Jetstar shortens its advance booking period in time for Christmas
Jetstar halves its advance booking requirements down to four weeks, patrons rejoice.
Jetstar was the first Australian airline to let you buy flights with Afterpay as a layby option, and it's been flooded with interest from travellers since then.
So flooded that just a month after announcing the initial partnership, it's cutting the advance booking requirements down to four weeks instead of the previous eight.
This means flights departing just under a month away are now eligible for Afterpay bookings. With Afterpay payments divided into quarters, payable each fortnight for eight weeks, it also means you'll now be able to fly away before paying the full cost of the trip.
It's still only available for flights costing $200 to $1,000, and within Australia though. It's also not void of fees altogether either. All purchases made incur a non-refundable payment fee equal to 1.5% off your total purchase which is added to your account. You'll also have to pay your first installment at booking so you'll need some funds to begin with. If payments aren't made by their due dates, late fees will apply and your account will be locked until it is settled.
"Since launch day, Afterpay has been incredibly popular among our customers in Australia, with thousands of bookings in the first month," said a Jetstar spokesperson. "With Christmas only weeks ahead, we decided to expand this option for more travellers by making Afterpay available for bookings four weeks in advance of travel."
This is an option for anyone who wants to book a Christmas trip flying on Jetstar, but doesn't have all the funds to pay in advance. Prices tend to skyrocket right at the end of the year, so there's a good chance some people are thanking Jetstar for rescuing Christmas from the grinch of late booking prices.
It might also be available for international flights soon.
"We’ve heard from many customers wanting to include Afterpay on international flights and that’s a possibility we’re exploring for the near future and will announce opportunely," said a Jetstar spokesperson.
The main advantage of this is locking in fares ahead of time when prices are low and paying for it later at no extra cost. With the advance booking period dropping down to four weeks, it might also gives you a wider range of Afterpay-eligible travel deals.
If you're keen on a Christmas getaway, it might be well worth keeping an eye out for those travel deals.
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