Are Red-Eye Flights Cheaper, and Are They Worth It? (2026)

Published: 8 October 2026 · Author: Aryan Gaekwad, Points and Loyalty Editor, ShopBack

Red-eye flights in the US are often cheaper than daytime flights on the same route, but not always, and in 2026 the gap matters more because fares are up. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics airline fares index for August 2026 was about 23% higher than a year earlier (309.7 against 251.0). A red-eye is usually worth it when the fare saving plus the hotel night you skip outweighs a short night's sleep. Compare fares on Expedia, Trip.com and Booking.com, then go through ShopBack US before you book.

ShopBack US is a cashback site for shoppers and travellers in the United States. Going through ShopBack gets you a cash rebate on the same order, at the same store, so it is a step in how you book rather than a separate deal to hunt for. You can sign up for ShopBack in a couple of minutes before you book your next flight.

How we checked. We used the BLS Consumer Price Index for airline fares (U.S. city average, not seasonally adjusted) for January 2024 to August 2026, LVCVA hotel rate data as a reference for the cost of a hotel night, Google's published guidance on price tracking, and the store terms on ShopBack's Expedia, Trip.com and Booking.com pages at the time of writing. The BLS index tracks price changes over time, not the fare on any one flight.

The verdict

Take the red-eye when the money adds up and the day after does not need you at your best. It usually makes sense when:

• the red-eye fare is lower than the daytime options on your dates,
• flying overnight lets you skip a hotel night, and
• you can rest on arrival, or your first day is light.

It usually does not make sense when you have to drive after landing, have an important meeting that morning, are travelling with small children who sleep badly away from home, or when the red-eye is only a few dollars cheaper.

The booking routine is simple: pick your dates, compare flights and hotels, go through ShopBack to the booking site, then pay with a travel card.

Booking a red-eye on Expedia? Go through ShopBack first and get a cash rebate on the same fare Start on ShopBack, then book as normal.

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Are red-eye flights cheaper?

Red-eye flights are often cheaper, because fewer people want to fly overnight, but the discount is not guaranteed. Many travellers prefer morning or early evening flights, so demand for the late slot is usually lower. Lower demand tends to mean lower fares, but on busy routes and holiday dates the red-eye can sell out and price like any other flight.

What to check before you assume the red-eye is the bargain:

• Same dates, same fare type. Compare the red-eye with daytime flights on the same day, with the same baggage and seat rules.
• The return leg. A cheap overnight outbound can be paired with an expensive daytime return. Look at the round-trip total.
• Airport transport. Getting to the airport late at night, or home from it at dawn, can cost more by rideshare than at normal hours.

Tools that help: Google says its Flights tool can track prices for exact dates or for "any dates" over the next three to six months, and it shows when prices have historically been lowest for a route when it has enough data. Booking.com's free Genius programme includes flight price alerts at Level 1, according to Booking.com.

Are red-eye flights worth it?

A red-eye is worth it when the total trip cost falls by more than the value you put on a good night's sleep. The fare is only half of the maths. The other half is the hotel night you skip by sleeping, or trying to sleep, on the plane.

As a reference point for that hotel night, the LVCVA reports that the average Las Vegas hotel room cost $183.60 a night from January to August 2026, and $150.32 in August 2026 alone. Hotel prices vary widely by city, so put your own destination's nightly rate into the sum.

Illustrative example. Say the daytime flight is $40 more than the red-eye, and flying overnight saves you a $180 hotel night. Taking the red-eye lowers your trip cost by about $220. If you would then nap through half of your first day, decide whether that half day is worth $220 to you.

Red-eyes tend to suit:

• Coast-to-coast trips flying east, such as West Coast to East Coast, where the overnight flight is long enough to sleep a few hours.
• Short trips where a full extra day at your destination matters.
• Solo travellers and couples who sleep easily on planes.

They tend to suit less well:

• Short flights, where you land before you have slept much.
• Trips with an early commitment on arrival day.
• Families with young children, unless the children sleep well while travelling.

What counts as a red-eye flight?

