Planning a multi-stop trip? You’ve got two solid options: book a multi-city ticket or piece together a few one-way flights. The best choice? Depends on how you’re flying, who you’re flying with, and where you’re headed.

In many cases, prices are pretty close. But sometimes, one-way flights can be cheaper…if you’re willing to do a bit of digging and give up a few guarantees.

In most cases, the price difference between one-way and multi-city flights won’t blow your socks off. They often come out pretty close. But every now and then, digging through one-way options can land you a much cheaper fare.

Here are a couple of examples we dug up booking through Traveloka:

(Sydney - Athens - Singapore - Sydney)

One-ways = AU$2,163

Multi-city = AU$2,173

That’s a small AU$10 saving with one-way flights. But, still a savings.

(Melbourne - Los Angeles - New York - London - Barcelona - Melbourne)

One-ways = AU$2,828

Multi-city = AU$3,966

You save over AU$1,100 by booking one-way.

Qantas and Virgin sometimes price multi-city routes better within their networks. Jetstar, on the other hand, usually favours one-way pricing, especially if you’re happy to travel midweek or off-peak.

Want freedom to stay longer in one city or mix up your route mid-trip? One-ways give you the wiggle room. You can tweak one leg without touching the others.

Multi-city bookings are usually locked in. Change one flight, and you could cop change fees on the whole itinerary. Handy if your plans are tight. Risky if you like to play it by ear.

One-ways let you take advantage of sudden sales too, like snagging a cheap Jetstar fare mid-week or finding a better flight time home with Virgin.

Inclusions vary a lot between airlines and ticket types. Booking one-ways means checking the fine print each time.

Premium carriers like Qantas usually give you the full service, including checked baggage, meals, and seat selection, no matter how you book.

Budget airlines like Jetstar are more bare bones. You’ll pay for bags, seat picks, meals; each leg, each time.

Booking a multi-city ticket with the same airline can mean your inclusions carry across all legs. That’s less faffing around and fewer surprises at check-in.

This is where things can get tricky. Let’s say your first flight is delayed and you miss the next one.

If you’ve booked a multi-city ticket, you’re on one booking, so the airline usually sorts it out with no extra charge.

If you’ve booked separate one-way flights, you’re out of luck. Miss a leg, and you might need to buy a brand new ticket.

Flying Jetstar to Bali, then Virgin to Lombok? If your first flight runs late and you miss the second, Virgin doesn’t owe you a seat on the next one.

So, if your trip depends on tight connections, book a multi-city for peace of mind. If you’ve got time to burn or want more control, go one-way, but maybe look into travel insurance.

Booking both options is easy on Traveloka. Here’s how to do it.

We make it simple to see what’s included, spot better flight times, and compare prices across heaps of routes, domestic and international.