AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners for links on the blog. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not been reviewed, provided, or approved by any bank advertiser. Here's our complete list of Advertisers.
A little over 14 years ago, JetBlue partnered with Icelandair, making it easier for travelers on paid tickets to reach each other’s destinations. Now, JetBlue is expanding that partnership in a big way: TrueBlue members can finally redeem points for award flights on Icelandair.
Here’s a quick look at the award rates JetBlue is charging for Icelandair flights — and at some of the destinations you can explore using points.
New: Redeem JetBlue TrueBlue Points for Icelandair Flights
One of the best ways to redeem JetBlue TrueBlue points is for partner travel, so it’s especially exciting that you can now use points for Icelandair award flights. As of this morning, we're seeing availability to fly to (and through) Icelandair’s hub at Keflavík International Airport using TrueBlue points.
If you want to save on a trip to Iceland or beyond, this is a pretty big deal. Redemptions from the U.S. East Coast (plus Minneapolis and Chicago) to Iceland start at just 17,000 JetBlue points in economy plus $102.10 in taxes/fees — or 69,600 points in Saga business class. Redemptions from the West Coast cost roughly twice as many points.
You can also add a connection to several European destinations — like Dublin, Paris, or Amsterdam — for a fairly reasonable additional number of miles. For instance, fly from New York (JFK) to Dublin (DUB) for 27,600 points. Unfortunately, though, JetBlue doesn’t allow stopovers on award tickets.
Or, you can start from Keflavik and head to Europe starting at:
- Glasgow (GLA): 10,600 points plus $89.40 in taxes/fees
- Lisbon (LIS): 16,000 points plus $89.40 in taxes/fees
- London (LHR): 14,700 points plus $89.40 in taxes/fees
- Helsinki (HEL): 21,200 points plus $89.40 in taxes/fees
But part of what makes this new redemption opportunity unique is the number of off-the-beaten-path destinations you can visit with points. For instance, you can fly from Keflavik to Kulusuk (KUS), Nuuk (GOH), and other Greenland destinations starting at just 5,300 points plus a steep $145.20 in taxes/fees from KUS-KEF — or $89.80 from KEF-KUS.
While you can access a number of Icelandair destinations with TrueBlue points, it’s worth noting that we’re not currently seeing award availability to or from Canadian cities — or for any intra-Iceland flights. Moreover, all of the bookable awards have a set “starting at” rate — but are then priced dynamically from there.
Related: How To Redeem JetBlue Points for Maximum Value
Top Off Your JetBlue Points Balance
Need more JetBlue TrueBlue points to top off your account to book an Icelandair flight? You have no lack of options — although some transfer rates are better than others:
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to head to Iceland or beyond, this new JetBlue redemption option is definitely worth a closer look. Icelandair flights aren’t exactly known for being cheap — and we’re seeing redemptions that regularly deliver 4 cents per point in value (sometimes even more).
Call us skeptical, but if you see something you like, consider booking it sooner rather than later. When JetBlue first launched redemptions on Qatar Airways and TAP Air Portugal, those initial award rates didn’t stick around for long; they climbed pretty quickly.
While we’re hopeful the current rates hold steady (and wouldn’t mind seeing Saga business class come down a bit), there’s no telling how long they’ll actually last.
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
What are the taxes and fees levied on these economy fares? One of the reasons I have shied away from using Alaska miles on Icelandair is because the taxes and fees can be steep ($135) per passenger. If the fees are low using JetBlue, it might be worth it.
There’s no risk-free way of knowing until JetBlue decides to display the taxes and fees even if you don’t yet have the requisite number of points in your account. Which I don’t currently. So yeah, I share the same question/concern.
Sorry about that! I had enough points in my account when searching that I didn’t realize that the total wasn’t visible if you didn’t have enough points. I’ve updated the post to add the taxes and fees for the routes.
Great question and something we should have included from the start in the post. I’ve updated the post now with the taxes and fees, but here are the additions:
* USA-KEF is $102.10 in taxes/fees
* KEF-EUR is $89.40 in taxes/fees
* LHR-KEF is £77.72 in taxes/fees
* KUS-KEF is a painful $145.20, but KEF-KUS is better at $89.80