With lush rainforests, beautiful beaches and, of course, world-class surfing and fishing, Costa Rica is a dream destination for adventure travelers. We even included it on our list of the best places to visit in 2024.
Luckily, United Airlines has an excellent sale on flights to Costa Rica this summer. Some routes are more than 50% off the usual prices. It’s a great time to book an inexpensive getaway and enjoy the environmentally diverse Central American nation.
Rainforest waterfall in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. LAYNE KENNEDY/GETTY IMAGES
Departure cities for this sale include Fort Lauderdale, New York City and Washington, D.C. The best deal may be out of Newark, where nonstop flights to San Jose are available for just $202. It’s mainly for travel in June, but you can also find some discounted fares in early 2025. If you’re interested in this deal, jump on it before the best prices are gone.
You know the drill by now: Unless otherwise specified, this deal is for basic economy tickets. With United, that means you get a free personal item, but a carry-on bag will cost you around $40 each way. It may make more sense to just pay $5 to $10 more to check a bag.
Related: The 13 best all-inclusive resorts in Costa Rica for beach visits or hiking trips
Deal basics
Airline: United Airlines
Routes: From Charlotte, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, New York City, Newark and Washington to San Jose
How to book: Browse Google Flights, then book directly with the airline
Travel dates: Limited dates in June, also January and 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 for access to 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
Departure airports in this sale include:
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL)
Miami International Airport (MIA)
LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Let’s start with the sole nonstop route in this offering, which also happens to be the best deal. There is good availability in June for flights from Newark to Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in Costa Rica’s capital city for only $202 round-trip.
GOOGLE FLIGHTS
According to data from Google Flights, this flight typically costs more than $500. If you’re able to travel light, this is a true steal.
GOOGLE FLIGHTS
We also found many options for flights departing from Washington, D.C. You can fly from DCA to SJO in mid-June for just $206 round-trip. Please be aware that the return flight in this example has a rather long layover.
GOOGLE FLIGHTS
You can book a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Costa Rica for $256 round-trip.
GOOGLE FLIGHTS
In case you’re looking to lock in a good price for a flight further down the road, we found flights from New York City to Costa Rica in January for $257 round-trip. There was good availability at that discounted price from LaGuardia.
GOOGLE FLIGHTS
Once again, the best prices we found in early 2025 were out of the Garden State. We found round-trip flights from Newark to San Jose on United for $222, with a nonstop return flight. That’s a solid price.
GOOGLE FLIGHTSMaximize your purchase
Be sure to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:
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 airfare
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 2 points per dollar spent on travel
Bottom line
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Valuable travel discounts and deals for college students and young adults
Dulles becomes first airport to offer Global Entry interviews upon departure
Everything you need to know about State Department travel advisories
When and how to renew your passport, according to the State Department