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 1839448 times)

Offline planless

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Dont think this is the place for it, yet i cant find it anywhere else.

I have plenty of AMEX points and need either 360,000 AA points or 330,000 United points. offering 10% extra for a trade.

NEEDED ASAP!

Thanks

Offline chucksterace

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Dont think this is the place for it, yet i cant find it anywhere else.

I have plenty of AMEX points and need either 360,000 AA points or 330,000 United points. offering 10% extra for a trade.

NEEDED ASAP!

Thanks

Sorry Not Allowed to trade points.


-Do not attempt to buy/sell/trade miles.

You may not hold me responsible for any actions taken that were recommended from my account or username.

Offline planless

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Sorry Not Allowed to trade points.


Is that a airline law?

Offline AJK

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  • Programs: United Concierge Key; Delta Global Services; American Chairman; US Airways 1K; Hilton Sapphire; Hyatt Tritium; Marriott Californium; Starwood Kryptonium; Hertz Plutonium; National Adamantium, Avis Executive Proactanium
Is that a airline law?

Airline term and condition.

Besides, I don't think you'll find anyone willing to trade 300K+ UA miles for MR, even with a 10% premium.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline Yose

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  • Location: LA
  • Programs: UA Gold, AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hyatt Platinum, LeClub Accorhotels Platinum, Herz PC, National Executive, Avis Pres
From: LAX
To: Hong Kong - (need to end up in XMN)
Departure dates: July- 3-8
Return dates: July- 10-14 (at least 5 nights)
Class First/Business/Coach-  ANY
Seats: 1 seats
Alliance/Airline:  ANY

Cathay biz only one way and No United direct? Whats the best way to book cathay flights? (avios?)

Thanks in advance for all the help!!

Offline nathan13

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  • Location: New York
From: NYC
To: Tlv
Departure dates: Jan 15 2014
One way
Class: first
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: Would like to fly Singapore first class ""WILLING TO PAY WHO EVER CAN GET IT DONE"" I have miles with Amex, chase, united.

Can pay who ever gets it done in cash or miles
Nathan@supremehealth.com

Offline ryg

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  • Location: USA
RTN from PDX to MSQ or WAW
1 Adult
5-7 day trip between 2nd and 15th of July
1 adult.
ANy points

Offline hollawood24

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120k united miles for 2 first class round trip to Jamaica from JFK, good deal???
OR
A little over 1k dollars for 2 economy round trip????

Offline AJK

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  • Programs: United Concierge Key; Delta Global Services; American Chairman; US Airways 1K; Hilton Sapphire; Hyatt Tritium; Marriott Californium; Starwood Kryptonium; Hertz Plutonium; National Adamantium, Avis Executive Proactanium
From: NYC
To: Tlv
Departure dates: Jan 15 2014
One way
Class: first
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: Would like to fly Singapore first class ""WILLING TO PAY WHO EVER CAN GET IT DONE"" I have miles with Amex, chase, united.

Can pay who ever gets it done in cash or miles
Nathan@supremehealth.com

Writing you're willing to pay, without specifying how MUCH you're willing to pay, isn't likely to incentivize anyone.,
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline danfan5773

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CAN ANYONE GIVE ME ANY IDEAS HERE, SEARCH MYSELF EVERY WAY POSSIBLE I KNOW
 
Maximum stops: prefer non stop,max 1 stop
From: ewr preferable  ,jfk, lga
To:. tlv

Departure dates: sep,15,16,
Return dates: oct 6,7,
Class: prefer Business[/b], Coach
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: What airline or alliance are you looking to fly with any

Please add what mileage you have  amex membership, aa, chase,united 

THANKS IN ADVANCE
« Last Edit: June 27, 2013, 03:43:16 PM by danfan5773 »

Offline MendyP

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Hi,

One way/Round trip: Round Trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: Non-Stop
From: JFK
To: NCE, CDG
Departure dates: July 29 - August 8 ish
Return airports: JFK
Class: Any
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: Using AmEx points. No specific airline.

Looking for ~10 days around the dates noted above going from JFK to Nice and Paris, then back to NY. Have tons of AmEx points. Looking for suggestions on the best way to redeem them.

Thank you!

