Deal Alert: Take a Last Minute Weekend Trip From $63 Round-Trip
Quick summary
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they're published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.
Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11 p.m. Eastern Time within one day of booking. However, if you're using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you'll need to book directly with the airline or through the Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz or Expedia's courtesy cancellation if you're unable to get the time away from work or family.
I hate to break it to you, but sadly summer's more than halfway over. If you haven't had the time for a summer vacation and are feeling that summer spontaneity — how about taking a last minute weekend trip to a new US city this weekend? There's just something about buying a last minute flight and the act of flying that's so thrilling.
This deal's a bit different than most deals we post— typically, we try to stray away from the low-cost carriers, less preferred timetables and let you know what the absolute best deal is, no matter the date or days of the week. However, for this deal we wanted to spice things up a bit and encourage readers to take a trip maybe they wouldn't have otherwise.
If you're a business class only flyer, these deals are probably not for you. But if you're a reader looking to do something exciting and new this weekend and are willing to pack in a backpack, check out these last minute deals. Be aware of extra fees and restrictions — these airlines all charge extra to choose your seat (but remember, you can skip through the seat selection on some) and to bring a large carry-on bag.
To search, head to Google Flights and enter your origin, destination and stopover cities. Scroll through the calendar function to find dates and prices that work for you. Finally, click through to book directly with the airline or through an OTA like Priceline or Expedia.
Airline Spirit, Allegiant, Frontier, United, American
Routes: DEN/PNS/MSP/BWI/PHL/MSY/MCO/CHS/AUS to ATL/PHL/DFW/PHL/RDU/MEM/ORD/DTW/IND/DEN
Cost: $63+ round-trip
Travel Dates: July 18-22, 2019
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on airfare), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare when booked directly with the airline) or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Denver (DEN) to Atlanta (ATL) for $63 round-trip:
Pensacola (PNS) to Philadelphia (PHL) for $97 round-trip:
Minneapolis (MSP) to Dallas (DFW) for $109 round-trip:
Baltimore (BWI) to Raleigh (RDU) for $125 round-trip:
Philadelphia (PHL) to Memphis (MEM) for $126 round-trip (when booked separately on Frontier and American):
New Orleans (MSY) to Chicago (ORD) for $129 round-trip:
Orlando (MCO) to Detroit (DTW) for $131 round-trip:
Charleston (CHS) to Indianapolis (IND) for $134 round-trip:
Austin (AUS) to Denver (DEN) for $144 round-trip (when booked separately on United and Spirit):
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), Citi Prestige Card (5x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card (3x on airfare) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.