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Update, 10/1/24: El Al tickets that are purchased today or were purchased any time previously for travel between October 1-19 can be converted into a voucher for future travel at no cost. The voucher is good for the dollar amount paid for the ticket for bookings made for anyone through 12/31/25 for travel through 11/30/26.
You can use El Al’s tool to view flights from Tel Aviv here and to Tel Aviv here.
If you have an AMEX Business Platinum Card you can book a business class ticket on El Al today for travel by 10/19 using your AMEX points. You can then convert it into a voucher that can be used by anyone in any class for the amount paid. You’ll also get a 35% points rebate, making your AMEX points worth 1.54 cents each towards any El Al tickets!
Again, you’ll have to purchase your ticket today or have purchased an El Al ticket previously, for travel between 10/1-10/19, to claim a voucher!
Update, 9/16/24: El Al vouchers that were set to expire on 12/31/24 will automatically be extended to 12/31/25. You can book travel up to 11 months after the expiration date.
If you have El Al flights purchased through 8/4 for travel through 9/30, they can be converted into a voucher.
Update, 8/4/24: Most foreign carriers have suspended flights to Israel, but Israeli carriers continue to be a lifeline and are adding flights when possible. You can read this post for strategies on finding tickets in and out of Israel.
You can also use El Al’s tool to view flights from Tel Aviv here and to Tel Aviv here.
If you don’t want to travel now, El Al tickets that are purchased today or were purchased previously for travel between August 1-10 can be converted into a voucher for future travel at no cost. See more in Hebrew here. The voucher is good for the dollar amount paid for the ticket for bookings made for anyone through 12/31/25 for travel through 11/30/26.
If you have an AMEX Business Platinum Card you can book a business class ticket on El Al today for travel by 8/10 using your AMEX points. You can then convert it into a voucher that can be used by anyone in any class for the amount paid. You’ll also get a 35% points rebate, making your AMEX points worth 1.54 cents each towards any El Al tickets!
Again, you’ll have to purchase your ticket today or have purchased an El Al ticket previously, for travel between 8/1-8/10, to claim a voucher!
HT: chff
Update 1/31/24: Today is the last day to get a points rebate with the AMEX Business Gold Card.
Originally posted on 1/25/24:
During COVID, El Al introduced an excellent program that allowed for the conversion of flights into vouchers that could be used by anyone, regardless of where you booked your flight.
That program went away on 12/31/22, though it was brought back with a fee last May.
After the October 7th attacks, the free voucher program resumed. Currently, you can convert El Al flights into vouchers with no fees for travel through 4/30.
The vouchers can be used by anyone by 12/31/25 for travel through 11/30/26. The vouchers can be used for up to 9 passengers at a time and they keep their residual value. You can also use multiple vouchers to book a ticket.
If you have an AMEX Business Gold Card you can receive a rebate of 25% of the points used for a paid ticket, but this rebate ends on 1/31/24. If you have an AMEX Business Platinum Card you can receive a rebate of 35% of the points used for a paid ticket, this rebate will continue to work after 1/31. That effectively values your AMEX points at 1.33 cents (Business Gold) or 1.54 cents (Business Platinum) each towards paid airfare. The catch is that the rebate is only available in economy or premium economy tickets on select US airlines. It’s only available in business or first class on all other airlines worldwide.
However thanks to the voucher system, you can book El Al business class tickets at a value of 1.33 or 1.54 cents per AMEX point, turn them into a voucher, and then use the voucher to book economy or premium economy tickets for anyone.
You can also lock in future business class savings if you have a Business Gold card that’s losing the rebate after 1/31.
You can back up to 250K points via rebate per calendar year on the Business Gold card. On the Business Platinum card, the rebate cap is 1M points per calendar year.
Unfortunately, it does take several days from when you cancel a ticket until you get the voucher.
From what I understand, US travel agents like AMEX collect a commission from El Al for flights that originate in the US, but not for flights that originate from Israel. If you book business class tickets from Tel Aviv to North America with AMEX points rather than the reverse when converting them into an El Al voucher, there’s no unnecessary loss or cost to El Al.
With the AMEX Gold rebate ending next week, it’s a good opportunity to trade points at a value of 1.33 cents each for a voucher that will be useable for flights through 11/30/26. Will you take advantage of this redemption offer?
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150 Comments On "Today Only: El Al Brings Back Voucher Option To Convert Hybrid AMEX Points Into El Al Future Flight Credit!"
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Thanks. Definitely will. Have done it in the past as well.
Do travel agents still get a commission when booking flights paid for with vouchers?
They do not anymore, as far as I know.
Can you convert 1 business class ticket to a voucher and then to multiple tickets?
