Getting a visa to Kazakhstan from what we gather was one of the most tedious things ever — at least until recently when they decided to allow Americans to visit visa free until July 15th, 2015 for up to 15 days. Not only does this save the hassle of getting the visa, but also $160. It joins its neighbor, Kyrgyzstan as the only two countries in Central Asia that are visa free for Americans.

If you are going to Kazakhstan, might as well go to Kyrgyzstan too. The drive from Almaty to Bishkek is about 4 hours.

Sample Travel Date:

• November 3rd – 10th

Fare Availability:

• Valid for travel on the outbound from November 1st – 30th or January 10th, 2015 – March 10th, 2015. Must purchase at least 60 days in advance of departure

How to Search for Availability:

• Use ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search and use the following search criteria:
  • Departing from: IAD
  • Outbound Advanced Routing Code: ams
  • Destination:  ALA
  • Return Advanced Routing Code: ams
  • (Click on Advanced Routing Codes link to enable advanced routing code input)
  • Select “See calendar of lowest fares”
  • Length of stay “0-7” (the max date range is 7 days. So 0-7, 5-12, 7-14 etc)
  • You cannot buy tickets using ITA. To buy, follow our instructions below.
• Beginner’s Guide on How to Use Matrix by ITA Software
• How to Read Airfare Rules and Use It to Your Advantage

Fare Class:

• V

Elite Qualifying Dollars:

• $675

Routing:

• IAD – AMS (Amsterdam) – ALA (Almaty) – AMS – IAD. All flights will be operated by KLM under Delta flight numbers

Stopover:

• Not permitted
• How to Take Advantage of a Stopover

Mileage:

Delta will be revenue based mileage earning starting January 1st, 2015. Miles will be earn base on elite qualifying dollars multiple by 5 as base level earning and up to 13 for Diamond level members who purchase with a Delta co-branded American Express credit card. We will be showing the 2015 base mileage earning for all Delta fares going forward to show how negative the changes are for a majority of Delta flyers.

• 2014: 14,234 miles or 5.6 cents per mile.
• 2015: 3,375 miles or a difference of 10,859 miles.

How to Book:

• Support us by using our Orbitz link to book with dates found on ITA Software Matrix Airfare Search. Make sure you select “Additional Search Options” and then “Narrow the search to my preferred airlines” and select Delta

Accommodations

For hotel bookings, we recommend that you only book using online travel agencies (Hotels.com or Hotwire.com) if it is a non-chain hotel. We don’t want you to miss out on earning rewards with chain hotels.

• Accor Hotels
  • Sofitel, Pullman, M Gallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, Ibis
• CheapTickets
• Country Inns and Suites
• Design Hotels
• Expedia
• Hilton Hotels
  • Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, Home2
• HomeAway.com
• Hotels.com
• Intercontinental Group
  • Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites
• Marriott International
  • Marriott, JW Marriott, Courtyard y Marriott, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Springhill Suites, Delta Hotels, Moxy, AC Hotels, TownePlace, Autograph Collection, Protea Hotels.
• Orbitz
• Preferred Hotels & Resorts
  • Preferred, Sterling, Summit
• Radisson Hotels
  • Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Hotel Missioni
• Venere
• Wyndham Hotels
  • Wyndham, Tryp, Wingate, Hawthorn, Microtel, Dream, Planet Hollywood, Ramada, Night, Baymont, Days Inn, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Knights Inn

Car Rentals

• Avis – US and Canadian Rentals
• CarRentals.com
• Fox Rent A Car
• Hotwire
• Orbitz
• Payless Car Rental
• Sixt Car Rental – Good Agency for Rentals in Europe

Background Information:

• Visa Requirements: US Citizens – Not required until July 15th, 2015. Other nationals, check the TIMATIC Visa Database
• Currency: Kazakhstani Tenge (KZT). $1USD = 153.60 KZT

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 Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals:

• Go to the The Washington D.C. / Baltimore Flight Deals page

* The Flight Deal will receive a commission if you use the Orbitz, accommodation or car rental 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.