Deal Alert: US to South Africa and Kenya From $548 Round-Trip

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 11pm 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.

Looking to knock that vacation to Africa off your bucket list? Well, with fares from major US cities to South Africa and Kenya from only $548 round-trip, you can. You can fly on the cheap from Washington DC (IAD), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX) and Boston (BOS) to Cape Town (CPT), Johannesburg (JNB) or Nairobi (NBO) between January and May 2019. Some flights include layovers on the long side, so here are some ways to prevent yourself from going stir-crazy while waiting at the airport.

There is no shortage of things to do in South Africa. If you're looking for a place to stay while you're visiting Cape Town, TPG is a big fan of The One&Only Cape Town Hotel — which has gargantuan rooms and a gorgeous pool deck where you can kick back and relax. While Johannesburg doesn't get the same attention as Cape Town, it's still a great city to utilize your points and miles.

To maximize your time on vacation, check out Get Your Guide’s list of best activities in Kenya and South Africa.

To search, head to Google Flights and enter your origin and destination 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.

Airlines: Lufthansa, Swiss Delta
Routes: IAD/JFK/LAX/BOS to JNB/CPT/NBO
Cost: $548+ round-trip
Travel Dates: January 2019 – May 2019
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on airfare booked directly with the airline), Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, or Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)

Here are a few examples of what you can book:
Washington D.C. (IAD) to Johannesburg (JNB) for $548 round-trip on Lufthansa/SWISS:

Los Angeles (LAX) to Cape Town (CPT) for $567 round-trip on Lufthansa:

Washington D.C. (IAD) to Cape Town (CPT) for $594 round-trip on Lufthansa:

New York (EWR) to Cape Town (CPT) for $601 round-trip on Lufthansa:

Boston (BOS) to Cape Town (CPT) for $651 round-trip on Lufthansa:

New York (JFK) to Nairobi (NBO) for $677 round-trip on Delta:

New York (JFK) to Johannesburg (JNB) for $680 round-trip on Delta:

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), Chase Sapphire Reserve, American Express® Gold Card, Citi Premier® Card, or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on all travel purchases). Check out this post for more on maximizing airfare purchases.

H/T: The Flight Deal