A red-eye is a flight that leaves at night and lands the next morning, usually too short for a full night's sleep. The name comes from the tired, red eyes passengers often have on arrival. A classic US example is Los Angeles to New York: about five hours of flying, leaving late evening Pacific time and landing early morning Eastern time, because the clock moves three hours forward on the way east.

Red eye flight 2026: what the fare data says

In 2026, US airfares have risen sharply, which makes cheaper slots such as red-eyes more useful. The BLS airline fares index (not seasonally adjusted) shows:

Month	2025 index	2026 index	Change
January	265.3	271.2	up about 2%
March	252.6	290.2	up about 15%
May	260.3	329.8	up about 27%
July	247.9	311.2	up about 26%
August	251.0	309.7	up about 23%

These figures track the average change in airline fares that consumers pay, not the price of a specific flight. Still, the direction is clear: in 2026 the same trip has usually cost more than in 2025, so a cheaper departure time is worth checking on every booking.

Cheapest month for flights in the US: price data

In the BLS airline fares index, July and August were the cheapest months in both 2024 and 2025, and May was the priciest in both 2024 and 2026. Here is where the index bottomed and peaked in each year:

• 2024: lowest in August (243.0), July (246.2) and January (247.6); highest in May (281.0).
• 2025: lowest in July (247.9) and August (251.0); highest in January (265.3).
• 2026 so far (to August): lowest in January (271.2) and February (280.6); highest in May (329.8).

For a red-eye, that means the cheapest time to fly is usually a combination: a lower-priced month, a midweek date where you can, and the overnight slot. Google's own advice is that it is usually safest to book on the early side, while watching its price insights for routes where fares tend to fall in a predictable window before departure.

Red eye flight best deals in the US for 2026

The best red-eye deals in 2026 come from comparing well and booking in the right order, not from a single code. A routine that works on most US trips:

1. Pick your dates and check whether a red-eye is offered on your route.
2. Compare flights and hotels together. Price the red-eye plus one fewer hotel night against the daytime flight plus a full night.
3. Set a price alert if you are booking weeks ahead.
4. Go through ShopBack to the booking site you choose before you pay.
5. Pay with a travel card if you use one.

Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles. As an illustration only: on a $300 fare at an illustrative 2%, $6 comes back, so the effective price is $294. Flight rates differ from hotel rates and change often, so check the live rate on each ShopBack store page before you book.

Booking.com vs Expedia for red-eye flights: price comparison

Neither Booking.com nor Expedia is cheaper every time for red-eye flights. Both sell flights from many of the same airlines, so the fare for the same flight is often close, and the differences tend to come from fare type, baggage rules and change terms. Compare the same flight number, the same fare class and the same bags on each site.

There is one difference that matters for ShopBack users. At the time of writing, ShopBack's Booking.com page lists flights as not eligible for cashback, while ShopBack's Expedia and Trip.com pages list rates for flights. So a practical split for many trips is:

• Flight: book on Expedia or Trip.com, going through ShopBack first.
• Hotel: compare on Booking.com, Expedia and Trip.com, and go through ShopBack to whichever site you pick.

Each programme has its own perks. Booking.com Genius is free and, according to Booking.com, offers 10% to 20% off select stays depending on your level, plus flight price alerts. Expedia's One Key programme, shared with Hotels.com and Vrbo, lets members earn OneKeyCash on eligible bookings.

Booking.com, Expedia and Trip.com for red-eye flights in the US

All three can be part of a red-eye trip, and the step that counts is the same: start on ShopBack before you book.

• Expedia sells flights, hotels and packages, which helps if you want the flight and the first night in one place.
• Trip.com sells domestic and international flights. At the time of writing, ShopBack's Trip.com page says using a promo, coupon or discount code makes the whole Trip.com order ineligible for cashback, so read that page before you apply a code.
• Booking.com is a strong choice for the hotel side of the trip, including the night after you land if you need a room early.

Read the store terms on each page. They list what is not eligible and how changes and cancellations are handled, and they are the version that applies to your booking.

