Best Southwest deals (July 15th)

Do you LUV Southwest? Me too!

They often run a sale from Tuesday-Thursday. This week is no exception. But, it is hard to sort through all of the choices to find the best ones. That's what I'm here for!


Do you have the Southwest Visa card? If not, this is a perfect way of getting nearly-free ($11.20 taxes roundtrip) flights! There is a 50,000-point sign-up bonus available now. That is ~$800 in free Southwest flights!!

Apply here: tinyurl.com/JTKTSWCardOffer
Want to learn more? Check out this post about SW points and companion pass

Here are the best available options right now:

Atlanta: Chicago, IL: $88 rt
Baltimore: Chicago, IL: $98 rt

Boston:

• Seattle: $276 rt
• San Diego: $300 rt
• Oakland: $314 rt

Chicago:

• Atlanta: $88 rt
• Baltimore, MD: $98 rt

Dallas: Tampa: $98 rt

Denver:

• Los Angeles: $110 rt
• Nashville, TN: $146 rt
• Portland, OR: $146 rt

LA: Denver: $110 rt

Nashville: Denver: $146 rt

NYC:

• San Diego: $308 rt
• Oakland: $318 rt
• San Francisco: $318 rt

Oakland:

• Boston: $314 rt
• New York: $318 rt

Philadelphia:

• Portland: $238 rt
• Sacramento: $298 rt

Portland, OR:

• Philadelphia: $238 rt
• Denver: $146 rt

Sacramento: Philadelphia: $298 rt

San Diego:

• Boston: $300 rt
• New York: $308 rt

San Francisco: New York City: $318 rt

Seattle:

• Boston: $276 rt
• Washington: $278 rt

Tampa: Dallas: $98 rt

Washington DC: Seattle: $278 rt

How to book:
I do not get commissions for linking you to Southwest deals. I just LUV Southwest and getting you great deals! Please do consider signing up for a Southwest Visa card through my link to earn me Southwest points for my future travels :-)

I recommend using Southwest's Flexible Date Search to find the dates that these deals are available:

Incredible international deals (July 15)!

Houston to Moscow: $399 rt

• Book by: August 10th
• Travel dates: Sept 1-Dec 1
• http://thepointsguy.com/SIA-Moscow
• 3.23 acpdm

Boston to Hong Kong: $558-592 rt

• Depart Sept 10-Nov 30
• 3.38 acpdm
• Click here to book with Cheapoair

Dallas to Hong Kong: $585-625 rt

• Depart Sept 10-Nov 28
• Sun-Wed departures are cheapest
• 3.48 acpdm
• Click here to book with Cheapoair

LA to Bangkok: $601-621 rt

• Depart Aug 17-Dec 6
• 3.54 acpdm
• Click here to book with Cheapoair

Houston to Singapore: $724-754 rt

• Depart Aug 12-Dec 7, Dec 27-30, Jan 1-Mar 25
• 3.60 acpdm
• Click here to book with Cheapoair - use promo code NY15 for the best fare

Pre-discount price

Newark to Manila: from $660 rt

• Depart Mon-Thurs from Aug 24-Dec 8
• 3.76 acpdm
• Click here to book with Cheapoair - use promo code NY15 for the best fare

Pre-discount price

Great deals to Hong Kong

View from Victoria Peak

• San Francisco: $560-577 rt
• LA: $590-619 rt
• Seattle: $672-703 rt
• Miami: $721 rt
• Boston: $753-779 rt
• Tampa: from $761 rt

Travel dates:

• San Francisco: depart Sun-Thurs from Aug 23-Dec 9 and Jan 3-Apr 28
• LA: depart Aug 23-Dec 9 or Sun-Thurs departures from Jan 3-Apr 28
• Seattle: depart Sun-Thurs from Aug 24-Sept 30 or Sun/Mon/Wed departures from Oct 11-Nov 30 and Jan 3-Apr 27
• Miami: depart Oct 25-Mar 10 - except Dec 17-26
• Boston: depart any day Sept 1-Dec 4; various dates from Jan 12-Feb 7; any day from Feb 25-Apr 29
• Tampa: various dates from Sept 7 - Oct 1

Example itinerary:

• San Francisco: Thurs Sept 24 - Mon Oct 5 for $560
• LA: Wed Nov 25 - Mon Dec 7 for $590
• Seattle: Wed Sept 23 - Sun Oct 4 for $672
• Boston: Thurs Sept 24 - Mon Oct 5 for $753
• Tampa: Mon Sept 7 - Sat Sept 19 for $761

Flight booking:
Multiple airlines are battling over these destinations. So, check multiple links to ensure that you get the best fare.
Click here to book with Cheapoair - use promo code NY15 for the best fare
Click here to book with SmartFares - use promo code SFAIR15 for the best fare
Click here to book with Momondo

Hotel booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking

Adjusted Cost Per Direct Mile:

• San Francisco: 3.90
• LA: 3.93
• Seattle: 5.02
• Miami: 3.91
• Boston: 4.60
• Tampa: 4.21

<4 = INCREDIBLE deal. If you have an interest in ever visiting this destination, book now! Or, you may be interested in making a "mileage run" out of this

4 to 5 = EXCELLENT deal
5 to 6 = great deal
6 to 7 = good deal

Reader Question: Switching airlines in NYC

JT's Flight Deals follower Georgian asks:

JT, have you flown in to JFK on an international flight before? We are returning from MAD to JFK and now I need to buy a flight from JFK to AUS. Do you think a flight that departs 2 hours after our scheduled arrival at JFK would give us enough time to get through customs and get checked in for the flight to AUS? I'd appreciate your input.

Great question! Yes I have done exactly what you are looking to do! We arrived in JFK from Abu Dhabi and connected to a flight to Austin. Read about our connection and layover here.

But, as far as how long you will need to connect, it depends...

1) US Customs Preclearance

It depends if Madrid airport has US Customs Preclearance operating when you are coming back. If so, you clear customs before boarding the plane in Madrid. Then, you will be treated as a domestic arrival when you get to JFK. This obviously would save a lot of time!

Katie and I went through Preclerance in Abu Dhabi airport coming back from Johannesburg as part of our Etihad error fare flights (JFK to Johannesburg for $277 roundtrip!). It was really weird to step off of an international flight and right into the US terminal - but that is exactly what we did!

On May 29th, Madrid was listed as one of the 10 airports that is supposed to get Preclerance. However, no dates have been announced about when it will be opened there.

2) Global Entry
You have finally arrived back in the US, deplaned, and want to get home,.. Sick of then waiting for 10-45 minutes just to officially enter the country? Us too! So, we got Global Entry. For $100 per person, you can simply walk up to a kiosk, scan your passport, answer a few questions, have your photo taken and - typically, in less than 5 minutes - you are in!

The application takes a bit of time and you do have to complete a live interview. (There is an interview location in Newark for your case!) Once you are accepted, Global Entry is good for 5 years. You are assigned a Trusted Traveler Number, which can be used on domestic flights to get TSA Pre security clearance (which is $85 by itself!)

If Madrid doesn't have Preclearance, having Global Entry can substantially reduce the amount of time you have to allow for connecting.

3) Airlines / terminal switch
JFK has six separate operating terminals. Different airlines use different terminals and connecting can take some time! I found that this is especially true with JetBlue's Terminal 5 - as the check-in counter seems to be a full mile from the AirTrain.

So, definitely use this list to check which terminal you are arriving and considering departing from!

My experience:
When we were coming back from Abu Dhabi into JFK and then connecting to Austin. we were switching from Etihad in Terminal 4 to JetBlue in Terminal 5. We had cleared customs in Abu Dhabi (using Global Entry). So, all we needed to do was walk to baggage claim, pick up our luggage, transfer terminals, re-check our bags, and clear Pre security.

Even with some delays with my bag coming out, we were able to complete this in under 90 minutes. Our flight was supposed to arrive at 4:35 pm, but did not land until 4:58 and arrive at the gate until 5:07 pm. We were at the JetBlue check-in counter by 6:10 pm and we were comfortably at our gate by 6:30 pm for our 9:05 pm flight. So, two hours may have been enough... but, it would have been stressful!

Bottom line:
To be safe, I would recommend at least three hours between scheduled arrival and scheduled departure - when connecting in JFK from an international flight to a domestic flight. You can reduce this by ~30 minutes if you have cleared customs via Preclearance (or ~20 minutes if you have Global Entry) and ~30 minutes if you are not connecting terminals.

International deals from Texas pouring in!

Interested in a deal? Leave a comment and I can fill-in the details

• Houston to Lima: $394 rt [$267 fares sold out]
• Dallas to Lima: $336 rt - still alive!
• Dallas to Sao Paulo: $581 rt - fare drop!
• Austin to Sao Paulo: $603 rt - matched by all 3 major carriers (AA, Delta, United)
• Dallas to Dubai: $631 rt - still available
• Dallas to Shanghai: $679 rt - still available
• Houston to Sao Paulo: $693 rt - still available
• Houston to Dubai: $695 rt - still available
• Dallas to Tel Aviv: $707 rt - still available
• Houston to Singapore: $724 rt - still available
• Dallas to Beijing: $735 rt - still available
• Houston to Johannesburg: $738 rt - fare drop!
• Dallas to Istanbul: $742 rt - fare drop!
• Houston to Manila: $751 rt - slight increase
• Dallas to Manila: $778 rt - still available
• Austin to Manila: $783 rt - still available
• Austin to Hong Kong: $811 rt - still available

Flight booking:
Multiple airlines are battling over these destinations. So, check multiple links to ensure that you get the best fare.
Click here to book with Cheapoair - use promo code NY15 for the best fare
Click here to book with SmartFares - use promo code SFAIR15 for the best fare
Click here to book with Momondo

Hotel booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking

Adjusted Cost Per Direct Mile:

• Houston to Lima: 5.97
• Dallas to Lima: 4.71
• Dallas to Sao Paulo: 5.49 
• Austin to Sao Paulo: 5.81
• Dallas to Dubai: 3.80
• Dallas to Shanghai: 4.48
• Houston to Sao Paulo: 6.87
• Houston to Dubai: 4.13
• Dallas to Tel Aviv: 4.92
• Houston to Singapore: 3.58
• Dallas to Beijing: 5.13
• Houston to Johannesburg: 3.99
• Dallas to Istanbul: 5.74
• Houston to Manila: 4.29
• Dallas to Manila: 4.56
• Austin to Manila: 4.53
• Austin to Hong Kong: 4.79

<4 = INCREDIBLE deal. If you have an interest in ever visiting this destination, book now! Or, you may be interested in making a "mileage run" out of this

4 to 5 = EXCELLENT deal
5 to 6 = great deal
6 to 7 = good deal

Top flight deals under $200 - with no carry-on bag fees

Cheap fares are great... but, it is not so great to think that you got a good deal only to find out that your carry-on bag is going to cost you $20-100 per leg to take with you!!

So, here are the top deals under $200 on airlines that do not charge carry-on bag fees

Atlanta:

• Chicago: $87 rt
• Philadelphia: $91 rt
• Los Angeles: $157 rt

Austin: Newark: $177 rt

Baltimore:

• Denver: $184 rt
• Las Vegas: $198 rt  [book on Southwest]

Boston:

• Dallas: $177 rt
• Houston: $177 rt

Chicago:

• Philadelphia: $81 rt
• Atlanta: $87 rt
• Orlando: $97 rt
• Denver: $98 rt
• Miami, FL: $111 rt
• Phoenix: $111 rt
• Ft. Lauderdale: $117 rt
• Las Vegas: $131 rt
• San Diego: $177 rt
• Los Angeles: $197 rt

Cincinnati:

• Miami: $124 rt
• Dallas: $125 rt

Dallas:

• Orlando: $107 rt
• Ft. Lauderdale: $109 rt
• Miami, FL: $109 rt
• Tampa: $117 rt [book on Southwest]
• Cincinnati: $125 rt
• Los Angeles: $137 rt
• Las Vegas: $141 rt
• Philadelphia: $157 rt
• New York: $167 rt
• Boston, MA: $177 rt

Denver:

• Chicago: $98 rt
• Las Vegas: $107 rt
• Los Angeles: $109 rt
• Philadelphia: $174 rt
• Miami, FL: $177 rt
• Orlando: $182 rt
• Baltimore, MD: $184 rt
• Ft. Lauderdale: $184 rt

Detroit: Miami, FL: $147 rt

Fort Lauderdale:

• Las Vegas: $197 rt
• Dallas: $109 rt
• Chicago: $117 rt
• Denver: $184 rt

Houston:

• Phoenix: $98 rt
• Boston, MA: $177 rt

Las Vegas:

• Denver: $107 rt
• Chicago: $131 rt
• Dallas: $141 rt
• Philadelphia: $186 rt
• Fort Lauderdale: $197 rt
• Baltimore, MD: $198 rt  [book on Southwest]

Los Angeles:

• Denver: $109 rt
• Dallas: $137 rt
• Atlanta: $157 rt
• Chicago: $197 rt

Miami:

• Dallas: $109 rt
• Chicago: $111 rt
• Cincinnati: $124 rt
• Detroit: $147 rt
• Denver: $177 rt

Minneapolis: Orlando: $166 rt

New York: Dallas: $167 rt

Newark: Austin: $177 rt

Orlando:

