Deal alert: Aruba, Jamaica from $150 round trip nonstop
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
The Beach Boys would approve of this flight deal, with nonstop flights beginning at $150 round-trip from Miami on American Airlines.
For more TPG news and deals delivered each morning to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter here.
Both of these Caribbean countries are now open to visitors from the U.S., although travelers entering Aruba should double-check to see if their state of origin has been flagged for additional COVID screening protocols. And travelers entering Jamaica should make sure they cross their Ts and dot their Is. It's a bit of a hassle to enter either country, but these discounted fares might make it worthwhile.
Related:
- Dreaming of a sandy beach? A country-by-country reopening guide to the Caribbean
- Where can Americans travel right now?
- Aruba is open to U.S. travelers
- Here's why planning your visit to Jamaica might resemble applying for college
- You can work remotely from these 11 countries with a custom visa
Most airlines are flexible with booking right now, such as waived change fees. However, you'll want to keep track of the airline cancellation policies and any coronavirus-related updates, and keep in mind that most waived fees don't apply to basic economy.
Related: How to defeat basic economy
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: Spirit, American, JetBlue
Routes: Various U.S. mainland airports to AUA/MBJ/KIN
Cost: from $150 round trip in basic economy
Travel Dates: October 2020 to April 2021
Pay With: The Platinum Card® from American Express (5x on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel; on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year, starting Jan. 1, 2021), Citi Prestige® Card (5x on airfare), Citi Premier® Card (3x on airfare), Chase Sapphire Reserve (3x on travel), American Express® Gold Card (3x on airfare booked directly with the airline or amextravel.com) or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2x on travel)
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Here's an example of what you can book:
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Aruba (AUA) for $150 round trip on Spirit:
Miami (MIA) to Aruba (AUA) for $178 round trip on American in basic economy:
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ) for $189 round trip on Spirit:
Atlanta (ATL) to Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ) for $238 round trip on Spirit and JetBlue:
Orlando (MCO) to Kingston, Jamaica (KIN) for $291 round trip on American:
New York (JFK) to Montego Bay (MBJ) for $320 round trip on American:
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) (5x on flights up to $500,000 beginning Jan. 1, 2021), 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.