Just booked! Award space to Israel in upper class on Virgin Atlantic is wide open
There is a rare opportunity to use your Delta SkyMiles for Virgin Atlantic upper class flights to Tel Aviv via London Heathrow right now. At 170,000 SkyMiles round-trip, you aren't likely to see this deal stick around forever.
In fact, I jumped on it after I first read about it on Thrifty Traveler Premium - the premium flight deal service is available for $49.99 annually or $7.99 per month.
As you may have read, I had a trip to Tel Aviv booked back in December using Air France-KLM Flying Blue miles. Unfortunately, I had to cancel that trip after Israel re-shut its borders in the wake of a surge of the omicron variant.
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Now that Israel's borders are opening back up, I've been searching to finally take the trip, but I haven't been able to duplicate it during multiple searches on Air France. When I saw the deal alert for the trip using SkyMiles, I jumped on it.
Related: I had to cancel my trip to Israel, but I got my miles back
I wasn't able to do it quite as cheaply this time, but I figured, this deal would be a good opportunity to try Virgin Atlantic. By comparison, the last time I booked, Flying Blue was charging just 144,000 miles round-trip in Delta One.
The first couple of times I tried to book the trip this time, I got a weird error message saying the flights were sold out, but I was eventually able to get the flights booked at Delta.com. If you are having trouble, try alternate dates.
Another cool thing about these itineraries is you may get to fly on one of Virgin Atlantic's new Airbus A350-1000 jets, which are equipped with its new suite product.
In the end, this trip cost me 170,000 Delta SkyMiles plus $169.23 in taxes and fees. Not bad considering this itinerary is more than $2,700 if booked for cash (as a refundable fare).
Deal basics
Airlines: Delta Air Lines
Routes: JFK/ATL/LAX/SFO and more to TLV
How to book: Directly through Delta
Travel dates: Now through December 2022
Sample flights
You can find these flights widely through the end of the year from multiple U.S. cities, including West Coast gateways like San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX).
Maximize your purchase
Pay with: The Platinum Card® from American Express for 5 points per dollar on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 per calendar year), the Citi Premier® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve for 3 points per dollar on air travel, the American Express® Gold Card for 3 points per dollar on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for 2 points per dollar on travel.
Related reading: Why the Amex Platinum might just be the best card for Delta flyers
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
- Learn Moreabout Credit One Bank Wander® CardTerms Apply
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
| 2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,400+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and our Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023
Rewards Rate
| 10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
| 2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,400+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and our Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023