ANA fuel surcharges skyrocket — but here’s why you shouldn’t panic
ANA Mileage Club is a popular program with award travelers, thanks to its well-priced award charts and the ease of earning points through American Express Membership Rewards. There are some quirks, though, such as that you can't book one-way awards and that the program imposes fuel surcharges.
While fuel surcharges on ANA's own flights have been relatively low in recent history, ANA doubled them at the start of the month. Unfortunately, this means these awards will have higher out-of-pocket costs for now.
The news, which was first reported by The Lazy Traveler's Handbook, means you can now expect to pay around $500 in taxes and fees on round-trip ANA awards between North America and Japan, regardless of the class of service.
A couple of months ago, these same awards were bookable for about $50 out of pocket.
Related: Everything you need to know about ANA Mileage Club
So, why the massive increase?
ANA's fuel surcharges have always been somewhat dynamic, changing every couple of months to adjust to real-world fuel prices. The current fuel surcharges will last from Feb. 1 to March 31. On April 1, the airline may increase, decrease or even eliminate its fuel surcharges, depending on the market price of fuel. Given ANA's track record, I'm not too worried.
When ANA eliminated the bulk of fuel surcharges in 2020, the price of oil was down significantly due to the coronavirus pandemic. This is also why airlines like Emirates and Cathay Pacific lowered their fuel surcharges around the same time.
ANA has seen fuel surcharges go up and down over time. What's important here is that ANA isn't making changes to its award chart. Otherwise, there would be more cause for concern about an outright devaluation.
Thankfully, not all ANA award tickets are more expensive. While you'll face higher surcharges when booking through a partner like Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, the new fuel surcharges do not affect programs like Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca LifeMiles and United MileagePlus. These three programs never pass on fuel surcharges on awards to the customer. Regardless, ANA and Virgin Atlantic are often the best deals, given their low redemption rates.
Of course, Japan is still closed to American tourists, so this change only affects those booking connecting award tickets. However, you should watch other programs that often adjust fuel surcharges, as these could also skyrocket in the coming weeks due to higher fuel costs.
It's also worth noting that this change does not affect partner awards booked with ANA Mileage Club. This means you can still score a lot of excellent deals with no fuel surcharges, like round-trip tickets to Europe for just 88,000 miles in United Polaris business class.
Feature photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees