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We have seen a ton of cheap fares to Europe lately, like the $414 roundtrips to Zurich and Frankfurt at the beginning of the month. Now Star Alliance airlines are also running fantastic sales on roundtrip flights to Europe to keep up with the fare war. You can find fares as low as $425 roundtrip right now between many American cities and Europe.
How to Find the Fares
Use ITA Matrix or Google Flights to do a broad search over this fall and winter– both have calendars functions that will show you the price of a roundtrip depending on the span of your trip. Google flights has a more user friendly interface but you can get a lot more specific with ITA Matrix searches.
There are lots of city pairs with availability between the months of September and December (and a some with dates in early 2017) from the United States to Europe in economy for under $500 roundtrip.
Examples
Atlanta to Istanbul flying Air Canada- $425
Chicago to Amsterdam flying Lufthansa- $466
San Francisco to Istanbul flying United – $425
Mileage Earning
If you’re flying United, check out my post about where to credit butt in seat miles. And no matter what airline you end up flying, just remember that you can enter your frequent flyer number with any partner instead. All of these cheap fares to Europe are classified in a discounted economy fare bucket so do a little research about which airline is most advantageous to credit miles to considering the fare class.
Best Way to Buy the Ticket
Your top choice should be the Citi Prestige® Card, since it comes with a $250 Air Travel Credit every calendar year that will cover a large portion of this ticket. If you haven’t used the credit yet, buy this fare with your Prestige, and you will receive an offsetting credit on your next statement: a $175 roundtrip to Istanbul or a $216 roundtrip to Amsterdam!
Even if you’ve already used your $250 credit for this year, the card offers 3x on all airfare purchases.
See my review of the Citi Prestige Card which explains its many components like it annual $250 Air Travel Credit, 40,000 point sign up bonus, access to the American Airlines Admirals Clubs and Priority Pass lounges, 3x points per dollar on air travel and hotels, and a $450 annual fee.
Bottom Line
If you’re interested in a trip to Europe, check out these fares now as they won’t last! You can fly roundtrip to Europe from the United States for as little as $425, which in most cases is a better deal than using your miles or points.
Hat tip Secret Flying
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
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