The Qantas Trick for El Al Awards

How to use Qantas points to book El Al flights from the US, including the dates that never show up online.

Facts verified September 2026 Independent, community-run

By Ari Klein · Last updated . Facts on this page are verified against live sources on the date shown - see the note at the bottom for which ones.

Ask anyone who flies to Eretz Yisroel twice a year on points how they do it, and this trick comes up within a minute. Qantas - yes, the Australian airline - is one of the best ways to book El Al. Here is exactly how it works.

The short answer

Open a free Qantas Frequent Flyer account, transfer Amex, Capital One, or Citi points in at 1:1, and book El Al on qantas.com at fixed chart prices that do not jump when cash fares spike before yom tov.

Why this works

El Al and Qantas are partners. Qantas sells El Al seats from its own fixed award chart - a set price per distance band. When a JFK-TLV nonstop that runs $1,400 on a quiet November week doubles or worse before Sukkos, the Qantas points price is the same as any other week. That is the whole trick: fixed chart vs panic pricing. Current chart numbers from New York (post-August 2025): 43,500 points in economy, 90,000 in business.

Step by step

  1. Open a Qantas Frequent Flyer account at qantas.com. It is free and takes five minutes. Do this today - accounts sometimes need a day to fully activate for partner bookings.
  2. Search before you transfer. On qantas.com, search JFK (or Newark, LAX, Miami) to Tel Aviv with “Use points” selected. Try one-way searches and flexible dates.
  3. Confirm the seat and the price. Write down the exact flight, date, points, and taxes.
  4. Transfer your points. Amex, Capital One, and Citi all move to Qantas at 1:1, usually within 24-48 hours (Amex and CapOne are often faster). Transfers cannot be reversed.
  5. Book the moment the points land. Qantas holds nothing for you - the seat can go while you wait.

When the flight does not show online

Some El Al routings never appear on the Qantas site even though the seat exists. Two fixes: search segment by segment (JFK-TLV alone, not as part of a bigger trip), and if El Al’s own site shows classic award space on your date, call Qantas Frequent Flyer and feed the agent the exact flight numbers. Phone bookings work when the website shrugs. If your points are stuck at Chase, use Flying Blue to book El Al instead.

The business-class caveat

One honest warning, current as of September 2026: El Al has released almost no business-class partner space between the US and Israel to Qantas since late 2024 (DansDeals has tracked the block). The 90,000-point chart price is real, but a seat at that price is rarely findable. Treat Qantas as your economy and premium economy path to El Al, and use United saver space, Flying Blue, Aeroplan, or LifeMiles for business class.

Now the practical part - which cards actually build Qantas points fastest:

Ranked: the best cards for earning Qantas points

How this ranking works: we weigh what gets you to Tel Aviv best for this page’s specific goal - transfer reach, earning speed on a frum household’s actual spending, and real fees. Full criteria on how we rank cards.

  1. Amex Gold - 4x on food, transfers 1:1 to Qantas. Apply now
  2. Capital One Venture X - 2x everywhere, 1:1 transfers. Apply now
  3. Citi Strata Premier - 3x on groceries, gas, and travel, 1:1 transfers. Apply now

Partnership and transfer terms verified September 2026 on qantas.com; chart rates and the El Al business-space block verified September 10, 2026 via One Mile at a Time and DansDeals.

Frequently asked questions

Which credit cards transfer to Qantas Frequent Flyer?

In the US, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, and Citi ThankYou points all transfer to Qantas at 1:1. Chase does not - if your points are at Chase, use Flying Blue to book El Al instead.

Why book El Al through Qantas instead of El Al's own program?

Qantas prices El Al awards on a fixed distance-based chart, so the points price stays flat even when the cash fare doubles or worse before yom tov. Dynamically priced options get expensive exactly when you most need the seat.

What if my El Al flight does not show up on the Qantas website?

Some El Al flights and dates are not bookable online through Qantas. Search segment by segment, and if El Al's own site shows classic award space on your date, call Qantas Frequent Flyer and book it by phone with the exact flight numbers.

Can I book El Al business class through Qantas?

On the chart, yes: business from New York prices at 90,000 Qantas points one-way at the current (post-August 2025) rate. The real problem is space - since late 2024 El Al has released almost no US-Israel business partner space to Qantas, so in practice Qantas is an economy and premium economy play right now. If business space reappears, grab it.