too high for her to justify changing at such short notice. We changed our minds and decided to use an American Airlines reward to bring her back. Since Delta refunded her for the unused portion of her round-trip ticket and gave her a travel credit to use toward future travel, she was not restricted in any way by her decision to book a round-trip journey rather than two one-way flights.
Using miles for a round journey vs a one-way flight
Award flights purchased using points or miles need a unique set of decisions. Booking two one-way flights instead of a round-trip award can save money and make more sense when using award miles.
Two one-way rewards can be booked with more leeway
To have more options, book two one-way prizes if the cost is the same. In recent years, most U.S. airlines have eliminated change costs for both award and purchased tickets. However, once you have boarded the plane, you may not be able to make any changes to your prize.
As an example, American Airlines AAdvantage Web Special rewards cannot be modified. American Airlines allows customers to recover points and rescind Web Special rewards up to 24 hours before departure. After a trip has begun, however, changes or cancellations cannot be made to the prize. There will be no refunds for unused flight portions if your plans change.
Comparatively, other airlines aren’t as harsh. If you have a United award flight and need to cancel it for any reason, the miles will be held for use on a future ticket. Even though you won’t be credited back with the miles, you will have the opportunity to use them in the future. When booking two separate one-way awards, you may be subject to extra taxes and fees.
It is crucial to compare the costs of both round-trip and one-way awards when planning an international vacation. Awards from some parts of the globe are subject to extra taxes and fees. Award flights booked on Delta SkyMiles from European airports are known for having higher surcharges. Plus, round-trip award flights on Delta are typically cheaper than two one-way awards, especially on foreign routes.
Consider a journey from New York to Paris, where you would receive a round-trip reward. The cost of a round-trip main cabin award on Delta is 50,000 SkyMiles plus $85 in taxes and fees.
Don’t just order two one-way tickets without thinking about other options. Let’s say you’re thinking about booking a flight to Europe in order to go on a cruise from Budapest to Munich. It could appear that your choices are limited to:
Plan a return journey to one of the cities and a one-way flight inside Europe. Reserve two separate one-way tickets, one to get you to Budapest and another to get you back to Munich. The third possibility involves the use of an “open-jaw” flight. It is possible to book a flight into Budapest and another return to Munich on the same carrier. The airfare for such flights is often priced like a round trip rather than as two separate one-way tickets.
Why do tickets for one-way flights cost more?
When possible, airlines will charge extra for one-way tickets on these routes. If there is only one airline flying a certain route, it may charge extra for a one-way ticket in order to attract more business travellers and those who value convenience over stopping en route.
However, when there are many carriers servicing the same route, the price of one-way tickets typically reduces.