Antigua deal alert: Fly from NYC, Boston or Philadelphia from $232 round-trip

We come across lots of deal alerts here at TPG, especially for winter travel. Most sales don't include Christmas and New Year's Eve, so when we see discounted fares for a beautiful destination like Antigua that includes the holidays, we pay extra attention.

Want your TPG news delivered straight to your inbox each morning? Sign up for our daily newsletter

This deal offers peak season availability at prices that are discounted more than 50% from destinations like Baltimore, New York City and Philadelphia. So if you live on the east coast and the idea of ringing in the new year on a beach in the Caribbean appeals to you, it's time to start booking flights.

JetBlue fares are for Main Cabin which includes carry-on and seat assignment. American and Delta tickets are Basic Economy. Availability varies, but the best prices we found for most of these cities were for January travel.

Related: Updated: A country-by-country guide to Caribbean reopenings

Thanks to the good folks at Thrifty Traveler for alerting us to this deal, which they first sent out to their premium subscribers. Non-members can find sale prices by using Google Flights to search for desired routes and dates.

Deal basics

Airlines: American, Delta, JetBlue,
Routes: BOS/BWI/EWR/JFK/PHL to Antigua (ANU)
Cost: Flights available from $232
Dates: Now-October 2022; availability varies by city but best in January-February.

Pay with: The Platinum Card® from American Express for 5x on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year); the Citi Prestige® Card for 5x on airfare; the Citi Premier® Card (3x on air travel); Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on air travel); the American Express® Gold Card for 3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for 2x on travel — which you could redeem for as little as 13,000 points.

The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Baltimore (BWI) to Antigua (ANU) fares in January can be found for just $343 round-trip. That's a steep discount from normal pricing. It's for American's Basic Economy tier, which comes with a carry-on bag.

Here's another January bargain, Boston (BOS) to Antigua for $319 round-trip.

As we mentioned above, January had the most availability and the cheapest prices we found on our search. Here's a JFK to Antigua nonstop ticket for only $238. Is there a better way for dealing with the post-holiday hangover in New York City than by taking a holiday to the Caribbean?

We did find several bargain fares departing from New York City in February, including this long weekend trip for $243 round-trip on American.

The biggest price markdowns we found, by far, were out of Philadelphia (PHL). We came across round-trip Basic Economy fares for just $232 in January. Normally that itinerary is as high as $700, so it's a huge drop in price.

We found more $232 round-trip fares in February for PHL-ANU.

Maximize your purchase

Don’t forget to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, like The Platinum Card® from American Express for 5x on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year); the Citi Prestige® Card for 5x on airfare; the Citi Premier® Card (3x on air travel); Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on air travel); the American Express® Gold Card for 3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for 2x on travel — which you could redeem for as little as 13,000 points.

Bottom Line

Antigua is one of the treasures of the Leeward Islands, and one that is typically in high demand during the winter months for its comfortable climate and natural beauty. The island is open for tourists. Keep in mind that as of December 15, all incoming passengers must show proof that they're fully vaccinated and a negative PCR test result taken no later than three days prior to arrival. Officials are suspending the acceptance of rapid antigen tests, so make sure you take the right test.

The island is also making some concessions so visitors can enjoy some local activities. The Health and Tourism Authorities "have certified a number of leisure activities, to ensure that visitors experience them in a safe manner," according to a statement on the official Antigua website.

Featured Image: Roberto Moiola/ysaworld for Getty Images