Best Ways to Fly to Egypt with Points

Whether it’s the Pyramids of Giza, world-class reefs and shipwreck diving or the temples of Aswan and Luxor, Egypt offers the traveler an array of things to do and see. For this reason, Egypt tends to be high on most peoples’ bucket list.

As always, we’re focused on making travel affordable—and you can’t get much cheaper than point-funded award flights.

Let’s look at the best ways to fly to Egypt with points, as well as the best cards for earning points to fund your Egypt vacation.

Air Canada Aeroplan

Air Canada doesn’t operate direct flights to Egypt, but it’s a member of the Star Alliance. That means you can use Air Canada miles to book award flights with other carriers through its loyalty program, Aeroplan.

Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the few airlines that still uses a distance-based award chart for both its own award flights and partner flights. This means you have greater potential to make the value of your miles go further, particularly during seasons of peak travel where equivalent cash prices run high.

You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points, Bilt Points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Capital One miles to Air Canada Aeroplan, making it a convenient option for most people.

Award Flights to Cairo

When flying from the United States (U.S.) to Egypt, your port of entry will be Cairo.

This historic city has much to offer, such as the pyramids of Giza and Saqqara, the Citadel of Saladin, Downtown Cairo, Zamalek, Khan el-Khalili bazaar and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. It also serves as the gateway to the rest of Egypt, offering short and cheap domestic flights to Hurghada, Sharm El Sheik, Alexandria and more.

Flights from New York-Kennedy (JFK) and the East coast to Cairo fall into the 4,001 to 6,000 miles category, with following one-way award rates:

Flights from Los Angeles (LAX) and the West coast fall into the 6,001 to 8,000 miles category, with the following one-way award rates:

As you can see from both charts, taking advantage of Air Canada’s partner airlines can help you secure the lowest award rates. For Egypt, that means taking advantage of EgyptAir.

In the screenshot below, you can see that the cheapest option is to fly non-stop with Star Alliance partner EgyptAir to Cairo (CAI), with award rates starting at 40,000 miles + $80 Canadian dollars ($59 USD) one-way for economy class and 70,000 miles + CA$80 one-way for business class from New York.

Award flights from Los Angeles—while not direct—cost 55,000 miles + CA$88 ($65 USD) in economy and 90,000 miles + CA$88 in business one-way.

Once you’re in Egypt, Air Canada Aeroplan miles can come in handy when booking domestic flights, as you’ll be able to book EgyptAir award fares.

While Cairo has much to see, it’s only the beginning of what Egypt has to offer.

Do keep in mind that domestic airfare often runs cheap, so it’s worth considering whether to pay the fare with cash upfront or redeem miles. Generally speaking, if you’re not getting at least 1 cent a piece for your miles, you’re better off paying cash—unless you have miles to burn.

Award Flights to Sharm El Sheik

Sharm El Sheik is a popular destination for travelers, home to luxury beachfront hotels and Ras Mohammed National Park. Sharm has some of the best scuba diving the Red Sea has on offer, with an array of reefs and wrecks to explore. Likewise, Sharm El Sheik is the gateway to Dahab, a small town on the Gulf of Aqaba with a low-key hippie vibe that offers great diving, the world-famous Blue Hole and Bedouin adventures in the South Sinai desert.

Award flights from Cairo to Sharm El Sheik (SSH) booked through Air Canada will cost 7,500 miles + CA$50 ($37 USD) for a one-way economy fare and 15,000 miles + CA$50 for a business-class fare. Considering these domestic flights are short, it’s often worth going for economy to save your miles, unless you want to benefit from extra baggage perks.

Award Flights to Hurghada and Marsa Alam

South of Cairo, Hurghada is another popular destination—similar to Sharm El Sheik—offering beach resort hotels and world-class diving. It’s particularly popular among scuba divers as it’s the base for hundreds of liveaboards operating routes to the deep south.

Award flights from Cairo to Hurghada (HRG) booked through Air Canada will cost 7,500 miles + CA$50 ($37 USD) for a one-way economy fare and 15,000 miles + CA$50 for a business-class fare.

Further south along the coast is the smaller town of Marsa Alam. For those looking to escape the big cities and enjoy crystal clear bays and pristine reefs, Marsa Alam is a top choice. Award flights aren’t as regular with EgyptAir to Marsa Alam, but you can find them depending on your dates. They’ll cost 7,500 miles + CA$50 ($37 USD) for a one-way economy fare and 15,000 miles + CA$50 for a business-class fare.

If you can’t find an award flight from Cairo to Marsa Alam, you’d be better off flying from Cairo to Hurghada and then taking local transportation to get to Marsa Alam. The drive takes a little over three hours and you can find taxis for $60 to $70 per way.

Award Flights to Luxor and Aswan

Luxor and Aswan are located on the Nile, three hours apart from each other, and are home to numerous historic sites.

Luxor has a sprawling array of temples, including the Temple of Karnak, Temple of Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Further down the Nile, Aswan is likewise home to a wide range of sites to be seen, such as Abu Simbel Temple, the Unfinished Obelisk and the Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan. In both cities, you can enjoy a sunset Faluka ride to end your long day of sightseeing.

Award flights to either of these cities from Cairo cost 7,500 miles + CA$50 ($37 USD) for a one-way economy fare and 15,000 miles + CA$50 for a business-class fare.

Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Air France/KLM’s loyalty program, Flying Blue, is another option when looking for award fares to Egypt. You can create an account with either of the airlines and start searching for award fares.

