Deal alert: Visit Paris or London from $283 round-trip on Oneworld, Star Alliance airlines
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
What a year for travel: Flights to Europe have dipped below $300 round-trip once again, as first reported by The Flight Deal. The cheapest fares we found on these routes originate out of New York, going to Paris on Finnair for just $283 round-trip in March and April.
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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. You probably won't be able to select your seat, get an upgrade or earn Premier Qualifying Miles (PQMs), Premier Qualifying Segments (PQSs) or Premier Qualifying Dollars (PQDs). However, it's possible to avoid many negative aspects of basic economy 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 your dates and prices. Finally, click through to book directly with the airline or an online travel agency, like Orbitz or Expedia.
Airline: Finnair, United, Lufthansa
Routes: EWR/JFK/LAX/SFO to CDG/LHR
Cost: from $283 round trip
Dates: March — May 2020, September — December 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:
New York-JFK to Paris (CDG) for $283 round-trip on Finnair via Priceline through Google:
New York/Newark (EWR) to London Heathrow (LHR) for $338 round-trip on United:
Los Angeles (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR) for $337 round-trip on Lufthansa via Gotogate:
San Francisco (SFO) to Paris (CDG) for $368 round-trip on United:
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.
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