Compare 4 loyalty programs for San Francisco to San Diego award flights, with economy seats from 5,000 points.
San Francisco to San Diego is a short-haul domestic hop with nonstop award seats on Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. Four programs price the route, and economy starts at 5,000 points through Alaska Atmos Rewards, on a nonstop. On a flight this short, compare the cash fare first and spend points only when the award price drops low. Pricing for all four programs on SFO–SAN is laid out below.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | First |
|---|---|---|
 Alaska AirlinesAS | 5,000Lowest | 12,500Lowest |
 United AirlinesUA | 8,500pts | Not available |
 DeltaDL | 8,900pts | Not available |
 American AirlinesAA | 18,500pts | Not available |
When award seats between San Francisco and San Diego price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | No award data |
| Dec 2026 | 25,000 |
| Jan 2027 | No award data |
| Feb 2027 | 5,000 |
| Mar 2027 | No award data |
| Apr 2027 | 25,000 |
| May 2027 | No award data |
| Jun 2027 | No award data |
| Jul 2027 | No award data |
| Aug 2027 | No award data |
| Sep 2027 | No award data |
| Oct 2027 | No award data |
5 airlines with award seats between San Francisco and San Diego, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAA
Air CanadaACAlaska AirlinesASDeltaDLUnited AirlinesUAWhat to know before booking San Francisco to San Diego with points.
About 450 miles, roughly 1h25 nonstop. San Diego keeps the same clock as San Francisco. Award data window: November 2026–October 2027, with calendar prices for three months.
San Francisco to San Diego is served by American Airlines, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines and 2 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 4 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 5,000 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
Flying San Francisco to San Diego covers about 450 miles, linking San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with San Diego International Airport (SAN); a nonstop takes roughly 1h25, with winds moving it either way. The nonstop award space in the data is split between Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. The Embraer 175 appears on some of those nonstop award segments. About 33% of the award options in the data are nonstop.
On a domestic run like San Francisco–San Diego, award prices go head to head with cash fares. The cheapest economy seat is an Alaska Airlines nonstop booked through the airline's own program, so saving points costs no extra time. Expect about $6 in taxes and fees on top, in line with the route's typical economy taxes. If the cash price is modest, buying the ticket is often the better trade. Hold off on converting flexible points until the seat is confirmed bookable; there's no undoing a transfer.
Alaska Atmos Rewards wins economy at 5,000 points and first class at 12,500, both on Alaska Airlines nonstops. American AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, and Virgin Australia Velocity also price the route. Alaska Atmos Rewards' lead holds until a transfer bonus elsewhere shifts the math; recheck before moving points.
On points, San Francisco–San Diego has nonstop seats from Alaska Airlines (oneworld) and United Airlines (Star Alliance), which puts partner programs from both alliances in play for a nonstop. Here the cheapest award in each cabin books through the airline's own program, with no partner arbitrage showing up at last check. With just five airlines holding award seats here, a route alert catches new space faster than rechecking each carrier.
Leaving San Francisco, San Jose (SJC) has priced economy from 5,000 points across the tracked dates and is worth pricing when SFO space is thin. San Jose has nonstop flights to San Diego in the data too. For another option from San Francisco, Atlanta prices from 9,500 points at last check.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside San Francisco to San Diego.
From 4,000 ptsBusiness 17,300 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 19,300 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 23,000 pts
From 7,000 ptsBusiness 30,000 pts
From 7,500 pts
From 7,500 ptsBusiness 31,500 pts
Common questions travelers ask about the San Francisco to San Diego route.
