Exact time to book holiday ferry tickets to get the best deal
Booking your ferry tickets at the right time could save you hundreds of pounds.
Recent research showed the average ferry fares for a summer (August) departure, that January was most often the cheapest month to book - but there were exceptions.
Which? analysed data from comparison site, Direct Ferries, for the first eight months of 2024 and, in one case, found that a family of four, taking their car to the Netherlands in August would save £267 each way if they booked early. The average price in January was £440, whereas the same crossing booked in July would have cost £707 on average.
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But it’s not just early bookers who can potentially save money. This year’s data showed that the cheapest month varied by route and destination.
Are there last-minute ferry deals?
January is when many peak season tickets are released, often in tandem with special offers to trigger demand. And early booking also gives you your pick of the cabins. That’s particularly important for pet owners, as pet-friendly cabins tend to sell out first.
But there's another time when you can potentially save money. June to August is the operators’ make-or-break period and they could resort to deep discounting if demand is down. Last minute discounting meant that, last year, all three routes to Ireland we looked at were cheaper in August than at any other time. Savings ranged between £32 and £37.
When to book a cheap ferry to France
This year’s data shows that the cheapest summer fares were on sale in January for Dover to Calais. However, prices remained stable and savings were small. The only route where there were big savings by booking a long time in advance was Newhaven to Dieppe - where trips were £88 cheaper in January than in August.
For two routes - Portsmouth to Caen and Poole to Cherbourg - you needed to wait for the best deals - but not too long. They were cheapest in June, with savings of £43 and £18 compared with January.
When to book a cheap ferry to Spain and the Netherlands
January was the cheapest month on average to book a ferry from Plymouth to Santander in Spain, and from other UK ports to Amsterdam, the Hook of Holland and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
The Plymouth to Santander route was £73 cheaper each way when booked in January rather than August. The Portsmouth to Santander route was the exception, with prices dropping in April - which was £52 cheaper than January.Book your holiday ferry tickets at this time to get the best deal
For Newcastle to Amsterdam there were huge savings for booking well in advance. January bookings were £137 cheaper than April and £229 cheaper than August. The price for the route peaked in July, when it was £707.
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