Deal alert: Flights to Asia have dropped to $316 round-trip
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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Deals to Asia always make us smile. Today, we're seeing deals around the U.S. from cities like New York, Miami, St. Louis and Los Angeles to Asia starting at just $316 round-trip. The deals are pretty widespread and include dates from late October through the beginning of April.
We first spotted the deals at Scott's Cheap Flights.
Once in Asia, you can maximize your points by taking advantage of hotels such as The Park Hyatt Siem Reap, which is only a World of Hyatt Category 3 property, meaning a free night costs 12,000 points. Or you can stay at The Conrad Tokyo, which TPG's Sam Rosen called "the most incredible hotel I’ve ever stayed at" for 95,000 Hilton Honors points a night.
If it's elite status you're seeking, this could be a great starting point for a mileage run. For instance, Baltimore (BWI) to Beijing (PEK) in late October on American will net you 16,376 EQMs, 4 EQSs and 430 EQDs. American AAdvantage Gold status requires 25,000 EQMs or 30 elite-qualifying segments plus $3,000 EQDs.
To search, head to Google Flights and enter your origin and destination cities. Scroll through the calendar function to find dates and prices that work for you. Finally, click through to book directly with the airline or an OTA like Orbitz or Expedia.
Airline: China Southern, Hainan, American, Air Canada, ANA, United
Routes: JFK/PHL/BOS/LAX/SFO/PHX/BWI/MIA/DEN/STL to PEK/PVG/REP/CTU/NRT/HND
Cost: $316+ round-trip in economy
Dates: October – April 2020
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai (PVG) for $316 round-trip on Hainan via Vayama:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Beijing (PEK) for $344 round-trip on United:
Denver (DEN) to Beijing (PEK) for $349 round-trip on United:
St. Louis (STL) to Beijing (PEK) for $349 round-trip on American:
New York-JFK to Chengdu (CTU) for $367 round-trip on China Southern:
Boston (BOS) to Shanghai (PVG) for $379 round-trip on Air Canada:
Phoenix (PHX) to Shanghai (PVG) for $399 round-trip on United:
Miami (MIA) to Shanghai (PVG) for $431 round-trip on Air Canada:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Jakarta (CGK) for $490 round-trip on ANA:
Philadelphia (PHL) to Tokyo (HND) for $499 round-trip on United and ANA:
Baltimore (BWI) to Beijing (PEK) for $519 round-trip on American:
New York-JFK to Siem Reap (REP) for $530 round-trip on China Southern via GotoGate:
Maximize your purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card, Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.