How to Use Credit Card Points for the Best Japan Travel Deals

Japan is a destination that sparks the imagination, from the bustling streets of Tokyo to the serene temples of Kyoto. But getting there can be costly—unless you know how to maximize your credit card points. By leveraging points strategically, you can significantly reduce the cost of flights or even upgrade your flight to business class with layflat seats. I’ve recently been asked what are the best credit card points strategies to fly to Japan. This guide will show you the best ways to use your credit card points for flights to Japan. Whether you’re eyeing a luxurious business class seat on ANA or a budget-friendly economy ticket, we’ll provide you some options.

Earning Points for Flights to Japan

Flying to Japan is a bucket-list experience, and the right credit card strategy can make that dream trip much more affordable. Here’s how you can maximize your points-earning potential and which credit cards offer the best value for flights to Japan.

Focus on Transferable Points

When it comes to flexibility and value, transferable points are king. Transferable points? What does that mean? Well, programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, and Capital One Miles allow you to transfer points to various airline partners, often at a 1:1 ratio. This flexibility gives you more options to find the best flight deals and avoid blackout dates. It also gives you the freedom to transfer your hard earned points to the correct airline you need to book that Japan trip.

Here are the list of personal credit cards with transferable points:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred
• Chase Sapphire Reserve
• American Express Green Card
• American Express Gold Card
• American Express Platinum Card
• Capital One VentureOne
• Capital One Venture
• Capital One Venture X
• Citi Strata Premier

Earn Points Through Sign-Up Bonuses

Sign-up bonuses are the quickest way to accumulate a significant amount of points. Many travel rewards credit cards offer bonuses that can be worth a round-trip flight to Japan when you meet the minimum spending requirements. Here are some top cards to consider:

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Option 1: ANA (All Nippon Airways)

When it comes to flying to Japan, ANA is one of the top choices for redeeming credit card points. ANA was just awarded the 4th best airline in the world (Southwest was 93 out of 100). Known for its excellent service, ANA offers both excellent options in economy and business class that can be booked using points. Being the top airline in the industry means that redeeming flights will be challenging. However, we’ve got you covered with the steps to book these flights

Booking Through ANA’s Website:

Booking ANA flights can be performed directly from the ANA website. Remember to sign up for a free ANA account prior to booking. This will be required before you can transfer your points to ANA.

Availability: ANA award flights, and especially business class, are sought out by all of us travel hackers. Add on that ANA releases only a few business seats per flight, and that availability decreases significantly. Economy seats have a bit more availability than business. Since ANA releases flights 355 days out you have to be quick to pick up these flights. However, the best availability will be within a month out. So, flexibility is the king when booking ANA flights.

Search Tool: To search for flights, use the United Airlines’ website. You won’t book from United for these flights, but you will use the efficient United award calendar to check for availability on ANA flights. This method allows you to search for the fewest points required. Once you find your flight, go back to ANA and find the exact flight you found on United. If you are searching for business class, look for fare class “I.”

United Search Results:

The following is an example of this search. The availability for this example was very limited, but I was successful finding some flights. Not the ideal schedule, but this will give you a sample.

Once you find these dates on United, add these dates on the ANA website for the flights. Remember the award is for roundtrip – 52,500/each way in business class. This is an excellent deal IF you can find availability and it fits within your travel plans.

Transfer Points: American Express Membership Rewards is the only credit card transferable points that can transfer directly to ANA. In the American Express travel portal, click “Transfer to Partners” and then select ANA. Follow the prompts and transfer the points to you to ANA. Caution – the transfer could take 2-3 days.

Mileage Requirements:

• Business Class: 75,000 to 110,000 miles round trip.
• Economy: 40,000 – 55,000 miles round trip.

Important Considerations:

• Availability: If you are very flexible, then use this option for last minute flights. That will be your best option to find availability.
• Round-Trip Requirement: ANA bookings through their website must be for round trips. While this might seem like a restriction, it can be an advantage if you’re planning a longer stay or want to explore more of Japan.
• American Express Membership Rewards: American Express Membership Rewards is the ONLY way to use transferable points for ANA. But the most important thing is that it will take 2 to 3 long, agonizing days to complete the transfer. Also keep in mind that your planned route may be booked by the time the points are transferred. Always have a backup date.
• “Waitlist”: If you happen to find a flight but it says “Waitlist,” this means that all the award seats are booked for that flight. You will be placed on a “Waitlist” for availability. But don’t pack your bags. The chances of getting this flight from the “Waitlist” is very low. It’s best to find another date or flight.

