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Travel from New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, and Houston to Manila or Cebu in the Philippines for $469 in EVA Air economy. Most of the availability for this deal is for travel between September 2016 and November 2016. This is not a mistake fare, it is actually advertised on evaair.com, and only lasts through TOMORROW, July 6, 2016:
Contents:
- When are the cheap fares and how do I find them?
- Why the Philippines?
- Mileage Earning
- Baggage Allowance
- Best Credit Card to Buy the Ticket
$469 Roundtrip from Many US Cities to the Philippines
The $469 roundtrips are between Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, and Houston to Manila or Cebu, for travel September 1 through November 30, 2016. The $469 roundtrip between Chicago and Manila or Cebu is for travel November 3 through November 20, 2016.
You can find these incredibly cheap fares right on evaair.com. Bubble in “My dates are flexible” to search with 7×7 day calendar and see more availability at once:
Here is an example of a $469 roundtrip fare in November:
Why the Philippines?
It’s cheap, beautiful, has pristine beaches, and a ton of fresh seafood. The people are known for being extremely friendly as well. Out of the travel dates available, It’s most likely you’ll have the best weather in November.
Doesn’t this picture say it all?
You can always use a low cost carrier like Cebu Pacific Air to hop around Asia and see other places while you’re there.
Mileage Earning
EVA Air is a member of Star Alliance, so theoretically you could credit these miles to United MileagePlus or any other Star Alliance member. Unfortunately since it’s an extremely discounted fare class, “V”, it’s not eligible for earning on the three Star Alliance partners I checked: United, Singapore, nor Air Canada.
For the sake of expediency (this sale ends TOMORROW!) I didn’t look up any others, but you can check yourself if crediting to a different Star Alliance member or partner would accrue you anything. Just search “the partner you’re interested + earn miles flying partners”.
Baggage Allowance
You get a free personal item, free carry on (cannot exceed 15 lbs or the following dimensions: 9x14x22) and two free checked bag up to 50 pounds included in the ticket price. The sum of the three dimensions of each piece of checked luggage may not exceed 62 in.
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 $219 roundtrip to the Philippines!
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 benefits 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, check out the cheap fares to Manila and Cebu now, as this sale will only last through tomorrow, July 6!
Hat tip The Flight Deal
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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With regards to where to credit the flights, here is a shortcut (spoiler alert – 0% mileage earning across all major Star Alliance programs):
http://www.wheretocredit.com/eva-airways/v
Thanks for the info!