Don't miss this deal: Premium economy flights to Spain, some under $1000
Earlier this morning, I advised travelers to save money by booking flights now to Costa Rica for travel this fall and winter, and it is here I will give the same advice regarding premium economy fares to Barcelona.
As more and more Americans head to Europe for summer vacations, you might want to consider delaying your trip a bit after the high tourism season passes to take advantage of discounted flights to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN).
It would be worth your while to take a look at discounted flights — which start at $900 round-trip from select U.S. cities to Spain — beginning in September through March.
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Deal basics
Airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, American, British Airways, Delta, Iberia, United, Condor.
Routes: EWR/JFK/BOS/CRW/ORD/DTW/IND/JAN/JAX/MIA/RIC/PBI/IAD and others to BCN.
How to book: Directly through the airline.
Travel dates: Sept. 2022-March 2023, exact availability depends on the route and some include flights over the holidays.
Book by: 1-2 days.
We have to give major kudos to Scott’s Cheap Flights for originally alerting us of this deal. It's an awesome service that sends deals up to 90% off to its Premium members; users can try the Premium membership for free for 14 days and then for $49 per year. They can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year to receive all the Premium deals plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.
You can find round-trip flights departing from many U.S. cities to Barcelona ranging in price from $900 on the low end to $1,300 on the high end. Some available flights include those originating in:
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), starting at $931.
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), starting at $954.
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), starting at $1,187.
- New York City's LaGuardia Airport (LGA), starting at $1,193.
- Miami International Airport (MIA), starting at $1,198.
- Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Washington, D.C., starting at $1,248.
- St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)/Tampa International Airport (TPA)/Tuscon International Airport (TUS)/Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)/San Diego International Airport (SAN) and others, starting at $1,253.
- Akron-Canton Airport (CAK)/Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)/Augusta Regional Airport (AGS)/Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM)/West Virginia International Yeager Airport (CRW)/Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO)/Chattanooga Airport, and others starting at $1,255.
Read more: Second Cities: Destinations to Add onto a Trip to Barcelona
Sample flights
Search this deal by heading to Google Flights and entering your information based on your home airport and desired travel dates. For the sake of this story, I verified I could find a round-trip flight from LAX, priced as advertised at $931.
This is a particularly great flight because not only is it nonstop and less than $1,000, but it also flies to Barcelona over Thanksgiving, departing LAX the week of Thanksgiving and returning the following Monday. You'll note that this flight is ticketed and operated by Iberia, though you can book the same flight through American for a higher price.
All flights in this deal are for the carrier's premium economy fare type, the specifics of which vary by carrier. In general, you can expect at least two meals, slightly bigger seats, more legroom, priority boarding and two free checked bags.
Iberia premium economy fares can also be changed without a fee.
Similarly priced flights can be found out of Boston and New York City, though even the maximum priced flight in this deal is less than $400 more in total.
Maximize your purchase
Don’t forget to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel), on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, Citi Prestige® Card (5 points per dollar on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on travel). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
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.
Bottom line
These prices for a premium economy experience are well worth booking in advance. Especially considering some routes include holiday availability, I would book quickly to take part in the fun.
Related: Bold and beautiful, with the perfect bar: My stay at the InterContinental Barcelona
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 5X | Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com |
| 1.5X | Earn 1.5X points on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year |
| 1X | 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
It's hard to find a card that competes with the mile-long list of benefits that come with the Amex Business Platinum. While it's certainly not the card for the average consumer, a business owner with tons of expenses -- especially related to travel -- will find this card incredibly valuable. This card is similar to the consumer version that Amex offers, but with more business-oriented perks around statement credits and earning rates that are a better fit for business owners.Pros
- An up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four to five years
- Up to $400 annual credit for eligible U.S. Dell purchases (enrollment required)
- Gold status at Marriott and Hilton hotels (enrollment required)
- Access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts program and Hotel Collection
- Extended warranty protection
- International Airline Program and Cruise Privileges Program
Cons
- Steep annual fee
- Difficulty meeting $15,000 welcome offer for smaller businesses
- Limited high-bonus categories outside of travel
- The Points Guy Exclusive Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
- Unlock over $1,000 in annual statement credits on a curation of business purchases, including select purchases made with Dell Technologies, Indeed, Adobe, and U.S. wireless service providers.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for checked baggage fees, lounge day passes, and more at one selected airline.
- $189 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $189 back per year on your CLEAR® membership. CLEAR® is available at more than 50 U.S. airports and stadiums.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more lounge location options than any other credit card on the market as of 9/2021.
- $695 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 5X | Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com |
| 1.5X | Earn 1.5X points on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year |
| 1X | 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
The Points Guy Exclusive Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.Earn 150,000 points120,000 pointsAnnual Fee
$695Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Good, Excellent
Why We Chose It
It's hard to find a card that competes with the mile-long list of benefits that come with the Amex Business Platinum. While it's certainly not the card for the average consumer, a business owner with tons of expenses -- especially related to travel -- will find this card incredibly valuable. This card is similar to the consumer version that Amex offers, but with more business-oriented perks around statement credits and earning rates that are a better fit for business owners.Pros
- An up to $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee every four to five years
- Up to $400 annual credit for eligible U.S. Dell purchases (enrollment required)
- Gold status at Marriott and Hilton hotels (enrollment required)
- Access to the Fine Hotels & Resorts program and Hotel Collection
- Extended warranty protection
- International Airline Program and Cruise Privileges Program
Cons
- Steep annual fee
- Difficulty meeting $15,000 welcome offer for smaller businesses
- Limited high-bonus categories outside of travel
- The Points Guy Exclusive Offer: Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Platinum Card® within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
- Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- Earn 1.5X points (that’s an extra half point per dollar) on eligible purchases at US construction material & hardware suppliers, electronic goods retailers and software & cloud system providers, and shipping providers, as well as on purchases of $5,000 or more everywhere else, on up to $2 million of these purchases per calendar year.
- Unlock over $1,000 in annual statement credits on a curation of business purchases, including select purchases made with Dell Technologies, Indeed, Adobe, and U.S. wireless service providers.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit: Get up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year for checked baggage fees, lounge day passes, and more at one selected airline.
- $189 CLEAR® Credit: Use your Card and get up to $189 back per year on your CLEAR® membership. CLEAR® is available at more than 50 U.S. airports and stadiums.
- The American Express Global Lounge Collection® can provide an escape at the airport. With more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more lounge location options than any other credit card on the market as of 9/2021.
- $695 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.