Spend next St. Patrick's Day in Dublin: Flights for less than $400

Planning your travel a few seasons in advance can be a great way to save money. Your mind may currently be on summer vacation but now might be a good time to put spring break next year on your radar. If Ireland has been on your must-see list, there are some deals you may want to jump on.

Round-trip flights are currently on sale for travel during the first few months of 2023. You can find fares to Ireland for travel through April starting at just over $350 from several major U.S. cities.

This could be a great, cost-effective way to experience all that Dublin has to offer in the midst of its iconic St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, or a gateway to Ireland’s other beautiful cities and its stunning sights like the Cliffs of Moher.

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If next spring is too far in the distance for your planning and you’re looking to make the trip to Ireland sooner, it is worth checking flights this fall, too. We did see some availability for around $400 between September and November, depending on the route — so you might be in luck.

Scott’s Cheap Flights was the first to point out these deals to Ireland this fall and in the early months of 2023. The site offers memberships starting at $49 for economy deals and $199 for a premium membership that will alert you to great deals on premium tickets.

As you iron out the final details of your summer excursion, think about booking an autumn getaway or snagging a deal for next spring. Don’t sleep on this deal as there’s a good chance that by December and January, when many start booking their spring trips, the fares will be much higher.

Related: Best times to book the cheapest airfare in 2022

Deal basics

Airlines: Aer Lingus, TAP Air Portugal and Play.
Routes: Newark, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago and Washington, D.C., to Dublin.
How to book: Directly through the airlines or Google Flights.
Travel dates: Limited availability in September, October and November with wide availability between January and April.

Sample flights

The deals we took note of involved round trips to Dublin Airport (DUB) for around $400 in economy. For this particular deal, nearly all of the availability at this price point involved itineraries on international carriers so many have connections in another European country — most likely Portugal or Iceland.

While we prioritized price and convenience in sharing these itineraries, which meant layovers of a few hours or less, if spending a day (and a night) in Lisbon or Reykjavik is of interest to you, play around with Google Flights because there’s a good chance you could arrange something along those lines.

Here are a few of the itineraries that caught our attention:

• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Dublin for $374 on Aer Lingus.
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Dublin for $358 on Play.
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) to Dublin for $387 on Play.
• Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Dublin for $404 on TAP.
• O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Dublin for $415 on TAP.

Let’s start by taking a look at one of the best prices we were able to track down for this particular deal. This involves a round trip out of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) aboard Iceland’s newest low-cost carrier, Play. The carrier is based at Keflavik Airport (KEF) in Reykjavik so you’ll have a layover there on the outbound and return trips, but nothing too lengthy. As I discussed in a recent story, you’ll always want to take a close look at the fees you’ll pay on these carriers on top of the base fare ($358 in this case) but this could still be a great way to get to Dublin and back at a lower price point.

The best options out of the New York area were out of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and what’s great about this itinerary is that it’s nonstop aboard Aer Lingus. This trip we flagged is also a reminder of the biggest caveat in this deal: While most of the sub-$400 availability we’re talking about here is on winter and spring 2023 flights, you can find a good deal this fall (even late summer) if you look hard enough. For this trip, your overnight flight to Dublin aboard an Airbus A321neo would leave the Wednesday after Labor Day.

For travelers in the Washington, D.C., area, I found a few options around or under $400 out of Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI), but most of the availability will be out of Dulles International Airport (IAD). This $404 round trip I flagged aboard TAP is noteworthy because after the brief early morning layover in Lisbon you land in Dublin midmorning on St. Patrick’s Day, so you’ll be there just in time to celebrate.

You might also fly TAP if you’re leaving from Chicago. I found a $415 round trip out of O’Hare International Airport (ORD) that involves stops in Lisbon on the outbound and return trips, the longest of which is a little more than three hours.

Related: A toast to the best bars in Dublin

Maximize your purchase

Since most of these deals are on international carriers, you likely won’t earn quite as many points with a cobranded credit card, so you may want to use a card that has strong earnings across multiple airlines. You’ll earn 5 points per dollar on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards when you pay with the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Meanwhile, The Platinum Card® from American Express will earn you 5 Membership Rewards points for flights booked directly with the airlines or with American Express Travel. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card will earn you 5 miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel.

Bottom line

A spring vacation may be a trip that’s furthest from your mind right now, but in this case, some early planning could help you save. If Ireland has been at the top of your list of destinations to travel to, this could be a good opportunity to book a cheap fare.