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The northern lights have been on my list since I was old enough to have a list. Not a vague someday list. An actual list, the kind I keep on my phone and reorder when I'm avoiding something else.
I've never been to Finland. I've never been anywhere close to Finland. So when this one came through, I did what I always do, which is get excited first and then go, “Oh. Hmmmm.”
Chicago (ORD) to Helsinki (HEL), nonstop on Finnair, lie-flat business class, 62,500 Avios one-way.
Travel Details
Airline: Finnair
Route: Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Helsinki Airport (HEL), nonstop
Seat class: Business
Points price: 62,500 Avios one-way
Cash price: $2,100
Dates: October 2026, then April through June 2027
Fees: About $147.60 in taxes on the outbound; €50 to change or cancel
Why This Deal Is Amazing
Here's how we get to the value: we take the cash fare for the same seat, $2,100, subtract the $147.60 you'd still pay in taxes on the award, and divide what's left by the 62,500 Avios it costs. That works out to up to 3.12 cents per Avios, estimated by Daily Drop. Your actual value will move with the cash fare on your dates, so treat that as a ceiling and not a promise.
What makes it worth doing: Finnair is the only airline flying nonstop from Chicago to Helsinki, and it's a straight shot into the Nordics without laundering yourself through Heathrow or Amsterdam. However, heads-up on the seat. Finnair's long-haul business is the AirLounge, a fixed shell that doesn't recline; it converts to a genuinely flat bed, but if you're a recliner-adjuster by nature, that could be annoying.
The part that made me go, “Oh. Hmmm…” is that Helsinki is not an aurora destination. In Lapland, auroras appear on roughly every other clear night between August and April, while southern Finland gets around 10 to 20 nights a year. Helsinki's light pollution and its southerly position well below the auroral zone make sightings unusual. I’d need to go north.
Sounds like a train adventure to me!
How to Book
Search Finnair.com first and find your seat before you move a single point anywhere. Transfers are one-way and final.
Then, the transfer path, which is the whole ballgame here:
Capital One miles go straight to Finnair Plus at 1:1. That's the only direct route from a US card.
Everyone else goes through Avios. You can move Avios between Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Club, Finnair Plus, Iberia Club, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club in any direction at 1:1, so Chase, Amex, Wells Fargo, and Bilt Points go to British Airways Club first, then combine over to Finnair Plus. Citi routes through Qatar Airways first.
Maximize Your Booking
Make the most of your rewards by using a card that earns bonus points on flights, like:
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — Earn 2x points on all travel purchases
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card — Earn 5x miles on flights through Capital One’s travel booking site
American Express® Gold Card — Earn 3x points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App™, or purchased directly from airlines
Chase Sapphire Reserve® — Earn 4x points on flights booked direct
American Express Platinum Card® — Earn 5x points on flights booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel® (up to $500,000 per calendar year, then 1x)
Pro Tip
Best for anyone who wants a lie-flat seat to the Nordics without a European connection, and especially for Capital One cardholders who can transfer in one step. Book the October dates if the aurora is the goal, add the Lapland leg while you're at it, and get your Avios accounts linked before you go looking for seats.
