Best Ways To Get Flights To Israel On Points, Miles, And Credit Cards

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It is safe to say that Israel is one of the most popular destinations in the Jewish world for using points and miles for flights. However, the world of miles, points, and credit cards can be confusing. This discussion provides the best ways to get to Israel on points, miles, and credit cards.

Our guide focuses on the best ways to get flights to Israel on points, miles, and credit cards, including the different options and their respective advantages or disadvantages. The goal is for readers to understand their best options for flying to the holy land at the best bang for their buck (or, in this case, points and miles).

We also have a guide for earning and utilizing points for hotel stays in Israel in addition to flights.

Lastly, in light of the current tensions, we have covered the airlines currently not flying to Israel, so options are more limited in the context of points flights. DansDeals has a running list of flight statuses to Israel.

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LIMITED TIME “SIZZLING HOT” BEST CURRENT CREDIT CARD OFFERING FREE FLIGHTS TO ISRAEL

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Disclosure

Readers like you support the content below. If you click on the included links, we may earn a commission. The credit card details have not been provided or reviewed by the credit card issuer; instead, they were written solely by KosherSquared based on our understanding of the program.

A Note On Changes

The miles and points game is dynamic and subject to regular changes and updates. While we hope to update this overview to keep pace with changes, some of the information below might be outdated.

Bottom Line Up Front

Best Flight Option

In our opinion, the best option to get to Israel via points and miles non-stop is on United at the cost of (approximately) 42,500 United miles each way. You can sign up for a United card here to get enough miles to go to Israel on points (as well as a host of other benefits such as cheaper award tickets and greater flight award availability, among other perks, which you can read about here).

One can also sign up for a credit card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards, which can then be transferred 1:1 to United and other airline (and hotel) partners for free flights to Israel or hotel stays. Getting the Chase business card that provides 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points is currently a great offer and provides more points than the United card.

Second Best Option

In our view, Aeroplan, at 40,000 points each way to Israel, is the third-best option (the taxes are slightly higher than United charges on points tickets; hence it’s lower ranking than United).

Other Options

We discuss additional options, such as via the SkyTeam and OneWorld airline alliances and Virgin Atlantic, but they are generally more costly than the options above.

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Scenario Specifics Will Change The Miles & Points Equation

Depending on numerous variables, such as time of year, location, and sales (this can include point transfer bonuses or point redemption sales, for example, this one), the best option to get to Israel via points and miles will change. Therefore, it is essential to review the current options and see what works best for your specific circumstance.

Direct Flights Vs. Stopovers To Israel

Direct flights from the United States to Israel are in the most limited supply and are most limited in availability. This is especially true during the most popular seasons for trips to Israel, including the main Jewish holidays of Passover and Sukkot and the summer months. However, even briefly, making a stopover in Europe opens up many more options and availability and often lowers the points required for a trip.

The Starting Point Is That Certain Things Don’t Make Sense

One of the most confusing things about the world of airline points and miles is that the landscape is disjointed and is often not based on common sense. For example, awards redeemed directly from an airline with their point currency might be more expensive than using that currency to book a flight with a partner airline. There are many reasons for this state of affairs. It is partly due to the notoriously complex and bureaucratic mergers, partnerships, alliances, and perhaps most significantly ever-changing award program rules and mileage redemption charts. So, certain things don’t make much sense. This primary starting point will help you avoid a considerable amount of needless frustration. Instead of trying to understand something that does not make sense, it is best to accept that the world of airfare, in general, and mileage programs, specifically, is often lacking in what would seem intuitive.

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Getting To Know The Mileage Programs & Corresponding Credit Cards

There are two main types of currencies in the miles and points world. There are bank-based currencies and program-based currencies. Bank-based currencies include Chase’s Ultimate Rewards and American Express Membership Rewards. These are generally the most valuable because they are widely transferable to various mileage and points-based programs, among other uses such as shopping portals. In contrast, program-based currencies such as Marriott Rewards, American Advantage, United Mileage Plus, etc., are native t specific programs. While they often have transfer partners, they are more limited and transfer at a significantly worse rate than Ultimate Rewards or Membership Rewards. The grandfather of all points, in our opinion, is Chase’s Ultimate Rewards, as they are the most valuable because of their flexibility and multitude of use cases.

Understanding Taxes & Fuel Surcharges

When booking flights with miles and points, there will almost always be some of the actual dollar fees in addition to the actual points and miles redeemed. In the best-case scenario, this will be minimal, such as approximately $5, as you will see in the case of United. For other bookings, surcharges can amount to more than $1,000 and make the redemption in such scenarios nonsensical. The fees can sometimes be confusing, though, because much of the fees depend on the carrier’s home base government and the fees they mandate (London is notorious in this regard). Therefore, the same route booked on the same mileage program can have substantially different out-of-pocket costs depending on the airlines chosen. For this reason, it is necessary to get a lay of the land to see which carriers are charging such fees and compare to come up with the best option.

