Mexico deal alert: Fly to Cancun from Atlanta and NYC from $280 round-trip

If you've been itching to take a vacation from frigid winter temperatures, now's the time to book your trip. There is a big sale on round-trip fares to Cancun, offering some of the best prices we've seen in a while to the picturesque destination in the Yucatan Peninsula. This new deal is for travel originating in Atlanta, New York City and Newark.

The sale mainly applies to travel between February and May of this year. However, there are also some good discounts for flights out of New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) until June and as late as the fall.

Related: Your ultimate checklist of 21 things to do while in Cancun

Just like with most travel deals, the sale is for economy-class fares. Delta Air Lines' and United Airlines' basic economy tickets come with a free carry-on bag, but checking a bag is an additional cost. JetBlue's Blue Basic fares, however, don't come with a free carry-on bag. (It will cost you $70 each way to check a bag.) There is no seat selection with these fares. As you'll see below, we also found some Blue fares in this sale.

Deal basics

Airlines: Delta, JetBlue and United.

Routes: Round-trip from Atlanta, Newark and New York City to Cancun.

How to book: Browse Google Flights, then book directly with the airline.

Travel dates: Sale fares are available for flights between February and May; some flights out of Newark and New York City are on sale through June and even into September and December.

This deal was originally sent out by Going. Sign up for Going to get up to 90% off select flights via its Premium membership, which users can try for free for 14 days and then $49 per year. You can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year; doing so will get you all the Premium deals, plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.

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Sample flights

Here's a great price for a flight in March out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) to Cancun International Airport (CUN) for just $280 round-trip. According to Google Flights, this fare typically costs almost $800, so this is a steep discount. This is for Delta's basic economy fare, which means no seat selection. You get a free carry-on bag, but checking luggage will cost you $60 each way.

You can also find round-trip fares on Delta out of Atlanta to Cancun in May for just $289. Again, it's a basic economy ticket, but this is another solid price.

JetBlue has Blue Basic fares out of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Cancun in March for $339 round-trip. This is nice discount from typical prices, but keep in mind that unless you travel extremely light (think backpack), you'll have to pay $70 to check a bag.

The best prices we found for flights on JetBlue in this deal come out of New York City and JFK. Check out this price for a ticket to Cancun in March for just $282 round-trip. That's a monster savings from usual prices. Even better, it's a Blue ticket, meaning you get a free carry-on bag and free seat selection.

We also found this great price for a flight out of JFK to Cancun in December — because who doesn't love the beach ahead of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season? This JetBlue ticket costs only $309 round-trip, which is almost half what you'd normally pay for this route at this time of year. It's also a Blue fare, which comes with that free carry-on.

Maximize your purchase

When you book this deal or any travel, be sure to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: 2 points per dollar spent on travel
• American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 8 points per dollar on all Chase Travel℠ purchases and 4 points per dollar on flights booked directly through the airline
• Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees): 3 points per dollar spent on air travel

Bottom line

There are some significant discounts in this deal, so if Mexico is on your 2024 travel list, this is the perfect time to plan that visit. The best prices we found tended to be in late February and March, but there are some fantastic bargains available across the calendar, so be thorough in your search.

As we always remind you, having a flexible travel schedule will help you get the best possible fare price.

Related reading:

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