Deal alert: Trans-con flights for $97 round-trip, nonstop
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It isn’t often that we see fares for under a hundred dollars for round-trip flights across the US, so if you’ve been eyeing a vacation now’s the time to book. Grab a burger in Buckhead or head to sunny California for some much needed respite from the cold. We won’t judge.
- Note that many deals begin in basic economy, but the right credit card may help. For instance, the annual travel credit offered by the Chase Sapphire Reserve will cover up to $300 in travel-related expenses, including both bags and seat fees. The same is true for the up to $200 annual airline fee credit offered by the The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express if you’re able to book on one of the airlines covered by the credit. Enrollment required for select benefits.
To search, 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 through an OTA like Priceline, Orbitz or Expedia.
Airline: American, United, Alaska, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit
Routes: ATL/JFK/EWR to SFO/LAX and vice versa
Cost: $97+ round-trip
Travel Dates: February – March 2020
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card (3x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Citi Premier® Card (3x on airfare) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
The information for the Citi Prestige 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 a few examples of what you can book:
Atlanta (ATL) to San Francisco (SFO) for $97 round-trip on United:
Atlanta (ATL) to San Francisco (SFO) for $112 round-trip on American:
Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (EWR) for $197 round-trip on United: 
Los Angeles (LAX) to Atlanta (ATL) for $135 round-trip on Spirit: 
San Francisco (SFO) to New York (JFK) for $197 round-trip on Delta: 
New York (NYC) to San Francisco (SFO) for $197 round-trip on JetBlue:
Maximize Your Purchase
Don’t forget to use a credit card that earns additional points on airfare purchases to pay the taxes and fees, such as the The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card (3x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel), Citi Premier® Card (3x on airfare) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
Featured photo courtesy of Yuliia Hrozian.
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- Earn 50,000 bonus miles and 5,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 3 months.
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