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Deal alert: Fly nonstop to Costa Rica from $204

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Mike Avila is an Emmy Award-winning TV producer who has worked for NBC, CBS and ABC, to name just a few. He’s author of books such as the recent “Wolverine: Creating Marvel’s Legendary Mutant.” He also was executive producer of the SYFY Originals documentary, “Todd McFarlane: Like Hell I Won’t.”
May 01, 2022
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5 min read
Drone shot of sunrise on Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica
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It's time to look ahead to fall and plan a trip to bask in the lush rainforests and intoxicating beaches of Costa Rica. There is a great sale on flights to the popular Central American destination. And while most of the best deals are for fall travel, you may be able to secure some great bargains for a late summer vacation. A lot of the flights in this sale involve a layover, but we did find a few nonstops, too.

As we like to remind you with these fare sales, United and JetBlue's lowest-price tickets don't include a full-size carry-on. So expect an upgrade to a fare that includes bags to cost you around $40 each way. Checked luggage normally costs $30-$35 each way on most airlines.

The best availability is for travel between August of this year and March 2023. Holidays are excluded from this sale. As always, have a few different travel dates in mind if you can. It will help you get the best possible prices.

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Our thanks to Scott’s Cheap Flights for tipping us off to this new deal. Its basic membership is available for $49 per year. The Elite tier option is available for $199 per year, and that provides you with access to deals on premium economy, business class and first class tickets.

Deal basics

Airlines: American, Delta, JetBlue, United.
Routes: Albany, Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and other cities to San Jose, Costa Rica.
How to book: Search Google Flights and book directly through the airline.
Travel dates: Availability from August through March 2023; holidays are excluded.

(photo: Patrick Gijsbers/Getty Images)

Sample flights

If you live in Miami, you have a wide range of fares to choose from. This route on American in March is only $209 round trip, and it includes a nonstop return flight. We found similar prices for several flights from Miami International Airport (MIA) to San Jose in February.

(Screenshot courtesy of Google Flights)

There are lots of flights available from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Jose. In fact, the further out you can plan your travel, the cheaper the tickets get. We found this itinerary in late February on United for only $204 for a nonstop. It's basic economy so you'll have to pay to upgrade for a free full-size carry-on, but at this low price, it's worth doing so.

(Screenshot courtesy of Google Flights)

This January itinerary on American is slightly more expensive at $218, and it involves a layover each way, but it's a fantastic price for a trip to Costa Rica that time of year.

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(Screenshot courtesy of Google Flights)

Baltimore (BWI) to San Jose can be booked for as low as $284 round-trip, with a layover each way, on American in November and December. Keep in mind that many of the lowest prices we saw for this route in December involved flights with two stops.

(Screenshot courtesy of Google Flights)

If you want to swap out the mountains for the rainforest in the fall, American has reduced flights from Denver (DEN) to Costa Rica from September through December. Just as with Baltimore, we noticed that a lot of the best prices involved flights with two stops. But here's one we found with just one layover each way for only $298 round-trip.

(Screenshot courtesy of Google Flights) for

You can find discounted flights to San Jose from both Houston Airports. This November ticket from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) costs just $328, a nice discount from the usual price for that time of year.

(Screenshot courtesy of Google Flights)

One last notable fare we found was another American Airlines ticket, this one from New York City (LGA) to San Jose in February for $254 round-trip. That's a big markdown from what this route typically costs in the winter.

(Screenshot courtesy of Google Flights)

Related: How I redeemed 100,00 Chase points to book the Costa Rica trip of a lifetime

Maximize your purchase

Pay with: The Platinum Card® from American Express for 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), the Citi Prestige® Card for 5 points per dollar on airfare, the Citi Premier® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve for 3 points per dollar on air travel, the American Express® Gold Card for 3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for 2 points per dollar 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.

Featured image by Getty Images/iStockphoto
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.