ANA offers great value for your miles, especially in business class when you can find availability. The airline’s long-haul flights provide a comfortable experience, making your journey to Japan as enjoyable as the destination itself.

Option 2: ANA via Virgin Atlantic

Booking ANA flights through Virgin Atlantic is another excellent way to maximize your credit card points. Virgin Atlantic has a unuique partnership with ANA that allows travelers to book flights uning Virgin Atlantic miles. This option offers more flexibility, particularly for travelers who prefer one-way bookings.

Booking Through Virgin Atlantic:

Booking using this option will not be performed on ANA’s website but from Virgin Atlantic’s website. Sounds crazy but it’s an excellent way of booking ANA flights.

Search Tool: To search for flights, use the same method as above with United to find the best flight. The following is the same search in Option 1.

How to Book: Unfortunately, you can’t book ANA flights directly from the Virgin Atlantic website. This is the secret code. You’ll need to call Virgin Atlantic to book your flights. But don’t worry. Virgin Atlantic customer service representatives know this secret code and are one of the best customer service representatives in the airline industry. And who doesn’t like British accents?

Transfer Points: Once you have everything set, transfer points from credit cards like American Express or Chase to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. You can even do this when the customer service representative is on the line with you. Or even a better option is to ask the customer service representative to hold the award flights. Make your transfers and then call back within 48 hours to complete your booking.

Mileage Requirements:

Virgin Atlantic has a specific award chart for these flights.

• Business Class: 52,500 Virgin Atlantic miles one way from the West Coast
• Economy: 30,000 Virgin Atlantic miles one way from the West Coast

Important Considerations:

• One-Way Bookings: Unlike ANA’s round-trip requirement, Virgin Atlantic allows one-way bookings, giving you more flexibility in planning your trip.
• Multiple Transferable Points Options: Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner of major credit card reward programs like American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Points, making it easy to accumulate the necessary points.
• Generous Hold Policy: Virgin Atlantic can typically hold ANA awards for up to 48 hours, giving you time to transfer points if needed.

Booking through Virgin Atlantic can be a smart move if you’re looking to use fewer miles for a one-way flight, don’t have enough American Express Membership Reward points, or if you want to mix and match airlines for your journey.

Option 3: Japan Airlines (JAL) via British Airways

Japan Airlines (JAL) was recently awarded the 6th best airline in the world. JAL has an overall reputation for excellent service, cleanliness, and attention to detail, making their offerings stand out in the airline industry.  They offer a fantastic way to use your credit card points, especially when booked through British Airways using Avios points.

Booking Through British Airways Website:

JAL doesn’t allow direct transfer of credit card points to book flights. The travel hack here is to use JAL’s travel partner airline like British Airways to book the flight. If you have American Airline miles, you can book from there.

Search Tool: To assist in searching for availability, start with the American Airlines website. Before you start questioning this, hear me out. Once in the American Airlines website, search to redeem flights. Then type in the route and any date for the flight. When the results come up, click on filters and select Japan Airlines. Then click the calendar to show availability. Once the calendar pops up, you can further refine the search for non-stop flights.

Here is an American Airline Search. If you have American Airline Miles, then you’re set and ready to book:

If you don’t have American Airline Miles, then British Airways is the best method to book this flight. Here is the same flight through British Airways.

The British Airways flight is 17,250 more. But if you don’t have American Airlines miles, this is your only choice. Here are a few more examples of flights:

And look, a first class flight!

Transfer Points: If you have American Airline miles, you’ll be set. But if you don’t, you’ll need to book from British Airways. Once you have found your flight on the British Airways website, transfer the points needed from programs like Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards. You know the drill now, go to the credit card travel portal, find transfer to partners, and then select British Airways Avios.

How to Book: Once you’ve transferred your points, continue with booking the flights using Avios from the British Airways website..

