Whether you’re reading this on a dreary winter’s afternoon or frying in the heat of a brutal summer, one thing will always be true: the weather in San Diego is better. And that’s all the excuse you need to hop on a flight at any time of the year to one of the US’ finest cities, bask in the sunshine, and take things at a true San Diego pace.
Of course, San Diego isn’t known for being an affordable city, so saving a few bucks where you can goes a long way. And what better way to save than grabbing a flight for almost nothing?
Read also: How to Use Points and Miles to Get Flights to Australia
To prove how easy it is to enjoy a weekend in the sun, we’ve thrown together the best ways to find flights from NYC to San Diego using points and miles. “Why NYC?” I hear you ask. Because it’s on the opposite side of the country, and if you can fly free from there, you can do it from anywhere.
Let’s take a look at some flights from NYC to San Diego using points and miles.
Finding the best airlines for points and miles flights from NYC to San Diego
As with any points and miles quest, the best way to start is simply to search for flights from NYC to San Diego. Check which airports in New York have direct flights, and which airlines operate them. How many times a day do they run? If they have connections, where are they? And of course, check the price of these flights.
All of this information will help you make a logical decision and maximize the value of your flights from NYC to San Diego. We’ve done some of the hard work for you, though. Here are some of the best options.
Using Delta SkyMiles to find flights from NYC to San Diego
First up on our list is Delta. The US’ most popular airline doesn’t have the most reliable loyalty program. Its dynamic award system fluctuates heavily, making it tough to find high-value redemptions. But its domestic redemptions are one exception. A quick search shows it’s easy to find flights from NYC to San Diego for as little as 15.5 thousand SkyMiles plus $5.60—a great deal by any standard.
Another Delta sweet spot is its monthly sky deals page. The list is updated every few weeks and has some incredible deals for specific routes. At the time of writing, there were flights from NYC to San Diego going for just 22.5 thousand SkyMiles for a roundtrip. There’s no guarantee that the deal will be there in the future, but it’s always worth checking from your home airport.
How to earn enough Delta SkyMiles for flights from NYC to San Diego
Earning Delta SkyMiles is simple, even if you don’t fly with the airline or its partners regularly. American Express is a transfer partner and also facilitates Delta’s line of co-branded cards. That leaves you with a number of different options for finding enough SkyMiles for flights from NYC to San Diego.
The Platinum Card® from American Express
The Platinum Card is American Express’ most premium product. While it does have a hefty annual fee, it’s nullified by a mega as high as 175,000-point intro bonus. You’ll need to spend $8,000 within six months of opening the card to earn those points, but that’ll leave you with enough points to fly to San Diego and back three times. You could even check out one of Amex’s amazing Centurion Lounges on the way.
- Best for: Luxury Perks
- Annual Fee: $695
- Pay Over Time APR
- Reward Rate: 5X
- Recommended Credit: Good to Excellent
The Platinum Card® from American Express
As high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points
Offer Details:
You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
Why we like it
The Amex Platinum was once the sole dominating force in the luxury credit card space. While it now faces some stiff competition, it still offers unbeatable perks like unprecedented airport lounge access, elite status at Hilton and Marriott, and some outstanding statement credits making the mammoth $695 worth it for some.
Reward details
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel® up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year
Earn 5X Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel®
Pros & Cons
Pros
Earn as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Incredible lounge access
Statement credits worth over $1,000 annually.
Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card® to your Resy profile.
Cons
The $695 annual fee is brutally high. Too high for many that can’t, or don’t want to take full advantage of its benefits.
Points-earning rates are low unless spending directly on flights or with the Amex Portal.
Some of the benefits, like travel credits, are more limited and are harder to use than competing cards’ offerings.
Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
The Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card is the mid-tier option in Delta’s co-branded card line. It’s currently offering a great welcome bonus with an affordable spend. On top of that, you’ll enjoy free checked bags on Delta flights.
Read also: The Best Airline Credit Cards of 2024
- Best for: Delta Airline Lovers
- Annual Fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $150
- APR: 20.24%-29.24% Variable
- Reward Rate: 1X - 2X
- Recommended Credit: Good to Excellent
Delta Skymiles® Gold American Express Card
80,000 Bonus Miles
Offer Details:
Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer Ends 10/29/2025.
Why we like it
The Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card isn’t a showstopper, but it’s an excellent example of an airline card that’s easy to keep in your wallet. Its annual fee is $0 for the first year and then $150 the years after, but if you and a partner fly one round-trip a year with Delta, its free checked bag benefit already makes up for that fee. Throw in a solid 80,000-point intro bonus and simple rewards-earning categories, and it’s almost a no-brainer for anyone with even a little domestic US travel on the horizon.
Reward details
2X miles on Delta Purchases
2X miles at restaurants
2X miles at U.S. supermarkets
1X miles on all other eligible purchases.
Every mile you earn brings you closer to the places you want to go. Turn them into your next trip, use them for seat upgrades, and more.
