Icelandair, a popular choice for transatlantic travel with its convenient Keflavik International Airport (KEF) hub, offers enticing stopover options in Iceland. However, for those looking to leverage their reward points, navigating Icelandic Air’s partnerships can be tricky. This guide delves into the various ways you can redeem points and miles for flights on Icelandic Air.
Understanding Icelandic Air’s Partner Landscape
Icelandair operates independently, without affiliation to major airline alliances like Star Alliance or SkyTeam. While it maintains interline and codeshare agreements with airlines such as Emirates, Turkish Airlines, and JetBlue, these partnerships don’t extend to reciprocal points redemption. This means you can’t directly use miles from these partner programs to book Icelandair flights.
Redeeming Points with Icelandair Saga Club
Icelandair’s own loyalty program, Saga Club, allows members to earn and redeem points for flights. While Saga Club points can be earned through various avenues like Expedia bookings, JetBlue flights, Alaska Airlines flights, and Hertz car rentals, accumulating a substantial balance might be challenging for infrequent Icelandair flyers.
Fortunately, Saga Club offers flexibility, enabling partial payment with points. You can use any amount of Saga points towards your flight, even covering taxes and fees. While the redemption value might not be exceptionally high, it provides a valuable option for utilizing existing points and reducing out-of-pocket expenses. The Icelandair website offers a slider tool to explore different combinations of points and cash for your booking.
Leveraging Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan presents another avenue for redeeming miles on Icelandair. Currently, only economy class redemptions are available due to a temporary suspension of business class award bookings. Alaska Airlines publishes a starting award chart for partner airlines, and Icelandair flights generally adhere to these rates.
Redemption rates vary based on distance and routing. For instance, a one-way flight from Seattle to Reykjavik might cost 27,500 miles plus a small fee, while a flight from Boston to Reykjavik could require 22,500 miles plus a similar fee. Alaska’s generous stopover policy allows for extended stays in Iceland without increasing the mileage cost, although taxes and fees might be slightly higher.
Earning Alaska miles can be achieved through flights, credit card spending with the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® credit card or the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business card, or by transferring points from Marriott Bonvoy and Bilt Rewards.
Utilizing Credit Card Travel Portals
Most credit card travel portals allow booking Icelandair flights using accumulated points or miles. However, the redemption value typically hovers around 1 cent per point. Notable exceptions include the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card. These cards offer the advantage of earning miles on the initial flight purchase and subsequently redeeming points to cover the travel expense at a rate of 1 cent per point.
Maximizing Your Redemption Strategy
Choosing the optimal redemption method depends on your individual circumstances and point balances. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan often provides the best value for Icelandair flights, especially for economy travel. If holding a substantial amount of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, booking through the Chase Travel portal associated with cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, or Ink Business Preferred could be a viable alternative.
Given Icelandair’s frequently competitive fares, paying cash and conserving points for higher-value redemptions, such as hotels or premium cabin travel, might be a sensible approach.
Conclusion
Redeeming points and miles for Icelandair flights requires strategic planning. While direct redemption through partner programs is limited, leveraging Icelandair Saga Club, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, or credit card travel portals offers viable pathways to reduce travel costs and maximize the value of your rewards. Carefully assess your points balances, travel preferences, and Icelandair’s fare options to determine the most advantageous redemption strategy for your journey.
