Deal alert: Travel to Costa Rica this fall for as low as $218 round trip
Starting this fall, you can trade autumn leaves for palm trees with this flight deal to Costa Rica.
Nestled between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, this small coastal country offers stunning white sand beaches and incredible plant and animal biodiversity in its long stretches of rainforest. When you visit Costa Rica, you can hike up a volcano, marvel at gigantic waterfalls and say hello to a family of monkeys on the same day.
If you want in on this incredible vacation spot, your travel options just became a lot cheaper. Beginning in September, you can book round-trip flights to San Jose, Costa Rica, starting at just $218, nearly 60% off its normal price tag. (Yes, you read that right.)
Currently, round-trip flights for the summer to San Jose are priced between $400 and $700. However, they drop significantly in fall.
If you dream of unspoiled beaches, cascading waterfalls and crystal-clear waters, this deal is worth checking out.
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Deal basics
Airlines: American, Delta, Copa, JetBlue.
Routes: JFK/LAX/BOS/IAD/BWI/LGA/LAS/PHL/MCO/ATL and others to SJO.
How to book: Directly through the airline.
Travel dates: September-November 2022 and January-May 2023; exact availability depends on the specific route.
Book by: 1-2 days.
Props to Scott’s Cheap Flights for catching this fantastic deal. Scott’s Cheap Flights sends deals up to 90% off 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 and receive all the Premium deals plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.
Sample flights
This deal includes flights from a variety of U.S. cities to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), some of which are nonstop, including from:
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), starting at $218.
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), starting at $244.
- Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)/Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), starting at $274.
- Orlando International Airport (MCO), starting at $290.
- Newark International Airport (EWR), starting at $339.
To search this deal, head to Google Flights and enter your origin city and put SJO as your destination. For example, you could book a round-trip, nonstop flight from JFK to SJO in mid-October for $326 on JetBlue.
Unless you can fit all your swimsuits, jungle gear and toiletries in a small stowaway bag, you'll need to pay extra for baggage since the JetBlue flights are for the carrier's Blue Basic fare, which only allows travelers to bring one personal item that can fit under the seat in front of them on board. Any full-size carry-on bag brought to the gate will need to be checked for $60.
There are also some great flight deals out of other cities, so be sure to explore options based on your home airport.
Maximize your purchase
Even though these round-trip tickets are cheap, you'll still want to get the most out of your money.
As always, you'll want to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as The Platinum Card® from American Express (which gives you 5 points per dollar spent on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel) or the American Express® Gold Card (which nets you 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel). You could also use the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (which gives you 2 points per dollar spent on travel). See this TPG post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
Related: Welcome to the jungle: How I redeemed 100,000 Chase points to book a Costa Rica trip of a lifetime
Bottom line
If Costa Rica is on your bucket list, this fall is the perfect time to cross it off, with flights starting at a little more than $200 from select cities.
This deal offers the perks of a luxurious vacation at a reduced price and provides ease in traveling from major U.S. cities to Central America. If you decide to book one of these golden tickets, act fast.
Additional reporting by Caroline Tanner.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023
Rewards Rate
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended 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.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023