Deal alert: Jet to Aruba for less than $300 round-trip

A trip to a Caribbean island is a gift many of us would like to find under the tree this holiday season — especially if the destination is Aruba. Located north of Venezuela and boasting absolutely gorgeous beaches and atypically dry weather for a Caribbean port, Aruba is always high on the wish lists of travelers looking for sand and sun.

Now you can enjoy the calm waters, extravagant shopping and world-class wreck diving Aruba has to offer because there are some outstanding fares available for under $300. That’s a discount of more than 50% from normal prices.

This is for travel between now and February, as well as August through October 2022. It does not include holidays.

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We were tipped off to these great fares from our friends at Scott’s Cheap Flights, who sent it out first to their Premium members. Non-members can still take advantage of the low fares. All you have to do is use Google Flights and search for your desired routes and dates. As always, being flexible about your travel plans will help you score the best prices.

Deal basics

Airlines: American, Delta, JetBlue, United.
Routes: BNA/BOS/CLE/JFK/LGA/MSY/ORD/PHL/SEA and others to Aruba (AUA).
Cost: Starting at $254 round-trip for select routes.
Dates: Late November-February 2022, and August-October 2022; availability varies depending on the route.

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.

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.

Routes

Departure cities with round-trip sale fares to Aruba (AUA) in this deal include:

• Boston (BOS)
• Chicago (ORD)
• Cleveland (CLE)
• Miami (MIA)
• Jacksonville (JAX)
• Nashville (BNA)
• New Orleans (MSY)
• New York City (JFK/LGA)
• Philadelphia (PHL)
• Seattle (SEA)

Let’s start with the cheapest fare we found, for travel from New Orleans (MSY) to Aruba. JetBlue has round-trip fares available for just $254. This is for the Blue Basic tier, which is fairly restrictive. You’re the last to board, changes to your itinerary incur fees and, worst of all, you’re not allowed a carry-on bag. But that price is cheap enough — about 50% cheaper than normal — that it may make paying $60 for a checked bag worth it.

Boston (BOS) to Aruba is just $267 round-trip on JetBlue, which is the best fare we found in terms of savings from typical prices. This route usually costs around $550 during this time.

Again, this is for a Blue Basic ticket.

You can fly from New York City (JFK) to Aruba for $269 round-trip on Delta in December– and it’s a nonstop, to boot. It’s a Basic Economy ticket so it’s fairly restrictive, but you do get a free carry-on. An upgrade to Economy will cost an additional $40 if you prefer a bit more flexibility.

As mentioned above, some of these discounted fares can be found for travel in the second half of 2022. We found $392 round-trip nonstop flights from NYC to Aruba on JetBlue for a Blue Basic ticket. That’s a significant savings compared to normal fares for travel at this time.

Seattle (SEA) to Aruba is just $379 round-trip on United, and that was a price we found for December and January itineraries. There is more availability in January, however. Also, bear in mind that most of the lowest fares from United are for Basic Economy, which does not include a free checked bag (but you do get a free carry-on).

If you’re going to pack more, consider upgrading to Economy. It’s $80 more, but since a checked bag would cost you $70, it may be worth it. Especially since the higher tier gives you free seat selection.

Maximize Your Purchase

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.

Bottom Line

Don’t wait too long to decide on booking these fares. There are still a good number of options, but Aruba on a discount is not something many travelers can pass up.

Featured image by Andrew Gasiorowski/Getty Images