MileValue is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Note: Some of the offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer be available. You can view current offers here.


WOW Air is offering $99 one way flights to Iceland and $149 fares to three other European cities. These are not mistake fares. These are advertised fares from Boston and Baltimore (which is misleadingly marketed as Washington, DC by WOW Air.)

Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.01.19 PM

WOW Air is an Icelandic low cost carrier. It offers flights from Baltimore and Boston (and soon San Francisco and Los Angeles) to Reykjavik with connections to Europe. These are the discounted ones:

Screen Shot 2015-12-01 at 7.06.34 PM

The best way to buy these fares, which are as low as $248 roundtrip, is with Arrival miles. You can redeem Arrival miles toward any flight on any airline including WOW Air. A $248 roundtrip to Iceland costs 24,800 Arrival miles and no cash out of your pocket.

The Fares

Iceland: $248 Roundtrip

The $99 outbounds are on Monday, but you can have a Friday outbound for only $30 more.

Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.02.18 PMAgain the cheapest returns are not a desirable day of the week to minimize vacation time, but for only $40 more, you can return on Sunday afternoon.Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.02.39 PM

A roundtrip is $248. A Friday-to-Sunday roundtrip can be as cheap as $318.Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.03.01 PM

Paris: $328 Roundtrip

The cheapest Paris outbounds are on Sunday.

Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.03.48 PM

The cheapest returns are on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.04.02 PM

The cheapest roundtrips are $328.Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.04.40 PM

London: $314 Roundtrip

The cheapest outbounds are Mondays.

Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.07.18 PMThe cheapest returns are Mondays and Wednesdays.Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.07.43 PM

You can book a weeklong vacation for $314.Screen Shot 2015-12-17 at 5.08.04 PM

Flights to Stockholm, Copenhagen, Berlin, and Dublin are just a few dollars more.

Fees

WOW Air’s $99 fares, and all of its tickets, just include a seat and up to 5 kg (11 pounds) in one carry on. Additional weight in your carry on, checked bags, and even seat selection increase the price. Here is the fee page for WOW Air.

From the United States to Iceland, Wow Air charges $38 each way to increase your carry on weight allowance to 12 kg (26 lbs). From the United States to the rest of Europe, you’ll pay $48 each way.

Screen Shot 2015-09-16 at 7.50.57 AM

Wow Air charges $48 each way for a checked bag of up to 20 kg (44 lbs) to Iceland. To the rest of Europe, the charge is $67 each way.Screen Shot 2015-09-16 at 7.51.01 AM

If I were to book WOW Air, I would book them one way to Iceland, and I would pay $38 extra to be allowed to carry on 12 kg (26 pounds) in one bag. That’s $137 total for a one way ticket to Iceland, and I am a big proponent of one bag travel, so this would be plenty of space and weight for a trip of up to a month.

Then I would fly a low cost carrier from Reykjavik to continental Europe.

Screen Shot 2015-01-13 at 8.16.03 PM
Low Cost Carrier Routes from Reykjavik

I would eventually fly home from continental Europe, either for 20,000 American Airlines miles on an off peak economy award, or in Business Class with United miles. This would mean seeing Iceland and another European country for probably about $300 plus 20,000 miles all in for all the flights. That’s unbeatable.

Best Way to Buy the Ticket

Your top choice should be the Citi Prestige® Card, since it comes with a $250 Air Travel Credit every calendar year that will cover the purchase of this ticket. If you haven’t used the credit yet, buy this fare (and the extras like seat selection and baggage fees) with your Prestige, and you will receive an offsetting credit on your next statement: a completely free ticket one way ticket to Iceland, London, or several other cities.

Even if you’ve already used your $250 credit for this year, the card offers 3x on all airfare purchases.

See my review of the Citi Prestige Card which explains its many benefits like it annual $250 Air Travel Credit, 40,000 point sign up bonus, access to the American Airlines Admirals Clubs and Priority Pass lounges, 3x points per dollar on air travel and hotels, and a $450 annual fee.

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.

With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!


Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.

The comments section below is not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.