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Want to learn how to bag yourself free accommodation on your long haul-flights? We asked travel blogger Lexi from Avaycay.com to share her tips on how she gets hotel nights and other perks for free from airlines when she travels.

Often my first priority when booking a flight is getting to the destination as quickly as possible. The thing is, living in Australia, everything feels like it’s on the other side of the world, and so we become accustomed to long layovers between international flights - but - what if the easiest, fastest and cheapest option still means you have a lengthy layover in another country? You might be eligible for free accommodation!

With the rise of aggregated fare sites such as Skyscanner and Expedia, finding the cheapest flight possible is now easier than ever. What most people don’t know is that some airlines will provide free accommodation in between international flights. Some even go above and beyond by providing sightseeing tours, transfers, meal vouchers and visas; welcome to the world of STPC.

What is STPC?

STPC stands for ‘stop over paid by carrier’ (aka: free accommodation while you transit) it’s something not all airlines are required to offer, those that do, provide the package to remain competitive and appeal to travellers on misaligned routes.

Bizarrely not many people actually know about this service, and it’s a great option for those of you who share the same penchant as me for avoiding a long layover. STPC isn’t offered to all travellers and has nothing to do with misconnects, cancellations or delays, this is specifically to those whose itineraries do not align.

An airline will offer STPC to travellers with a less than 24-hour transit, the required connection must be at least 6 to 8 hours when there are no other flight options available between the origin and destination. If the transit is more than 24 hours, it will be considered a stopover and therefore could affect the ticket price and/or incur airport taxes or visas (like the reciprocity fee for Australians travelling to Santiago, Chile).

Am I elibible for STPC?

Unfortunately, it’s not always offered to economy passengers and there may be a charge involved, however, for business and first-class travellers it’s almost always included.

Discovering whether you’re eligible for STPC is the confusing part for most travellers, seeing as most airlines don’t advertise this service. Booking online is almost impossible to know, unless you’re a savvy traveller who does their research.

In this case, it proves that there is still an advantage to using a competent travel agent when booking your holiday, as they will know which booking class to reserve for you, request the STPC with the airline directly and offer options for different hotels, usually three star and above. This service is not usually listed on the fare rules and therefore requires someone who knows the route and/or airline you’re booking with.

Things you need to be made aware of:

• Not all fares are eligible for STPC. Passengers on cheap fares, economy tickets and/or award tickets may not fit the requirements.
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• The majority of transits need to be between 8-24 hours in length (each airline is different) or 6 – 24 hours for business and first class.
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• STPC is only valid when there is no earlier connection available and when you are in transit between two long-haul international flights
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• Depending on the airline, you may need to request this service at the time of ticketing, a few days before departure, or upon arrival at the connecting airport.
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As I’ve discovered, many airlines aren't upfront about this little-known perk, but the ones listed below do have the terms tucked away on their websites, which are linked for you.

Here are the top eight airlines offering free accommodation for transiting passengers:

1. Korean Air (Seoul) Transit time of 6-12 hours. If you arrive between 12am-3am you are eligible to a free sightseeing tour as well.
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3. Thai Airways (Bangkok) Transit time of 6-24 hours. Multiple hotels to choose from whether it be within the airport or nearby.
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5. Qatar Airways (Doha) Transit time of 8-24 hours. They offer transfers, accommodation, meals and visa during your stay.
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7. Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa) Transit time of 8-24 hours. They offer transfers, accommodation, meals and visa during your stay no matter what class you’re booked in. Can be arranged on arrival.
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9. Emirates (Dubai) Transit time of 8-24 hours (minimum 6 hours if travelling in business class). They offer transfers, accommodation, meals and visa during your stay. Must be pre-booked 24 hours in advance.
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11. China Southern (Guangzhou) Transit time of 8-48 hours. Hotels can be booked up to 6 months in advance or selected on arrival. Transfers offered.
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13. Turkish Airlines (Istanbul) Transit time of 10-24 hours (minimum 7 hrs if travelling in business class). They offer a free sightseeing tour with accommodation.
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15. Sri Lankan Airlines (Colombo) Transit time of 8-24 hours. They offer transfers, accommodation and meals. Restrictions depend on your ticket cost. You will need to arrange 48 hours before departure.

This is not a complete list, and terms and conditions can change all of the time, so it’s good to check if your carrier offers this service if not listed above. If you know of others let us know in the comments below.