How to book a $20,000 ANA first-class ticket for just $34
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has a number of partners with which it allows you to earn and spend Virgin Points. Some are far better known and discussed more often than others.
For example, Virgin’s close partnership with Delta and Air France/KLM means there’s a wide array of booking and earning options, and award availability searches and bookings can easily be made on Virgin’s website.
When it comes to the more obscure partners, the process is a little more challenging, but the rewards are potentially greater.
Sign up to receive the daily TPG newsletter for more points and miles tips!
One such partner is the Japanese airline All Nippon Airlines (ANA). ANA has a great reputation, and more recently with the introduction of its new business- and first-class products, which it has named “The Room” and “The Suite,” respectively, flying a premium class on ANA has become somewhat of a bucket list flight for me and many others.
You can fly the new products on select ANA 777s, which currently operate to London Heathrow (LHR), Frankfurt (FRA) and New York JFK (JFK).
Historically, when booking ANA award tickets through Flying Club, you were required to book a round-trip journey, which made lining up availability very difficult. Last week, ANA announced that it would allow one-way partner awards, adding an element of flexibility and opening up new options for Virgin Flying Club members.
Related: The new gold standard: Review of The Room, ANA’s new business class on the Boeing 777-300ER
I just booked one of these first-class tickets from Tokyo to London. The cash price of that one-way flight was a whopping $19,503, but yet I only had to lay out £25 (about $34) plus points. But how did I do it? I’ll walk you through step by step.
How many points do I need?
The exciting thing about booking ANA awards with Virgin Points is that the award chart offers great value in comparison to other programs. One-way business-class tickets from Tokyo to Europe or the U.S. East Coast (covering all of the routes with the new product) cost just 47,500 Virgin Points, with first class coming in at 60,000 Virgin Points. By comparison, United was charging 126,500 miles for the same first-class ticket.
The full award chart shown below is published on the Virgin Atlantic website and shows the price of return tickets. Virgin does not charge any additional fees or fuel surcharges on these redemptions, so you will only pay the actual taxes.
My one-way ticket from Tokyo to London in first class, therefore, cost 60,000 Virgin Points plus £25 (about $34) in taxes and fees. Flying from London to Tokyo would have incurred higher charges of £230 (about $316) due to U.K. taxes and Airport Passenger Duty. A flight departing Frankfurt would incur around £90 (about $124) in taxes and fees.
How to find availability
Finding availability is the tricky part of this process. This has become a little easier now that one-way flight bookings are possible because you only need to find availability in one direction, whereas before, finding return flights whose dates matched up nicely was very difficult. I never managed to book a return ticket because of this over the past couple of years.
I have found the easiest way to search for availability is on the United Airlines website. United and ANA are both Star Alliance members, and so it’s possible to book ANA tickets on United.com. However, as I’ve mentioned, the rates are much higher than with Virgin.
The great thing about searching with United is that you don’t even need a United MileagePlus account to search, as there is no need to sign in.
On the United homepage, fill in your desired route, select “Book with miles” and “Flexible dates.”
Once the search results load, click the “Show only nonstop flight availability” checkbox. The calendar will then clearly show dates that have “Saver Award” availability in premium cabins with five dots. A solid bar shows dates where there is economy availability. Once you click on a date that shows availability, you might need to uncheck the “With stops” box to filter the results to clearly show the available nonstop flights.
Make a note of the available dates and flight numbers you would like to book and have them ready for the next step. You will not use the United site to book your tickets.
How to book ANA flights with Virgin Atlantic
This is where things get a little more complicated. You cannot book ANA award tickets on the Virgin Atlantic website. The only way to book using Virgin Points is either over the phone or via Virgin’s WhatsApp booking service. I have found Virgin’s WhatsApp service slower than usual recently and generally, the agents at the Virgin call center are very helpful and wait times are not too long. I recommend calling up to book.
The call center does not have a quick or efficient way to search availability, so putting the work in yourself before following the steps above will speed up the process. Even when you provide your desired dates, the Virgin agent will not immediately see availability. They have to request the ticket and wait a couple of minutes for a response.
The agent may not yet know of the new option to book one-way flights with ANA, but be assertive on this point and they are usually incredibly helpful.
The whole process took me about 10 minutes on the phone and I quickly received my confirmation by email. I was then able to head over to the ANA website to reserve my seat. Remember to ask the Virgin agent for both the Virgin and ANA booking references. You will need the latter to access the booking on the ANA site.
Bottom line
Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club provides one of the best-value redemptions out there on one of the best first- and business-class products in the sky. Virgin Points are easy to come by in the U.S. — especially because it's a transfer partner of American Express.
So, racking up 47,500 Virgin Points shouldn’t be too difficult for most. Being able to book one-way tickets now allows far more flexibility and with a little groundwork, one of these tickets can be yours!
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 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. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
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.
Rewards Rate
| 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. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
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.