Fire up the credit card, that Super Bowl trip will cost you

Now that the Seahawks have clinched their second straight trip to the Super Bowl, plenty of 12s are scrambling to get to Phoenix for the big game.

What they’ll find is flights and hotels filling up fast, and prices going up seemingly by the minute.

The good news for travelers is there are plenty of airlines that can get you from Seattle to Phoenix, says Steve Danishek, a veteran Seattle-based travel consultant. “We have lots of air options.”

Alaska, United, American and US Air all offer non-stops and connecting flights to Phoenix. Most of the non-stops, though, have already sold out, Danishek says.

“You’re pretty much going to be limited to one- or two-stops if you’re flying Friday or Saturday and coming back Monday.”

A check of Expedia Sunday evening showed round-trip fares as low as $532 with a stop in Los Angeles, and $482 for two-stops.

Danishek says it’s also worth looking at multiple airlines and buying two one-way tickets instead of a round-trip to save a few bucks.

Another option is flying to another city like Las Vegas or Los Angeles, renting a car and driving to Phoenix instead.

You can get a round trip to LA for around $150, and a weekend car rental is under $100 right now, Danishek says. Get a couple of friends and you’ve saved hundreds of dollars.

Hotels are another matter. While the Phoenix area has a wide variety of accommodations to fit every budget, everyone from the basic to the most luxurious have inflated their rates for Super Bowl weekend.

A night at Comfort Inn in Chandler south of downtown is going for around $450 a night, compared to just $95 the following weekend. Most of the limited rooms left around the area are going for over $300 a night and up.

“It’s worth looking further out for lower rates,” says Danishek. “Phoenix is huge and the freeway system works, so it’s not like we’re competing with rush hours to get to the stadium.”

Another option is staying in a private home or apartment. A number of rentals from rooms to entire houses or condos are available on sites like Airbnb, VRBO and Craigslist.

Getting a ticket to the game is actually pretty easy, if you’re willing to pay. Over 4,500 tickets were available as of Stub Hub Sunday night. The lowest priced ticket available is in the upper reaches of University of Phoenix Stadium for $2,100.

Ticketmaster also has a number of seats starting at $2,462 in the upper level. You can get seats in the end zone starting around $3,100, while tickets in the lower level range from $3,800 to over $10,000.

You can also buy packages offering hotel and tickets from the official Super Bowl provider NFL on Location. Starting at $4,749, the packages include game tickets, three nights in a hotel and a variety of special events and perks including access to an exclusive club outside the stadium, player and cheerleader meet-and-greets, preferred parking and VIP access to the stadium.

Prices likely won’t drop much more until closer to game time, but more seats should become available this week as NFL teams who lost Sunday throw their allotments onto the secondary market.

You can get more information about all of the Super Bowl activities, tickets and more at the official website for the event.