Update, 7/23: As predicted yesterday, the rates were too wonky to be correct and you should take advantage while you could. Most rates have significantly increased as of today.
Here is the current award chart, which replaces the chart below from yesterday.
Economy | Premium Economy | Business | |
---|---|---|---|
JFK, Newark | 62.5K | 83.5K | 151.5K |
Boston | 60.5K | 80.5K | 146K |
Miami | 72.5K | 97K | 175.5K |
Fort Lauderdale | 72.5K | 96.5K | 175K |
Los Angeles | 83.5K | 111K | 201.5K |
Larnaca | 5K | ||
Paphos | 5.5K | ||
Rhodes | 6K | ||
Athens | 9K | 22K | |
Tbilisi, Thessaloniki | 10.5K | ||
Rome | 11K | 32.5K | |
Sofia | 11.5K | 28.5K | |
Vienna | 11.5K | 33.5K | |
Krakow, Venice | 11.5K | 35K | |
Bucharest, Warsaw | 12K | 29K | |
Chișinău | 13K | ||
Berlin | 13.5K | 40.5K | |
Geneva | 14K | 41.5K | |
Frankfurt | 14K | 42K | |
Dubai | 14.5K | 19.5K | 31.5K |
Budapest | 10.5K | 31K | |
Prague | 18K | 39K | |
Barcelona | 15K | 44K | |
Paris | 16K | 30K | 47K |
Amsterdam | 16K | 47.5K | |
Madrid | 17K | 50.5K | |
London | 17K | 33K | 51K |
Munich | 18K | 39.5K | |
Milan | 18.5K | 40K | |
Nice | 18.5K | 40.5K | |
Zurich | 19K | 41.5K | |
Marseille | 19.5K | 43K | |
Lisbon | 19.5K | 57.5K | |
Bangkok | 47.5K | 63.5K | 115K |
Phuket | 48K | 64.5K | 116.5K |
Tokyo | 63K | 84K | 152.5K |
Originally posted on 7/22:
You can now redeem Flying Blue points for El Al flights at excellent rates! You can do so on the Air France site here by logging into Flying Blue.
Best of all, you can transfer points from AMEX, Capital One, Chase, or Citi instantly to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio. Even better, Flying Blue also often has 25% mileage transfer bonuses. For example, currently there is a 25% bonus from Citi through 8/17, which will drop the cost of a business class ticket between the US and Israel to as low as 62K miles!
There are no fuel surcharges on El Al flights, so you’ll just pay a relatively low amount of taxes and fees. NYC to Tel Aviv has about $36 in taxes and fees one-way and Tel Aviv to NYC has about $71 in taxes and fees one way. The round-trip has about $108 in taxes and fees.
Changes or cancellations are 70 Euros, about $76.
One weird quirk with Flying Blue pricing on El Al is that premium economy generally costs more than business class. Does that mean that premium is priced too high or that business is priced too low and it will be corrected? We’ll just have to wait and see, but you may want to take advantage in the meantime…
Read this post to learn how to find El Al award availability.
Here’s what a one-way flight to/from Tel Aviv will set you back in Flying Blue points:
Economy | Premium Economy | Business | |
---|---|---|---|
JFK, Newark | 45.5K | 83K | 79.5K |
Boston | 44K | 80.5K | 77.5K |
Miami | 52.5K | 97.5K | 92K |
Fort Lauderdale | 52.5K | 95.5K | 92K |
Los Angeles | 61K | 110K | 106.5K |
Larnaca, Paphos | 5K | ||
Rhodes | 6K | ||
Athens | 9K | 20K | |
Tbilisi, Thessaloniki | 11K | ||
Bucharest, Sofia | 12K | 26.5K | |
Chișinău | 13K | ||
Dubai, Krakow, Rome, Vienna | 15K | 46K | 33K |
Budapest, Venice | 15.5K | 33K | |
Prague, Warsaw | 16K | 35.5K | |
Barcelona, Berlin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Marseille, Milan, Munich, Nice, Zurich | 16.5K | 36.5K | |
Amsterdam, Paris | 17K | 46.5K | 37K |
Madrid | 18K | 39.5K | |
London | 18K | 47K | 40K |
Lisbon | 20.5K | 45K | |
Bangkok | 34.5K | 63.5K | 76K |
Phuket | 36.5K | 67.5K | 80.5K |
Tokyo | 46.5K | 82.5K | 102K |
Want to earn Flying Blue points?
