Compare 8 loyalty programs for San Francisco to New York award flights, with economy seats from 9,500 points.
San Francisco to New York is a transcontinental domestic route with nonstop award seats on Delta, JetBlue, and American Airlines. It's priced by eight programs, and the cheapest economy award is 9,500 points with Delta SkyMiles, on a nonstop. On domestic flights, check the cash fare before redeeming: points earn their keep when the award price clearly undercuts it. Every SFO–JFK award below is broken out program by program.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 DeltaDL | 9,500Lowest | Not available | 53,000pts | 100,500pts |
 JetBlueB6 | 10,400pts | Not available | 60,000pts | Not available |
 American AirlinesAA | 12,500pts | 22,500Lowest | 25,000Lowest | Not available |
 Alaska AirlinesAS | 12,500pts | Not available | 89,400pts | 25,000Lowest |
 United AirlinesUA | 45,000pts | Not available | Not available | 300,000pts |
 Qatar AirwaysQR | 105,000pts | Not available | 240,000pts | Not available |
When award seats between San Francisco and New York price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 9,500 |
| Dec 2026 | 12,500 |
| Jan 2027 | 12,000 |
| Feb 2027 | 18,900 |
| Mar 2027 | 18,900 |
| Apr 2027 | 13,500 |
| May 2027 | No award data |
| Jun 2027 | No award data |
| Jul 2027 | No award data |
| Aug 2027 | No award data |
| Sep 2027 | No award data |
| Oct 2027 | No award data |
6 airlines with award seats between San Francisco and New York, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAAAlaska AirlinesASJetBlueB6DeltaDLQatar AirwaysQRUnited AirlinesUAWhat to know before booking San Francisco to New York with points.
About 2,580 miles, roughly 5h40 nonstop. New York is 3 hours ahead of San Francisco. Data covers November 2026–October 2027, with calendar prices for six months. Of the well-covered ones, November 2026 is the cheapest (9,500 points), while April 2027 (13,500) runs higher.
San Francisco to New York is served by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and 3 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 8 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 9,500 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
Flying San Francisco to New York covers about 2,580 miles, linking San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK); a nonstop takes roughly 5h40, with winds moving it either way. The nonstop award space in the data is split across Delta, JetBlue, and American Airlines. Aircraft logged on those nonstops include the Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 737-900. Nonstops account for about 23% of the award options in the data.
For San Francisco–New York, the cash fare is the benchmark an award has to beat. Here the lowest economy price is also the quickest trip: a Delta nonstop booked through the airline's own program. Expect about $6 in taxes and fees on top, in line with the route's typical economy taxes. Points pay off here mainly when fares run high, so redeem then and pay cash otherwise. Delta SkyMiles is a bank-points transfer partner, but transfers are one-way, so confirm the seat before moving anything.
Delta SkyMiles takes economy at 9,500 points on a Delta nonstop. American AAdvantage is cheapest in premium economy at 22,500 points and business and first class at 25,000 each. Of the other six, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, United MileagePlus, and Air France-KLM Flying Blue are worth a look too. The first class floor is a partner award: one airline's miles on another airline's flights.
Three airlines show nonstop award space on San Francisco–New York: Delta (SkyTeam), JetBlue, and American Airlines (oneworld). Partner programs in both alliances can price a nonstop here, not just the carriers' own. If you're open to a stop, the better-priced connecting awards in the data run through Los Angeles. Only six airlines hold award inventory on the route, yet eight programs price them, so the competition is between currencies more than carriers.
From the San Francisco side, San Jose (SJC) has priced economy from 12,500 points across the tracked dates, above SFO, so it's a backup for when SFO space is gone. Into New York, Newark (EWR) has priced economy from 3,677 points across the tracked dates, under JFK's low for the same stretch; LaGuardia (LGA) prices from 9,500. Newark has nonstop flights from San Francisco in the data too.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside San Francisco to New York.
From 4,000 ptsBusiness 17,300 pts
From 4,900 ptsBusiness 21,000 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 19,300 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 23,000 pts
From 6,000 ptsBusiness 29,000 pts
From 7,000 ptsBusiness 30,000 pts
Common questions travelers ask about the San Francisco to New York route.
