Deal Alert: US Cities to Costa Rica From $232 Round-Trip

July 08, 2019

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4 min read

Deal Alert: US Cities to Costa Rica From $232 Round-Trip

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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.

Multiple airlines are running solid sales to Costa Rica from various US cities, including Miami (MIA), Baltimore (BWI) and Austin (AUS) starting at just $232 round-trip, as first reported by Scott's Cheap Flights. Most of the fares are booked into basic economy, which means you'll pay to pick your seat and check a bag, but we've written before about how to defeat basic economy on airlines like United and American.

Once you're in Costa Rica, you can take advantage of the cheap cost of living as well as being able to book one of the most luxurious points hotels in Central America. As TPG's Summer Hull wrote last year, the Andaz Costa Rica Resort is a great redemption using Hyatt points, and it's bookable at just 20,000 points per night.

(Photo courtesy of Andaz Papagayo, Costa Rica)

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.

Airline: United, Copa, JetBlue, American, Delta
Routes: BOS/BWI/AUS/MSY/PHL/MIA/ATL/JAX/FLL/SFO/IAD/DCA/DEN to SJO
Cost: $232+ round-trip in economy
Travel Dates: September – May
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:

Miami (MIA) to San Jose (SJO) for $232 round-trip on American:

New Orleans (MSY) to San Jose (SJO) for $276 on United:

Boston (BOS) to San Jose (SJO) for $298 on Copa:

Austin (AUS) to San Jose (SJO) for $298 on United:

Ft. Lauderdale (FLL) to San Jose (SJO) for $308 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), 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.

Featured image by Getty Images/Westend61

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.