Business class award fares to Athens from New York started at 57,500 points one way in PointsGPT's recorded finds, and half of the 11 New York business finds were at or below 75,000. Economy from New York started at 17,500 points, on Emirates Skywards nonstops from Newark. This is a small sample: 41 finds in all, 7 in economy and 25 in business. These finds were from US departure cities, recorded September to November 2026, for one traveler, one way, as of 3 November 2026. They were available when someone searched and may not be by the time you do. Award availability changes frequently.
What the recorded finds show
A recorded find is the cheapest award fare a PointsGPT search returned in the cabin and on the dates the person asked for. The figures below are airline miles, one way, for one traveler, to Athens International (ATH). When your card points transfer at 1:1, the miles and the card points are the same number.
From New York (JFK, Newark and LaGuardia):
- Business (11 finds, from 10 people): two were 57,500 points through American Airlines AAdvantage, both connecting from Newark. Two more were 59,000 through Emirates Skywards, both nonstop from Newark. Half were at or below 75,000, and 3 of the 11 were nonstop.
- Economy (4 finds): two were 17,500 points through Emirates Skywards, nonstop from Newark. Half were at or below 18,125, and 2 of the 4 were nonstop.
From Los Angeles (LAX and the nearby airports):
- Business (6 finds): the cheapest was 88,000 points through United MileagePlus, then 110,000 through Air Canada Aeroplan. Half were at or below 153,200, and none of the 6 was nonstop.
- We recorded no Los Angeles economy finds to Athens.
From other cities: from Chicago, business finds were 70,000 points through Alaska Atmos and 75,000 through Aeroplan, and the one economy find was 21,000 through AAdvantage, nonstop. From Houston, the one business find was 60,000 through Flying Blue.
From every US departure city we recorded:
- Business (25 finds): a quarter were at or below 70,000 points, half at or below 100,000 and three quarters at or below 200,000. No price came up more than twice. The most common, 57,500, 59,000, 70,000, 75,000 and 90,000, each appeared two times.
- Economy (7 finds): a quarter were at or below 18,750 points, half at or below 21,000 and three quarters at or below 28,000. The most common price was 17,500 (2 of 7).
Most of these fares connected. Only 3 of the 7 economy finds and 3 of the 25 business finds were nonstop. The economy figures, and every city figure except New York business, rest on fewer than 10 finds, so read them as a range.
| Recorded | Route | Cabin | Program | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Oct 2026 | EWR → ATH | Economy | Emirates Skywards | 17,500 |
| 3 Nov 2026 | JFK → ATH | Economy | Flying Blue | 18,750 |
| 22 Oct 2026 | ORD → ATH | Economy | American Airlines AAdvantage | 21,000 |
| 25 Oct 2026 | EWR → ATH | Business | American Airlines AAdvantage | 57,500 |
| 10 Oct 2026 | EWR → ATH | Business | Emirates Skywards | 59,000 |
| 30 Oct 2026 | IAH → ATH | Business | Flying Blue | 60,000 |
| 16 Oct 2026 | ORD → ATH | Business | Alaska Atmos | 70,000 |
| 30 Oct 2026 | LAX → ATH | Business | United MileagePlus | 88,000 |
Which programs priced these fares
Each search shows a board of fares from several programs. Of the 41 Athens finds, Flying Blue was on the board for 27, followed by Air Canada Aeroplan (25), Delta SkyMiles (22), United MileagePlus (18) and Emirates Skywards (16). AAdvantage priced the find itself most often (9 of 41), ahead of Aeroplan, Emirates and Flying Blue (7 each), then Delta and Alaska Atmos (4 each).
These are the card points that reach each program, from the transfer grid PointsGPT uses:
- Flying Blue: Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Points, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Points, all at 1:1.
- Aeroplan: Amex, Bilt, Capital One and Chase at 1:1.
- AAdvantage: Citi at 1:1.
- Emirates Skywards: Bilt at 1:1, Amex and Citi at 5:4, and Capital One at 4:3.
- United MileagePlus: Bilt and Chase at 1:1.
- Delta SkyMiles: Amex at 1:1.
- Alaska Atmos: Bilt at 1:1.
You can check each of the programs PointsGPT searches before you pick one. Partner lists and ratios change, so check your card's current partner list before you transfer. A transfer cannot be undone.
Watch the cash part on Athens fares
Every award fare carries taxes and fees paid in cash, and some programs add carrier surcharges on routes to Europe. In economy, all 4 Flying Blue finds and both Emirates finds carried three-figure cash charges, while the one AAdvantage find from Chicago was single-figure.
In business, the cash part split by program. Aeroplan was two-figure on 4 of 7 finds and three-figure on 3. AAdvantage was two-figure on 3 of 5 and three-figure on 2. Both United finds were two-figure. Emirates was three-figure on 3 of 5 and four-figure on 2. Alaska Atmos was four-figure on 2 of 3, including the 70,000-point fares from JFK and Chicago, and the one Qantas find was four-figure too. So a low points price can still carry a large cash part. See the surcharge trap for why programs charge so differently for the same flight.
Plan your search
- Flexible dates: search a few days either side of your target. With this few finds, a wider window shows more of what is open.
- Two or more travelers: search for everyone at once. One award fare on a flight does not mean the same price is open for your whole party.
- Nonstop or one stop: the Emirates finds from Newark were nonstop, while most other cheap finds connected, so compare both.
- Other Mediterranean cities: if Athens prices high on your dates, our guide to Rome business class on points covers the recorded fares there.
Points or cash?
Before you transfer, compare the award fare's full cost, the points plus the cash part, with the cash fare for the same flight. When the cash fare is already low, paying cash can keep your points for a trip where they cover more. Our guide to points versus cash covers the questions to ask.
How to search it in PointsGPT
When you start a search, type the trip the way you would say it, for example:
Business class from New York to Athens, any week in May, 2 travelers
- Tell PointsGPT which card points you hold, so it can mark the fares those points reach.
- Compare the points and the cash part on each fare, nonstop and connecting.
- Confirm the fare with the airline program before you transfer, because the transfer cannot be reversed.