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We strongly encourage our readers to refrain from non-essential travel these next few weeks. Due to COVID-19 we will only feature fares that have availability for travel from August 2021 onward. We will continually assess if that needs to move to an even later date.

A good sale to Athens

Air Canada is running a $50 off sale to Greece for travel until October 3rd. The price without the discount is $506 (Basic Economy) / $656 (Regular Economy). But if you using the promo code “EXPLORE50” at the search screen, you will get this for $506 (Basic Economy) / $606 (Regular Economy). So the discount code will save you $50 off the regular economy price.

United and its partners Air Canada, Austrian, Lufthansa and Swiss Air’s $606 fare is a regular economy fare with ONE checked luggage and normal size carry-on

United and its partners Air Canada, Austrian, Lufthansa and Swiss Air also have a $506 fare, but it is a Basic Economy / Economy Light fare. These Basic Economy / Economy Light fares:

• DO NOT allow for advance seat assignment
• DO NOT include checked bags – they are $70 each way for the 1st bag and $100 each way for 2nd
• DO NOT allow for changes
• DO NOT allow for cancellations – so if you cancel after the 24 hour risk free period, the Basic Economy version will have no value for future purchase
• Most online travel agencies are not properly displaying these fares with United / Air Canada / Austrian / Lufthansa / Swiss Air as BASIC ECONOMY

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Sample Travel Date:

• August 2nd – 9th

• This is just ONE SAMPLE travel date, for more availability, please follow the “Fare Availability” and “How to Search for Availability” instructions below

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel in August. A 7 day minimum stay with a Sunday stay is required. Must purchase at least 7 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:

• This is just to search for availability. To buy your tickets, scroll down to “How to Buy” section of this post

• Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and use the following search criteria:
  • Departing from: SFO
  • Outbound Advanced Routing Code:
    • Textbox 1: ac ac
    • Textbox 2: maxconnect 300
      • This is instructing ITA to search for the Basic Economy fare. Use those dates on Air Canada and you will be presented with the option to upgrade to the regular economy fare.
  • Destination:  ATH
  • Return Advanced Routing Code: 
    • Textbox 1: ac ac
    • Textbox 2: maxconnect 300
  • (Click on Advanced Routing Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
  • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
  • Length of stay “3-10” (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

• The ITA search page should be like below when all values are inputted

 

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

Fare Class:

• K

Routing:

• SFO – YUL (Montreal) – ATH (Athens) – YUL – SFO

Stopover:

• Not permitted
• How to Take Advantage of a Stopover

Mileage:

Air Canada is a member of the Star Alliance and United partner. Mileage earning with United is as follows:

• Miles Flown: 14,544 miles or 4.2 cents per mile
• Redeemable Miles: 7,272 miles

How to Buy:

• Book on Air Canada with dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search.
  • Remember to add promo code “EXPLORE50” on the search screen to get this price

 

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:

• Visa: US Citizens – Not required. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Euro (EUR). $1USD = 0.82 EUR

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 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.