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| How to use your miles to get to Japan |
| by Clint Henderson, Principal Spokesperson |
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After being off-limits for a few years due to the pandemic, Japan has come roaring back as one of the most sought-after international travel destinations for Americans.
But the good news is that even though demand is high, Japan is still reachable with points and miles. I should know, as I just got back from an incredible Japanese adventure, much of it paid for with points and miles — including flying Japan Airlines’ business class to Tokyo for just 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles each way, which I booked last year.
Here’s how to get started planning your own similar trip.
Flying to Japan on miles
You can book business class on Japan Airlines for 60,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles or 60,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles and minimal taxes and fees. The best availability right now is either within a few weeks of travel or at the very end of the booking schedule — currently, February and March 2025 with those programs.
Insider tip No. 1: To find more availability on Japan Airlines, run some searches using British Airways Executive Club, as that program allows you to book a couple of weeks further in the schedule, giving you a jump-start on availability before the U.S. programs.
You can book business class on All Nippon Airways using several programs, including ANA Mileage Club, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and sometimes even United Airlines MileagePlus. In fact, we even found availability next week in business class from Houston to Tokyo for 110,000 United miles each way. Closer-in availability and at the end of the bookable schedule is again the best bet with Star Alliance to Japan, especially if you want to fly business class.
The easiest way to fly ANA is probably to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points directly to ANA. Just watch out for what looks like availability with ANA, but when you proceed to the booking process, it will show you a waitlisted banner above the chosen flight.
If you want to boost your balance of Amex points to set up for a future trip like this, we are big fans of The Platinum Card® from American Express despite the high annual fee. Right now, Amex is offering an 80,000-point welcome bonus when you spend $8,000 in the first six months of card membership.
Insider tip No. 2: Some readers are being targeted for higher offers than what’s publicly available — check to see if you’re targeted for a 150,000-point offer on The Platinum Card from American Express through CardMatch.
Staying in Japan on points
I also got to stay at several fabulous and expensive hotels in Japan, thanks to points. I took the bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto and used World of Hyatt points to stay at the incredible Park Hyatt Kyoto for just 35,000 points a night. I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough. If you don’t find the availability you want at first, set an alert using one of the tools out there so you will get notified if awards become available. The Hyatt Place Kyoto is also a very solid plan B if you want to stretch your points.
In Tokyo, I used 25,000 Hyatt points to stay at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo — here are some of our favorite Tokyo hotels, many of which are bookable on points.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card is offering up to 60,000 World of Hyatt points* right now, but you can also transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt if you have a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
Japan might be among the most coveted award redemptions out there, but there are ways to do it economically while enjoying some of the best airline and hotel options, thanks to your points and miles.
Here are some articles to help you get started planning a trip to Japan:* World of Hyatt Credit Card — Earn 30,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from account opening. Plus, up to 30,000 more bonus points by earning 2 bonus points total per $1 spent in the first six months from account opening on purchases that normally earn 1 bonus point, on up to $15,000 spent.
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| Photo Credit: CLINT HENDERSON/THE POINTS GUY. |
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