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United typically has excellent nonstop award availability between North America and Israel in coach, especially for United cardholders who have access to greatly expanded award availability. Before COVID-19, nonstop business class award space between North America and Tel Aviv was notoriously scarce.
Close-in flights were hard to find for the past few months, but United has increased from 7 to 10 weekly flights between Newark and Tel Aviv, and award space is wide open whether you want to fly next month or next year.
United allows free award changes and cancellations if you book your ticket in July. Awards for travel in 2020 can be cancelled and miles refunded if you cancel 30 days before travel. Awards for travel in 2021 can be changed free of charge.
Awards are also available between Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington DC to/from Tel Aviv.
Use the United one-way calendar option to find saver awards:
United’s Newark-Tel Aviv flights operate with Polaris seating that have direct aisle access for every business class seat. You can choose from solo seats or seats for people traveling together.
Business class seats include United’s newly launched Polaris business class service with Saks Fifth Avenue bedding and pillows. Savvy travelers will also request a Saks Fifth Avenue mattress pad, gel cooled pillow, slippers, and pajamas, as those are not proactively offered by flight attendants as there aren’t enough of them for everyone.
Business saver class award booking options:
- You can transfer miles from Chase Ultimate Rewards to United (1:1 ratio) instantly. United charges 42.5K one-way in coach or 75K one-way in business class for United flights to Israel. United now also charges 1,500-3,000 extra miles for tickets bought close-in to the flight date. Awards can be cancelled for free within 24 hours. United never collects fuel surcharges. After 24 hours, non-elites will pay $75 to cancel awards more than 60 days before a flight or $125 within 60 days of a flight. Awards can be booked online.
- You can also redeem 75K United miles for business class even when there is only coach available. Read this post for how to do that via “Plan B”.
- Having a Chase United Consumer card or a Chase United Business card greatly expands the saver award space that you can book. United.com only shows the lowest available award rate when you’re logged in, so a cardholder may see a 42.5K rate while a non-cardholder will see the 95K standard rate. Cardholders also have the ability to book the last seat available in any class with Standard/Everyday awards.
- Learn more about rapidly accumulating Ultimate Rewards points here.
- Air Canada Aeroplan charges 40K in coach or 82.5K in business class one-way. There are no fuel surcharges for United flights. Points transfer instantly (1:1 ratio) from AMEX. Transfers from Marriott (60K:25K ratio) can take 2-20 days.
- Avianca Lifemiles charges 42.5K in coach or 78K in business class one-way. There are no fuel surcharges for any flights. Points transfer instantly (1:1 ratio) from AMEX, Capital One, or Citi. Transfers from Marriott (60K:25K ratio) can take 2-20 days.
- Aegean charges 35K miles in coach or 55K miles in business class one-way. They don’t charge fuel surcharges for United flights. Transfers from Marriott (60K:25K ratio) can take 2-20 days.
- Turkish charges a mere 32K miles in coach or 47K miles in business class one-way. They don’t charge fuel surcharges for United flights. Transfers from Citi (1:1 ratio) take about a day and transfers from Marriott (60K:25K ratio) can take 2-3 days. Read more in this post.
- Singapore charges 45K in coach or 76.5K in business class one-way. There are no fuel surcharges for United awards. You can transfer points from AMEX, Chase, or Citi at a 1:1 ratio, but it will take about day for points to show up. Transfers from Marriott (60K:25K ratio) can take 2-20 days.
- ANA charges 65K miles in coach or 104K miles in business class round-trip, one-way awards aren’t available. There are no fuel surcharges for United awards. It can take 1-3 days to transfer points from AMEX to ANA (1:1 ratio) and transfers from Marriott to ANA (60K:25K ratio) can take 2-20 days.
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Will you book any awards with free cancellations?
HT: yandmk
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20 Comments On "Wide Open United Business Saver Award Space Nonstop Between The US And Tel Aviv With Free Cancellations!"
All opinions expressed below are user generated and the opinions aren’t provided, reviewed or endorsed by any advertiser or DansDeals.
If i book award tickets till when can i cancel and redeposit my points (i think a month) how about changing date ( and then cancelling)
Up until the time of the flight for cancel or change.
In the link to your article about airlines change & refund policies it says cancelation must be over 30 days before the flight & only for flights until 12/31. Did both those rules change?
How about when booking through a different airline? Who’s rules apply? I’m guessing the booking airline
I think that is only regarding paid flight not award bookings, at least that is the official policy online https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/notices.html
Well this is what happens when I make a post after a fast day.
Officially:
-Awards for travel in 2020 can be cancelled and miles refunded if you cancel 30 days before travel.
-Awards for travel in 2021 can be changed free of charge. (And you can change these to 2020 to be refunded)
Unofficially, they aren’t charging redeposit fees even within 30 days and I’d assume they’ll waive in 2021 as well, but we’ll have to wait and see.
If you use partner miles than their rules will apply.
amex to avianca are not instant up to 24 hours
I’ve booked tickets instantly in the past, is that a new issue?
it will show instantly in account activity but wont be available till up to 24 hours, may apply to other banks also
If booked via a partner airline like Turkish, are cancellations still free? And if I cancel, I assume my points are locked into Turkish airlines miles?
Many saver award availability is for IN only not I class…..
I am asking a question regarding united basic economy i know it doesn’t really belong here, but could u please write an article regading how many points u get on basic economy if u book by them or if u book bulk, if there is a minimum amount of points and if silver members and above get more thanks in advance. Uniteds website is very mixing up on all these stuff.
Check out this website
https://www.wheretocredit.com/
If I book a flight on United using partner miles, do I also get free cancellations and date changes?
Is it better to book roundtrip or 2 separate 1-way trips?
avianca to amex is a new issue just had it last week. avianca rep confirmed it to me
Dan, is there a post about the different United aircraft for the diff Tel Aviv routes and even the differences within the Dreamliner? Specifically about how the seats (biz and economy) compare? Thank you
The better question is if Israel is opened to tourists?
Even if Israel open gates , I won’t step on a plane or into an airport anytime soon
Pandemic around
מגיפה that kills
Home is best for now
Stay safe !!
Are taxes refunded to original form of payment or to a voucher?
original form of payment