Yes.
Is the voucher transferable to anyone?
Yes.
Is the voucher for the dollar value of the ticket?
Yes.
How long does it usually take until you get back the 35% rebate on the platinum?
+1
Would love to hear how long it takes to get the rebate and also if one should only cancel the elal ticket (and turn it into a voucher) after receiving the rebate.
Many thanks!
How do I book this flight thru the Amex portal or on EL AL website?
would this also work as a way to cash the cap1 Venture x 300 Annual credit?
Sure
Do You have to book by the 31st, or cancel by the 31st for it to be an open ended ticket?
Book by
Hi,
Thanks for this information. I have the Amex business gold, to fully understand I book as many tickets as I want and then cancel them to get a voucher and I will receive the 25% rebate on the points? .
NO – Business GOLD no longer gives a rebate on points! Ended Feb 2024
El
Al is not one of the partner airlines listed . How does this work ?
Book a business class ticket.
Rebate works on business class tickets in any airline
I have amex business platinum but El Al is not one of the choices for the chosen airline . How does this work ?
Is there any benefit to choosing delta ?
Even if it’s not your selected airline you can still book any airline in business class
It is shocking how people have a credit card that costs over $500 and have zero knowledge of how it works.
It was exteded until 30 apr !
Amex doesn’t give the option to cancel for a voucher. The flights are cancelable for a fee.
How can I book a flight that can be canceled for a voucher?
https://www.elal.com/en/PassengersInfo/Pages/CreditSteps.aspx
Bought a business class ticket a few weeks ago to turn into a voucher to gain this benefit, I just tried to turn it into a voucher and elal website says that “the ticket you entered does not qualify for any benefit” any ideas what I can do to get the voucher?
Just realized that I by mistake booked the flight date for after 04/30… any ideas what I can do to get a voucher?
How long do I need to wait after the booking to request the voucher? Can I do it right away on ElAl’s website?
Thanks!
+1
In the future, expect to be able to use miles from programs like ANA, Flying Blue, Virgin Atlantic to book El Al flights.
Can please explain? What information you have? That your saying that?
Anyone know why EL AL is flying a dreamliner to LCA on 04/10 @4:50 AM
Does this still work with the amex business platinum ? Looks like elal extended the vouchers until may 4
Was the elal voucher extended? I’d like to take advantage of the 35%
Hey would the 35% rebate work on a business class flight from tlv-Europe?
Yes
Can you put together a post of which foreign airlines have not bailed on Israel yet?
Were there any airlines that did not bail at all since October 7th?
I feel like it would be good to know to keep in mind for future flights. Like if there was a certain airline that didn’t bail on flights between Israel and Greece/Cyprus etc?
ELAL, the only one which has consistently kept flying
If I book the ticket now, will I be able to get a voucher if its a ticket for September? I’m not finding tickets between august 1 – 10.
Does the voucher have to be used on one trip? Or can be split?
If say, I’d buy a business class ticket for $4,000 but then when I actually want to fly in a future date the tickets will only cost $2,000. What happens to the $4,000 left over?
of the $4000 thats left over, $2000 will remain available on the voucher and $2000 doesnt exist as you 4-2=2, not 4. though if you have a magical voucher that gives you 4000 please let me know maybe ill buy it off you
Sorry, meant to write the initial business ticket was 6,000
And thanks for the snark
So you basically use Amex to book a ticket for a flight between now and August 10th, then immediately cancel that and turn it into a voucher?
Yes
No need to wait 24 hours?
I canceled immediately and Amex emailed me that it was canceled and I will receive a refund to the original form of payment.
Doesn’t the 35% come back only after the flight is completed? How does that work if you don’t take the flight and turn it into a voucher?
Nope.
I have a Elal voucher for a flight that was to be October 10 last year. It says good through 12/24.
Are they extending those as well?
Thank.
you have to purchase a ticket on el al with travel before 8-10 to get a voucher?
Yes.
What route should be used to convert to a voucher?
What time does this end today EST?
If you want to use AMEX Biz Platinum Card points to obtain the 35% rebate, do you need to book through the AMEX site, or can you also book through the EL AL site after first transferring AMEX points to EL AL? Can they be either one way or roundtrip biz tickets to convert to the voucher? Thanks very much.
On Amextravel.com
Either.
1. can you book 2 flights on the same persons name and get 2 vouchers?
2. Can you cancel it as soon as you finish booking it and get the 35% credit?
Yes.
Yes.
I canceled immediately and Amex emailed me that it was canceled and I will receive a refund to the original form of payment.