Airport Lounges

If flying for nearly free via points and miles is the main event, being able to enjoy luxurious airport lounges before flying is the cherry on top. From lounges that offer chef-prepared meals, including kosher options, top-shelf bars, and showers, the kinds of lounges and how to get access to each is a broader discussion in itself. Further, there are many different kinds of lounges. They range from the ultra-premium American Express Centurion lounges that can be accessed via the Amex Platinum card to the United Club lounge that can be accessed by getting the United Explorer or other United credit cards. There are also non-credit card or airline-operated lounges, including Priority Pass lounges, which can be accessed by getting a variety of different credit cards such as Chase’s Sapphire Reserve, Capital One’s Venture X, and the Amex Platinum card.

Our Favorite Ways To Use Points To Get To Israel

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United Airlines To Israel

Crowned by DansDeals as the overall “best mileage program that exists today,” United’s MileagePlus program packs a powerful punch for getting to Israel. It offers a wealth of availability and options as well as attractive point redemptions. First, it flies one of the few direct routes from the USA to Israel, including its stellar Polaris business class. Further, even when a direct flight is unavailable, as a member of the Star Alliance (the largest airline alliance), there are a host of additional options through their partners via connecting flights (usually in Europe).

In contrast to numerous other airlines, United has another major advantage: They don’t levy a fuel surcharge on award bookings. Also, having one of the United credit cards we discuss in greater detail below makes MileagePlus even more attractive in varying ways, including greater award flight availability.

The chart below shows the core mileage structure for one-way flights from New York to Tel Aviv, though flights from TLV-NY cost 42.5k as well. Of note, this chart may deviate from the pricing shown on United by a few thousand miles depending on the dates selected since United introduced a dynamic pricing model.

Class	United NY-TLV	Star Alliance NY-TLV
Economy	42,500 miles	42,500 miles
Business	75,000 miles	85,000 miles

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While generally, point redemption centers around the starting point of 42.5k (each way), as stated previously, flights could be cheaper or more expensive because of dynamic pricing. For example, DansDeals reports seeing flights from TLV to Newark for 29.5k + $44.11 taxes, though such a low cost is a one-off due to the current COVID pandemic.

The photo below shows the most common point quantity required for economy class, which is 42,500. Some other points of note include that on this random date, the direct flight from New York to Tel Aviv is the cheapest in terms of both points required, 42.5k, and taxes levied $5.60. The other option highlighted in the image below is that Star Alliance partners can be booked via United, including here, where Lufthansa would operate the EU-TLV leg. Lastly, as we mentioned, having the United credit card holds unique value for various reasons, but especially because it opens up exclusive access to award flights that are not available to those without the card. As can be seen in the image, United highlights exclusive availability.

While United is attractive for direct business flights on its Polaris product from the USA to Te Aviv, availability is notoriously difficult to find. Where it is available, it ranges from 75,000 to 180k. Flying via Europe, either with a stopover or through United’s partners, opens up availability significantly. Often, the routes are “mixed cabin,” where the USA-EU leg is in business while the EU-TLV leg is in economy.

While outside the scope of this discussion, for those more advanced and interested in seeing parts of Europe, United offers “the excursionist perk,” which holds unique value (there is a great explanation of options and ideas here beyond Israel-specific trips). For other airlines, see this discussion about “open jaws.”

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United Business Class To Israel

View the image below for an illustration of United’s business availability. As you can see, a direct business flight operated by United is available for 75k. This is relatively uncommon. What is more common is the partner business class flight operated by a Star Alliance partner, which in this case is Lufthansa, at the cost of 82.5k miles plus $37.10.

Booking Flights On United’s Star Alliance Partners

Booking a flight to Europe via United’s Star Alliance partners when there are no direct United flights and then taking a flight from Europe to Tel Aviv is a popular option, especially for those with flexibility and who don’t mind a stopover. Some of the most popular partners of United’s Star Alliance that Jewish travelers utilize are LOT Polish Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Swiss Airlines, and Lufthansa. These can be booked via the United.com booking tool and by selecting “book with miles.” The fact that United does not tack fuel surcharges is a notable positive, as many other mileage programs do.

Earning United Points

The best way to attain miles and points to fly to Israel is via one of United’s credit cards, which offers a substantial signup bonus and additional rewards for spending on the cards strategically in specific categories.

Points from Chase’s Ultimate Rewards program, one of the most ubiquitous and valuable point currencies, can also be transferred to United at a 1:1 ratio.

