WOW! $269 Round-Trip Fares To China. Cheap Tickets Abound!
There have been some incredible deals the last few weeks, but most of them have been involving Europe. This morning, we wake up to fares as low as $269 round-trip to China. There are a handful of West coast cities that are showing prices like this, on carriers like Air Canada and Air China. A few notes about fares like this:
- When fares are this cheap, you shouldn’t spend too long thinking about the fares. They have a habit of disappearing. Book it if you think there’s a reasonable chance you can fly the ticket you’re booking.
- Because these fares originate in the US, you’ll have 24 hours to cancel the ticket with no penalty. That gives you some time to think about the trip, plan your positioning flights, hotels, etc.
- Just because you don’t live in Portland, Seattle, Chicago (fill in the name of any cheap fare origination city here) doesn’t mean the fare won’t work for you. It’s hard to get from the US to a place like China cheaply. You can use miles or a low-cost carrier to get to the city where these cheap tickets originate.
- For fares this cheap, once you decide to fly (and after your 24 hours have passed), you’ll want to wait a bit to book anything non-refundable, like pre-paid hotel rates or tours. These tickets can and do get cancelled further down the road. This usually happens pretty close to ticketing. While you do have some protection for your expenses, it’s not carved in stone. You’re better off waiting to reduce the chances for surprises.
- Don’t forget you’ll need a Chinese Visa. The best way to handle that (and the only company I’ve ever trusted with my passport/visa needs) is Allied Passport. Steve and his team are excellent. If you mention that you found out about Allied Passport from Pizza in Motion, you’ll get a small discount and I’ll get a small referral credit. Win-win!
