Saturday Deal Alert: Peak season fares to Puerto Rico
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
If you are looking for a last-minute getaway for the holidays this year, how do the beaches of Puerto Rico sound?
Thanks to our friends at Thrifty Traveler Premium, you can find roundtrip flights to San Juan (SJU) starting at just $134 from Miami (MIA), $142 from Philadelphia (PHL), $194 from Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) and $232 from Atlanta (ATL) to name a few. Did I mention they were all nonstop?
Airline: American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue and United
Routes: ATL/BOS/ORD/FLL/MIA/MSP/JFK/TPA/IAD and others to SJU.
Cost: Starting at $134 round-trip for select routes.
Dates: November 2021-August 2022. Most of the deals I found were for November, January and February, but some do include routes over the holidays.
Pay with: The Platinum Card® from American Express for 5x on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year), the Citi Prestige® Card for 5x on airfare, the Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) or Chase Sapphire Reserve for 3x on air travel, the American Express® Gold Card for 3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for 2x on travel — which you could redeem for as little as 13,000 points.
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.
Related: Vaccinated travelers no longer need to have a COVID-19 test for entry into Puerto Rico
Round-trip nonstop flights in this deal are departing from nearly 20 cities to SJU, including:
- Miami (MIA) starting at $134
- Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) starting at $135
- Philadelphia (PHL) starting at $142
- Newark (EWR) starting at $214
- New York (JFK) starting at $218
- Chicago (ORD) starting at $228
- Atlanta (ATL) starting at $232
- Washington, D.C. (IAD) starting at $255
- Minneapolis (MSP) starting at $268
- Charlotte (CLT) starting at $272
Search for these flights by heading to Google Flights and start by entering your departure city of choice and San Juan as your destination, along with your preferred dates.
A flight you might come across is the below nonstop American flight from MIA to SJU in mid-January for less than $150 round-trip. The fare is for American Airlines' Basic Economy, which includes one free carry-on. If you wanted to choose your seat, you'd have to upgrade to their Main Cabin for $80 more.
Upgrading to the next highest class would also allow you to change your flight for free or receive a voucher for future travel in the case of a cancellation.
A flight over MLK Weekend for United Basic Economy would cost you $135 on United if you flew from EWR on Jan. 21. Just know that unlike the above flight in the same class on American, United does not allow travelers in this class to carry on a full-sized bag but limits you to one smaller personal item.
You could also consider paying $80 to get that free carry-on and a seat in Economy for $215 total.
Read more: I visited Puerto Rico – Here's what you need to know right now
Since we know all of our Chicago friends will be dying to escape the cold come February (#relatable), here's a $229 round-trip flight on United to do just that. This is a great deal since it's for Economy, which includes carry-on luggage and the flexibility to change your flight for free should your schedule change.
Puerto Rico is allowing fully vaccinated travelers to enter the country without having to do any pre-arrival testing, which makes it a relatively easy destination outside of the continental U.S. to get to these days. You can still visit the country if you are not vaccinated, but you must show results of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of travel to do so. Because PR is a U.S. territory, no testing is required on your return flight home. Face masks remain mandatory indoors in addition to outdoor spaces with 50 or more people. Additional COVID-19 guidance can be found via Discover Puerto Rico.
Read more: Puerto Rico to require testing and/or vaccination for lodging