The United Credit Cards Offer Perks Beyond Just Miles

Several United credit cards offer unique signup bonuses and a suite of benefits. Beyond earning points on the United credit card, certain United credit cards offer expanded and cheaper award availability, free bags, lounge access, no foreign transaction fees, primary CDW car rental insurance, free Global Entry/PreCheck, and the cancellation of award tickets for free (subject to fine print), among other benefits.

United Quest Card® – A BRAND NEW CARD

• Earn 70,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months, and earn an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you spend another $5,000
• United Club membership – up to a $650 value per year
• 4X miles on United purchases, 2 miles per $1 on other travel
• Free 1st & 2nd checked bag
• $250 annual fee

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There are also business versions of both the Explorer and Infinite cards that, at times, offer more significant signup bonuses.

VIEW ALL THE UNITED BUSINESS CARDS

United also offers the United Gateway card, which has no annual fee but only offers 10,000 miles as a signup bonus.

Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards

As we previously stated, Chase Ultimate Rewards is the most valuable point currency. They can be transferred to United instantly (among other transfer options to additional airlines and hotel miles and points programs) to take advantage of the flight options we listed above. Below are some of the Chase cards that are most popular for earning points.

Chase Business Cards

Chase’s business cards offer some of the highest signup bonuses and, contrary to what some might think, are available even to those without an incorporated legal entity. Therefore, sole proprietors who sell on the side or have some other less traditional business can also apply for these cards.

Turkish Airlines

In February 2023, Turkish Airlines significantly devalued its points redemption chart. What was once an economy ticket from New York to Tel Aviv for 32,000 points is now 58,000 (!) points, rendering this option no longer attractive.

Booking United via Turkish can be a little confusing, but this is a great guide that makes the process much easier.

Accruing Turkish Airlines Points

Citi Card

Citi ThankYou points transfer to Turkish Airlines, though the transfer is not instant and takes up to 30 hours. However, Turkish allows for placing a hold on award bookings for free, so the transfer wait time may not be an issue. An added 10% rebate on point transfers for a card like the Citi Rewards+ Card makes a transfer even more appealing.

Marriott Bonvoy Transfers 3:1

One can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Turkish Airlines at a ratio of 3 Marriott points to one Turkish Airlines mile, though transfer times can be quite lengthy. Therefore, the hold on a booking will often not provide enough time. The best way to earn Marriott Bonvoy points is via one of the Marriott credit cards offered by Chase.

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Air Canada’s Aeroplan Program

Air Canada’s Aeroplan award program, also a member of Star Alliance, is another one of our favorites for getting to Israel via miles and points awards. As seen from the chart below, bookings via Aeroplan from the East Coast to Israel clock in at 40,000, which is lower than United’s 42.5k. They offer a helpful miles predictor tool to calculate the miles required for varying destinations.

Class of Service To Israel	Miles Needed
Economy	40,000 miles
Premium Economy	67,500 miles
Business	82,500 miles

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In 2020, Aeroplan overhauled its program, which included phasing out previously hefty fuel surcharges on some of its partner flights. The other changes were mixed, including some scenarios where awards would become more expensive and some less. On balance, though, the change was generally positive for trips to Israel.

In the image below, you can see the standard redemption for a one-way is 40k plus approximately $50 in taxes. The flights clocking in at 38.9k are not standard rates because Aeroplan was running a sale on some flights when we ran our search.

Earning Aeroplan Points

Chase Aeroplan Credit Card

At the end of 2021, Chase launched an Aeroplan-branded credit card that offers 2 flight reward certificates (up to 50,000 points each) after spending $4,000 in the first three months from account opening.

Transfer Partners To Aeroplan

American Express and Capital One are the two bank-based currencies that transfer to Aeroplan. AmEx transfers instantly at a ratio of 1:1, while Capital One transfers instantly at 2:1.5.

Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Aeroplan at a ratio of 3:1.

American Express® Gold Card

60,000 Membership Reward points after spending $4,000 within the first six months. $250 annual fee

The Platinum Card® from American Express

150,000 80,000 Membership Reward points after spending $8,000 $6,000 on purchases within the first six months. $695 annual fee (The 150K bonus is only available for a limited time).

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card 

Earn 60,000 points after spending 3,000 in the first three months of account opening. $95 annual fee

The Virgin Atlantic Options

The Best Option Is Booking Delta Direct Via Virgin Atlantic

Booking a Delta-operated flight directly to Israel from New York for only 35,000 points plus approximately $5 via Virgin Atlantic is a great option. Still, the limited availability makes it a sometimes elusive one. As DansDeals reports, utilizing Virgin’s beta award calendar makes it easier to find dates with award availability. Of note, as one can see in the above screenshot if you have Virgin Atlantic points, you can also book Air France flights via Virgin, which can be the second-best option when Delta availability is not present. Notably, these Air France flights are not direct, and while they start at considerably fewer points required (20,000 vs. 35,000), they have considerably higher taxes ($5 vs. $150).