• Philadelphia: $91 rt
• Chicago: $97 rt
• Dallas: $107 rt
• Minneapolis: $166 rt
• Denver: $182 rt

Philadelphia:

• Chicago: $81 rt
• Tampa: $90 rt
• Atlanta: $91 rt
• Orlando: $91 rt
• Dallas: $157 rt
• Denver: $174 rt
• Las Vegas: $186 rt

Phoenix:

• San Francisco: $91 rt
• Houston: $98 rt
• Chicago: $111 rt

Portland: Anchorage, AK: $157 rt

San Diego: Chicago: $177 rt

San Francisco: Phoenix: $91 rt

Seattle: Anchorage, AK: $177 rt

Tampa:

• Philadelphia: $90 rt
• Dallas: $117 rt [book on Southwest]

Flight booking:
Help support my page by booking through Hotwire (no promo code needed)
Hotel booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking

Adjusted Cost Per Direct Mile: all are under 6.00

<4 = INCREDIBLE deal. If you have an interest in ever visiting this destination, book now! Or, you may be interested in making a "mileage run" out of this
4 to 5 = EXCELLENT deal
5 to 6 = great deal
6 to 7 = good deal

Excellent international deals from LA

• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: $720 rt
• Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam: $670 rt
• Hong Kong, China: $602 rt
• Copenhagen, Denmark: $487 rt
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates: $745 rt
• Chennai, India: $808 rt
• Bangalore, India: $816 rt
• Hyderabad, India: $794 rt
• Mumbai, India: $818 rt
• Taipei, Taiwan: $665 rt
• Manila, Philippines: $718 rt
• Rome, Italy: $633 rt
• Kolkata, India: $816 rt

Flight booking:

Multiple airlines are battling over these destinations. So, check multiple links to ensure that you get the best fare.
Click here to book with Cheapoair - use promo code NY15 for the best fare
Click here to book with SmartFares - use promo code SFAIR15 for the best fare
Click here to book with Momondo

Hotel booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking

Adjusted Cost Per Direct Mile

• Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 4.01
• Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam: 4.01
• Hong Kong, China: 4.04
• Copenhagen, Denmark: 4.18
• Dubai, United Arab Emirates: 4.18
• Chennai, India: 4.38
• Bangalore, India: 4.42
• Hyderabad, India: 4.46
• Mumbai, India: 4.62
• Taipei, Taiwan: 4.78
• Manila, Philippines: 4.81
• Rome, Italy: 4.86
• Kolkata, India: 4.91

<4 = INCREDIBLE deal. If you have an interest in ever visiting this destination, book now! Or, you may be interested in making a "mileage run" out of this
4 to 5 = EXCELLENT deal
5 to 6 = great deal
6 to 7 = good deal

Mexico City to Lima Peru for $159 roundtrip + great sales to Mexico City!

From our trip to Peru in November-December 2013

COPA is having an amazing sale from Mexico City through Panama City, Panama down to Lima, Peru for just $159 roundtrip!!

Travel dates:
nearly everyday from August 11th to November 23rd

Flight booking:
Click here to book with Cheapoair - use promo code NY15 for the best fare

Pre-discount price

So, how are you going to get down to Mexico City?

Well, this sale happens to coincide with a great airfare war to Mexico City:

- NYC: $228-234 rt

- Charlotte: $231 rt

- Houston: $231-239

- Dallas: $232 rt

- Miami: $232 rt

- San Antonio: $244-254 rt

- Chicago: $328 rt

- Atlanta: $328 rt

- Tampa: as low as $322 rt - more commonly: $341 rt

- LA: $348 rt

Or, you can use British Airways Avios to fly to Mexico City for nearly free:

Don't have any Avios? Well, Chase Ultimate Rewards + American Express Membership Rewards + Starwood Guest points all transfer to Avios 1:1!

- Dallas to Mexico City for just 15,000 Avios rt

- Miami to Mexico City for just 20,000 Avios rt

- Charlotte to Mexico City for just 20,000 Avios rt

- Chicago to Mexico City for just 20,000 Avios rt

Need to stock up on Avios after this redemption?

1. Chase Ink Business Plus

• 50,000 sign-up bonus + 5,000 from minimum spend
• $5,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $95 annual fee - waived for the first year
• http://tinyurl.com/JTInkCardOffer

2. Chase Sapphire Preferred

• 40,000 sign-up bonus + 4,000 from minimum spend
• $4,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $95 annual fee - waived for the first year
• Deadline: October 22nd
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTChaseSapphire

3. Starwood Preferred Guest

• 33,000 British Airways Avios (post-transfer)
• 25,000 Starpoints sign-up bonus + 3,000 from minimum spend. Transferred 1:1 to British with 5,000 bonus per 20,000 Starpoints.
• $3,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $65 annual fee - waived for the first year
• Deadline: November 13th
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTStarOffer

Best Southwest deals (July 7th)

Do you LUV Southwest? Me too!

