Flight sale: South Africa, Kenya or Tanzania from $575 round-trip
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Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you’re using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through the Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year). Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz or Expedia’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to get the time away from work or family.
You can check the African continent off of your bucket list for less than $600 round-trip. These sale fares to safari country or some of the best wineries in the world are discounted up to $800 off of the usual prices for these routes.
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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.
To find a deal, 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: SWISS, Ethiopian, Lufthansa
Routes: JFK/EWR/ORD and more to CPT/NBO/DAR/JBO
Cost: from $575 round trip
Dates: February — May 2020
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), 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:
Los Angeles (LAX) to Cape Town, South Africa (CPT) for $575 round-trip on SWISS via Vayama:
New York (JFK) to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (DAR) on Lufthansa for $580 round-trip:
Chicago (ORD) to Nairobi, Kenya (NBO) for $580 round-trip on SWISS via Vayama:
New York/Newark (EWR) to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (DAR) on SWISS for $581 round-trip:
New York/Newark (EWR) to Johannesburg, South Africa (JBO) on Ethiopian for $684 round-trip via Expedia:
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 image by Getty Images.
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