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Our site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened with our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don't cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Guides
Sweet Spot Sunday: Fly from the US to Israel for 20,000 Virgin points one-way
Andrew Kunesh is TPG's Points & Miles editor. He has been active in the points and miles space since 2014, using them to travel far and wide around the world. He is originally from Chicago but moved to New York City after graduating from DePaul University. His work is featured on Credit Karma, UpgradedPoints, ValuePenguin and various other travel and finance publications. He currently holds Delta Diamond Medallion and Marriott Titanium status, and 20+ credit cards that each have a special place in Andrew's wallet.
August 1, 2021 • 7 min read
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Quick summary
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club offers a valuable redemption for economy flights from the U.S. to Israel, with awards starting at 20,000 points one-way.
These awards are often priced similarly to domestic U.S. flights, making them a cost-effective option for long-haul travel.
Flights are available on partner airlines with connections through major European hubs, and taxes and fees are generally moderate.
Points can be transferred to Virgin Atlantic from several major transferable points programs.
What to consider
Delta-operated flights typically require more points due to a new award chart.
Taxes and fees vary by airline, with Air France and KLM flights usually under $175 each way, while Virgin Atlantic flights may have higher taxes but a slight points discount.
Award availability should be checked before transferring points, as some offers mentioned may no longer be available.
What you'll miss from the article
Step-by-step guidance on searching, booking and maximizing this award for flights to Israel.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
Sweet Spot Sunday is a weekly series highlighting the best-value award redemptions across loyalty programs.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has a ton of interesting redemptions with its non-alliance airline partners. One of these includes economy flights from the U.S. to Israel. More often than not, you can book this award at prices similar to what you'd pay for a domestic ticket within the U.S. That's right: These awards start at just 20,000 Virgin points one-way.
Let's take a closer look at this award and how to book it.
Why it’s special
Visit the busy Tel Aviv beach scene with your points and miles. (Photo by Nicky Kelvin/The Points Guy)
Award tickets to Israel aren't cheap. Most programs charge at least 30,000 points one-way, including Air France and KLM's joint Flying Blue loyalty program, which recently devalued these tickets. So with that in mind, 20,000-point one-way tickets to Israel are an absolute steal. Plus, awards are predictable as Virgin Atlantic Flying Club doesn't have dynamic award pricing on partner flights.
Taxes and fees on these tickets are reasonable too. When on Air France or KLM flights, you'll pay less than $175 each way. Virgin Atlantic tickets will have moderately higher taxes and fees in economy, but you'll get a slight points discount. For example, New York-JFK to Tel Aviv (TLV) via London is 19,000 points and $244.50 in taxes and fees.
(Screenshot courtesy of virginatlantic.com)
Better yet, you'll pay only marginally more points if you depart from the West Coast. For example, this KLM flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tel Aviv via Amsterdam is just 23,000 points and $190.80 in taxes and fees one-way. This is an exceptional deal on such a long flight.
You can book flights to Tel Aviv online with your Virgin points. (Photo by Flik47/Shutterstock.com)
You can book these award tickets right on the Virgin Atlantic website. Make sure to check for award availability online before you transfer points to Virgin Atlantic.
Step 1: Log in to your Virgin Atlantic account
First things first: You need a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account before you can book a ticket. Create an account by clicking the "Join" button at the upper right-hand corner of the Virgin Atlantic homepage. If you already have an account, sign in by clicking the red "Log in" button.
(Screenshot courtesy of virginatlantic.com)
Step 2: Enter your desired itinerary
Now, enter your desired itinerary in the search box at the top of the screen. Click the "Advanced search" drop-down button and select "Points" under the "Show Price in" header to search for award flights. Then, click the red arrow button to run your search.
(Screenshot courtesy of virginatlantic.com)
Step 3: View and pick your flights
You will see all available flights at the center of the screen. Click on the one you'd like to book and you will be redirected to the checkout screen. Now is also the time to transfer points to Virgin Atlantic if you need them to book your ticket.
(Screenshot courtesy of virginatlantic.com)
Step 4: Pay taxes and book your flight
Now, follow the on-screen prompts to book your ticket. Remember to pay taxes and fees with a card that earns bonus points on airfare, like The Platinum Card® from American Express. This card earns 5 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or through Amex Travel, on up to $500,000 per calendar year in purchases (then 1 point per dollar spent).
Virgin points are some of the easiest to earn, even if you're based in the U.S. (Photo by EQRoy/Shutterstock)
As discussed, it's really easy to earn Virgin Atlantic points. You can transfer points from most of the major transferable points currencies to Virgin Atlantic, including:
If you’re new to the world of points and miles, I recommend starting with Chase Ultimate Rewards. You'll want to open Chase cards first to avoid the bank's strict 5/24 application rule on credit card applications.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card – Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card – Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Chase Sapphire Reserve – Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
If you're over 5/24, consider earning Citi ThankYou points with the Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees). This card is also offering a signup bonus of 60,000 ThankYou points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening.
In this article, you learned how to book flights from the U.S. to Israel for just 20,000 points plus moderate taxes and fees. This is by far the cheapest way to visit the country, and I highly recommend you consider it the next time you need a flight to Tel Aviv.
Comments
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
