ISRAEL'S AIRLINE
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EL AL Airlines was established in 1948 as the national carrier of the
State of Israel. Since then, it has grown into a global airline with
destinations in Europe, North America, Far East and South Africa.
Its loyalty program, Matmid Club, was launched in 1985 and in recent
years has been favorably rated by its members during the annual Freddie
Awards voting.
EL AL offers points according to flight destination and fare
class and the system is rather complicated. EL AL destinations are
divided into seven flight zones for flights out of Israel. The more
distant the destination, or when flying premium class, the more points
you can accumulate. Flights within Zone A (Athens) earns between 15 and
135 points, depending on class. Zone B (Bucharest, Sofia) earns between
20 and 200 points. Zone C (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Frankfurt,
Munich, Brussels, Geneva, Zurich, London, Marseille, Milan, Venice,
Rome, Paris, Moscow, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Warsaw) earns between 25
and 250 points. Zone D (Johannesburg, Mumbai) earns between 40 and 350
points. Zone E (New York, Toronto) earns between 50 and 500 points. Zone
F (Los Angeles) earns between 65 and 550 points. And Zone G (Bangkok,
Beijing, Hong Kong) earns between 50 and 500 points. You can quickly see
that a flight ranging from 50 points or 500 points demonstrates that
flights in first class can earn 10 times as much as that same flight in
economy.
And if you travel with a pet, Israel residents can earn 20 points per
round trip flight to any destination where pets are allowed to fly. In
the U.S., pets flying three trips in three years will receive a fourth
trip free.
Matmid Club members can also earn points for flights on partner
airlines, hotel stays, car rentals, credit cards and various other
partners.
Matmid Club awards are restricted to free flights, flight
upgrades and being able to pay part of award flight fuel surcharges with
points; and do not include awards for car rentals, hotel stays or
others.
Awards are divided by zones from A to G. Roundtrip coach flights begin
at 500 points for flights from Tel Aviv to Athens, Prague or Larnaca
(Zone A). Essentially, this means a member flying in the cheapest seats
possible will need about 17 short-haul roundtrip flights (34 segments at
15 points each) or five discount roundtrips from New York City to Tel
Aviv to earn a free short-haul ticket. Roundtrip flights between Tel
Aviv and New York City or Toronto are 1,400 points in economy, 3,000
points in business and 5,000 points in first class and roundtrip award
flights between Tel Aviv and Los Angeles are 1,800 in economy, 4,000 in
business and 5,400 in first. One-way flight awards are offered at half
the amount of a roundtrip.
You can pay for upgrades on EL AL flights in points or in a combination
of money and points, providing the ticket you hold is eligible for an
upgrade. You can supplement up to half of the number of points needed
for an upgrade voucher with money. Generally, upgrades run from 100 to
750 points, depending on zone. You can help pay fuel surcharges on award
flights with points from $30 for 60 points to $75 of the cost covered
for 150 points for one-way tickets, depending on award zone and is the
same for any travel class.
Elite-level members are eligible for "last-minute" upgrades at
discounted rates. Discounted upgrades start at 25 points for a one-way
upgrade from coach to business class within Zone 1.
EL AL Matmid Club partners with American Airlines, Aeromexico,
Qantas and South African Airways to provide global reach for members.
Flying on American Airlines will net Matmid Club members 20 to 40 points
for flights up to 500 miles, 30 to 60 points for flights between
501-1,500 miles, and at various levels up to 140-280 points for flights
of 6,501 miles and above. A roundtrip award flight on American Airlines
within the U.S. is 1,300 points in economy, 2,600 points in business
class and 3,600 points in first class. If you're coming from Israel to
North America with a combined EL AL-American flight, the amounts are
2,200 points in economy, 4,000 points in business class and 5,600 points
in first class. Other destinations on American Airlines range from
1,700 points (between North America and Hawaii or Central America) in
economy to 5,400 points in first class (between North America and
Japan).
EL AL also has codeshare agreements with Iberia, SWISS, S7 Airlines,
Vietnam Airlines and Ethiopian where members can earn points on
codeshare flights that are operated with EL AL's airline code.
Hotel partners include Hilton (7-14 points per stay), InterContinental
Hotels Group (one point per $20 spent; 10 points for InterContinental
stays), Starwood (12 points per stay), Radisson (20 points per stay),
Dan Hotels (5-10 points per night), Inbal Hotel Jerusalem (five points
per night), Golden Tulip (8 or 16 points per stay), Carlton (five points
per night), Pantages Suites Hotel and Spa Toronto (seven points per
night) and Tamares (five points per night). In addition, IHG Rewards
Club points can be converted into Matmid points (10,000 IHG points = 40
Matmid Club points). EL AL Matmid and Dan Hotels members have a combined
Club, the EL AL-DAN Club, that offers members special benefits for
hotel stays.
Car rental partners include Avis (10 points per car rental, 15 points
if Gold or Platinum), Budget (10 point per rental), Hertz (10 points per
rental), Sixt (12 points per rental), Ofran (12 points per rental,
minimum seven days) and Europcar (12 points per rental). None of the car
rental partners allow members to earn points for rentals in Israel.