Offline Ergel

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CAN ANYONE GIVE ME ANY IDEAS HERE, SEARCH MYSELF EVERY WAY POSSIBLE I KNOW
 
Maximum stops: prefer non stop,max 1 stop
From: ewr preferable  ,jfk, lga
To:. tlv

Departure dates: sep,15,16,
Return dates: oct 6,7,
Class: prefer Business[/b], Coach
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: What airline or alliance are you looking to fly with any

Please add what mileage you have  amex membership, aa, chase,united 

THANKS IN ADVANCE
You mean you can't find rewards tickets during the busiest travel time of the year to Israel? You don't say
Life isn't about checking the boxes. Nobody cares.

Offline AJK

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  • Programs: United Concierge Key; Delta Global Services; American Chairman; US Airways 1K; Hilton Sapphire; Hyatt Tritium; Marriott Californium; Starwood Kryptonium; Hertz Plutonium; National Adamantium, Avis Executive Proactanium
One way
Looking to fly on Singapore A380
From: All NYC
To: TLV
Departure dates: 01/15/2014
Class: First
Seats: 2
Have mileage on all cc.
I'm willing to pay who ever can get it done.


And can somebody explain to me how Singapore airline award travel wait list works?

Thank you

Nechshls@yahoo.com

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that SQ *very* rarely releases to saver awards on their JFK-FRA flight, so you may not be lucky.
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline MEIR613

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Unfortunately, the sad reality is that SQ *very* rarely releases 2 saver awards on their JFK-FRA flight, so you may not be lucky.
FTFY :P

Offline YT

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is there a conversion chart of points anywhere? I have UR and United miles but I'm looking for a more comprehensive list

Offline Smartypantz

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Round trip
Non-stop
From: Any NYC airport or Trenton, NJ
To: Denver, CO
Departure dates: 7/21 or 7/22
Return dates: 7/26 or 7/28
Class: Coach
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: I have 60,000 Skymiles, 30,000 SPG, and 55,000 UA.
Any suggestions much appreciated!! Thank you!

Offline KidOOO

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Unfortunately, the sad reality is that SQ *very* rarely releases to saver awards on their JFK-FRA flight, so you may not be lucky.

Dan mentioned in his post that you can use singapor miles to fly to NYC-TLV http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/23168

However on singapur website it won't let me enter TLV at all

Offline ilherman

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  • Location: Brooklyn
Round trip
NYC   to TLV
Any cabin
Dept.  july 17 for about 12 days
2 ppl
I have a lot amex point
willing to give a bonus.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline bruce

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One way/Round trip: RT
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: MAX 1
From: All airports from which you can depart NYC
To: All airports which you can arrive at. For multiple destinations, just keep adding this line TLV
Departure dates: All possible dates that you can depart on. Please be as specific as possible. JULY 16/17
Return airports: If different from 'To' line. Delete this line for One way tickets NYC
Return dates: Delete this line for One way tickets JULY 23/24
Class: First/Business/Coach/Any BUSINESS
Seats: Total number of people traveling over the age of 2 2
Alliance/Airline: What airline or alliance are you looking to fly with NO PREF...HAVE LOADS OF POINTS WITH BA/MR/UR/SPG/UNITED...ETC
WILLING TO PAY A $100 BONUS IF I END UP TAKING YOUR TICKET

Offline bruce

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One way/Round trip: RT
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: MAX 1
From: All airports from which you can depart NYC
To: All airports which you can arrive at. For multiple destinations, just keep adding this line TLV
Departure dates: All possible dates that you can depart on. Please be as specific as possible. JULY 16/17
Return airports: If different from 'To' line. Delete this line for One way tickets NYC
Return dates: Delete this line for One way tickets JULY 23/24
Class: First/Business/Coach/Any BUSINESS
Seats: Total number of people traveling over the age of 2 2
Alliance/Airline: What airline or alliance are you looking to fly with NO PREF...HAVE LOADS OF POINTS WITH BA/MR/UR/SPG/UNITED...ETC
WILLING TO PAY A $100 BONUS IF I END UP TAKING YOUR TICKET


TO CLARIFY I WOULD LIKE TO FLY BUSINESS USING MY POINTS AT THE CHEAPEST POINT RATE POSSIBLE