They often run a sale from Tuesday-Thursday. Today is no exception. But, it is hard to sort through all of the choices to find the best ones. That's what I'm here for!


Do you have the Southwest Visa card? If not, this is a perfect way of getting nearly-free ($11.20 taxes roundtrip) flights! There is a 50,000-point sign-up bonus available now. That is ~$800 in free Southwest flights!!

Apply here: tinyurl.com/JTKTSWCardOffer
Want to learn more? Check out this post about SW points and companion pass

Here are the best available options this week:

Atlanta: Los Angeles: $214 rt

Austin:

• Newark: $178 rt
• San Juan, Puerto Rico: $300 rt
• Denver: $118 rt

Baltimore:

• Las Vegas: $198 rt
• Seattle: $288 rt
• Ft. Lauderdale: $138 rt

Boston:

• Houston: $178 rt
• Portland, OR: $292 rt
• Seattle: $300 rt
• San Francisco: $336 rt
• Oakland: $340 rt
• San Diego: $330 rt
• Los Angeles: $336 rt
• Sacramento: $342 rt
• Phoenix: $306 rt
• Las Vegas: $320 rt

Chicago:

• Las Vegas: $158 rt
• San Diego: $178 rt
• Denver: $100 rt
• Los Angeles: $198 rt
• Portland, OR: $198 rt
• Philadelphia: $88 rt
• San Francisco: $218 rt
• Tampa: $148 rt

Dallas:

• Los Angeles: $138 rt
• Denver: $88 rt
• Tampa: $118 rt
• New York: $188 rt

Denver:

• Chicago: $100 rt
• Dallas: $88 rt
• Los Angeles: $118 rt
• Austin: $118 rt
• Phoenix: $98 rt

Fort Lauderdale:

• Las Vegas: $276 rt
• San Francisco: $338 rt
• Baltimore: $138 rt

Houston:

• Boston: $178 rt
• Los Angeles: $198 rt
• Phoenix: $158 rt

Las Vegas:

• Baltimore: $198 rt
• Chicago: $158 rt
• Cleveland: $206 rt
• Ft. Lauderdale: $276 rt
• Washington DC: $264 rt
• Boston: $320 rt
• Philadelphia: $297 rt

Los Angeles:

• Dallas: $138 rt
• Atlanta: $214 rt
• Chicago: $198 rt
• Denver: $118 rt
• Boston: $336 rt
• New York: $326 rt
• Newark: $326 rt
• Houston: $198 rt
• Washington DC: $328 rt

New York (LGA):

• Oakland: $318 rt
• Dallas: $188 rt
• Los Angeles: $326 rt
• Seattle: $320 rt
• Portland, OR: $330 rt
• Santa Ana: $330 rt
• San Diego: $334 rt

Newark (EWR):

• Seattle: $270 rt
• Austin: $178 rt
• San Francisco: $318 rt
• Los Angeles: $326 rt

Orlando:

• Seattle: $300 rt
• San Francisco: $322 rt
• San Diego: $296 rt
• Salt Lake City: $274 rt

Philadelphia:

• Portland, OR: $264 rt
• Chicago: $88 rt
• Sacramento: $300 rt
• Las Vegas: $297 rt

Phoenix:

• Boston: $306 rt
• San Francisco: $100 rt
• Denver: $98 rt
• Houston: $158 rt

Portland, OR:

• Philadelphia: $264 rt
• Chicago: $198 rt
• Boston: $292 rt
• Tampa: $320 rt
• New York: $330 rt
• Washington DC: $318 rt

San Diego:

• Chicago: $178 rt
• Boston: $330 rt
• Washington DC: $306 rt
• New York: $334 rt
• Orlando: $296 rt

San Francisco:

• Chicago: $218 rt
• Newark: $318 rt
• Boston: $336 rt
• Ft. Lauderdale: $338 rt
• Orlando: $322 rt
• Phoenix: $100 rt

Seattle:

• Newark: $270 rt
• Orlando: $300 rt
• Washington DC: $274 rt
• Boston: $300 rt
• Baltimore: $288 rt
• New York: $320 rt
• Detroit: $262 rt
• Tampa: $348 rt
• Omaha: $206 rt

