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.
I tweeted this deal first from @MileValueAlerts. Follow @MileValueAlerts on Twitter and follow these directions to get a text message every time I tweet from that account. I tweet from @MileValueAlerts only a few times a month because it is designed to be used only for the best and most limited-time deals–like mistake fares–so that you aren’t bombarded by text messages.
In December 2015, Norwegian launched service from New York, Baltimore, and Boston to Guadeloupe and Martinique. Right now you can book the flights for $148 roundtrip for next Fall and Winter.
Norwegian is the low cost carrier that I’ve featured a few times recently for roundtrips to Stockholm, Oslo, and Madrid in the $250-$400 range.
Now under the Open Skies agreement between the United States and Europe, Norwegian flies to two Caribbean islands that are French overseas territories.
Contents of this post:
- Cheap Fares
- Optional Extra Fees
- Some Fares Cheaper in Dollars, Some in Norwegian Krone
- Why Martinique and Guadeloupe
- Best Way to Buy the Ticket
$148 Roundtrip to Guadaloupe or Martinique
Search and book on Norwegian.com with their low fare calendar by selecting “Search Low Fare Calendar” on the search screen.
Each city pair has $49 southbound fares and $99 northbound fares. For example between New York and Guadeloupe, Monday outbounds and Wednesday returns are the cheap dates.
Currently travel is bookable on Norwegian through late January 2016. There are $148 roundtrip sprinkled throughout this Winter/Spring and next Fall/Winter.
Extra Fees
All the cheapest fares are in the “Lowfare” bucket. That comes with one free carry on that weighs up to 10 kg (22 lbs.) Check out my post on one bag travel.
Everything else costs extra.
Your first checked bag is $18 each way. Seat selection is $18 each way. If you want both, you can get a LowFare+ fare for $25 extra each way that includes one free checked bag and seat selection.
The eat on board menu is limited, but you can preorder from a bigger selection.
All the add ons are expensive, so I suggest traveling with just one carry on, packing snacks, and taking whatever seat they give you for free. Then you can’t beat a $148 roundtrip to the Caribbean.
Pay In Dollars or Krone
Flying Norwegian, fares between the United States and Europe price cheaper on the Norwegian-facing site in Norwegian Krone.
In the past, I’ve found that base fares to the Caribbean are actually cheaper in dollars on the US-facing site, but if you want the LowFare+ fare that includes a free checked bag and seat selection, those add ons are cheaper when purchasing in Norwegian krone. To do that, start on the Norwegian version of Norwegian.com. Use Google Chrome to translate the page to English. Pay with a card with no foreign transaction fees.
If you want to save a few bucks, price your award out in dollars and krone to see which is cheaper.
Why Guadeloupe and Martinique
Let me outsource this to Norwegian, which made:
As French possessions, Americans can enter without a visa for tourism of under 90 days.
Best Way to Buy the Ticket
Buy with the Citi Prestige® Card, especially if you buy in krone because it has no foreign transaction fees, so you will get the interbank rate on the conversion from Norwegian krone to dollars. The first $250 in flights and fees per calendar year are refunded to you as a statement credit. This includes fees like the checked bag fee, seat reservation, or meals that you purchase at the time of ticketing or later. After the statement credit, you can get a free roundtrip with checked bag and seat selection.
If you’ve already maxed out the statement credit, you will still earn 3x ThankYou Points on the award taxes. The Citi Prestige® Card also comes with a 40,000 ThankYou Point sign up bonus.
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℠ 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.
Thanks! I booked a flight for November for $456 all in for two people to Guadeloupe from Boston. That includes reserved seating and a checked bag. Wasn’t much availability any other time. If you’re booking from the US you have 24 hours to cancel. I don’t know too much about Guadeloupe so I might take advantage of that after doing some more research.
Awesome!