Hertz Shekels can be converted to Matmid Club points starting at 70
Hertz Shekels for 20 EL AL points.
Retail and miscellaneous partners include EL AL Fly and Buy, Sonol,
Rikushet, Tal Limousine, Optika Halperin and Carmel Limousine.
Members may also opt to donate points to one of EL AL's charity
partners: Hayim Layeled, ZAKA, Friends of the IDF, Etgarim, Ezer Mizion,
Chai Lifeline, Larger Than Life, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Ezra Lemarpeh
and Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization.
EL AL does not offer its own co-branded credit card, but a number of
other credit card loyalty program currencies can be converted into
Matmid Club points. American Express Membership Rewards Points, for
example, can be converted at a rate between five and 29 Membership
Rewards points to one Matmid point, depending on card type. Other credit
card partners include Isracard, Leumi Card, Diners and Cal.
Matmid Club is one of the few programs in the world that offers
benefits to its base-level members. Once enrolled, a new member can take
advantage of priority seat selection and special deals for members
only.
The four-tiered elite-level program includes Silver, Gold, Platinum and
Top Platinum Circle. Silver membership is attained by accumulating
1,000 base points from EL AL flights during 12 consecutive months. Only
points earned from flying on EL AL will count toward elite status
qualification. Membership is renewed for 800 points during that period.
Silver benefits include a 10-percent earning bonus for EL AL flights,
guaranteed seating in economy class up to 72 hours before a flight for
tickets in Y class and reduced price last-minute upgrades 48 hours
before a flight.
Gold status is achieved after earning 2,000 points in a year, and
renewed for 1,800 points. Benefits include all those of Silver, plus
complimentary membership in the King David Club, including preferential
check-in at the King David Club counters and entry to EL AL's lounges,
an additional 25 percent on all points accumulated on EL AL flights,
guaranteed seating in economy class Y up to 48 hours beforehand,
additional luggage allowance, additional award seat availability
spending 1.5 the number of points for economy class and an
assured-in-advance upgrade from economy class for double the points.
Platinum membership, 5,000 points in a year and 4,500 points to renew,
includes an additional 50 percent flight bonus points, guaranteed
seating in economy class Y up to 24 hours before a flight, a 50-percent
discount on the price of last-minute upgrades from business to first
class and Platinum concierge services.
Top Platinum status is given to members who earn 10,000 points in a
year or who fly 65 flight segments and earn at least 9,000 points in a
year. Top Platinum members receive all of the benefits of the lower
tiers, plus personalized service by a Personal File Manager who will
assist you with your account and reservations. Top Platinum members also
receive two free upgrades to business class, EL AL Platinum concierge
services, guaranteed seating in business class C up to 24 hours before a
flight, member and accompanying passenger get preferred seating, can
upgrade to first class from D class when space is available for points,
family members can get a free second piece of luggage, five percent
discount on EL AL Duty Free, welcome gift, special gatherings and free
ground transportation to the airport when flying on a first class award
ticket. Top Platinum members also receive special gifts throughout the
year.
EL AL Matmid Club offers a lifetime elite membership of Gold status if
they are 65 years and older and have been Gold or higher status for the
past 10 years. Matmid Club also features the King David Club offering
lounge access and more when purchasing a membership or earning as an
elite member. As of July 1, 2014, new members are no longer being
accepted. Those who are current King David Club members will continue to
enjoy the service as long as their membership is valid.
Past flights within two months to the date you join Matmid Club can
earn points and missing flight points can be claimed up to a year.
Matmid Club points earned from flying EL AL expire in three years.
Points earned from all partner activity do not have an expiration date.
You can purchase points for $1 per point. Points can also be purchased
and given as a gift at the same price. Points cannot be transferred or
combined.
Anyone aged two and up can join the program. When you join the EL AL
Matmid Club, you may also join the GlobaLY progam. Through this program,
EL AL donates five percent of the points earned by overseas Matmid Club
members to organizations that work towards strengthening ties with
Israel. The organizations can use the points for bringing young Jews to
Israel, flying lone soldiers abroad to visit their families and helping
fulfill the wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses.
Matmid Club members can contact the service center via phone,
fax, email or regular mail. Platinum and Gold members have access to the
call center 24 hours a day and everyone else can call Sunday through
Thursday, 8am to 7pm and Friday and holidays, 8am to 1pm.
In general, Matmid Club members report they are happy with the customer service the program provides.
EL AL's site offers many functions you would expect of a major
program, including online enrollment, award charts, program information
and news. Flight award vouchers and flight reservations for EL AL
flights can be made online but awards on partner airlines must be made
over the phone.
Members may manage their accounts online on the e-club page and they
can elect to receive online information regarding the Club, including
Club messages and a point balance report. Missing point requests for EL
AL flights can be made online.
Even non-elite members receive extra benefits from participating
in Matmid Club and the number of points required to requalify for elite
levels is lower than the initial requirement. Offering one-way awards
for half the cost of roundtrip awards is a plus.