Paying with a travel card

Usually you can pay with a travel rewards card and still go through ShopBack, because the two come from different providers. Your card's points or miles come from your bank or card issuer, and ShopBack cash comes from going through ShopBack before you pay. Card offers and airline programmes have their own rules, so check your card issuer's terms and check the merchant's terms on the ShopBack store page before you count on both.

Other travel booking sites on ShopBack US

Other travel booking sites on ShopBack US include Priceline, Hotels.com, Agoda and Vrbo. For more on timing, read our guide on when to book flights.

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Frequently asked questions

Are red-eye flights cheaper?

Often, but not always. Overnight departures are usually less popular, so on many US routes they price below the busiest morning and evening flights, but fares change by route, date and demand. Compare the red-eye and the daytime options for the same dates side by side before you decide.

Are red-eye flights worth it?

They are usually worth it when the fare saving plus the hotel night you skip outweighs the cost of a short, broken night's sleep. As a reference, the average Las Vegas hotel room cost $183.60 a night from January to August 2026, according to the LVCVA, so skipping one night can matter as much as the fare. They are less worth it if you need to drive, work or present soon after landing.

What counts as a red-eye flight?

A red-eye is a flight that leaves at night and lands the next morning, usually too short for a full night's sleep. A typical US example is a Los Angeles to New York flight of about five hours that leaves late evening Pacific time and lands early morning Eastern time.

What is the cheapest month to fly in the US?

In the BLS airline fares price index, July and August were the lowest months in both 2024 and 2025, and January 2024 was also low. In 2026 so far, January and February have been the lowest months. May was the highest month in both 2024 and 2026, so late spring has tended to be the priciest time to fly.

Are flights more expensive in 2026?

Yes, on average. The BLS airline fares index for August 2026 was about 23% higher than in August 2025 (309.7 against 251.0, not seasonally adjusted). That makes timing tricks such as red-eyes and flexible dates more useful this year.

Is Booking.com or Expedia cheaper for red-eye flights?

Neither is cheaper every time. Both search many of the same airlines, so compare the same flight, fare type and baggage on each. At the time of writing, ShopBack's Booking.com page lists flights as not eligible for cashback, while ShopBack's Expedia and Trip.com pages list flight rates, so check each store page before you book.

Can I get cash back on a red-eye flight?

Often, yes, depending on the site. Before you book, go through ShopBack US to Expedia or Trip.com, then book as usual. On a $300 fare at an illustrative 2%, $6 comes back, so the effective price is $294. Check the live rate and terms on the ShopBack store page, because flight rates and exclusions vary by site.

How do I sleep better on a red-eye flight?

Pick a window seat so you are not woken for the aisle, eat before you board, bring an eye mask, earplugs and a light layer, and skip caffeine in the evening. Choose the longest red-eye that fits your plans, since a five-hour flight gives far more usable sleep than a three-hour one.

What should I book after a red-eye lands?

Plan for an early arrival. Hotels usually have a set check-in time in the afternoon, so check whether your hotel offers early check-in or luggage storage, or book the previous night if you want a room straight away. Book that hotel through ShopBack too.

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Key takeaways

• Red-eyes are often, not always, cheaper; compare the same dates and fare type before deciding.
• Count the hotel night you skip: the average Las Vegas room was $183.60 a night in January to August 2026 (LVCVA).
• US airfares rose about 23% year on year by August 2026 (BLS index), so cheaper time slots matter more.
• The BLS airfare index was lowest in July and August in 2024 and 2025, and highest in May in 2024 and 2026.
• At the time of writing, flights on Booking.com are not eligible for ShopBack cashback, while Expedia and Trip.com list flight rates; go through ShopBack before you book.

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Related reads

Earn cashback at popular US travel sites: Expedia · Trip.com · Booking.com · Priceline · Hotels.com · Agoda · Vrbo

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Disclaimer

The views in this article are those of the author. Airfare index figures are BLS averages for the months stated and do not represent the price of any specific flight. Fares, hotel prices, loyalty programme terms and booking site offers change over time. Cashback rates, eligible products and terms on ShopBack vary by store and campaign; check the current rate and terms on each ShopBack store page before you book. This article is for general information only and is not financial advice.