Caribbean deal alert: Fly to Puerto Rico for as low as $282 round-trip
Summer is fast approaching, but savvy travelers know to think a season or two ahead when planning their vacations. That's why we're putting a new fare sale to Puerto Rico on your radar. Winter flights to the popular island are available now at significant discounts.
You can book flights to the capital city of San Juan or the northwestern surfing town of Aguadilla for less than $300 round-trip. The travel window is from May to November 2024 and early 2025 — a period when much of the U.S. will be longing for warm weather. The deal's departure cities include Charlotte, Denver and Seattle.
Know that this deal involves flights with layovers and is for basic economy tickets. Basic economy tickets on American Airlines and Delta Air Lines come with free carry-on bags, which makes this sale very attractive to light packers. For JetBlue and United Airlines flights, only one smaller item is generally permitted on board, so expect to pay $35 to $45 each way if you want to check luggage.
Deal basics
Airlines: American, Delta, JetBlue and United
Routes: Flights from Charlotte, Denver and Seattle to Aguadilla and San Juan
How to book: Browse Google Flights, then book directly with the airline
Travel dates: May through November 2024; between January and March 2025
This deal was originally sent out by Going. Sign up for Going to get up to 90% off select flights via its Premium membership, which users can try for free for 14 days and then $69 per year. You can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year to access all the Premium deals, plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.
Related: The best hotels in Puerto Rico — find your stay on the Island of Enchantment
Sample flights
The big discounts to Aguadilla are limited to flights out of Charlotte, but we found a few good itineraries in the fall. For example, this October round-trip United ticket from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) to Aguadilla's Rafael Hernández Airport (BQN) costs just $323. Remember, United basic economy tickets do not provide a free carry-on bag.
You can find the same price for this route in February when the weather is perfect for surfing at Aguadilla's famed Crash Boat beach. Again, it's a United ticket, so you'll have to pay for a bag.
We found round-trip tickets from Seattle to San Juan in the fall for less than $300. Some have two stops each way, but there were quite a few options with much more reasonable travel schedules. For example, this late October United itinerary from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) is only $282; it has just one layover each way.
American has good availability from Seattle to San Juan at the same price in January. That's an even bigger savings when you consider that you get a free carry-on bag.
As for JetBlue, the carrier has flights from Denver to Puerto Rico for just $352 round-trip. You can fly from Denver International Airport (DEN) to SJU in October and November at that price.
According to Google Flights data, that's a significant discount from normal prices. But remember, JetBlue's Blue Basic fares don't allow for a free carry-on bag, so you'll need to budget a little more for a checked bag.
We'll end where we started: in the Carolinas. We didn't see many great deals from Charlotte to San Juan in the fall and winter, but we did spot a few bargains at the start of summer. This June JetBlue itinerary out of Charlotte is only $326 round-trip.
Maximize your purchase
When you book this deal or any flights, be sure to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees): 2 points per dollar spent on travel
- American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
- The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® (see rates and fees): 8 points per dollar on all Chase Travel℠ purchases and 4 points per dollar on flights booked directly through the airline
- Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees): 3 points per dollar spent on air travel
Bottom line
We always recommend having maximum travel flexibility to take advantage of sale fares, so make sure you have several options when you search for this deal. If you're patient and have good timing, you can find bargains within the fairly wide travel window.
Related reading:
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app