Act fast: Flights to Europe from DC starting at $128 for today only

In case you missed the news earlier this week, Icelandic budget airline, Play, is expanding its domestic presence with operations out of Dulles International Airport (IAD) in April 2023.

To celebrate the launch, Play is offering round-trip flights from IAD to Iceland, Berlin, Dublin, Paris, London and Copenhagen, Denmark, starting at $129 one-way. Flights are only on sale through today, Aug. 26.

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Deal basics

Airlines: Play Airlines.
Routes: Washington, D.C., to Berlin, Dublin, Paris, Iceland, London and Copenhagen.
How to book: Directly through the airline.
Travel dates: April 29-June 17, 2023, for flights to Dublin, April 30-June 11, 2023, for the other routes.
Book by: Midnight EST on Aug. 26.

Sample routes

Play's expansion will include flights to six European routes to and from IAD, including to:

• Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), Copenhagen Airport (CPH), Dublin Airport (DUB) and London Stansted Airport (STN), starting at $128 one-way, with very limited availability to BER.
• Keflavik Airport (KEF), starting at $162, one-way.

Although this sale is advertised as being available for travel through mid-June, flights are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so you'll have to sift through the carrier's calendar online to see what is still available within the booking window.

For example, a one-way search from IAD to CDG shows flights still available starting at $138 one-way, but only a handful are available in May and June, as shown below.

When I clicked on the May 1 flight, it was actually $10 cheaper than advertised in the calendar, for a base fare of $128.37.

Read more: $99 flights to Europe? Budget airline Play is landing in Washington, DC

Although each Play fare allows passengers one personal item that can fit under the seat in front of them, note that the base fare does not include any baggage. Be sure to factor in an additional $51 for a full-sized carry-on or $78 to check a bag.

Secondly, you'll have the option to pay to select your seat ahead of time, with seats in the very back of the plane starting at $5 and going up to $41 to sit toward the front.

This flight, like all of the ones in this deal, excluding those whose final destination is KEF, will include one stop in Iceland, which means you'll have to pay for a seat on each leg of the trip.

There are a limited number of complimentary seats available in the exit row on the flight from IAD-KEF, though I suspect those will be among the first to go.

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To book a flight at the lowest price available, I would suggest playing around with your travel dates, if flexible. Also note that although this sale advertises discounted prices for one-way routes, you may be able to stack two one-way flights to make a round trip, depending on route availability.

Maximize your purchase

If you book this deal, don’t forget to use a card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases. There are many options, including The Platinum Card® from American Express (5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel), on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year or the Citi Prestige® Card, also 5 points per dollar on airfare. Or try the Citi Premier® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve (both for 3 points per dollar on airfare) or the American Express® Gold Card (which also gives you 3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel). Otherwise, consider using the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card (2 points per dollar on travel). Read this for more ways to maximize your airfare purchases.

The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Bottom line

Although this is a great opportunity to save on one-way flights to Europe from D.C., flights are not as low as they seem at first glance since Play charges extra for most seats and full-size carry-on bags.

Even so, flights for mainstream carriers for these routes are currently priced at $500 to $600 one-way, making this deal one worth booking.

Related: Low-cost Icelandic carrier Play adds Orlando to growing list of US destinations