We posted on Friday a good deal from All Nippon Airways (ANA) to Beijing from Chicago for $687. Using an open jaw itinerary, combining the $687 fare with other fares to Asia on ANA results in some very good fares for visiting Beijing and another city.

The definition of an open jaw itinerary is when you travel to one city and leave from another — for example, going from Chicago to Beijing and then coming back from Seoul to Chicago. You would find another way (using points or buying an additional one-way ticket) to get from Beijing to Seoul.

Here’s what we found when visiting Beijing and another city using an open jaw itinerary:

• Seoul – $797
• Tokyo – $895
• Hong Kong – $939
• Bangkok – $1,115
• Singapore – $1,073
• Taipei – $1,030
• Manila – $998
• Ho Chi Minh City – $975

We will show an open jaw itinerary for Beijing and Seoul on this post. These prices are the best prices we have seen for these cities from Chicago in a very long time.

Basics:

What you need to take advantage of this deal:

• American Airlines Miles (15,000 Miles) + Under $50 in taxes and $25 booking fee
• United Airlines MileagePlus Miles (12,500 – 15,000 Miles) + Under $50 in taxes
• If you don’t have miles, use Skyscanner.net to search for cheap one ways between Beijing and the other city.

This is why we recommend you collect miles. United Airlines miles can also be transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio.  American does not show award inventory for its partners Cathay Pacific and JAL online and you will need to call them to book.

How:

1. Use ITA to Search Chicago to Beijing and Chicago to Seoul roundtrips.

Search to see when the cheap departure dates are and return dates are. First, we are going to search Chicago to Beijing trips to see when the cheap departure dates are.

It will result in this:

 

Doing the same for Seoul, we can see the availability of dates with cheap fares:

 

2. Search for Award Availability from Beijing to Seoul.

We are going to use award miles to travel from Beijing to Seoul. United’s search shows availability and you can book online.

It will return this:

Award availability between Beijing and Seoul is good. And with that, you can visit both countries for about $820 all in.

Sample Travel Date:

• September 9th: Chicago – Beijing
• Sometime in between: Beijing – Seoul
• September 18th: Seoul – Chicago

Fare Availability:

• Must depart from September 1st – 30th for Monday through Thursday departures. Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and flexible month search to see availability — enable advance routing codes and enter “nh+” on both the outbound and return advance routing code fields to search for ANA availability. Must purchase by July 30th
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

Partner Fare Class:

• K for the flights from Chicago t0 Beijing
• Varies but all are mileage earning

Routing:

• ORD – NRT (Tokyo) – PEK (Beijing) // GMP (Seoul – Gimpo Airport) – HND (Tokyo – Haneda) // NRT – ORD. This includes a potential overnight layovers in Tokyo on the return.

Mileage:

• 14,573 miles or 5.5 cents per mile. ANA and United are partners. The transpacific segments will be 100% mileage earning.  The segment between Tokyo and Beijing is 50% mileage earning. As a result, this itinerary will earn 13,243 miles or 6.0 cents per mile when crediting to United. This is better than ANA’s own program which will only earn 25% mileage.

How to Book:

• Use dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and book on ANA.CO.JP. Use the “Build your own trip” function below the Search button to book this. Enter the itinerary as shown on ITA.

• Then pick the exact flights as displayed on ITA to have it price out.

Background Information:

China:

• Visa: US Citizens – required prior to arrival. $140. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY) – $1USD = 6.1 CNY
• How to Visit Shanghai or Beijing for Up to 72 Hours without a Visa

Other Countries:

• South Korea: No Visa for US Citizens
• Japan: No Visa for US Citizens
• Hong Kong: No Visa for US Citizens
• Thailand: No Visa for US Citizens
• Singapore: No Visa for US Citizens
• Taiwan: No Visa for US Citizens
• Philippines: No Visa for US Citizens
• Vietnam: Visa Required for US Citizens

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

• No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Cards to save on international purchases
• Don’t get hit with Dynamic Currency Conversion
• Get your taxes refunded when shopping
• How to Avoid International Data Roaming Charges

For more of the latest cheap Chicago Flight Deals:

• Go to the The Chicago Flight Deals page

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The Flight Deal does not sell travel products or services. We provide you with information about third-party travel suppliers’ offers, and link you to their sites. The information posted by The Flight Deal is valid at the time of publication. However, we have no control over the suppliers, and we therefore do not warrant or guarantee that their offers will not change or become unavailable. Nor are we responsible for their products, services or site content. Please see their sites for their most up-to-date offer information and all applicable terms and conditions.

How to Book:

• Use dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and book on ANA.CO.JP.