Topic Wiki

Please follow the following rules when posting in this thread. Failure to do so may result in you request being ignored or deleted.

(If you are looking to purchase a paid ticket, please post here)

FAQs:

Q: How can I use my credit card points to book a USA-TLV ticket?
A: Please read Dan's very helpful and informative guides found here and here

Great tool to see the mileage cost for a route http://www.awardhacker.com

Q: Do I have to pay a lot of money when using miles for a ticket?

A: Sometimes. For more information read this

Q: How do I find award availability?
A: For Star Alliance (United, AirCanada, Lufthansa, Swiss, and others) see this guide

For OneWorld (AmericanAirlines, BritishAirways, Iberia, Malev, and more) You can use BA's award search engine (you need to have a free BA account to access the engine). In addition, you can use Qantas' engine (free account needed as well), which will (to an extent) search Elal. As of this posting, the Elal business flights that show up are coach, and vice verse.

For Delta and AirFrance, use their respective sites. While not perfect, they are quite manageable for the casual searcher.

And of course, many of us here will take time out to help someone who is trying to learn.

Q: All this searching is making me crazy. Is there an easier way?
A: Yes, but it might cost you. Check out AwardNexus.com, KVStool.com, and expertflyer.com.

Q: I see AirCanada availability, but when I call AirCanada they say I can't use my United miles with them. Aren't they partners?
A: You can only use miles with the airline that issued them. Through that airline (in our case United) they can issue a ticket on a partner (ie AirCanada). Trying to call AirCanada with United miles, is like trying to use shekels in Mexico.

Q: I can't find availability on my dates. What should I do?
A: You should try to be as flexible as possible. Can you add a stop or 2? Can you be more flexible with your dates? The airports?
If all else fails, keep trying. Availability is constantly opening up.

Q: Can someone please help me find a ticket?
A: No! Find it yourself.  ;D ;D Just kidding. Please copy the following lines, delete the non bolded parts, and fill it out in your post.

One way/Round-trip:
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any:
From: All airports from which you can depart
To: All airports which you can arrive at. For multiple destinations, just keep adding this line
Departure dates: All possible dates that you can depart on. Please be as specific as possible.
Return airports:If different from 'To' line. Delete this line for One-way tickets
Return dates: Delete this line for One-way tickets
Class: First/Business/Coach/Any
Seats: Total number of people traveling over the age of 2
Alliance/Airline: What airline or alliance are you looking to fly with

IF you have any airline status or credit cards (Ie, United CC or status) that gives extended seat availability, please add that. Would be helpful to find you correct availability.

An additional note about using miles for direct flights from NYC-TLV

NYC-TLV is only served by 3 carriers non-stop, United, Delta, and El Al. Saver availability on Delta is non-existent. Saver availability on United is rare but sometimes available close-in. It is almost never available on or near holidays or holiday weekends, or around yomim tovim. Any award space that opens will be snatched up immediately so you have to constantly be checking if you hope to snag it if/when it opens. El AL awards are more readily available but prohibitively expensive using Matmid points (El Al's frequent flyer program) but may be able to be booked using Quantas points (transfers from Citi & Amex) at a much more reasonable rate.

This leaves the following options if no saver availability:

The Chase travel portal will let you use Ultimate Rewards, or a combination or UR and cash to book flights. If you have a Sapphire Reserve or a Sapphire Preferred, the redemption rate will be 1.5 cents per point or 1.25 cents per point respectively, instead of the regular 1 cent per point without them. (A, Ink cash or Ink Preferred will also give you the 1.25 cpp redemption rate.)

The Amex travel portal will let you redeem points at 1 cent per point towards the cost of air travel. If you have a grandfathered Business Platinum card, you will get 50% of the points you redeem back around a month after you book the ticket. If you have a non-grandfathered card, you will get 35% of your points back. (This is only available when redeeming points for tickets on your selected American carrier in economy class or on any airline in business or first class.)

The Citi travel portal also lets you redeem points at 1 cent per point towards travel and seems to have better pricing on El Al in business class.

Alternatively, you can sell your points (not here on DDF) and use the cash to buy regular tickets. This is usually the best option for people without either a Chase Sapphire Reserve or grandfathered Business Platinum who are flying economy.

