China Eastern for a while had cheap flights from San Francisco to Asia. Coupled with Vayama’s $50 off code, you can do these for about $400. Here are some destinations:

• Seoul [ICN] – $388
• Tokyo [TYO] – $418

There are other destinations like Nagoya and Osaka for about the same price. These fares DO NOT earn any miles with anyone and China Eastern isn’t on our list of favorite airlines, but for $400, some of you might take advantage. Vayama sometimes imposed its own fees on tickets — that is about $20 difference from ITA price.

Vayama does not comply with the US Department of Transportation risk free 24 hour cancellation period as they charge $50 for the service. So be pretty certain you can make the trip if you are going to book. Also, the $50 off coupon code is only for the first 1,000 bookings and the coupon code has been around for a bit, so it won’t last long either.

Some itineraries will have long layovers in Shanghai. If you are an American passport holder, you are entitle up to 144 hours (6 days) transit without a visa in China if you go to a 3rd country, which these itineraries qualify for. So you can leave the airport and visit Shanghai too on those long layovers.

Update 2/7/2016 @ 5:50PM Eastern – the coupon code expires on 2/7/2016 @ 3:30PM Pacific.

Sample Travel Date:

• Sample to Tokyo
• March 1st – 8th

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel from February 25th – March 31st. Availability is limited. Must purchase at least 3 days in advance of departure

• Please note that while this fare is valid at time of posting, if this post is more than two days old, the fare is likely gone.

How to Search for Availability:

• Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and use the following search criteria:
  • Departing from: SFO
  • Outbound Advanced Routing Code: pvg
  • Destination: TYO
    • For Seoul availability, replace TYO with ICN on the Destination: field
  • Return Advanced Routing Code: pvg
  • (Click on Advanced Routing Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
  • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
  • Length of stay “5-12” (This is just a sample, you can use any 7 day date range like 3-10, 7-14 etc)
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

You cannot buy tickets using ITA. To buy, follow our instructions in the “How to Book” section below.

Fare Class:

• Q

Routing:

• SFO (San Francisco) – PVG (Shanghai) – NRT (Tokyo) – PVG – SFO

Stopover:

• Two permitted at 500CNY each or about $75 USD
• How to Take Advantage of a Stopover

Mileage:

China Eastern is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance and Delta partner. Mileage earning with Delta is as follows:

• Miles Flown: 14,498 miles or 2.9 cents per mile
  
  
• Elite Qualifying Miles: 0 miles
• Redeemable Miles: 0 miles

How to Book:

• Support us by using our Vayama link to book with dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search. Enter SUPER50 at checkout page to receive these prices.

 

Accommodations

• TripAdvisor - One of the leading hotel meta-search engines. Find the lowest hotel prices from 200+ sites.

Car Rentals

• Rental Cars - One of the world’s leading car rental agencies. Includes all the major brands like Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise etc.

Activities and Tours

• Viator – The world's largest marketplace for destination activities and tours

Background Information:

Japan:

• Visa: US Citizens – Not required. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Japanese Yen (JPY). $1USD = 117.38 JPY

South Korea:

• Visa: US Citizens – Not required. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: South Korean Won (KRW). $1USD = 1,200 KRW

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 San Francisco / Bay Area Flight Deals:

• Go to the The San Francisco / Bay Area Flight Deals page

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* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Vayama, accommodation, car rental, activities, or travel insurance affiliate links to make a booking or apply and is approved for a credit card using our link above. Thank you for your continuing support.

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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.