Tampa:

• Dallas: $118 rt
• Portland, OR: $320 rt
• Oakland: $320 rt
• Seattle: $348 rt
• Chicago: $148 rt

Washington DC:

• San Diego: $306 rt
• Portland, OR: $318 rt
• Santa Ana: $324 rt
• Los Angeles: $328 rt
• Seattle: $274 rt
• Las Vegas: $264 rt

Hotel Booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking

Frontier sale from $29 one-way

Must purchase today or tomorrow! (unless noted with an asterisk)
Help support my page by booking through Hotwire (no promo code needed)

After factoring in a cost of $40 roundtrip fee for one checked bag, the adjusted cost per direct mile (acpdm) is listed after the price. As a brief intro to what these numbers mean:
<4 = INCREDIBLE deal
4 to 5 = excellent deal
5 to 6 = great deal
6 to 7 = good deal

Of course, if it is a destination that you want to go see anyways (like Austin-Atlanta for me!), you might be interested, even if it isn't the cheapest "per mile"

Austin:

• Las Vegas: $98*   [5.41] or $108
• Chicago: $98   [6.03]
• Denver: $98*   [7.61] or $108
• Atlanta: $108   [7.87]

Tampa:

• Cleveland: $138   [8.52]
• Philadelphia: $138   [8.59]
• Chicago: $178   [9.78]

Atlanta:

• Los Angeles: $198   [5.6]
• Las Vegas: $178   [5.67]
• Minneapolis: $108   [7.06]
• Austin: $108   [7.87]
• Denver: $178   [8.26]
• Cleveland: $78   [8.84]
• Philadelphia: $98   [8.86]
• Indianapolis: $58   [9.03]
• Treton, NJ: $108   [9.13]
• Chicago: $98   [9.74]
• Miami: $98   [9.93]
• Cincinnati: $59   [10.59]
• Cleveland: $98*   [10.65]
• Orlando: $78   [12.13]
• Washington DC: $118   [12.92]
• Indianapolis: $98*   [13.66]
• Orlando: $98*   [14.6]
• New Orleans: $108   [15.06]
• Cincinnati: $98*   [15.82]

Houston:

• Phoenix: $118   [6.84]
• Philadelphia: $218   [7.47]
• Denver: $138   [9.16]

Chicago:

• Austin: $98   [6.03]
• Las Vegas: $178   [6.54]
• Denver: $98*   [6.64]
• Phoenix: $178   [6.88]
• Fort Myers: $198   [9.73]
• Atlanta: $98   [9.74]
• Tampa: $178   [9.78]
• Washington DC: $98   [10.02]

Travel dates:

Mondays-Thursdays & Saturdays from August 18-December 16th.

Blackout dates: Nov. 19, - Dec 1, 2015.

Deals marked with an *:

Travel 8/22-10/20. Purchase by 7/31/2015. Valid on: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays.

Hotel booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking

Chicago to/from Orlando for $96 rt nonstop

Two major carriers are fighting over this route!
And, for what it is worth, Spirit is offering this fare too...

Travel dates:
Tues/Wed/Sat from Aug 25-Dec 16

Example itinerary:
Escape the cold and head to Florida for a week in December: Sat Dec 5 - Sat Dec 12

Flight booking:
Your best bet is to book through Hotwire
Click here to book through Hotwire

Hotel booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking

Jakarta Indonesia from $679 rt 1-stop

Los Angeles all the way over to Jakarta Indonesia (8,966 miles if you could fly direct) for $679 rt!

Many options include all four legs on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner - which is specifically designed to reduce jet lag

Travel dates:

Depart Mon-Thurs from Aug 24-Sept 16; Oct 1-Nov 30; Jan 6-May 12 for $687

Other cities:
NYC: $724-731 rt (Oct-Mar)
Denver: $774 rt (Oct-Nov)
Chicago: $801-835 rt (Aug-Jan)
Houston: $811 rt (Oct-Jan)
Dallas: $845 rt (Aug-Jan)
Boston: $845 rt (Aug-Dec)
Austin: $888 rt (Oct-Jan)

Flight booking:
Click here to book with Cheapoair - use promo code NY15 for the best fare

pre-promo code price

Hotel booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking

Many US cities to Sao Paulo from $613 rt

Nonstop starting at $613 rt from:

• Miami 

1-stop starting at $626 rt from:

• Seattle 
• San Francisco 
• Denver 
• Chicago 
• Houston 
• NYC 
• Washington DC 

