Icelandair is a well-liked provider for visiting Iceland as a result of its hub is Keflavik Airport (KEF), an airport positioned about 31 miles exterior of Reykjavik. Icelandair is well-known for its cheap flights, and lots of vacationers use the airline to journey between the U.S. and Europe whereas additionally making the most of a stopover in Iceland.
Nonetheless, when you’re taking a look at learn how to use factors and miles to fly Icelandair, you may rapidly uncover the airline is not a part of a serious airline alliance. Though the airline has interline and codeshare agreements with Emirates, Turkish Airways and JetBlue, you possibly can’t at the moment redeem rewards from these airways’ loyalty packages for Icelandair flights.
In brief, you possibly can’t redeem many kinds of factors and miles to fly on Icelandair flights.
However you do have just a few choices, so let’s dive in.
Associated: Watch us fly Icelandair 2 different ways: Business class versus economy
Redeem Icelandair Saga Membership factors
Icelandair has its personal loyalty program referred to as Icelandair Saga Membership. The unhealthy information for rare Icelandair flyers, although, is that not one of the main U.S. transferable factors currencies work with Saga Membership. So, though you possibly can earn Saga factors on Expedia bookings, JetBlue flights, Alaska Airways flights, Hertz automobile leases and extra, most U.S.-based vacationers could have hassle incomes a big stability of Saga factors.
Fortunately, you do not have to have sufficient Saga factors to cowl your total Icelandair flight reserving. You need to use no matter quantity of Saga factors you want to ebook any seat on any scheduled Icelandair flight. You may even redeem Saga factors to cowl the taxes and charges on Icelandair flights.
For instance, on a pattern $593.50 round-trip reserving, I used the provider’s slider device to pick out varied combos of factors and money.
I might redeem 137,337 factors to cowl my total reserving, a redemption that will give me 0.43 cents per level in worth.
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Or, I might redeem 57,781 factors and pay $343.80 for the $593.50 round-trip reserving.
You will not get outsize worth when redeeming Saga factors for Icelandair flights, but it surely’s a pleasant choice to have if you wish to pay utilizing a mixture of factors and money and you’ve got just a few further factors in your account.
Associated: How to get to Iceland on points and miles
Redeem Alaska Airways Mileage Plan miles
Alternatively, you possibly can redeem Alaska miles for Icelandair flights. Nonetheless, in accordance with Alaska’s partner page for Icelandair, this system has quickly suspended business-class award bookings on Icelandair-operated flights “on account of a excessive price of reserving failures.” Since Icelandair eliminated its premium economic system product in 2018, economic system class is your solely choice when redeeming Alaska miles for Icelandair flights.
Whereas Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan nonetheless publishes a associate award chart, the charges listed are solely starting rates for nonstop award flights.
Nonetheless, I discovered award charges for nonstop Icelandair flights comply with the listed beginning charges. For instance, I might redeem 27,500 miles and $137 for a one-way Icelandair flight from Seattle to Reykjavik. The gap between Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA) and KEF is 3,622 miles.
If I departed just a few days earlier and related in Portland, Oregon, I might redeem 22,500 miles and pay the identical $137 in taxes and charges.
In the meantime, flying 2,413 miles from Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS) to KEF would price 22,500 miles plus $137.
Curiously, I might add a flight onward to Dublin with out paying any further miles. Nonetheless, I might must pay $192 in taxes and charges for this one-stop award.
Lastly, on account of Mileage Plan’s pleasant stopover policies, I might even ebook a weeklong stopover for a similar variety of miles. Nonetheless, I might must pay barely increased taxes and charges.
Alaska miles could be tough to earn because the solely main transferable currencies that switch to Mileage Plan are Marriott Bonvoy and Bilt Rewards. Nonetheless, you possibly can typically snag an excellent welcome supply on the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card, each of which allow you to earn Alaska miles in your purchases.
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Redeem via a bank card journey portal
You can too ebook Icelandair flights with factors or miles via the journey portals of most main transferable points currencies. Nonetheless, you may normally solely get 1 cent per level or mile when redeeming your factors or miles for flights booked via these portals. The first exceptions the place you may get extra worth when redeeming factors or miles via a bank card portal are:
In case you have the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, you might come out forward by buying a paid Icelandair flight along with your card. By doing so, you may earn miles in your bank card buy. Then, inside 90 days of your buy, log into your Capital One account and redeem points to cover your recent travel purchase. You may solely get 1 cent per level when protecting current journey purchases, however a minimum of you may earn miles once you pay on your flight along with your card.
Associated: How to use hotel points in Iceland
Backside line
Although Icelandair does not belong to a serious airline alliance, you possibly can nonetheless redeem factors and miles for its flights. Your finest worth choices to redeem factors or miles on your Icelandair flight are Alaska miles or reserving via the Chase Journey portal along with your Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred.
Nonetheless, as mentioned above, you’ve gotten a number of different choices. Particularly contemplating the customarily low fares for Icelandair flights, you might discover it possible to ebook a paid price and save your factors and miles for resorts or a future journey.
