Deal alert: Fly to Costa Rica from Miami, Baltimore and Washington, DC, from $212 round-trip

A new fare deal is now offering the chance to fly to Costa Rica at a huge discount. Several airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, have flights to the tropical nation available for as low as $212 round-trip.

Thanks to its wildly diverse landscapes, Costa Rica offers travelers a wide variety of things to do. Whether hiking or zip lining through its lush rainforests or surfing some of its most beautiful beaches, you’ll find no shortage of activities to pursue in Costa Rica. As an added bonus, the country is also known as an ecotourism pioneer.

This sale includes flights to both San Jose (Costa Rica’s capital) and Liberia, Costa Rica. San Jose is the country’s geographic and cultural center, with plenty of museums, theaters and other attractions to build an itinerary around. Adventure tourists and beach lovers, on the other hand, will likely be intrigued by the sale fares to Liberia, which is in Costa Rica’s Guanacaste province near lush rainforests and popular spots like Playa Hermosa. If you want to indulge in the “pura vida” mantra that defines Costa Rica, Liberia is the place to visit.

The travel window for the discounted fares is from late August through February of next year, but the best availability is in fall of 2024. The flights in this deal from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., have layovers and are basic economy tickets. There are also nonstop flights from Miami.

All fares except those from United include a carry-on bag. Checked luggage costs $35 to $40 per bag. Some of the lowest fares spotlighted in this deal may have to be booked through an online travel agency.

Surfers surfing at Liberia, Costa Rica — A surfer catches a wave at a beach in Liberia, Costa Rica. JOHN SEATON CALLAHAN/GETTY IMAGES

Deal basics

Airlines: American Airlines, Copa Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines

Routes: From Miami, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., to Liberia and San Jose, Costa Rica

How to book: Browse Google Flights, then book directly with the airline

Travel dates: From now through February 2025

This deal was originally sent out by the deal alert company Going. Sign up for Going to get up to 90% off select flights via its Premium membership, which users can try for free for 14 days and then $69 per year. You can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year to access all the Premium deals, plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.

You can also sign up for a free trial through this link.

Sample flights

Let’s start with the nonstop offerings out of Miami. American has good availability on nonstop routes from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in San Jose in September and October. For these round-trip options, you’ll find prices start from $212.

If you live in Baltimore and can take a trip on relatively short notice, you can get a great deal on flights to Liberia, Costa Rica. American has itineraries from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) to Guanacaste Airport (LIR) in Liberia in late August for only $239 round-trip.

Cost of a roundtrip flight from Baltimore to Liberia, Puerto Rico on American Airlines — GOOGLE FLIGHTS

Yes, this itinerary includes a layover each way, but this is a fantastic price for this route, per Google Flights data.

United also has round-trip fares from Baltimore to Liberia in December for $263. That’s a particularly great time to visit Costa Rica because the weather is typically mild and dry.

Cost of a roundtrip flight from Baltimore to Liberia, Puerto Rico on United Airlines — GOOGLE FLIGHTS

Flights to Liberia from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington, D.C., are available on United from $246 round-trip. Like the Baltimore routes, this also includes a layover each way.

Cost of a roundtrip flight from Washington D.C. to Liberia, Puerto Rico on United Airlines — GOOGLE FLIGHTS

This route has solid availability in December, too. We found this itinerary with United for $263 round-trip.

Maximize your purchase

When you book this deal or any flights, be sure to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 2 points per dollar spent on travel
American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 3 points per dollar spent on travel
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees): 3 points per dollar spent on air travel

Bottom line

The very best prices in this deal are for itineraries taking place in September and October, especially for the nonstop fares out of Miami. However, travelers in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area also have some nice options in November and December. As always: The more flexible your travel schedule, the better your chance of securing the lowest prices.

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