How to fly to New York on points
New York City is one of the most popular travel destinations in the world. It is known for its bustling streets, iconic landmarks, and rich culture and history. From the bright lights of Times Square to the peaceful green spaces of Central Park, there is something for everyone to enjoy in this vibrant and exciting city.
The cost of flying to New York from Australia can range from $1,800 to $4,000 return in Economy, and north of $10,000 in Business Class. Sometimes as high as $20,000 per person!
Using points is the cheapest way to fly Business Class to New York. In this guide, you’ll learn how many points you need to fly and how to redeem a points seat to New York City.
How many points do I need to fly to New York?
From Sydney or Melbourne, you’ll need at-least 55,200 points to fly one-way in Economy or 127,500 points to fly one-way in Business Class - which is as ‘cheap as chips’.
Points quoted as one-way, per person. SYD/MEL to NYC:
Flying Economy:
Qantas Points (on QF planes): 55,200
Virgin Velocity (United Airways): 59,800
Krisflyer Miles (Singapore Airlines via Singapore): 66,000
American Express MR Points: 2 AMEX points = 1 airline point conversion
Flying Business Class:
Qantas Points (on QF planes): 144,600
Virgin Velocity (with United Airways): 127,500
Krisflyer Miles (Singapore Airlines via Singapore): 145,500
American Express MR Points: 2 AMEX points = 1 airline point conversion
For more detailed points info, check out our Points Calculator app
How do I book a points seat to New York?
Here is an overview of how to book a points seat with Qantas airways. Each airline’s process will be slightly different.
1. Login to your Qantas account
Go to Qantas.com and login to your Qantas account.
2. Search for a flight and tick ‘Use Points’
When entering your trip information, tick the ‘Use Points’ box and also tick ‘Flexible with Dates’ to give you a monthly view of what seats are available.
3. Look for Classic Reward seats
Qantas will show you a range of seat options, including cash fares and Points+Pay fares. What you’re looking for is ‘Classic Reward’ fares. These are the best value and are a fixed points price. Look for the badge icon in the month or week calendar view.
4. Keep searching daily
Finding points reward seats are like fishing. There are always seats out there, but you have to be at the right place at the right time to ‘catch’ one. Sometimes seats are not available on the dates you selected, but fresh seats could be available tomorrow. The best seats are found by searching every day.
Points rewards seats open up for booking 353 days (Qantas)/350 days (Velocity)/355 days (Singapore Airlines) in advance, but it doesn’t mean seats are always available on opening day. Often, you can find seats last minute too, but for popular destinations, your best chances are to book ahead by 6 to 12 months. There is no hard or strict rule, the key is to start searching as soon as your dates are ready.
Hence why we use the fishing analogy as the best way to describe finding points reward seats.
5. Tired of searching? Use iFLYflat’s Flight Concierge
If you have trouble finding the points reward seats you desire, or don’t understand the process, or just don’t have the time or patience to ‘fish’ for your ideal points reward seats. Our Points Flight Concierge can help, a specialised service that has the experience of booking nearly 1 Billion points helping client fly in the pointy-end with their points. The team seeks out how to find the best seats for the lowest points and charges a booking fee on a success basis.
Find out more at the Points Flight Concierge page.
15 things to see and do in New York City
Visit the Empire State Building: Take in stunning views of the city from the observation deck of this iconic skyscraper.
See a show on Broadway: Catch a musical or play in the heart of the theater district.
Visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Explore one of the world's largest and finest art museums.
Walk through Central Park: Stroll through the lush greenery and gardens of this beloved city park.
Visit the Statue of Liberty: Take a ferry to see this iconic symbol of freedom up close.
See the 9/11 Memorial and Museum: Pay your respects at the site of the former World Trade Center and learn about the events of September 11th.
Visit the High Line park: Walk along this elevated park built on a former railway line.
Visit the American Museum of Natural History: Explore the wonders of the natural world at this popular museum.
Take a ferry to Staten Island to see the Statue of Liberty up close: Get a closer look at the statue from the water.
Visit Times Square: See the bright lights and bustling crowds of this famous intersection.
Visit the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): View works by some of the world's most famous modern and contemporary artists.
Visit the National September 11th Memorial and Museum: Pay your respects and learn about the events of 9/11 at this moving museum.
Take a food tour of the city: Sample some of the best food New York has to offer on a guided tour.
Visit the Brooklyn Bridge: Walk or bike across this iconic bridge for stunning views of the city skyline.
See a game at Yankee Stadium: Catch a baseball game at the home of the New York Yankees.
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Written by Steve Hui
Steve Hui, known as ‘The Points Whisperer’ is the founder and CEO of iFLYflat — Australia’s leading reward travel team and advisors.
Connect with Steve on Linkedin.
Points quoted and prices are subject to change.