1-stop starting at $700 rt from:

• Atlanta
• Tampa
• Orlando
• Minneapolis
• New Orleans

Options routing through Dallas, LA, and Miami

Travel dates:
Depart Aug 4-Sept 26, return by Sept 30
Flight booking:
Click here to book with Cheapoair - use promo code NY15 for the best fare

pre-promo code price

Hotel booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking

Credit cards bonuses by airline

AMERICAN (merged with US Airways):

1.    Starwood Preferred Guest

• 39,600 American Airlines miles (post-transfer)
• 25,000 Starpoints sign-up bonus + 3,000 from minimum spend. Transferred 1:1 to AA with 5,000 bonus per 20,000 Starpoints. Extra 20% bonus offered through August 7th!
• $3,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $65 annual fee - waived for the first year
• Deadline: November 13th
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTStarOffer

UNITED:

1.    Chase Ink Business Plus

• 50,000 sign-up bonus + 5,000 from minimum spend
• $5,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $95 annual fee - waived for the first year
• http://tinyurl.com/JTInkCardOffer

2.    Chase Sapphire Preferred

• 40,000 sign-up bonus + 4,000 from minimum spend
• $4,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $95 annual fee - waived for the first year
• Deadline: October 22nd
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTChaseSapphire

3.    United MileagePlus Explorer

• 30,000 sign-up bonus + 5,000 for adding an authorized user + 1,000 from minimum spend
• $1,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $95 annual fee - waived for the first year
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTUnited30k

4.    Starwood Preferred Guest

• 16,500 United miles (post-transfer)
• 25,000 Starpoints sign-up bonus + 3,000 from minimum spend. Transferred 2:1 to United with 5,000 bonus per 20,000 Starpoints.
• $3,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $65 annual fee - waived for the first year
• Deadline: November 13th
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTStarOffer

SOUTHWEST:

1.    Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier

• 50,000 sign-up bonus + 2,000 from minimum spend
• $2,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $99 annual fee - not waived for the first year
• Deadline: August 31st
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTSWCardOffer

2.    Chase Ink Business Plus

• 50,000 sign-up bonus + 5,000 from minimum spend
• $5,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $95 annual fee - waived for the first year
• http://tinyurl.com/JTInkCardOffer

3.    Chase Sapphire Preferred

• 40,000 sign-up bonus + 4,000 from minimum spend
• $4,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $95 annual fee - waived for the first year
• Deadline: October 22nd
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTChaseSapphire

DELTA:

1.    Starwood Preferred Guest

• 33,000 Delta miles (post-transfer)
• 25,000 Starpoints sign-up bonus + 3,000 from minimum spend. Transferred 1:1 to Delta with 5,000 bonus per 20,000 Starpoints.
• $3,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $65 annual fee - waived for the first year
• Deadline: November 13th
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTStarOffer

2.    Delta SkyMiles American Express

• 30,000 sign-up bonus + 1,000 from minimum spend
• $1,000 minimum spending to get bonus - within 3 months
• $50 statement credit if you make a Delta purchase within 3 months (including a Delta gift card - if you purchase from delta.com)
• $95 annual fee - waived for the first year
• http://tinyurl.com/JTKTDelta30k

TRAVEL HACKING 101:

Want to learn more about how to rack up airline miles? I highly recommend Travel Hacking 101. It's a free, month-long, 10-minute-per-day course taught by mileage experts. I took the class in April and found it to be excellent! http://www.travelmiles101.com/travel-rewards-course-registration

Top flight deals under $300 - July 2nd

All prices listed are roundtrip. Fares are valid at publishing but may disappear at any time. Please leave a comment below if you cannot find a deal. I'll try to find a source for it and send it to you. If it is gone, I will remove from the list.
Atlanta - updated/confirmed 6:41p ET

• Cincinnati: $38* rt
• Chicago: $81* rt
• Cleveland: $87* rt
• Philadelphia: $91 rt
• Miami: $98* rt
• Austin: $138 rt
• Las Vegas: $157* rt
• Los Angeles: $157 rt
• Seattle: $238 rt

Austin - updated/confirmed 5:35p CT

• Denver: $98* rt
• Las Vegas: $98* rt
• Chicago: $98 rt
• Cincinnati: $130* rt
• Atlanta: $138 rt
• Charlotte: $138 rt
• Philadelphia: $174 rt
• LA: $202 rt

Baltimore:

• Las Vegas: $177* rt
• Los Angeles: $196 rt
• Reykjavik, Iceland: $284 rt
• Seattle: $292 rt

