Caribbean flight sale: St. Thomas, Turks and Caicos, Aruba, Puerto Rico and more from $94 round trip
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
A cold front calls for a warm-weather getaway, and these low, low fares to the Caribbean are the perfect justification. The cheapest fares originate out of Florida's Miami and Fort Lauderdale airports .
Brush off your passport (or don't even, for Puerto Rico!): All of these Caribbean destinations are less than four hours away from the East Coast, so you can "get there fast" on these sale fares and "then take it slow" somewhere nice, as the Beach Boys no doubt would've said if they had been into points and miles.
If you're not sure where to stay, we've got some suggestions. The Points Guy himself, Brian Kelly, just got back from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he relaxed in state at the newly re-opened Ritz-Carlton. (Check his Instagram stories for a pro tip on "cutting the lines" at the St. Thomas airport!)
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Some of these fares may book into basic economy, which means different things to different airlines, but often means you may not have free use of the overhead bins for a carry-on bag. You probably also won't be able to select your seat, get an upgrade or earn PQM/PQS/PQDs. However, it's possible to defeat many of basic economy's negative aspects by having elite status or a cobranded credit card.
The cheapest flights originate out of Florida on Spirit, so we highly recommend purchasing Freebird for "flight insurance" in case of any cancellations or delays. This company will rebook you on the next flight out — regardless of the airline — if your flight is canceled or delayed past a certain amount of time. You'd be hard pressed to find better peace of mind on a cheap flight for $19.
To find a deal that works for you, 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: Spirit, American
Routes: FLL/MIA to AUA/STT/PLS/SJU
Cost: from $95 round trip
Dates: March — November 2020
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare immediately after earning your $300 annual travel credit), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (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.
Here are some examples of specific flights that are available:
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) for $94 round trip nonstop on Spirit via Google:
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (STT) for $146 round trip nonstop on Spirit via Google:
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Aruba (AUA) for $174 round trip nonstop on Spirit via Google:
Miami (MIA) to Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, for $205 round trip nonstop on American:
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 guide for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
Featured courtesy of Ansgar Scheffold.