Unfortunately, you won’t find any direct flights to Cairo from the U.S. when flying with Air France or KLM. However, if you don’t mind a long connection, you can get excellent value for your points.

For example, a one-way economy award fare from New York-Kennedy to Cairo can cost as low as 30,000 miles + $180.19 in taxes and fees. That same flight would cost you $888 if paid with cash, meaning you’re getting about 2.4 cents per mile (including taxes and fees).

Alternatively, a one-way economy award flight from Los Angeles to Cairo can cost as low as 33,000 miles + $191.99 in taxes and fees. The same flight paid with cash would cost you $1,086, making your miles worth 2.7 cents apiece. However, it also costs you two stopovers with a total transit time of 24 hours and 20 minutes, so you need to decide whether it’s worth it.

Business-class award fares tend to run high on these routes with Air France and KLM, so it’s best for those looking for a cheap economy award fare who can tolerate long connection times.

You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points, Bilt Points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points, Capital One miles and Citi ThankYou Points to Flying Blue, making it a convenient transfer partner.

American Airlines

American Airlines AAdvantage is a solid choice when booking award fares to Egypt. While American itself doesn’t fly to Egypt, it offers a zone-based award chart that makes for lucrative redemptions with partner airlines. As a member of the Oneworld Alliance, you have a wide range of partner airlines to choose from when booking through American.

American Airlines uses the following award chart for partner-operated flights from the U.S. to the Middle East.

As it’s zone-based, you’ll pay the same amount in miles whether you’re based on the West or the East coast.

American Airlines’ search tool is easy to use and doesn’t require you to log in when searching for award flights. Generally speaking, you’ll want to avoid booking award flights with Oneworld partner British Airways through American. British Airways has some of the highest fuel surcharges of any airline tacked onto their award fares, drastically reducing the value of your redemptions. Instead, look for flights with Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Royal Air Maroc and Royal Jordan.

For instance, a one-way economy award fare with British Airways from New York-Kennedy to Cairo costs 40,000 miles + $274.19 in fuel surcharges.

In contrast, a one-way economy award flight on the same day with Etihad costs 40,000 miles + $19.89 in taxes and fees. By opting for non-British Airways operated flights, you can make the value of your miles go much further.

The same applies when booking business award fares. A one-way business award fare from New York to Cairo costs 70,000 miles + $19.59 with Royal Jordanian. If you were to go for the same route and date with British Airways in business class, you’d pay 70,000 miles + $1,114.19. That’s up to $1,094.60 in savings, simply by avoiding British Airways-operated flights.

The main challenge when booking through AAdvantage is finding business- and first-class award seat availability with Etihad and Qatar. For Etihad, you’ll be able to access business- and first-class award fares up to only 30 days before departure when booking through American Airlines.

You can earn American AAdvantage miles through spending with Citi and Barclays’ range of co-branded AAdvantage cards. Unfortunately, you aren’t able to transfer Amex points, Chase points or Capital One miles to AAdvantage.

United Airlines

Last but far from least is United Airlines MileagePlus. As a Star Alliance member, you have access to a wide range of airlines when searching for award availability.

You can find affordable economy award fares with Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Swiss Airlines, Turkish Airlines and more. One-way economy award fares can go for 44,000 miles + $54.39.

You can also find affordable business-class fares, such as with Swiss for around 88,000 miles + $26.49, with a connection in Zurich.

Just keep in mind that United uses dynamic pricing for both its own and its partner award flights, meaning you’ll likely find the lowest fares during off-peak travel dates. If you’re planning to fly to Egypt during peak travel seasons, you may be better off booking with one of the other airlines suggested above.

You can transfer Bilt Points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United MileagePlus for lucrative redemptions.

Best Cards to Earn Points for Flying to Egypt

When flying to Egypt on points and miles, there are many cards that can help you get there.

You can either opt to earn transferable points on a general travel rewards credit card or miles with the specific airline through a co-branded credit card.

If you want to leave yourself with maximum flexibility come redemption time, you’re best off prioritizing a general travel rewards card. However, if you fly regularly with a single airline and its partners, and would like to benefit from complimentary elite status and other perks, you might be better off with a co-branded credit card.

Examples of general travel rewards cards include:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• American Express® Gold Card
• Bilt Mastercard®
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

These cards come with a wide range of transfer partners that you can utilize when booking award flights to Egypt. For instance, you can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Air Canada Aeroplan, Flying Blue and United MileagePlus. Likewise, Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Points and Capital One miles can all be transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan and Flying Blue.

This flexibility gives you the best chance of securing the lowest award fare when booking flights.

Alternatively, Air Canada, Air France/KLM, American and United all have co-branded credit cards that enable you to earn miles directly with their respective loyalty programs. If you’re certain that you can commit to using one of these loyalty programs for most of your flights, and you want access to specific cardholder perks with the airline, you could be better off with one of their co-branded cards.

Final Thoughts

When trying to tick Egypt off your bucket list, there are a wide range of ways you can get there and back on points alone. While EgyptAir is the only airline that flies directly from the U.S. to Cairo, you can still take advantage of other loyalty programs including Flying Blue, AAdvantage and United MileagePlus to book affordable award fares with partner airlines.

And when equipped with the right credit card, you can earn points and miles on your everyday expenditure that you can leverage for award fares. So whether you’re going for the reefs or the pyramids, you’ll be able to fly to Egypt on the cheap.