Pros & Cons
Pros
The 80,000-mile intro bonus is earned by spending an extremely achievable $2,000 in six months—well within a realistic budget for many.
The free first-checked bag for everyone on the booking more than validates the $150 annual fee.
A simple 2X miles on dining at restaurants (including U.S. takeout and delivery), and U.S. supermarket transactions make earning points simple.
$200 Delta flight credit after spending $10,000 annually is a nice reward that shouldn’t be too hard to meet
Card members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. The discount is not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
Cons
SkyMiles award redemption rates on Delta’s partners can be pricey
Its 2X miles on Delta purchases is lower than what its sister cards earn
Use JetBlue TrueBlue Points to find flights from NYC to San Diego
JetBlue is an undervalued option in the points and miles space. Its loyalty program, TrueBlue, operates differently from other dynamic systems in that it ties the value of its points directly to the cash value of any given flight. I.e the flight costs more, you’ll need more points. You can also only use points on JetBlue flights—no partner redemptions here.
Read also: How Much Are Airline, Hotel, and Credit Card Points Worth?
This isn’t great for achieving outsized value in your redemptions, but it also makes it hard to get a truly bad deal. If saving points is your goal, it’s easy to find flights from NYC to San Diego with JetBlue for as little as 12.5 thousand TrueBlue points. That’s almost on par with the best Delta Sky Deal.
How to earn enough JetBlue TrueBlue points
Aside from flying on partner airlines or opening a JetBlue co-branded card, you can transfer points from Chase, Citi, or American Express. Frustratingly, the transfer rate from Amex is 250:200, so you’re losing some value when you move points this way.
Instead, opt for the other two companies, which allow a good old-fashioned 1,000:1,000 option. Here are some cards you can use to earn enough JetBlue TrueBlue points.
The Citi Premier® Card is criminally overlooked in comparison to the other cards mentioned on the list. Its brilliant 75,000-point intro bonus can get you to San Diego and back twice. You’ll need to spend $4,000 within four months of opening the card to earn those points.
- Best for: Everyday Earning
- Annual Fee: $95
- APR: 20.49%- 28.49% (Variable)
- Reward Rate: 1X-10X
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
75,000 Bonus Points
Offer Details:
75,000 Bonus Points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in your first 3 months of account opening - redeemable for $750 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
Why we like it
The Citi Strata Premier Card is an underrated travel credit card that offers both high points-earning potential and simplicity. While the mid-tier card doesn’t come with any premium benefits, its earning on popular spending categories is almost unmatched. Holders earn 3X points on air travel, hotels, gas stations, supermarkets, and restaurants, making it ludicrously easy to accrue points. Throw in the healthy 75,000-point bonus and you’ve got a great haul of rewards on your hands.
Reward details
10 points per $1 spent on Hotels, Car Rentals, and Attractions booked on CitiTravel.com.
3 points per $1 on Air Travel and Other Hotel Purchases, at Restaurants, Supermarkets, Gas, and EV Charging Stations.
1 Point per $1 spent on all other purchases
Pros & Cons
Pros
The 75,000-point intro bonus is worth $750 in gift cards and well over $1,000 when transferred to travel partners, making the $95 dollar annual fee an afterthought. You could ignore the card for a decade, and it would still be worth it.
Its earning potential is phenomenal: Earning 3X points on categories like gas and supermarkets, which are part of the average American’s biggest expenses, means the Citi Strata Premier will work hard for you on a daily basis.
Cardholders get a $100 hotel benefit each year on a hotel purchase of $500 or more. Not the greatest perk in the world, but a nice saving on an unexpected hotel stay that wipes out the yearly fee itself.
As it’s a World Elite Mastercard, cardholders will enjoy varied benefits like Lyft credits, upgrades and breakfast at select hotels, and cell phone protection.
Cons
Citi’s transfer partners are mainly foreign airlines, so using the points on US-based carriers will require some extra research.
Other mid-tier cards may offer some more interesting perks.
Terms Apply
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the best premium cards on the market. It has a 125,000-point intro bonus, also earned by spending $6,000 within three months of opening it. The big difference here is a higher annual fee—but that’s easily balanced by its luxury perks.
- Best for: Luxury Travel
- Annual Fee: $795
- APR: 20.24% - 28.74% Variable
- Reward Rate: 1X - 10X
- Recommended Credit: 740-850
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
125,000 bonus points
Offer Details:
Earn 125,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it
This card just got a major re-vamp and you can now get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve!
Reward details
8x points on Chase TravelSM
4x points on flights and hotels booked direct
3x points on dining
1x points on all other purchases
Pros & Cons
Pros
-
The points are worth up to 2 cents a piece when used directly on Chase’s Ultimate Rewards Portal, offering a simple but high-value use for your points.
-
Plenty of excellent transfer partners allow points to be maximized
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Some excellent partnerships with Doordash and Lyft add to its value.
-
Priority Pass membership allows access to over 1,300+ airport lounges and restaurants.
Cons
-
It’s subject to Chase’s 5/24 rule. So if you’ve opened five cards in the last two years, you’re most likely not going to be accepted.
