ANA eliminates the bulk of fuel surcharges on business and first class awards
All Nippon Airways Mileage Club (ANA) has always been one of the most underrated airline loyalty programs, thanks to low redemption rates and its partnership with Amex Membership Rewards. As is often the case, their low award redemption rates came with fuel surcharges – not exactly British Airways level, but around $260 round-trip for premium cabin awards between the U.S. and Tokyo.
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ANA seems to have done away with the majority of those fuel surcharges, as first reported by Spencer Howard.
The same ANA award is now pricing out at $45.54 round-trip in business class and $57.56 in first class.
This is great news because ANA already has some of the lowest redemption rates on this route. The removal of fuel surcharges just sweetens the deal.
It's also worth noting that if you book an ANA flight using another rewards program currency (i.e. Virgin Atlantic), you also won't be liable for fuel surcharges. If you've already booked one of these awards before the new fees went into effect, it's absolutely worth calling ANA to see if they'll refund the difference. No guarantees, as usual. YMMV.
Related: The best Amex cards
Bottom line
ANA cutting back on fuel surcharges is great news all around and hopefully, other airlines will follow suit. If you're planning a trip to Asia or even Europe post-pandemic, you can save a lot by redeeming ANA miles for your flight. For example, ANA requires 50,000 miles for a round-trip economy class ticket to Japan. United has implemented dynamic pricing, so redemption rates vary but you can expect to pay around 70,000 miles for the same award in the fall.
Premium cabins are where you'll get the most value. ANA requires 85,000 miles for a round-trip business class award on ANA metal or 150,000 miles in first class.
United charges around 176,000 round-trip for business class and 242,000 for first class. Being able to book these awards at a lower rate is why I often keep a stash of Membership Rewards on hand. Not having to pay fuel surcharges is even more reason to earn those points going forward.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month