- You can transfer AMEX, Chase, Capital One, Or Citi points to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio or Marriott points at a 60K:25K ratio.
- AMEX Blue Business Plus is offering a rare bonus to earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership and offers 2 points per dollar spent on up to $50K spending annually 1 point per dollar thereafter, plus transfer points to airlines and hotels and keep AMEX points alive. Read more here.
- AMEX Platinum Business is offering a 150K bonus for spending $20,000 in 3 months and offers over $1,000 in annual credits, lounge access, and much more. Read more here.
- AMEX Gold Business Card is offering a 100K bonus for spending $15,000 in 3 months and offers up to $240 in annual business credits, Walmart+ membership, up to 4 points per dollar spent with a $150K annual spend cap, and more benefits. Read more here.
- The Platinum Card® from American Express is offering a 80K bonus for spending $8,000 in 6 months and offers over $1,000 in annual credits, lounge access, and much more. Terms apply. Read more here.
- American Express® Gold Card is offering a 60K bonus for spending $6,000 in 6 months, 20% back in statement credits for restaurants worldwide, up to $100 back-Complete Offer: Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24. Terms apply. Read more here.
- AMEX Green Consumer Card is offering a 40K bonus for spending $3,000 in 6 months and offers up to $189 in annual CLEAR Plus® credits, $100 LoungeBuddy credit, plus transfer points to airlines and hotels and keep AMEX points alive.
- AMEX Everyday Preferred Consumer Card is offering a 15K bonus for spending $2,000 in 6 months and offers 4.5 points per dollar on up to $6K in annual groceries when you use card 30 times that month, plus transfer points to airlines and hotels and keep AMEX points alive.
- AMEX Everyday Consumer Card is offering a 10K bonus for spending $2,000 in 6 months and offers 2.4 points per dollar on up to $6K in annual groceries when you use card 20 times that month, plus transfer points to airlines and hotels and keep AMEX points alive. All information about the AMEX Green, AMEX Everyday Preferred, AMEX Everyday has been collected independently by DansDeals.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a 60K signup bonus for spending $4K in 3 months, earns 2.1 points per dollar on travel after the card's 10% anniversary bonus, 3.1 points per dollar on dining, streaming, and online groceries after the card's 10% anniversary bonus, has a $50 hotel credit, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.25 cents each for paid travel ($95 annual fee). Read more here.
- Chase Sapphire Reserve® has a 60K signup bonus for spending $4K in 3 months, earns 3 points per dollar on dining/travel, has a $300 travel credit, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.5 cents each for paid travel ($550 annual fee with $300 travel credit). Read more here.
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has a 90K signup bonus for spending $8K in 3 months, and earns 3 points per dollar on up to $150K of annual spending on shipping, advertising, and travel, can transfer all Chase points into miles, and points are worth at least 1.25 cents each for paid travel ($95 annual fee). Read more here.
- Limited time offer: Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card has a $900 in the form of 90K point signup bonus for spending $6K in 3 months, and earns 1.5 points per dollar on business purchases ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Ink Business Cash® Credit Card has a 35K signup bonus for spending $3K in 3 months and another 40K signup bonus points for spending another $3K in 6 months for a total of 75,000 Chase Ultimate points, plus if you have a Chase business checking account open on the card's first anniversary you will get a 10% points bonus on all earnings from card spending, this card earns 5 points per dollar on the first $25,000 in combined purchases on cable, TV, telecom, cellular, and office supply stores, plus 2 points per dollar on dining and gas on up to $25,000 in purchases ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Chase Freedom Flex has a 20K signup bonus, plus 5 points on rotating categories, 5 points per dollar on travel purchased through Chase Travel, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a signup bonus that earns an extra 1.5% cash back in the form of 1.5 points per dollar everywhere on up to $20K of spending during your first year, on top of at least 1.5 points per dollar everywhere, 5 points per dollar (marketed as 5% cash back) on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, and 3 points per dollar on dining and drugstores ($0 annual fee). Read more here.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is offering 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4K in 3 months, plus earn 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10K anniversary bonus miles, Global Entry/Pre-Check, Capital One lounge access, Priority Pass Lounge membership, Hertz President's Circle status, free lounge access and status for free additional cardholders, transfer miles to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. $395 annual fee. Read more here.
- Capital One Venture X Business is offering 150,000 bonus miles for spending $30K in 3 months, plus earn 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, $300 annual travel credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10K anniversary bonus miles, Global Entry/Pre-Check, Capital One lounge access, Enhanced Priority Pass Lounge membership, transfer miles to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. $395 annual fee. Read more here.
