Ever since Delta discontinued service to Hong Kong from Detroit last year, we have not seen many deals to Hong Kong from the East Coast. Using an open jaw itinerary that we showed on the Shanghai and Tokyo deal for $845, we have manage to find a deal to Hong Kong and Shanghai for $972. You will need to make your own way from Shanghai to Hong Kong, but it is very reasonable. If you stay in Shanghai under 72 hours, you will not need to get a Chinese visa, saving you $140.

Basics:

What you need to take advantage of this deal:

• American Airlines AAdvantage Miles (15,000 Miles) + about $20 in taxes + $25 booking fee or
• United Airlines MileagePlus Miles (15,000 Miles) + $22.70 in taxes or
• British Airways Avios (7,500 Miles) or
• If you don’t have miles, it will be about $125 from Shanghai to Hong Kong on Hong Kong Airlines.

And this is why we recommend you collect miles.

How:

You should start in Shanghai first and then head down to Hong Kong.

1. Use ITA Multi-City to Search

This fare must depart from Monday through Thursday. Play with the dates. We found good availability in October at the $972 level.

The flights:

• Flight 1: New York (NYC) – Shanghai (PVG)
• Flight 2: Hong Kong (HKG) – New York (NYC)

Pretty simple. Play around with dates.

2. Search for Award Availability from Shanghai to Hong Kong.

We are going show you how to use award miles to travel from Shanghai to Hong Kong. We are going to use United’s search since it shows availability and you can book online. For American, you have to call them to book since their partner JAL is not searchable on AA.com yet.

Availability is not bad with United, but they all require a connection since United does not have a partner that flies nonstop from Shanghai to Hong Kong. With American, you have a choice of nonstop service with both Cathay Pacific and Dragonair — we never had an issue getting an award seat between Shanghai and Hong Kong using AA miles because Cathay and Dragonair has almost hourly service between Shanghai and Hong Kong.

And with that, for about $1,000 and 15,000 miles, you can visit both Shanghai and Hong Kong! Though, at $125, saving the miles and buying the cheap one way is probably the better bet.

Sample Travel Date:

• October 21st: New York – Shanghai
• Sometime in between: Shanghai – Hong Kong (on American or United Miles)
• October 28th: Hong Kong- New York

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel from September – December 6th for Monday through Thursday departures. Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search multi-city search — enable advanced routing codes and enter “aa+” on both the outbound and return fields to search for American Airlines only. Must purchase by July 3rd.
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

Routing:

• LGA – ORD (Chicago) – PVG (Shanghai) // HKG (Hong Kong) – HND (Tokyo – Haneda) – JFK. Some routings will have the Hong Kong segment to Tokyo – Narita (NRT). You will need to make your way back to HND to catch you flight back to NYC in those instances. Use NYC as the search criteria.

Mileage:

• 16,387 miles or 5.9 cents per mile.

AA.com will incorrectly display the price as $1,192 on Step 3: Travelers. If you hit continue to go to Step 4: Trip Options, the price will be correctly displayed again as $972.

How to Book:

• Use dates found at ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and book on AA.com multi-city function. Enter flight 1 as NYC -> PVG and flight 2 as HKG -> NYC.
• Receive $1 back for using Ebates.com or Mr. Rebates prior to booking on AA.com
• American Airline’s risk free cancellation policy here

Background Information:

China:

• Visa: US Citizens – required prior to arrival. $140. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Chinese Yuan Renminbi (CNY) – $1USD = 6.12 CNY
• How to Visit Shanghai or Beijing for Up to 72 Hours without a Visa

Hong Kong:

• Visa: US Citizens – not required. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Hong Kong Dollar (HKD). $1USD = 7.8HKD

Tips for saving when using credit cards at international destinations:

• No Fee Foreign Transaction 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 New York Flight Deals:

• Go to the The New York 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.