HUGE SALE: $5 Fares in Southeast Asia

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Air Asia, a Southeast Asian low cost carrier, is having a fare sale starting at $4 one way. Air Asia and its affiliates serve 121 destinations in 22 countries.

You must book by June 28 and fly between February 15 and August 31, 2016 (and yes, you can book August 2016 today.) The discounted routes are listed here and start at $3.

Not all days next year are at the advertised price, but many are. Head to airasia.com and search.

Make sure to select the local currency of the departure airport for the cheapest price. Then pay with a no foreign transaction fee credit card to get that currency converted to dollars at the interbank rate.

I flew from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi in 2013 and really enjoyed both places.

During the fare sale, a price of 9.54 ringgit ($2.55) is widely available.

Fees

Air Asia and its affiliates are low cost carriers that charge for everything except a free carry on (7 kg) and a free personal item like a laptop bag. On this page, you can select your route to see the fees. Here are some of the fees from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi.

Remember that a dollar equals 3.73 RM, so seat selection starts at under $2 and checked bags start at around $7.

Perhaps worst of all, Air Asia collects a booking fee for using a direct debit from your bank account and a higher one for using a credit card, charge card, or debit card. Note that you only need to pay a “processing fee,” not the “booking service fee” if you book online.

After the fee, the cheapest price for Kuala Lumpur to Lankawi with no checked bags or seat selection is 18.02 MYR ($4.83).

Pay your Air Asia fares and fees with the Citi Prestige® Card. The card has no foreign transaction fee, and the first $250 in award taxes, fuel surcharges, airfare, or airline fees per calendar year are refunded to you as a statement credit. If you’ve already maxed out the statement credit, you will still earn 3x ThankYou Points on the award taxes.

Getting to SE Asia

Hop around Southeast Asia with these fares. Get there with American Airlines miles, flying Business or First Class. Here is a full article on why and how to fly Cathay Pacific to Southeast Asia.

Rainy Season

A lot of the sale dates are during the rainy season. I’ve been to Southeast Asia during the rainy season, and it isn’t so bad, but you should check out the rainy season for your destination and avoid it if practical.

Bottom Line

If you want to travel in Southeast Asia in 2016, book your intra-Asia flights now for under $5 from Air Asia.

Hat Tip Hannah S.