I’ve never flown Tiger Airways and as long as Jetstar keep offering their price beat guarantee, I don’t foresee this changing.

What is it and why not just book with Tiger (or another cheaper airline)?

Jetstar’s price beat guarantee means that it will match the price of any competitor’s price plus give you a further 10% off of your price.  So if Tiger offers a $10 fare one way between Sydney and Melbourne you will receive the airfare for $9 each way from Jetstar. In addition, you won’t pay Jetstar’s credit card or booking fees. The same flight booked with Tiger would cost $10 each way + $7.50 cc/booking fee. So a $10 flight ends up costing $17.50 each way.

How can I do a Jetstar Price Beat?

1. Go to Tiger Airway’s website and find the flight you wish to fly on including the time. For this example, let’s try Melbourne to Sydney, roundtrip, Oct 5-7 2012, 6:40AM out & 7PM in. Note down the prices, times as well as the flight numbers.   You will need to give this information to Jetstar. The total of the Tiger flights are $144.95 so with Jetstar’s price beat guarantee you will get the flights for $130.46.

2. Go to Jetstar’s website and find flights with similar flight times (within an hour of the Tiger flight). A flight leaving at 7:35AM and returning at 6:35 PM gives us a price of $256, almost double of what Tiger quoted.

3. Call Jetstar  on 131 538 (or +61 3 9347 0091 for those with free local/national calls). They are open 24 hours so it’s best to avoid peak time by calling late at night or on a weekend. Ask for a price beat guarantee. The operator will ask for all the relevant details and confirm your flight. Within 72 hours, you should have your itinerary emailed to you.