You can fly from Vancouver to Beijing or Shanghai for under $500 roundtrip

If Beijing or Shanghai have been on your bucket list, now is a great time to check them off.

Thanks to YVR Deals, you can now fly from Vancouver (YVR) to Beijing (PEK) or Shanghai, China (PVG) for less than half the normal price.

Air Canada has reduced the price of flights and you can now fly non-stop, both ways for $498 roundtrip. Flights typically cost over $1,000.

Dates for travel are available during November and December of 2019, as well as February, March, and April of 2020.

Keep in mind though — most travellers will need to apply and be granted a visa if they want to visit China.

There are certain exemptions, however, they mostly apply to large groups travelling with pre-approved tourism agencies, or trips under a certain period of time (144 hours, 72 hours, and 24 hours).

In order to apply, a potential visitor must meet the application requirements. General requirements include an original passport with at least two blank visa pages, at least six months of validity, and a photocopy of the data and photo page.

Other documents like a recent passport photo, a copy of round-trip tickets, and hotel bookings are also necessary.

An application fee of approximately $140 will need to be paid and applications must take place in-person at the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) on West Broadway in Vancouver.

A step-by-step guide, which is provided and highly recommended by the CVASC can be found here.

Here’s how to book the flight: 

1. Visit the Google Flights website.

2. Enter your departure and return destination as Vancouver (YVR) and either Beijing (PEK) or Shanghai (PVG).

3. Search for roundtrips priced around the $500-mark — many can be found in November and December of 2019.

4. Proceed and continue your booking with Air Canada.

Google Flights

Google Flights