What about if the Elal ticket was purchased with chase points? Is that considered an award ticket? (Elal post says that it does not apply to a war tickets)
That works too, but no need to do that as you can always get bonus value for El Al with Chase.
Thanks! Can I get a voucher for a ticket booked with Alaska miles? 🙂
No
Alaska didn’t have anything available for the first week of August..
If you got one, luck you!
What can I do with a ticket purchased with Alaskan miles other than canceling?
How long does it take to get the voucher from El Al?
A couple days, but can vary.
Can I still get the 35 percent points rebate if El Al isn’t my preferred airline right now?
If not, is it possible to change it to El Al same day?
Yes, as the post says in business class.
No need to register.
Where does it mention that future voucher can be used by anyone?
“Following the security situation, we allow our customers an easy cancellation policy.
Customers who purchased a flight ticket until today (Sunday) for flights scheduled to take off until the evening of Saturday August 10, 2024 (inclusive) may cancel the flight ticket without costs and receive a voucher for future redemption for El Al flights. The vouchers can be redeemed until December 31, 2025.
Issuance of the voucher is possible with all types of cards: Lite, Classic and Flex.
Vouchers can be issued independently on the El Al website:
https://www.elal.com/…/Passenger…/Pages/CreditSteps.aspx
We emphasize that it is not possible to receive vouchers for partially used flight tickets, for bonus tickets or for flight tickets purchased as part of groups.”
That’s how El Al vouchers work.
“We apologize, the Membership Rewards® system is currently unavailable.”
anyone else seeing this?
I just booked a flight on amex platinum and then cancelled through elal for the voucher, but then i got an email from amex that the airline sent them a notice to cancel and im getting a refund. Any idea why?
Normal. You won’t get a refund if you submitted for a voucher.
Thanks for clarifying. Maybe add it to the post as it is quite confusing..
But will I still get the 35% rebate?
Yes
@dan i got the 35% rebate for 2 out of the 3 reservations, the one that I got the cancellation email from amex that day I did not get the rebate for, is there anything I can do here?
Contact AMEX?
This was the email I got from Amex. I just want to make sure I would still get the 35% rebate
Your trip has been successfully cancelled. You can review the details of your cancellation below.
If you booked with Membership Rewards® points†, you’ll receive a statement credit to your Card account. If you would like the points returned to your account, please contact Membership Rewards at 1-800-AXP-EARN (297-3276).
@dan I got the voucher from elal today but also a refund from amex for all these flights. What am I supposed to do? Who is the one that losses out here, amex or ela?
I just called united. They refuse to rebook on partners, like flydubai or Lufthansa group even for later dates. I then asked them to.punt my tickets to the end of March for pesach to which they replied they can only book up to 7 days later, to which I responded that you cancelled flights until the end of August so how can we do that? Still waiting for a supervisor…. @dansdeals, Dan can you go after united on social media? They are a total disgrace and are leaving customers high and dry, I am even a 1k member.
Huca. Wait till u get a nice rep (if you’re 1k and call during the day, u usually get nice ones).
I had an award ticket that was booked for a flight that united canceled pesach time. I recently called united and asked if they can rebook for the flight that I wanted and they did it no problem, even though there wasn’t any saver seats avail on the flight that I wanted
Yup rebooted for for pesach, finally got a supervisor to do it. My tickets were fully refundable anyways so no risk. I had no idea.
Do I need to have my Amex enrolled for the 35% reimbursement? (New card with no airline selected yet, and I don’t want to select now)
Not for business class.
which time zone will they go by for tickets purchased by Today US or israel?
For the rebate does it matter if ticket is one way or round trip
No
If I book a flight to TLV with Delta and they cancel the flights to/from Israel, will they get me a seat on EL-AL?
Probably
Wouldn’t it show on amex travel as cancelled status and still get the 35% rebate?
On the 2nd page when designating a name and email address other than myself of where to send the voucher to (as it states it allows it to be transferred), will this still allow the voucher to be used by someone else or it is now designated to the passenger with the specific info specified on the 2nd page?
No difference.
does it go by the date in israel or usa? can i still try to get a voucher by booking now?
I’m not sure what the big deal is with Amex points being worth 1.54 cents if you jump through hoops today. For those of us with CSR, UR points are always worth 1.5 cents for travel on any airline, and (at least for me) UR points are easier to earn than MR points.
Because people also have AMEX points to use?
I’ve tried everything and Amex NEVER shows any El Al flights. How do I get Amex to show El Al flights? (I am choosing dates between now and 8/10 in business)
See the links in the beginning of today’s update for finding El Al flights.
Not working. El Al tool, for example, shows availability TLV-BOS, Amex doesn’t come up with any El Al flights on that date.
Use ITA Matrix.
