Reading Time: 4 minIf you're itching for one last getaway before summer ends, now’s the time to book — and without breaking the bank. Late summer often brings a sweet spot for airfare deals, especially if you're flexible with your dates or destinations.
Using Points Path can make it significantly easier to find a wallet-friendly trip this late in the game. It works seamlessly with Google Flights, highlighting flights you can book with points or miles, and showing whether you're getting a good deal, or if cash would be the better option.
We used Points Path to round up a list of destinations that are not only perfect for a late-summer escape, but also ideal for booking with cash or points. Here's a look.
Summer weather can be brutal, which makes New England an ideal spot to escape the heat. From the coast of Maine to Cape Cod and the Islands, Boston makes a great jumping-off point for some of the region’s most desirable destinations.
Fortunately, the city is a major hub to many airlines. For instance, we found nonstop flights from Charlotte to Boston for as low as 9,000 miles one way on either American or Delta.
This flight is quite pricey with cash, coming in at nearly $300 in just one direction, so you're saving a nice chunk of change by using your miles here. And if you have a Delta American Express credit card, you'll get 15% off the mileage price, which drops it even further to just 7,600 Delta SkyMiles.
Although San Francisco is known for its June Gloom, the weather tends to turn sunnier later in the summer. So if you’re able to get away, it’s a great chance to put your points and miles to use, and enjoy a longer stretch of summer while you’re at it.
Most travelers will find plenty of reasonably priced flight options to the city by the bay from their home airports. But we found a particularly good use of miles for those departing from Florida. In late August, you can redeem just 7,600 JetBlue points from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco for this nonstop flight.
Remember, when it comes to JetBlue, the number of points you need is loosely tied to the cash price of the ticket. That's why the low cash price of this flight makes it a great option with points as well. When it comes to using JetBlue points, you're not likely to score an amazing deal — but it won't be a bad one either.
Using points and miles to get to Europe this summer has been easier than usual, even for last-minute travelers. And if Ireland’s been on your radar for its short flight times and pleasant summer weather, there are still some great deals to be found.
Currently, you can fly from New York's Newark airport to Dublin for just 20,000 United miles one-way on many dates.
And if you don't have a stash of United miles at your disposal, you can easily transfer them from either Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt Rewards at a 1-to-1 ratio.
Flying to the South Pacific might be a huge trip for many, but points and miles can help you pack your bags and jet off even at the last minute. And although this region can be tricky to navigate using points, Points Path makes it incredibly simple.
With a click of a button, I was able to find a flight to Fiji from Los Angeles for just 31,500 points and $29 in fees. While this flight is operated by Fiji Airways, you can use Qantas points to book it because both airlines are part of the Oneworld Alliance.
And while most U.S. travelers don't have a slew of Qantas points sitting around, they're easy to obtain since Qantas is a transfer partner with many major bank programs, such as Capital One, Citi, and American Express.
With the right tools and a little flexibility, there's still time to snag a great flight deal for this summer.
If you're interested in any of the above itineraries, here are the links to them in Google Flights. Remember that both cash and mileage airfares change over time. The prices in this story were accurate as of the date it was written, but you may see different pricing if you search later down the line.
Just make sure to install Points Path on your desktop or laptop computer to view the prices in frequent flyer miles as well as cash directly within Google Flights. (You can now use either a Chrome or Safari browser!)
And if none of these destinations fit the bill, just run a few searches on your own. With a little bit of digging, you can find plenty of options to use your frequent flyer miles to enjoy a last-minute summer vacation.