Note: Delta flights booked via Virgin Atlantic will increase in January 2024, so the lower rates pictured and described above will change. Specifically, a flight from NYC to Tel Aviv will increase from 35,000 to 49,500 Virgin points in economy but will remain at 130,000 in first class.

Flying On Virgin Operated Flights To Israel Generally Have Hefty Taxes

When prices are high, and the previously discussed better options are not workable due to unavailability, flying on Virgin Atlantic-operated flights is an interesting option. If one is willing to stop over in Europe, generally in London, then points tickets can be secured for approximately 19,000 points and about $245 in fees each way.

The following point currencies are transferrable to Virgin Atlantic:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Chase Ultimate Rewards
• Citi ThankYou
• Marriott Bonvoy

Chase and AmEx often offer transfer bonuses to Virgin ranging from 25% to 30%, making the flights even more attractive. For example, a direct flight on Delta booked via Virgin would only require approximately 27,000 AmEx Membership Rewards points.

In order to book via Virgin Atlantic, one must create a free Flying Club account.

SkyTeam & Oneworld Options

The previous options we discussed were all part of the Star Alliance, which is the largest and, in our view, holds the best options for getting to Israel. The second largest is SkyTeam and the third-largest in the Oneworld alliance. Here, we will more briefly cover some of the best ways to get to Israel via airlines that are a part of these two alliances.

Iberia

The flagship carrier of Spain and part of the Oneworld alliance, Iberia, at the right time and in the right circumstance, can be a great option to get from the USA to Israel. There are no direct flights on Iberia, though, so there is generally a stopover in Madrid. They fly from five cities in the USA: New York, Boston, LA, Miami, and Chicago. Redemptions range from 28,000/each way for NY to 32,500/each way for LA. There is generally a $100 fee for each way, making it potentially unattractive compared to the previous options.

Chase Ultimate Rewards, AmEx Membership Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred into Iberia Avios. British Airways Avios, such as those accrued via Chase’s British Airways card, can also be transferred into Iberia Avios.

Delta

Delta is part of the SkyTeam alliance and prices award flights dynamically, so there is no set amount. Therefore, it is difficult to discuss what a points flight will generally cost. With that said, and as can be seen below, we performed a search in October 2022 for two dates in early December, and the cost came in at 64,000 points plus approximately $54 (for context, this same flight cost $848 if booked with money versus points). Delta will run promotions from time to time, which can make it a good option for points flights, but the dynamic nature of its points pricing makes it “hit or miss.”

Points Transfer Options: Points can be transferred instantly from AmEx to Delta.

Flying Blue

As Dansdeals reports, Flying Blue will no longer consider Israel to be in the Europe category for miles redemptions, resulting in an increase in the number of miles needed. That said, Flying Blue can now book flights on EL AL for a higher number of points, making EL AL attractive only if you prefer the airline for beliefs about enhanced security or other motivations.

Part of SkyTeam, Flying Blue, is the mileage program of Air France, Alitalia, and KLM Dutch, among others. Flying Blue charges as low as 30,000 miles each way to fly from NY to Israel. Business-class awards generally start at 85,00 each way unless there is a promotion ongoing.

As you can see below, the downside is that these bookings require a significant cash component for the taxes and fees charged. For this reason, we do not like this option compared to the Star Alliance options of United, Turkish, and Aeroplan, which have lower cash components. Then again, as we also stated, depending on your specific scenario, including your miles and points toolbox, this option might work well.

As per the screenshot below, inventory from EL AL is now available to be booked via Flying Blue, though at a higher denomination:

Points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, AmEx Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Capital One can all be transferred to Flying Blue.

Non-stop Routes From North America To Israel

East Coast To Israel

Airline
EL AL	JFK & Newark	Boston	Miami
Delta	JFK
United	Newark	Wash. DC

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West Coast To Israel

Airline
EL AL	San Fransisco	Los Angeles	Las Vegas
United	San Fransisco

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Canada To Israel

Airline
EL AL	Toronto
Air Canada	Montreal

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Other Routes

Remember That Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day, & Neither Is Understanding The Israel Points & Miles Game

The expression could not be any more pertinent. In our experience, the biggest impediment to more people not getting into and gaining from the miles, points, and credit card benefits in terms of travel is the confusion that comes along at the beginning. Of course, everyone is confused at the outset. Still, after taking a bit of time to get acquainted with the core players, options, and credit card application rules, the dividends for highly discounted travel to Israel and beyond become possible. You might even come to enjoy the collection of points and miles and the various strategies.

Wishing you happy and safe travels to Israel on points and miles from credit cards!