Boston:

• Dallas: $177 rt
• Houston: $177 rt
• Portland: $292 rt
• Las Vegas: $294 rt
• Seattle: $300 rt

Chicago:

• Houston: $80 rt
• Latrobe, PA: $69 rt
• Austin: $98 rt
• Denver: $99 rt
• Phoenix: $107* rt
• Salt Lake City: $138 rt
• Miami: $139 rt
• Fort Lauderdale: $146 rt
• Las Vegas: $159 rt
• Los Angeles: $210 rt
• San Francisco: $216 rt

Cincinnati:

• Atlanta: $38 rt
• Austin: $130 rt
• Las Vegas: $178 rt
• Seattle: $242 rt
• Las Vegas: $127* rt
• Seattle: $208 rt

Dallas:

• Fort Lauderdale: $137 rt
• Las Vegas: $141 rt
• Boston: $177 rt
• Portland: $197 rt

Denver:

• Austin: $42* rt
• Las Vegas: $88 rt
• Chicago: $99 rt
• Los Angeles: $117 rt
• Miami: $146* rt
• Orlando: $168 rt
• Washington DC: $168 rt
• Philadelphia: $186 rt
• Raleigh: $186 rt

Detroit: Miami: $147 rt

Fort Lauderdale:

• Dallas: $137 rt
• Chicago: $146 rt
• Las Vegas: $165 rt

Houston:

• Chicago: $69 rt
• Philadelphia: $119 rt
• Phoenix: $119 rt
• Boston: $177 rt

Las Vegas:

• Austin: $84* rt
• Denver: $88 rt
• Latrobe, PA: $97* rt
• Kansas City: $117 rt
• Cleveland: $127* rt
• Dallas: $141 rt
• Atlanta: $147 rt
• Philadelphia: $147* rt
• Washington DC: $148* rt
• Chicago: $159 rt
• Minneapolis: $161 rt
• Fort Lauderdale: $165 rt
• Baltimore: $177* rt
• Cincinnati: $178 rt
• Orlando: $180* rt
• Raleigh: $246 rt
• Miami: $248 rt
• Boston: $294 rt

Los Angeles:

• Denver: $117 rt
• Atlanta: $147* rt
• Minneapolis: $167 rt
• Baltimore: $196 rt
• Chicago: $210 rt
• Miami: $283 rt

Miami:

• Atlantic City, NJ: $99 rt
• Nashville: $99 rt
• Chicago: $139 rt
• Denver: $146* rt
• Detroit: $147 rt
• Las Vegas: $248 rt
• Los Angeles: $283 rt

Minneapolis:

• Las Vegas: $161 rt
• Los Angeles: $167 rt

Nashville:

• Atlantic City, NJ: $99 rt
• Miami: $99 rt

Newark: Seattle: $269 rt

Orlando:

• Denver: $168 rt
• Las Vegas: $180* rt
• Seattle: $298 rt

Philadelphia:

• Atlanta: $93 rt
• Houston: $119 rt
• Tampa: $119 rt
• Las Vegas: $147* rt
• Austin: $186 rt
• Denver: $186 rt
• Phoenix: $226 rt
• Salt Lake City: $226 rt
• Portland: $264 rt
• Sacramento, CA: $285 rt

Phoenix:

• Chicago: $107* rt
• Houston: $119 rt
• Philadelphia: $226 rt

Portland:

• Anchorage, AK: $184 rt
• Dallas: $197 rt
• Philadelphia: $264 rt
• Boston: $292 rt

Raleigh:

• Denver: $186 rt
• Salt Lake City: $226 rt
• Las Vegas: $246 rt

Salt Lake City:

• Chicago: $138 rt
• Philadelphia: $226 rt
• Raleigh: $226 rt

San Diego: Seattle: $137 rt

San Francisco: Chicago: $216 rt

Seattle:

• San Diego: $137 rt
• Cleveland: $208 rt
• Atlanta: $242 rt
• Cincinnati: $242 rt
• Newark: $269 rt
• Baltimore: $292 rt
• Orlando: $298 rt
• Boston: $300 rt

Tampa: Philadelphia: $119 rt

Washington DC:

• Las Vegas: $148* rt
• Denver: $168 rt
• San Salvador, El Salvador: $202 rt

* = airline charges for carry-on bags

Flight booking:
Your best bet is to book through Hotwire
Click here to book through Hotwire

Hotel booking:
Wherever I go, I always start my hotel search with Booking... and it has not let me down! Great rates on great hotels, hostels, guest houses, etc!
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking