How to Get The Best Deal For Flights to China (2025 Guide)
In this list, you’ll find 5 major ways to minimise the price you pay for your flights to China:
🧳 Travel Off-Season
You should be aware of these peak periods:
China’s public holidays and the lead-up periods (Spring Festival changes every year, but is sometime between mid-January to late February)
Summer holiday season (July-August)
International student travel season (typically June and September)
Holiday seasons in your own country (e.g. Christmas and New Year)
Which months fall outside all of these peaks in most cases? Early January + early March + late May + late October TO early December.
Obviously, these periods also coincide with the best hotel prices and the least crowds. The most expensive prices and largest crowds are usually during the Chinese public holidays.
Remember Spring Festival dates are different every year so cheap dates this year might not be cheap next year.
✈️ One-Stop Flights
In many cases, transferring at an intermediate location will be cheaper than a direct flight.
I wouldn’t go for any more than one stop, unless you absolutely want the rock-bottom price and can handle 20+ hours or more inside airplanes and terminals. It’s not always the cheapest anyway. In a few rarer cases, direct flights might even be the cheapest. Remember to check all options.
If you’re coming from Europe, some of the most common routes are:
your home country ➡️ Dubai ➡️ China
your home country ➡️ Frankfurt ➡️ China
If you’re coming from the Americas, some of the most common routes are:
your home country ➡️ Tokyo ➡️ China
your home country ➡️ Seoul ➡️ China
If you’re coming from Africa, some of the most common routes are:
your home country ➡️ Dubai ➡️ China
your home country ➡️ Doha ➡️ China
If you’re coming from Oceania, some of the most common routes are:
your home country ➡️ Singapore ➡️ China
your home country ➡️ Bangkok ➡️ China
If you’re coming elsewhere from Asia:
transferring in Hong Kong ➡️ may sometimes be cheaper due to the regular frequency of flights.
🗺️ Use a China focused provider for China
Makes sense right? My personal recommendation is Trip.com or Skyscanner.
You should always use at least 2 comparison tools and the airline’s own website to check that you have the cheapest price for the same flights. For each website, study the restrictions carefully as some cheaper tickets may have tighter restrictions (e.g. no refunds, lower baggage allowance).
If airline experience is important for you, I would stick to the major airlines - I’ll leave you to read the online reviews for yourself as to which one is best for you.
🌙 Unfriendly Hours
Most people choose to fly during waking hours, which naturally leads to less demand for flights during sleeping hours. If flights are the cheapest and you’re flexible, consider flying either in the late at night or early morning (12am-7am). If you gain half a day in China, it might be worth it. Conversely, if you lose half a day, it might not be worth it.
📅 Fly On A Weekday
Flights can be cheaper on weekdays because weekends are usually in higher demand. If your dates are flexible, this could make a pretty big difference to the cost of your flights. But this is not a hard rule, so remember to check the weekends as well.
NOTE FROM YENKID:
This list contains some of the biggest factors affecting the cost of flights to China, formed from my own experience. It is not an exhaustive list and may change over time.
I can’t comment on how far in advance you should buy your flights. It can vary a lot depending on your country. Test out different dates to see how the prices change. Use the “not too far in advance and not too late” rule as a guideline.
