Bookmark this page. When you are staring at an award search wondering “can my points even do this?” - this is the table. Every bank currency, every program that books Tel Aviv, who transfers where, all 1:1 unless noted.
The master table
| Program | Books to TLV via | Amex | Chase | CapOne | Citi | Bilt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flying Blue | Air France via Paris, KLM via Amsterdam | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Aeroplan | Lufthansa, Austrian, SWISS via Europe | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| United | Nonstop Newark-Tel Aviv | No | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Qantas | El Al nonstops, fixed chart | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Avianca LifeMiles | Star Alliance via Europe, low fees | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ANA | Star Alliance round trips | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| British Airways Avios | Via London (when flying) | Yes | Yes | Yes | via Qatar | Yes |
| Iberia Avios | Via Madrid | Yes | Yes | via BA | via Qatar | Yes |
| Delta SkyMiles | Nonstop JFK-Tel Aviv (poor value) | Yes | No | No | No | No |
A few footnotes that matter:
- El Al’s own program (Matmid) is not on the table on purpose. No US bank has transferred to Matmid since Amex ended the partnership on January 1, 2021. Anyone telling you otherwise is working from a pre-2021 page.
- Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles (transfers from Citi, Capital One, Bilt) was a cult favorite for cheap Israel awards - but Turkish is not flying to Tel Aviv as of September 2026, so it is off the table until that changes.
- “via Qatar” means Citi transfers to Qatar Privilege Club, and Avios move freely between Qatar and British Airways accounts - a two-step, but it works. Capital One transfers directly to British Airways, and Avios pool from BA to Iberia the same way.
- Delta is on the table as a warning. Yes, Amex transfers to SkyMiles and yes, Delta flies JFK-TLV nonstop again (resumed September 6, 2026). But dynamic SkyMiles pricing on this route is consistently the worst math in the market. Book Delta metal through Flying Blue instead.
How to use the table
- Find the seat first using the program’s own site - never transfer on hope.
- Check which of your banks feeds that program in the table above.
- Check for a transfer bonus before moving points - 25-30% bonuses rotate through these programs several times a year.
- Transfer the minimum you need. Transfers are one-way doors.
The deep dives: book El Al with points | Amex vs Chase for Israel | business class compared | economy under 30k.
Ranked: the cards that cover this whole table
- Amex Gold - covers 8 of 9 rows, missing only United; includes Qantas for El Al. Apply now
- Chase Sapphire Preferred - adds United, the row Amex cannot touch. Apply now
- Bilt Mastercard - no annual fee, earns on rent, covers United plus Flying Blue and Aeroplan. Apply now
Transfer partnerships verified September 2026 against The Points Guy (Amex), Chase’s published partner list, Frequent Miler (Citi), Bilt’s official partner page, and airline program sites. Partnerships change - re-check before a large transfer.