ahoyne9For many, Iceland is a bucket list destination, but flying there on points can often be expensive. After visiting Iceland twice, flying economy class on Icelandair was the most affordable option. But here’s some exciting news—Delta Airlines, in partnership with KLM/Air France and Virgin Atlantic, has just released award availability for round-trip flights to Iceland, and with current credit card transfer bonuses, you can snag a flight for as low as 30,000 points! This applies to departures from Detroit, Minneapolis, or New York.
I first heard about this deal through Thrifty Traveler Premium, a must-have resource for anyone serious about using points to travel for free. The alert came earlier this week, but there still seems to be good availability, so if you’ve been dreaming of an Icelandic adventure, now’s the time to act.
Virgin Atlantic vs. Flying Blue Points: What’s the Best Option?
There are two main points options to book these flights: Virgin Atlantic Points and Flying Blue. Here’s how they compare:
- Virgin Atlantic charges 60,000 points round-trip in economy class. You can transfer points from major programs like Amex MR, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, Citi, and Wells Fargo. Currently, Chase offers a 40% transfer bonus, bringing the total down to just 43,000 points round-trip.
- Flying Blue (the loyalty program for KLM/Air France) charges between 36,000–41,000 points for a round-trip economy ticket. Like Virgin Atlantic, you can transfer points from all major credit card programs, and Chase is offering a 20% transfer bonus, reducing the total to as low as 30,000 points round-trip!
Getting to Iceland: What You Need to Know
Flights from the U.S. to Iceland land at Keflavik International Airport (KEF), located about 45 minutes from Reykjavík, the capital city. Delta offers three direct flights to Keflavik from Detroit, Minneapolis, and New York, making it a convenient option for travelers in those cities.
If you’re curious about your flight options, Flight Connections is a fantastic tool to confirm routes. It’s free to use, but they also offer a premium version if you want more features. If you’re interested in upgrading, please consider using my affiliate link.
For this newsletter, we’re focusing on Minneapolis—my hometown airport and a route I’ve personally flown. The best rates from Flying Blue are out of JFK, where you can find round-trip flights for as low as 36,000 points. Next up is Detroit at 38,000 points, followed by Minneapolis at 41,000 points. Keep in mind, Virgin Atlantic charges a flat rate of 60,000 points regardless of the departure airport.
To book these flights, head over to the Air France website (not KLM’s). Make sure you’ve already created a Flying Blue account, as you’ll need it to search and book these award flights.
It’s best to search for these flights as one-way tickets first, then piece together your round trip. While most of the peak dates in June and July are already booked, I found availability for the end of August from MSP to KEF, specifically between August 26th – 29th.
For the ideal trip to Iceland, I recommend staying for a little over a week. I personally completed the Ring Road in under 6 days, but I don’t suggest rushing like I did! A more relaxed itinerary would be 8–10 days, which would give you plenty of time to explore and even include the Westfjords, which I had to skip on my trip.
I found return availability between September 3rd – 8th still open. For a 7-day trip (9 days including travel), you could choose September 5th as your return date. This means you’d arrive in Iceland on Friday, August 29th at 07:00 and depart on Friday, September 5th.
This itinerary allows for a full week of adventure, with two days to recover at home afterward. Plus, it only requires 5 PTO days (August 29th and September 2nd – 5th), as you’ll get Labor Day off and one weekend of travel!
Keep in mind there is no free seat selection but you are given one checked bag, see the details below on what is included with your purchase.
The trip comes out to 41k miles round trip and $117.61 USD with the 20% transfer bonus with Chase it is 34,200 points.
Compared to paying for this flight in cash it is $560 for the same flight and it does not include checked luggage.
Before transferring your points and booking your flight, make sure to secure a round-trip positioning flight if necessary. Give yourself ample time for your self-made layover to avoid any issues. Once you’ve booked the positioning flight, remember you have a 24-hour window to cancel it for free if needed. After that, go ahead and transfer your points to Flying Blue and book your ticket. In most cases, the transfer is instant, but if you’re concerned about losing the award availability before the points transfer, consider calling Flying Blue to see if they can hold the tickets for 24 hours (800-375-8723).
Note, if you’re having issues with Air France’s website the mobile app tends to work better otherwise you can also call Flying Blue and have them check for the award availability.
Need ideas for visiting Iceland check out my visits here. You can also check out my Iceland Travel Map that shows all the attractions in Iceland, view that here.
How to Earn Flying Blue Miles
The best way to earn Flying Blue points is through credit card partners you can certainly sign up to Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard credit card with Bank of America or sign up with a credit that has more flexibility. Be sure to pick a card that earns rewards with one of the transfer partners (Chase, American Express, Capital One, Cit, Wells Fargo, & Bilt).
- Capital One Venture Rewards Card
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Card
- Citi Strata Premier Rewards Card
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve
- American Express Gold Card
- American Express Platinum Card
Each one of these has a sign up bonus of 60,000 points or more which will be enough for your one-way flight. Be sure to check out my credit cards page for affiliate links if you’re interested in using credit card sign-up bonuses to travel luxuriously on a budget—even with a 9-5 job, it’s possible! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.
Cheers!