Those are your only options for nonstop travel. For options with a stopover and more information in general, see https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/milespoints/the-ultimate-israel-mileage-award-chart/

This keeps on getting asked over and over. Besides Dan's comprehensive list of how to get to, or from, TLV here is a short list of options for travel to or from NYC in Y:
Lowest point per RT is FB 50K (less with promo, but YQ of ~$500 unless you can find unicorn DL availability), AA 80k (AA metal for transatlantic), AC 80k (LX or LO for low YQ) and UA 85k. Half that for OW.

Please add any other information to this wiki that you feel might be useful.



Author Topic: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)  (Read 1839178 times)

Offline autodis1

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Would like to buy TRueblue miles for Jet Blue flight, anybody have some to sell? need asap Thnx

Offline thecandybox

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I want to fly from NYC to POP but I only see JBLU as the only airline that flys direct..is there another one which I am missing?
tx

Offline @Yehuda

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I want to fly from NYC to POP but I only see JBLU as the only airline that flys direct..is there another one which I am missing?
tx
UA flies from EWR.

Offline thecandybox

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weird doesnt show up for thanksgiving

Offline keepsmiling123

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I need help finding award availability for 2 ppl 12/22 (or a day or two later) -01/4 (day or two later/earlier) NYC-TLV in either Economy comfort, J, or Z using miles for a decent value.
I have MR pts, UA miles, UR, delta pts that I'm willing to use to book with/transfer to a partner airline.
Any help would b appreciated, been trying for a few days and not getting too far

Offline @Yehuda

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weird doesnt show up for thanksgiving
Not weird. It's a holiday weekend. Very hard to find availability.

That goes for keepsmiling too.

Offline keepsmiling123

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Not weird. It's a holiday weekend. Very hard to find availability.

That goes for keepsmiling too.

thought booking months in advance makes finding availibiltiy easier

Offline yochiek93

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Would like to buy TRueblue miles for Jet Blue flight, anybody have some to sell? need asap Thnx
cant buy and sell miles on the forum see http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=31.0

Offline DMYD

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thought booking months in advance makes finding availibiltiy easier
Easier doesn't mean you'll find, just keep checking.

Offline rockstarhockstar

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Generally, what is/are the best point option/s when flying from the east coast to TLV? :)


TIA :)

Offline clear thinker

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Generally, what is/are the best point option/s when flying from the east coast to TLV? :)


TIA :)
Flying Blue?

Offline rockstarhockstar

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Don't they charge 125ish of fees each way?

Offline clear thinker

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Don't they charge 125ish of fees each way?
But only (iinm) 62.5k miles so it evens out.

Offline rockstarhockstar

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But only (iinm) 62.5k miles so it evens out.

Someone told me something recently about Iberia points to tlv?

Offline @Yehuda

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Someone told me something recently about Iberia points to tlv?
You can always google "Iberia Award Chart" to see how many points you'll need for a flight. (Works for all airlines, not just IB.)
Either way, you should be award that there are very few instances where it makes sense to use miles for coach to Israel. It usually cheaper to pay cash.

Offline moen

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Need help finding:
TLV-BKK
2 travelers
One world
Business Class
Any time between 7/5-7/7
Max 2 stops

Offline kayef

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Need help finding:
EWR-SAN (or s/t nearby)
1 stop max
Round-Trip
8/9-8/13
Preferably avios, open to options
2 passengers
Economy

Offline Moshe J

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I would really appreciate help finding availability for my honeymoon to kauai. I looked everywhere, but I'm new at this
Round trip
From: New York Area
To: Kauai, Hawaii
Departure dates: Motzei Shabbos aug 8 or sunday aug 9
return to New York
Return dates: Thursday aug 13
Class: Any
Seats: 2
Stops are fine
I have 140,000 Ultimate rewards points and 55,000 BA avios would prefer to go the singapore transfer partners route as that will be best value
Thanks

Offline Gohabs

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One way
Any:
From: ATH
To: TLV
Departure dates: 8-9,8-10
Coach
Seats: 1
Alliance/Airline:United, AA, M&M, SPG, UR, MR

Offline BWG

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 with 130K UR points is the best i could do to get to Israel for winter travel (from miami) one way coach and one way Business on Turkish Air?