- Limited time offer: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card is offering 75,000 bonus miles for spending $4K in 3 months, plus get a $250 Capital One travel credit for use in your first cardholder year, plus 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, transfer points to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. $95 annual fee. Read more here.
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card is offering 20,000 bonus miles for spending $500 in 3 months, transfer miles to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. No annual fee.
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business is offering 50,000 bonus miles for spending $4,500 in 3 months, 2 miles per dollar spent on every purchase, Global Entry/PreCheck, transfer miles to airlines and hotels, 5K MLB redemptions, and more. $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- New offer: Capital One Spark Cash Plus is offering $2,000 cash back (convertible to 200,000 miles) for spending $30,000 in 3 months, plus get another $2,000 cash back for every $500K spent in your first year, 2% back everywhere, $40 MLB redemptions, annual fee refund when you spend $150K/year, and more. $150 annual fee.
Will you book El Al flights with Flying Blue points?
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84 Comments On "[Updated Massively Devalued Chart] Flying Blue Bargains: Here Is How Many Air France/KLM Flying Blue Points You’ll Need For Every El Al Route To And From Israel"
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This is great!
Btw, Is there any logical reason why tickets from TLV to NYC are much harder to find, and are way more expensive they NYC to TLV ?
Thanks.
Not sure, but maybe readers have some theories.
God wants you going that way
In the right moment! then it will be free
How does the taxes work? Is it expensive?
Not expensive, added that to the post.
Thanks Dan!
Do they charge any taxes and fees?
Is business cheaper than premium economy?
Read the post 🙂
Whats the cancellation policy of flying blue ?
It’s in the post 🙂
does flying blue go to israel?
how can i get flying blue points?
how many flying blue points do i need?
Unfortunately, Flying blue does not go to Israel. However, you can use Flying blue point to fly there.
shkoiach
i appreciate your feedback
I noticed this in general with premium economy in flying blue.
Sometimes it’s less than economy, sometimes more than business
Right, that’s normal when there’s dynamic pricing and can happen with all airlines. I’ve seen United Polaris less than economy at times!
But as they can only book El Al at the saver rate, it’s very odd.
Looks like there availability matches alaska ?
is availability the same as qantas, better or worse?
Only Qantas throttles availability. Every other partner is the same.
I have found instances when Alaska also throttles availability. For example, LAX-TLV on Jan 19. Available on Virgin and FB, but not AS.
where do you mention price of taxes?
Added an example in the post.
how much does an infant ticket cost?
Any samples availability dates for j
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/milespoints/find-book-el-al-award-bargains/
The few days that I checked, I only saw stopovers. Do they have non stop JFK to TLV?
I found some. Sorry
I just checked and 1) looking on Air France, it is not showing any nonstops on the flying blue (air france) site between JFK and Tel Aviv and 2) it does NOT show ANY El Al flights to Tel Aviv from JFK at all !! It only shows Delta and Air France and the cheapest is 70,000 miles not 45,000 – Am I looking in the wrong place ????
This post has a bold link for a tutorial on how to find award availability on El Al.
I had clicked on this: ” You can do so on the Air France site here by logging into Flying Blue.” stated on your post, but when I went there it did NOT show me any El AL flights !
Keep reading…
But that post does NOT show how to search in on Flying Blue. What am I missing?
Step 1: Follow the instructions in this post to find EL AL award seat availability
https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/milespoints/find-book-el-al-award-bargains/
Step 2: Search on Air France Flying Blue for those dates and select the direct EL AL flights (not the flights with a connection in Europe)
how much is infant fee?
How does pricing worth with connecting flights? For example CLE-JFK-TLV with the CLE-JFK flight on Delta?
Prices more than just buying each leg separately.
But if you buy each keg separately- will they still check your luggage straight though, will they accommodate you if your first flight is delayed and you miss the connection, etc, things like that where if you’re on one ticket you’re covered?
Yes.
Right, one separate tickets that may be trickier, though most airlines will try to accommodate.
Is there a reason of which you might be aware why neither business nor premium economy are award booking options for flights from FLL? Any idea whether there is any plan to open that up? Thanks.
Award space changes daily, just have to keep checking.
It does exist though, that’s how I found all of the pricing in this post. See the tutorial linked in this post.
Thanks…I guess I hadn’t gone far enough out…first premium availability is in February and first Business availability is in May…most availability for either is just one seat and only on the Monday flight…zero availability for the Saturday night flight (which is a great flight) in those classes…
thanks for the post
is there an advantage of booking on air France over klm?
