Booking Flights to the Faroe Islands Using the Chase Travel Portal
One of the biggest misconceptions about points and miles is that you must transfer points to airline partners to get good value. Our April 2024 booking for an upcoming trip to the Faroe Islands is a great example of why that’s not always true.
This time, the trip wasn’t a family adventure. Instead, we traveled as a couple and invited another couple to join us—covering all four plane tickets with points. Even better, the flights were on Icelandair, an airline that doesn’t partner with any major credit card programs.
Here’s how the Chase Travel portal made it possible.
The Challenge: Icelandair Can’t Be Booked With Transferred Points
When planning our trip to the Faroe Islands, Icelandair was clearly the best option. Their routing through Iceland makes reaching this remote destination relatively straightforward from the U.S.
The catch?
Icelandair isn’t a transfer partner of Chase, American Express, Citi, or Capital One—so traditional award bookings were off the table.
That’s where understanding all your points options really pays off.
Why the Chase Travel Portal Was the Perfect Solution
Because we hold the Chase Ink Business Preferred (and this also applies to certain Chase Sapphire cards), our Chase Ultimate Rewards points are worth 1.25 cents each when redeemed through the Chase Travel portal.
That meant:
Flights price just like cash tickets
No award availability limitations
Any airline can be booked—including Icelandair
Passengers still earn miles for flying
This made it easy to book all four tickets together and keep everything on one reservation.
The Numbers: How We Paid for Four Tickets
Here’s how the booking broke down:
Route: Denver → Faroe Islands
Passengers: 4 (two couples)
Airline: Icelandair
Cash price: $3,486
Payment Details
256,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points
$279 out of pocket (we were slightly short on points at the time)
At 1.25 cents per point, those points covered $3,206.25 worth of airfare.
While this wasn’t a flashy “sweet spot” redemption, it allowed us to:
Cover airfare for another couple
Avoid complicated award searches
Lock in exact flights and dates we wanted
Save over $3,200 in real cash
That’s a big win—especially when coordinating travel for multiple adults.
Why This Redemption Still Made Sense
When traveling with friends, simplicity matters just as much as value:
✔ Everyone on the same flights
✔ No juggling separate bookings
✔ Cash-like flexibility
✔ Miles earned on the flights
✔ Predictable 1.25 cpp value
Covering airfare for another couple using points is one of our favorite ways to stretch travel rewards—and it’s something that’s much harder to do with traditional award tickets.
Final Takeaway: The Chase Travel Portal Is Underrated
It’s easy to focus only on airline transfer partners and headline-grabbing redemptions. But trips like this highlight why the Chase Travel portal deserves a place in every points strategy:
You’re not limited by partners
You can book niche or regional airlines
You get consistent, reliable value
You can easily pay for others’ travel
For destinations like the Faroe Islands—where options are limited—the Chase Travel portal turned an otherwise tricky booking into a smooth, stress-free win.