The Best Cheap Flights to Vegas to Book With Points

Las Vegas is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S. Millions of tourists travel there every year to gamble, for conventions and for its dining and entertainment options. With Vegas being such a popular destination, air travelers have options with all of the major airlines. Instead of paying cash for your trip, we’ve researched the best cheap flights to Vegas to book with points from Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Boston.

While your departure city may not be included in our analysis, we chose these popular cities from around the U.S. to illustrate how you might be able to use your miles and points to book the cheapest award flights to Vegas.

Best flights to Las Vegas

The required miles and points for the round-trip flights below are based on a Friday-to-Monday trip the first weekend of February 2022. Prices may have changed since we last checked, and you may be able to find lower award ticket prices from the airlines below by adjusting your travel dates.

From Los Angeles: Southwest Rapid Rewards

Not only does Southwest offer the lowest-price flight from LA to Las Vegas, but it also offers a wide variety of award flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Vegas throughout the day. Some of the competing airlines, like JetBlue, only have one flight between these two popular cities that you can book with points.

Southwest is also an attractive option because the airline gives every passenger two free checked bags, even if you don’t have status or hold the airline’s credit card. Plus, travelers can cancel or change flights without penalty. For changed flights, you’ll just pay the difference between the old and new ticket prices.

Here’s how the cost of award flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas breaks down, by airline. These numbers reflect the cost in points or miles to book an economy award ticket roughly 90 days in advance.

Airline program

Cost from LA to Vegas in points and miles

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

American Airlines AAdvantage

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

JetBlue Airlines TrueBlue

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

United Airlines MileagePlus

If you’re not a frequent Southwest Rapid Rewards flyer, your next cheapest option is to book an award flight through AAdvantage. Prices jump by nearly 10,000 points for the next tier of award flights.

From Atlanta: Delta SkyMiles

With Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport being one of Delta’s main hubs, it’s no surprise that Delta is our choice to book an award flight to Las Vegas. Delta operates numerous flights throughout the day. However, it does not have a fixed award chart, so the number of miles required to book a flight can fluctuate from day to day.

The good news is that Delta offers several nonstop flights between these cities. While Southwest may be a little cheaper to book this award ticket, most of its flights require a layover for flights of this distance. For most travelers, it’s worth spending a few more miles to save that extra travel time.

Here are the costs of award flights you can anticipate from Atlanta to Las Vegas. These numbers reflect the cost in points or miles to book an economy award ticket roughly 90 days in advance.

Airline program

Cost from Atlanta to Vegas in points and miles

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

American Airlines AAdvantage

Delta Airlines SkyMiles

JetBlue Airlines TrueBlue

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

United Airlines MileagePlus

Generally speaking, if you’re not going to fly Southwest from Atlanta to Vegas, you will spend roughly the same amount of miles to fly Alaska, American, Delta or United — bearing in mind that different airlines’ points have different values. Always do the math to make sure you’re getting a good deal compared to our average value.

From Chicago: Southwest Rapid Rewards

Southwest Airlines flies from both O’Hare and Midway airports in the city and is our choice to book award flights from Chicago to Vegas. The price for the weekend trip is comparable to redeeming miles on American Airlines, but Southwest has one huge advantage — Travelers holding a Companion Pass can book a companion ticket for free (just pay taxes and fees) when using either cash or points to book flights. With American, you have to book a cash fare to use its companion certificates.

We looked at economy award tickets roughly 90 days out, and here’s what we learned about the cost of flights from Chicago to Las Vegas.

Airline program

Cost from Chicago to Vegas in points and miles

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

American Airlines AAdvantage

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

JetBlue Airlines TrueBlue

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

United Airlines MileagePlus

Chicago-based travelers with their eyes on Sin City would be wise not to book award flights with JetBlue or United. Each charge more than or nearly double the cheapest award tickets.

From Boston: Southwest Rapid Rewards

When flying from Logan International Airport in Boston, finding the best cheap flights to Vegas to book with points was a difficult choice. The flights to Vegas were all fairly similar with departure and arrival times, but the return flight to Boston was a challenge.

Every airline, except Southwest, requires an overnight flight or layover in order to get back to Boston when booking the cheapest award ticket. While Southwest is the cheapest option, it requires a 5:40 am departure from Vegas for its lowest-priced ticket.

We’re still giving Southwest the nod here because you can book a lunchtime flight back to Boston for a round-trip cost of under 25,000 points. This option is ideal for travelers who want to save on tickets, yet avoid the hassle of a redeye flight home.

This cross-country flight will cost a bit more than the short leap to Vegas from Los Angeles or Denver, but you can still find a decent deal. Here’s how flights from Boston to Las Vegas break down by airline for economy award tickets booked about three months out.

Airline program

Cost from Boston to Vegas in points and miles

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

American Airlines AAdvantage

Delta Air Lines SkyMiles

JetBlue Airlines TrueBlue

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards

United Airlines MileagePlus

Since many of these flights are priced similarly, consider more closely the out-of-pocket fees you’ll be on the hook for, such as those for seat selection or baggage check.

Other tips for booking cheap flights to Vegas

If you don’t have enough points and miles to book award flights to Vegas — or are saving your rewards for another trip — there are still ways to save money on flights. Here are a few ways to book cheap flights to Vegas, no matter which city you’re flying from.

  • Extend your trip an extra day. Many people return home from a trip on Sunday or Monday because they have to return to school or work. By extending your trip an extra day or two so you fly home mid-week, your flights can be much cheaper.

  • Book with a Companion Pass. Several airlines offer a companion ticket based on your elite status or credit card, which can greatly reduce the cost of flying. These airlines include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines. Using this benefit, you’ll receive a BOGO deal on qualifying tickets.

  • Look at alternate departure cities. Depending on where you live, you may have access to other airports nearby. While they may be a longer drive, you could save big on cash or award tickets by booking your flights to and from these neighboring cities.

  • Visit in the shoulder season. Flights in peak travel times like spring break or the holidays tend to book up fast, but you’ll be more likely to find deals if you’re willing to travel in the off-season. For example, Vegas gets extraordinarily hot during the summer, so flights and hotels can be cheaper when fewer tourists visit.

If you want to fly to Vegas for cheap

When you’re ready for a fun-filled vacation of gambling, entertainment and food, you can fly for cheap by booking award flights to Vegas. It pays to compare options from several airlines to find the cheapest flight. Because prices vary so much, having transferable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards® or having miles in multiple programs gives you the best shot at locking in the lowest prices on tickets.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2021, including those best for:

This post was originally published on Nerd Wallet

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