No difference that I’m aware of.
No same system
Last year I booked and the taxes were different.
Your chart above is deceiving- what I found on Air France was a JFK flight which starts on Air France, and connects in Zurich to an El Al flight but it is 70K miles, not 45K as you indictate on your chart- And also Air France tells me it has no EL AL nonstops, only connecting flights with Air France
The chart is accurate.
You’re not following the directions in the linked tutorial post to find El Al award space.
Thanks for keeping us informed.
Now please update this article with the new choices as well.
Thanks
New choices?
And the taxes were $104, NY-TLV, not the $36 you state
“70,500 Miles
USD 104.13”
PEBCAK error.
what does that stand for?
Problem Exists Between Computer And Keyboard
What’s amazing is that now El Al space is available from arguably the most versatile point system, which all three major credit card companies transfer to! That means more opportunities for transfer bonuses as well as using points from multiple accounts to pay for a flight!
Thanks Dan!
Trying to put a trip together for my mother and I am seeing great availability from FLL/Miami.
I just wish we had More CITI points left. At least we have Cap1 BH.
Does anyone know how motzei shabbos flights with ElAl Work?
Are they feasible for 1150 departure?
she could be at the airport by 930/945
Sure, plenty of time.
Thank you.
We saw from MIA for 80 more on Sunday. Its a hassle but probably worth avoiding a scramble.
We had no problem arriving at around 9:45 for the11:50 motzei shabbat flight from FLL a few weeks ago… Literally had three or four people in front of us checking in (we were flying business but they didn’t even have anyone at the business counter which turned out not to really make any difference at that time) and walked right through TSA (TSA precheck was closed but there was no line for regular TSA at all). It seems that most of the passengers must not have been shomer shabbt because when we got to the gate it was packed – seemed like a full flight.
Went to your tutorial ..lots of info about booking with V A, Delta, Quantas,Etihad …ZERO about. flying blue. Can you please post specifically a link to flying blue? I went to air France and it had Delta direct but nada El Al!
The point of the tutorial is to allow you to access a calendar that shows award flight availability – while, yes, you are looking at the Virgin site, the availability that Virgin’s monthly calendar shows is what the availability is for all airline partners that allow booking El Al flights with award points, i.e., Virgin, Qantas, Etihad, Delta…and, yes, Air France/flying blue. The other partner airlines do not provide such a calendar – so searching for award availability on their sites is way more tedious. So, start with the Virgin calendar per the tutorial to find availability and then, based on your findings there, go to the airline partner that you want to book through and use the available date that you found on the Virgin calendar. Hope that helps…
Wasn’t Alaska going to terminate their partnership with Elal on July 15? I’m still finding availability for Elal flights on Alaska.
No. July 31
Ouch, looks like CDG-TLV economy rose overnight to 20k. Should’ve pounced.
Rates have gone up within the past hour (literally went up in middle of my booking). New rates are 62.5k economy, 83.5k premium, 151k business.
yes i see same. Dan can you confirm?
Yup I see the same I literally checked thru different dates in November, February…
They just changed some rates overnight…
Is this any cheaper than the 1/3 discount on Sapphire Reserve or Amex Platinum for membership Rewards?
What is the 1/3 discount?
Tlv-Mia/Fll is no less than 72,500 flying blue miles not like the 52,500 mentioned.
Thanks for the alert yesterday, Dan. Booked two tickets in J for my parents in May, EWR to TLV for 79.5k each and minimal taxes. An odd early afternoon flight but a fantastic redemption.
TLV – LON is now 24.5 in economy
I see 17K, as the chart says.
What date do you see 24.5K?
AUG 5
Interesting, seems to switch to 17K in November and on. Is there seasonal peak pricing on all routes?
Interesting – for the Virgin operated flight from TLV -LON they only charge 12k
I’ve never seen ElAl flights in Flying Blue. What am I missing?
The ELAL prices by virgin, air France and delta are totally “point”less!
Site is freezing up when I try to book, any advice?
Thanks Dan! Once again you saved me a ton. Booked as soon as I saw the post. Kol HaKavod!
Congrats!
basically matching VS pricing now.
Anyone manage to book at glitch price?
Hi Dan, How do you book an infant ticket with Flying Blue? because when I try to add an infant on the website it charges the same as an adult.
Thanks Dan! Just booked ORD to TLV in BUSINESS for only 86k miles!