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A trip to Japan is a dream for many. The big cities, great food, natural beauty and the koi ponds are enough to mesmerize even the most well-traveled of people.
But getting there isn’t cheap—especially if you want to fly up front. Economy tickets are often over $1,000, even from major U.S. cities. If you want to fly in business class, expect to pay over $4,000 round-trip. Don’t even get us started on first-class tickets!
But fear not! If you have access to airline miles or transferable rewards points, you have quite a few options for flying to Japan without spending a ton of cash. A ton of different airlines fly from major U.S. cities to Tokyo (and beyond), and you can use various airline programs to book award flights.
Here are the best ways to fly to Japan using points and miles.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
One of the best options for booking flights to Japan is with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles, thanks to its partners and the ability to add a stopover on one-way tickets.
Alaska Airlines offers an award chart based on region and distance flown. For flights from the U.S. to the Asia/Pacific region, the following award chart applies to flights with Alaska’s partners:
A non-stop flight from Chicago to Tokyo is 6,300 miles. That means you’d expect to pay 37,500 miles to fly in economy, 75,000 miles to fly in business or 110,000 miles to fly in first class on Alaska Airlines’ partner, Japan Airlines.
Connecting flights can be tacked onto your Alaska Airlines’ award ticket too, but keep in mind, that will increase your total distance flown and could increase the cost of your award ticket
How To Book With Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles
Check the “Use miles” checkbox to see flights that are available to book with miles.
Booking your tickets with the Alaska Mileage Plan is simple. Just search for the award on the Alaska website by checking the “Use miles” checkbox. From there, select your desired flight and book.
If you’re trying to book a business- or first-class award, make sure you don’t get stuck with a mixed-cabin award. Note that the flight below connects in San Francisco, so it falls into the longer distance band compared with the Chicago to Tokyo non-stop option.
Watch out for mixed cabin awards, which look like this.
To make matters worse, you’ll be charged for the most expensive class of service offered by your itinerary, even if it’s a short one.
How To Earn Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Miles
Alaska Mileage Plan miles are valuable, but they are unfortunately more challenging to earn than miles with other programs.
Alaska Mileage Plan is a partner with Marriott Bonvoy, so you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to your Alaska Mileage Plan at a 3:1 ratio. If you transfer 60,000 points to your Alaska Mileage Plan, you’ll receive a 5,000-mile bonus, which will yield a total of 25,000 miles.
Alaska Airlines also has co-branded personal and business credit cards issued by Bank of America that allow you to earn Alaska miles directly.
Cards to Help You Earn More Alaska Miles
The best way to earn Alaska miles is with Alaska’s co-branded cards. Both the personal and business versions of the card offer 3X miles per dollar on purchases with Alaska Airlines and 1X miles per dollar on all other purchases.
Since Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred to Alaska Airlines, you can indirectly earn Alaska Airlines miles through any of the Marriott Bonvoy cards:
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
85,000
Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points
after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual Fee: $250 Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.
Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
60,000
Bonus Points plus 1 Free Night Award
after you spend $2,000 on your first 3 months. Free Night valued at 50,000 points. Certain hotels have resort fees.
Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
Earn 125,000 Bonus Points
after spending $5,000 on purchases in your first 3 months from account opening with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card!
Annual Fee: $95
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Earn 95,000
Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points
after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual Fee: $650 Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.
Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
Earn 5 Free Night Awards
after you use your new card to make $8,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Valued at up to 50K points each for eligible stays. Limited time offer. Offer ends 10/16. Resort fees & terms apply.
Annual Fee: $125 Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.
American Airlines AAdvantage
American Airlines offers flights from the U.S. to Japan, but you can also use American Airlines AAdvantage miles to book flights between the U.S. and Japan with American Airlines’ partner airlines, like Japan Airline. American Airlines still offers a region-based award chart for partner flights, though flights on American Airlines own flights are priced dynamically. Japan is part of American Airlines’ Asia 1 region. If you’re flying on a partner airline from the U.S. to Asia 1, the flights will be priced as follows:
| Class of Service | Economy | Premium Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 35,500 | 50,000 | 60,000 | 80,000 |
How To Book With American Airlines AAdvantage
Searching for award space with American Airlines is easy. Simply head to aa.com, type in your travel details, and check the “Redeem miles” checkbox. Keep in mind that you may see different prices depending on if your search results return itineraries entirely operated by American Airlines vs. itineraries operated, at least in part, by partner airlines.