Do you know if flights booked through el Al but says “operated by delta” would typically be canceled if delta is not flying? (Flight in sept)
it is a delta flight not an elal flight.
Can I still do this today?
Don’t think so per the date
I booked a ticket with Alaska points for me and my 1.5 year old son. Elal is now saying that because we booked with a travel agent, they won’t help. I REALLY dont want to deal with this at the gate (we have a 10:30 AM flight while we usually take the red eye). Do you have any thoughts on what to do?
Once voucher is applied if ticket is cancelled will it revert back to voucher or reg. travel credit?
Is this still available?
Plus 1
What is the refund/ credit policy for flights after August 10?
Does anyone know which cancellation policy my ticket would fall under if I book an El Al business class ticket today/tomorrow via Qantas (Capital One miles transfer)? Thanks.
i booked several flights last night on Amex travel, canceled shortly thereafter on El Al , only received an email regarding one of my canceled flights. I tried to resubmit the cancelation on ElAl and i got a message that a request for this was already recorded. On Amex Travel it still shows the flight itinerary…
Just wondering if this is normal or if i need to do something.. lots of amex points on the line…
I’m in the same boat. On amex all flights are showing as active?
Anyone get it yet?
When do the 35% of points back usually post? This is the first time I bought tickets with points on my Business Platinum card.
Has anyone received their El Al voucher yet? The email from El Al said 1 week, and now it is longer than 1 week and still no voucher has arrived.
Still no voucher. I’m starting to get worried. El Al said one week!
Anyone else get their voucher?
Any way to turn an award ticket book through Alaska Air into a voucher for future use on El Al?
No.
Thank you Dan!
Hi Dan, So glad to hear this – I spent 45 minutes on hold and speaking to someone last week that said, expires eoy (I have about 2,500 US in voucher) — Original ticket was for Oct 10 last year.
he said I could backdoor solution by booking a ticket with $29 extra checkout change fee-guarantee for any date next year and then cancel/change to turn it into a voucher again next year. But very glad I don’t need to do that now – will they email us something proving the expiration is now extended?
Any way for amex MR bp points converted to a voucher with the rebate?
I got LY Ticket thru chase UR. Used one way, wont use second part for a while, bf of war. called LY several times, tix expring soon. used HALF. Ly said to call chase, chase say to call LY, and here we are………… any expertise with success resolution for HALF used?
chase trip protection does not cover war. what if we cant travel to the north due to war zone, and need to cancel trip? a. if asked for a refund b if need to extend beyong one year from booking? c ELAL CEO email and info? Thank you
Hi Dan.
Can you point me in the right direction please. I have about 2,800 worth of vouchers on El-al that I want to sell. I am not sure where/how that’s done. Thank you
https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=10538
Can you purchase a business class ticket with amex platinum and get the 35% rebate and then cancel it before the 24 hours on ELAL website and still get a voucher ? is that a workaround for getting a voucher and using amex 35% rebate
Can the voucher then be used for multiple tickets?
Yes
today israel time or EST time? please clarify
EST from AMEX.
Not sure I understand this. As this promotions is from Elal, and in Israel its already Wednesday. Can we still do this till midnight in the USA ?
Yes, as AMEX issues tickets in ET.
Ok Booked! Thanks
כְּתִיבָה וְחֲתִימָה טוֹבָה!
“EL AL customers who purchased a ticket on or before Wednesday, October 1st”
Is it Wednesday or Tuesday Oct 1st?
can flight originate outside US for 35% bonus and voucher
I’m searching on Amex travel, for some reason I’m not seeing any el al flights. Any clue why?
I keep getting this error- The ticket you entered does not qualify for any benefit. For your convenience, contact Customer Service to change your flight dates.
Just booked AMS to TLV in J using amex bp mr. When I attempted to get voucher with LY i got this message. “The ticket you entered does not qualify for any benefit. For your convenience, contact Customer Service to change your flight dates.”
Contact El Al.
are these flights eligible for a 24 hour risk free cancellation if booked via amex if el al refuses to issue voucher?
Yes
I think they are closed till tomorrow
El AL can cancel and email back office team for a voucher. Is this recommended?
Sure
I got the same thing I dont think the system is letting it go anymore
Also had this. I tried later and it did work
Great
Just some data points I tried this and canceled my flight changed it to a voucher and right before that flight was supposed to happen Amex emailed me they canceled my flight. So I lost my points. I never spoke to Amex…
Uh.
Call AMEX for your rebate.
But if flight is showing cancelled on their end why would they still give rebate?
Because you paid for the flight. Thousands of people have done this to date.
We just went through this again in August during a 1 day window like this, read the comments upthread.