Book now: Fantastic ANA premium-class award space to Tokyo in 2020
Tokyo is set to host the 2020 Summer Olympics — but good luck finding a premium-class award ticket or a points hotel during the games. However, if you're already looking ahead to a potential trip to Japan after the Olympics wrap up, you'll want to pay attention. Based on searches on ExpertFlyer (and confirmed on popular Star Alliance booking sites), we're seeing a solid amount of ANA first- and business-class award space from multiple U.S. gateways for August and September 2020. Even better? Many dates have two seats available.
At the time of writing, here are the dates we're seeing with at least two available awards:
Los Angeles (LAX)
To Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- First class: August 5-6, 9, 18, 23-24 and 26; September 1-3, 6, 8-10 and 15-17
- Business class: August 3, 5 and 31; September 2-3, 6-9 and 15-16
To Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
- First class: August 3, 5-6 and 12; September 1-2
- Business class: September 8 and 15
From Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- First class: September 8-9, 15 and 17
- Business class: September 8-11 and 15
From Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
- First class: September 8-9
- Business class: September 8-9 and 15
Chicago-O'Hare (ORD)
To Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- First class: August 6-7, 11, 12, 18 and 21; September 2-3, 7, 9-10 and 14-16
- Business class: September 1, 7-9 and 14-15
To Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
- First class: August 4-6; September 6-7, 9 and 13-16
- Business class: September 6-9 and 14-15
From Tokyo-Haneda (HND)
- Business class: September 8-9
Washington-Dulles (IAD)
To Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- First class: August 26; September 2, 8-9, 11 and 15-17
- Business class: September 8-9 and 16
From Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- First class: September 3 and 15-16
Houston (IAH)
To Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- First class: August 4, 6-8, 12, 19 and 21-22; September 2, 4, 5, 7-9, 11-12 and 14-17
- Business class: September 1-2, 7-9 and 14-16
From Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- First class: September 3-4, 9-10 and 16-17
- Business class: September 3, 10 and 16
San Francisco (SFO)
To Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- First class: August 3, 10, 19 and 26; September 1, 9, 10, 14, 15 and 17
- Business class: August 3 and 24; September 1-2, 8-10 and 17
From Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
- First class: September 2-3 and 15-16
Note that these dates have two (or more) award seats available, but I see others that have a single seat, like this August 21 — September 7 trip out of Los Angeles:
Unfortunately, I'm not seeing any premium-class award space out of or back into New York-JFK.
As you'll notice from above, award inventory on the return flights back to the U.S. isn't nearly as widespread, though if you are able to find round-trip awards on dates that work, you'll definitely want to book through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. This program will allow you to book business-class tickets from the U.S. to either Tokyo airport at the following rates:
- Business class: 90,000 miles from the West Coast, 95,000 miles from the other gateways
- First class: 110,000 miles from the West Coast, 120,000 miles from other gateways
Note that these are round-trip prices, and since Virgin Atlantic partners with American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards, there are many ways to quickly boost your Flying Club account balance. Just note that you won't have any way to add connecting flights within the U.S., and adding another flight beyond Tokyo would require additional miles.
Absent these options, you could utilize any Star Alliance program to lock in these tickets. Here's what you'd need to pay across some popular programs (for one-way flights):
| Program | Business class | First class | Transfer partners |
|---|---|---|---|
United MileagePlus | 80,000 miles + $5,60 | 110,000 miles + $5.60 | Chase and Marriott |
Avianca LifeMiles | 75,000 miles + ~$28 | 90,000 miles + ~$28 | American Express, Capital One, Citi and Marriott |
Aeroplan | 75,000 miles + ~$115 | 105,000 miles + ~$115 | American Express, Capital One and Marriott |
Avianca LifeMiles is likely the best option here, with both low mileage rates and minimal taxes and fees. This would also be a terrific option if you're trying to book a connecting flight — either within the U.S. or Japan. That's because Avianca lowers the overall award price when one of your flights is in a lower class of service. For example, having this short connection from SFO-LAX in economy would drop your first-class award price from 90,000 miles to 87,410 miles:
This is one of the major reasons why Avianca LifeMiles is the best program for booking mixed-cabin award tickets.
Finally, I was having some difficulty getting the above inventory to appear when searching on United.com, so if you can't get the flights above to pull up (and you've verified that the inventory is there), you may need to call.
Bottom line
Booking award tickets in ANA first or business class is one of the best ways to get to Japan using your points and miles, and if you're looking to visit Tokyo (or beyond) after next summer's Olympics, now's a great time to book, as the carrier is offering some terrific award inventory from multiple U.S. departure gateways. Even though the return inventory isn't widespread, you could lock-in the initial flight and then keep monitoring for future award space to come open on the return.
Either way, this inventory won't last, so I'd highly recommend booking now.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.