Can I book an open jaw or stopover on ANA with Virgin Atlantic miles?
"Reader Questions" are answered twice a week by TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Ethan Steinberg.
If you were to ask me to name my top airline award chart sweet spot, I would say "using Virgin Atlantic miles to book ANA premium-cabin awards" before you even finished the question. ANA award space isn't the easiest to come by but it isn't impossible either. As with many high-value award redemptions, a little bit of flexibility goes a long way here. TPG reader John wants to know how flexible he can get with Virgin Atlantic's routing rules ...
[pullquote source="TPG READER JOHN"]If I'm booking an ANA award with Virgin Atlantic miles, can I include an open jaw or stopover? [/pullquote]
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Virgin Atlantic has separate award charts for each of its partner airlines, but its chart for ANA is almost too good to believe. Previously, could only book round-trip awards, but that has since changed. Regardless, round-trip pricing is extremely generous:
Unfortunately when I flew ANA first class late last year, I couldn't find round-trip award space on dates that worked for me, so I wound up using 105,000 Aeroplan miles for a one-way ticket instead of 120,000 Flying Club miles for a round-trip.
Let's look at the two parts of John's question, starting with an open jaw award. If you're not familiar with the term, it essentially means that you fly into one city or airport and then return home out of another on a single ticket. An easy example would be flying from New York-JFK to Los Angeles (LAX) and then flying home from San Diego (SAN) back to JFK. The open jaw is thus formed between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Fortunately, this is possible on ANA using Virgin Atlantic miles. In fact, you could even wind up with a technical double open jaw if you leverage Tokyo's two airports. I spoke to a Virgin Atlantic agent who confirmed that the following routing would be a valid itinerary.
You could fly from Washington-Dulles (IAD) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) and back from Tokyo-Haneda (HND) to New York-JFK for only 120,000 miles in first class or 95,000 miles in business class. With round-trip ANA first-class tickets from the U.S. to Tokyo selling for $20,000 and up, this gives you an almost unheard of redemption value of about 18 cents per point.
However, it's possible to take this one step farther and open jaw to an entirely different region. You may have noticed in the award chart above that flights from Tokyo to Europe cost the same amount as flights from Tokyo to the East Coast, and Virgin Atlantic will actually let you route from the U.S. to Tokyo (stopping as long as you want at your "destination") and then continue on to Europe.
Related: Using Virgin Atlantic miles for mini round-the-world trips on ANA
The example below is a perfectly valid routing, from Chicago (ORD) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) on to London (LHR). Not only does this trip cost the same amount as a simple round-trip from Chicago to Tokyo (except for any differences in taxes and fees), but it gives you the chance to fly ANA's stunning new 777 premium cabins on the Haneda to London leg.
When it comes to stopovers or connecting flights, Virgin Atlantic is much more strict:
If your final destination is somewhere other than Tokyo, you'll need to redeem additional miles for each segment. You could technically have a stopover; you'd just be charged for the privilege. You should thus explore all of your options to see whether Virgin Atlantic still offers the best value on that route. You might want to consider ending your Virgin Atlantic-booked ANA flight in Tokyo and then switching to Japan Airlines, the other main Japanese carrier. It partners with British Airways (ironically the other main U.K. carrier), and you can leverage the program's distance-based award chart to book short-haul flights starting at 6,000 Avios each way.
Bottom line
Flexibility is absolutely crucial to maximizing the value of your travel rewards points, and thankfully Virgin Atlantic gives you plenty of options to build your ANA itinerary. Using cheap domestic positioning flights to depart from cities with better award availability is a great strategy, so even if Washington or New York isn't your home city, you can search for flights out of all the U.S. airports ANA serves. If you're looking to build a longer trip, you can even open jaw from the U.S. to Europe at no additional cost. Adding a stopover or connection will raise the cost of your award ticket and might not be the best value redemption here, but it is certainly a possibility.
Thanks for the question, John, and if you’re a TPG reader who’d like us to answer a question of your own, tweet us at @thepointsguy, message us on Facebook or email us at info@thepointsguy.com.
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- 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.
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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. |
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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.