If you’ve been itching to plan a tropical getaway for 2023, now is the best time to do it: Flights to Costa Rica are as low as $308.
Multiple airlines are offering bargain fares to the Costa Rican cities of Liberia and San Jose from a variety of U.S. cities.
While there are some discounts on travel in October and November, most of the best fares occur from January to May of next year. So, you can book your tickets to Costa Rica now, but use the extra time to plan out your trip.
Maybe you’ll explore Rincón de la Vieja Volcano National Park in Liberia, Costa Rica, or see the National Orchestra Symphony of Costa Rica in the National Theater, located in the country’s capital, San Jose — the options are endless.
While most of the travel dates are for next year, we recommend booking your tickets to Costa Rica as soon as possible — such cheap fares are only expected to last a couple of days.
Deal basics
Airlines: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Avianca, Copa Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue and United Airlines.
Routes: Austin, Boston, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Phoenix, Washington, D.C. and other cities to Liberia and San Jose.
How to book: Use Google Flights to determine your ideal dates, then book directly with the airline of your choice.
Travel dates: There is some availability from October to November, but January to August 2023 offers the most availability.
Thank you to Scott’s Cheap Flights for flagging this deal. The site’s Premium membership — which comes with a 14-day free trial and costs $49 a year — offers discounts of up to 90%. You can also upgrade to the Elite tier membership, which sends alerts on premium economy, business- and first-class deals.
Sample flights
Since most of the travel dates are next year, you'll have ample time to plan your trip to Costa Rica. The deal also has a mix of major cities and smaller ones offering discounted routes to Liberia International Airport (LIR) and Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO).
Here are a few flights we’ve flagged:
- American: Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) to SJO, starting at $308 (includes a layover in Miami).
- JetBlue: John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to LIR, starting at $309.
- American: Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO) to SJO, starting at $321 (includes a layover in Miami).
- American: Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to SJO, starting at $336 (includes a layover in Miami).
- Delta: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to SJO, starting at $350 (includes a layover in Atlanta).
- Avianca: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to SJO, starting at $366 (includes a layover in Guatemala City).
- American: Indianapolis International Airport (IND) to LIR, Costa Rica, starting at $371 (includes a layover in Miami).
When booking your flights, we advise using Google Flights to determine the best dates for your trip. Then, book your flights directly on the airline’s website. In the event your flight faces a delay, cancellation or booking change, airlines tend to be more reliable than third-party options for rebooking.
For a spring trip to Costa Rica in May departing from DCA, you'd have to get to the airport fairly early for these two Delta flight options. One is at 6 a.m. for $350. There is another Delta flight departing DCA for San Jose at 7 a.m., but it’s slightly more expensive at $365.
To keep the fare at $350, Delta has a return flight that leaves at 1:13 p.m. Both flights to and from San Jose have layovers in Atlanta.
This $350 fare is definitely a steal, as the least expensive tickets to San Jose normally start at $455, according to Google Flights.
While these fares to the Costa Rican capital are low, they only apply to basic economy seats, which can be restrictive in terms of the perks. Delta’s basic economy class has no seat selection and does not allow passengers to make any changes. Passengers are also the last to board and are not eligible for any upgrades.
Delta basic economy allows you to bring a free carry-on and personal item. Checked baggage costs $30 each way, so you’d end up spending $60 more if you check luggage.
Maximize your purchase
Make sure to use cards that earn bonus points on airfare purchases like The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel), on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, Citi Prestige® Card (5 points per dollar on airfare), Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees), Chase Sapphire Reserve (3 points per dollar on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on travel). See this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.
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.
Bottom line
One of the best aspects of these bargain flights to Costa Rica is the flexibility and timing: Most travel dates are for 2023, so you have plenty of time to plan your getaway.
However, even though these fares are cheap, keep in mind that they mostly apply to basic economy. This means there will be some restrictions or additional fees for features such as seat selection or boarding.