-
Chase has a once-per-lifetime rule for sign-up bonuses on their Sapphire cards, including the Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Sapphire Reserve for Business. So, once you’ve earned a welcome bonus on any of these cards, you’ll never be eligible for the bonus again on the same card.
Terms Apply
Using Air Canada Aeroplan for flights from NYC to San Diego
Our last suggestion for grabbing your San Diego flights is Air Canada’s Aeroplan. This program is up there with the best in the industry, offering excellent rates around the world thanks to its generous zonal-based award chart system.
With Aeroplan, it’s easy to grab flights to San Diego for 12.5 thousand each way. The fees are slightly more expensive, but still only $35. Not bad at all.
How to earn Aeroplan points
One major plus of Aeroplan, besides its value, is the ease with which you can earn points. American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Bilt all allow transfers to the airline, so scrounging a few thousand points from across your accounts should be no problem.
Here are some of the best cards you can use to earn Aeroplan points.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card’s 75,000-mile intro bonus is amazing and could fly you to San Diego and back multiple times. Yet somehow, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for this card. Luxury lounge access, hotel credits, easy earning, and annual bonus points make this card a no-brainer. You’ll need to spend $4,000 in three months to earn that bonus.
- Best for: Overall Travel
- Annual Fee: $395
- Regular APR: 19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)
- Reward Rate: 2X - 10X
- Recommended Credit: 720-850
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
75,000 Bonus Miles
Offer Details:
75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Why we like it
The Capital One Venture X is a direct competitor to the Chase Sapphire Reserve, and for many seeking a simpler earning scheme with premium perks, it could be the better option. But the Venture X truly shines with one benefit in particular: four free authorized users. Plus, every year on your cardholder anniversary you get 10,000 points to use for travel.
Reward details
10 Miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
5 Miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel
2 Miles per dollar on every purchase
Pros & Cons
Pros
Its solid intro bonus of 75,000 miles is worth well over $1,000 when transferred to partner airlines and hotels, or a flat rate $750 when redeemed on the Capital One Travel Portal.
Cardholders get a bonus of 10,000 miles each year after their first account anniversary, which is nothing to shrug off, especially when a little bit short of that business class flight. It’s worth almost $200 depending on how you use it.
The $300 annual credit for purchases made on the Capital One Travel Portal, combined with the yearly free miles, more than annul the $395 annual fee.
Four authorized users can be added for free.
Enjoy access to 1,300+ lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
A generous offering of travel insurance, protections and reimbursements round out an excellent array of benefits.
Cons
The $300 credit is a bit less flexible than the Chase Sapphire Reserve’s comparable benefit.
Miles earning is the same as the Sapphire Reserve on portal-based purchases, but less on general travel spending.
Capital One transfer partners are solid, but still don’t include any US-based airlines or hotels.
Terms Apply
While the Bilt Mastercard doesn’t have an intro bonus, it is the only card designed to let you earn points on your rent (up to 100,000 a year). If your rent is $2,000 (and if you’re in NYC, it probably is), you’ll have almost enough points for a roundtrip by the time the year is out.
- Best for: Renters
- Annual Fee: $0
- Reward Rate: 1X - 3X
- Recommended Credit: 670-850
Bilt Mastercard®
Link a credit or debit card to start stacking Bilt Points with your usual card rewards
Why we like it
The no annual fee Bilt Mastercard® is a very unique product that can turn points earned from one of your largest monthly expenses into a heap of travel rewards and other redemption options. It’s the only card that allows you to pay your rent with no transaction fees—you’ll earn 1X points on rent, up to 100,000 points a year. Many landlords don’t accept credit cards or they charge a convenience fee to use a credit card to pay rent—making it an intriguing option for renters across the US. Plus, you can link a credit or debit card to stack Bilt Points with your usual rewards.
Reward details
3x points on dining
2x points on travel
1x points on other purchases
1x points on rent without the transaction fee, up to 100,000 points in a calendar year. When you use the card 5 times each statement period using your Bilt Mastercard, you’ll earn points on rent and qualifying net purchases.
Pros & Cons
Pros
The greatest benefit is obvious: redeeming points earned from rent into travel rewards with no transaction fees attached.
Bilt has some excellent and unique transfer partners, like United Airlines and Hyatt.
Decent points-earning potential in other categories like 2X points on travel, 3X points on dining, and 1X points on rent (up to 100,000 points in a calendar year) and other purchases.
You can earn interest on Bilt Points when you reach Silver status.
A few other nice benefits are included, such as Cellular Telephone Protection.
Cons
No sign-up bonus
Use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points. So you can’t use it solely for rent. I’d advise putting some restaurant bills on it, as you’ll grab 3X points on those transactions.
Terms Apply
The point
Your options for finding flights from NYC to San Diego are limitless. With so many excellent redemption offers and just as many brilliant cards to match, you’ll likely have enough for a repeat trip.
Read also: How to fly to Hawaii using points and miles
by your friends at The Daily Navigator