Mileage Requirements:

• Business Class: 77,250 – 100,000 Avios one way.
• Economy: 25,000 – 35,000 Avios one way.

Important Considerations:

• American Airline Search: Since availability can be limited, you will need to use various search tricks for your flight. The best option is using American Airlines website for your search. But when you find your flight, you’ll be in good shape and one step closer to your Japan trip.
• Avios Transfer Bonuses: Both Chase and American Express often have transfer bonuses up to 30% to British Airways Avios. That makes those 77k business flights only 54k. Now that’s value! 

Expert Mode – Iberia, Aer Lingus, and Qatar Airlines all use Avios and can be transferred to British Airways.

Using Avios for JAL flights is an excellent value, especially for one-way bookings, and it allows you to explore Japan in style with fewer points, especially if you cannot find any flights on ANA.

Option 4: Singapore Airlines

Now this option is interesting but it’s not a direct flight to Japan. In fact, this option could be a very long travel day if you link flights together. However, this option is makes sense if you treat this as a “stop over” and stay in Singapore for a few days. And who doesn’t like an extended vacation with multiple cities.

Booking Through Singapore Airlines and Air Canada Aeroplan:

Search Tool: One option is to search for flights on Singapore Airline’s website. You can search one week at a time, but this takes time. Pro move – use seats.aero to find availability. This is the easiest way of doing this but it takes some tricks to use it efficiently. But that’s for another post.

How to Book with Singapore Airlines: Now that you’ve found availability by either the hunt and peck method on Singapore Airlines or the ultra cool way with seat.aero, now you can go to the Singapore Airlines website to book the flight. Business class flights will be 107,000 and economy at 42,000.

How to Book with Air Canada Aeroplan: Since you found availability, now it’s time to flex your skills and book the same flight for much less than you would on the Singapore Airlines website. Use the same flight information in Air Canada Aeroplan. And bingo, same flight at 87,500 points. A savings of 12,500.

Transfer Points: Now that you know the amount of points needed for your flight, you can move on to the next step. Transfer the required credit card points to Air Canada Aeroplan, or if you want to spend more, to Singapore Airlines. Programs like American Express or Chase Ultimate Rewards both transfer to both airlines.

Mileage Requirements:

The milage requirement for this option will differ on the option you choose. However, the Air Canada Aeroplan option has the lower amount of points needed for this flight. Top that off with an Air Canada Aeroplan transfer bonus from Chase or Amex, and you can even get a lower redemption.

• Singapore Airlines – 107,000 (business)
• Air Canada Aeroplan – 87,500 (business)

Additional Step

Here is where you will need to do next, and it will be obvious – book your flight from Singapore to Japan. Here is one option but there will be several options for you via points and miles or cash price. Always search to find the best deals.

Conclusion

Maximizing your credit card points for flights to Japan requires some planning and flexibility. Here is a summary of the various options:

By exploring options with airlines like ANA, Japan Airlines, and Singapore Airlines, and leveraging partnerships with programs like Virgin Atlantic, and British Airways, and Air Canada Aeroplan, you can find great deals and save miles and points. Remember, flexibility is key—whether in your travel dates, routes, or booking methods, staying open to different possibilities will help you unlock the best value for your points. Barbeque sauce.

FAQs

What are the best credit cards for earning points for Japan flights?

Cards with flexible points programs, such as Chase Sapphire Preferred and Reserve, American Express Gold and Platinum, and Citi Stata Premier, are ideal for earning and transferring points to airline partners.

Can I book one-way flights to Japan using points?

Yes, you can book one-way flights through programs like Virgin Atlantic for ANA or British Airways for JAL, offering flexibility in your travel plans. Singapore Airlines can also be an option, but you may need to book an additional flight from Singapore to Japan, adding to your journey.

How far in advance should I book award flights to Japan?

It’s best to book as early as possible, typically 6-12 months in advance, to secure availability, especially for business class. But last minute flights are typically the best availability, especially with ANA Airlines.

Are there any fees or taxes when booking award flights?

Yes, expect to pay taxes and fees, which vary by airline and booking method. Some options like Air Canada Aeroplan may offer lower fees.