Icelandair Stopover: Add Up to 7 Days in Iceland to Your Transatlantic Flight (2026)
Rules on this page last verified 2026-07-09. Airlines change things; we re-check and date it.
Every Icelandair flight between North America and Europe connects in Reykjavík. The airline will happily turn that connection into a full Iceland trip at no extra airfare. This is the original stopover program, the one that put the whole concept on the map, and it still works in 2026.
The short version
| What you get | 1 to 7 nights in Iceland (up to 21 on Flex fares) |
|---|---|
| Which direction | Outbound, return, or both |
| Routes | Any transatlantic Icelandair itinerary via Keflavík (KEF) |
| Cost | $0 extra airfare ("no additional airfare", per Icelandair's own page) |
| Catch | Built for cash fares. The official page doesn't address award tickets; third-party guides report awards don't qualify, so call before assuming a points booking works. |
How the fare classes cap your stay
This is the part most posts get wrong. Your maximum stopover length depends on the fare you buy:
- Economy Light: 1 to 3 nights max, and no checked bag included ($49-99 per direction if you need one).
- Economy and Saga Premium (standard): up to 7 nights.
- Economy Flex / Saga Premium Flex: up to 21 nights. Anything longer than 7 nights is booked through Icelandair's service center, not the website (the official page says so directly).
How to book it, step by step
- Go to icelandair.com and search your transatlantic route.
- Select the dedicated "Stopover in Iceland" option in the search flow. The site builds the extended itinerary for you, one ticket, no fare tricks.
- Choose your nights (within your fare's cap) and direction.
- Pay. Done.
You do not need to piece together multi-city segments by hand. The stopover tool does it, and the price stays at the through-fare level.
What's free and what's not
Free: the airfare portion of the stop. Not included: hotels, transfers, tours, everything on the ground. Icelandair used to run a "Stopover Buddy" local-guide perk around 2016-2018; that is discontinued, so ignore any old post promising it.
Where people screw this up
- Booking with miles. Third-party guides consistently report the free stopover applies to cash fares only, and Icelandair's own page is silent on awards. If you are flying on points, call and confirm before you build the plan.
- Buying Economy Light for a week-long stop. Light caps you at 3 nights and pairs only with another Light fare on round-trips.
- Assuming Iceland is cheap once you land. The flight hack is free. Iceland is not. Budget accordingly.
FAQ
Can I stop on both the way out and the way back? Yes, the program allows a stopover in each direction if your fare permits it.
Does it work from any US city? It works on any Icelandair transatlantic itinerary through KEF. Icelandair serves a long list of North American gateways; check current routes when you search.
Is 3 nights enough? Enough for the Golden Circle, the Blue Lagoon, and Reykjavík. For the south coast or the Ring Road, buy the standard Economy fare and take the 7 nights.