Bay Area deal alert: Fly nonstop to San Francisco and Oakland from $119
There are many reasons to visit the San Francisco Bay Area in early summer.
The weather is nice and typically dry, and the food is incredible. Plus, if you're a sports fan, you have your choice of the San Francisco Giants, Oakland A's or the NBA's Golden State Warriors to watch. Thanks to its splendid views, distinctive architecture and, of course, the cable cars, San Francisco is one of the most Instagrammable cities in North America.
We just received the heads-up on a travel deal with round-trip fares to the Bay Area as low as $119. Many of the routes in this sale are nonstops, too, although the best prices we saw for flights out of Denver involve flights with a layover.
The travel window is mostly April and May, but you may find good discounts for some routes as far out as February 2025. It's worth noting that thanks to all the bad publicity San Francisco has gotten recently, hotel prices in the city have dropped. You may be able to put together an all-around bargain getaway to one of America's great cities.
This is the usual type of sale which involves economy-tier tickets. With Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines, that means you get a free carry-on bag. If you book a United Airlines or Breeze Airways flight, expect to pay around $30-$40 each way to check luggage. Or you can upgrade on those airlines for $30-$35 each way to get a free carry-on, free seat selection and the ability to make changes to your itinerary without penalty.
Related: The best hotels in San Francisco for a golden getaway
Deal basics
Airlines: Alaska, American, Breeze, Delta, Hawaiian and United
Routes: Flights (mostly nonstops) from Dallas, Denver, Miami and Seattle to Oakland and San Francisco
How to book: Browse Google Flights, then book directly with the airline
Travel dates: Mainly between April and May; Some routes have availability from June through February
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 for access to all the Premium deals, plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.
Sample flights
We found some great prices on round-trip nonstop flights from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in late April for just $121 on American. According to Google Flights, this is about as cheap a price as you'll see for this route.
The best prices for flights from the Rockies to the Bay Area are in early May. Delta has itineraries from Denver International Airport (DEN) to San Francisco for only $187 round-trip — a big discount from normal prices. This route includes a layover each way in Salt Lake City.
We found some nice deals out of Miami in the fall. American has nonstop flights out of Miami International Airport (MIA) to San Francisco for $179 round-trip in September and October, a good price for that route.
You can book nonstop flights from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to San Francisco in May for just $130 on Alaska.
Delta also has the same route in late April marked down to $137 round-trip. Remember, both the Alaska and Delta economy fares come with a free carry-on bag.
If you fly into Oakland International Airport (OAK), you can travel for just $119 round-trip. That's a really good deal.
We found some discounted flights from Dallas to Oakland on Delta. This route costs $196 round-trip, which is a really nice price. Keep in mind that this itinerary has a layover each way.
Related: Oakland road trip: 5 great day or weekend destinations
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
Some routes had really volatile pricing, changing each time we searched. So once you decide when and where you want to travel, keep checking Google Flights to see what comes up. Also, once you get to San Francisco, be sure to make time to visit Chinatown. It's a popular destination for a reason; check out the shops and have lunch or dinner at one of the restaurants there.
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