How To Earn American Airlines AAdvantage Miles
American Airlines miles can be earned through various American Airlines co-branded credit cards and through Marriott Bonvoy, which offers points transfers to American Airlines at a 3:1 ratio. If you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to your Alaska Mileage Plan, you’ll receive a 5,000-mile bonus, which will yield a total of 25,000 miles.
Cards to Help You Earn More American Airlines AAdvantage Miles
The best credit cards for earning American Airlines AAdvantage Miles are American Airlines’s own co-branded cards:
- Citi / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
- Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
- American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
- AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
70,000
AAdvantage® bonus miles
after spending $7,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
Annual Fee: $595
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
50,000
American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles
after spending $2,500 within the first 4 months of account opening.
Annual Fee:
$0 for your first year, then $99.
AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®
60,000
AAdvantage Bonus Miles
after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days.
Annual Fee: $99
It’s also possible to indirectly earn American AAdvanage miles through cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy Points:
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
All Nippon Airways (ANA) Mileage Club
ANA is a part of Star Alliance. It offers some solid redemption rates for Star Alliance partner flights and very competitive rates for its own flights. ANA points are much easier to earn than JAL Mileage Bank points.
The downside to using ANA miles is that you’ll be required to make a round-trip booking—and find the availability you need for both the outbound and the return—but at least ANA miles are incredibly easy to earn.
ANA has different award prices depending on whether your itinerary includes only ANA flights or if there is at least one partner flight on your itinerary. If you’re flying ANA, the award price also depends on whether you are flying during the low, regular or high season.
ANA does pass on fuel surcharges to award tickets, so in addition to the miles, depending on the partner you fly, you could be looking at up to hundreds of dollars in fuel surcharges.
Here’s the number of ANA miles needed for a round-trip award to Japan on ANA.
| Low Season | Regular Season | High Season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 40,000 | 50,000 | 55,000 |
| Premium Economy | 62,000 | 72,000 | 77,000 |
| Business | 100,000 | 105,000 | 110,000 |
| First | 150,000 | 170,000 | 200,000 |
If you’re flying on a partner, the round-trip award prices are as follows:
| Economy | Business Class | First Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. - Japan Zone 1-A | 50,000 | 110,000 | 170,000 |
| U.S. - Japan Zone 1-B | 55,000 | 115,000 | 190,000 |
Whether your award is to Japan Zone 1-A or 1-B isn’t as simple as what part of Japan you are flying to, but it’s not too complex. If your round-trip itinerary includes a maximum of two international flights and connections in Japan, your itinerary will be considered a Zone 1-A award. All other awards will be considered Zone 1-B.
How To Book With ANA Mileage Club Miles
First, search for the award on the ANA website. If you can find availability there, book it and you’re done!
However, ANA requires you to search for round-trip awards, so you might find it easier to search for award space with United using the flexible date search, then search specific dates on ANA when you already know that availability exists.
One note of caution is that United will sometimes show more award space on its own flights than could be bookable with ANA miles.
Unfortunately, transfer times from Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy to ANA are not instant—expect to wait up to 72 hours. Unfortunately, there’s no way to put ANA awards on hold while you wait for your mileage transfer, so you’ll just have to cross your fingers that the award space is still there when your transfer is complete.
How To Earn ANA Miles
American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to ANA Mileage Club at a 1:1 ratio and transfer instantly. Marriott Rewards points transfer at a 3:1 ratio. Amex Membership Rewards points will be your best option, as the points are much easier to earn. If you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to your Alaska Mileage Plan, you’ll receive a 5,000-mile bonus, which will yield a total of 25,000 miles.
Cards to Help You Earn More ANA Mileage Club Miles
The most useful cards for accessing ANA Mileage Club Miles are cards that earn American Express Membership Rewards points:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
- American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees)
The Platinum Card® from American Express
80,000
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $8,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual Fee: $695 Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.
60,000
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
Annual Fee: $325 Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.
Cards that earn Marriott Bonvoy points can also help you access ANA Mileage Club Miles:
- Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Credit Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card
Air Canada Aeroplan
Aeroplan miles can be used to book tickets on Star Alliance partners to Japan on Air Canada and a number of partners including ANA, Asiana Airlines and United.
Aeroplan miles can be used to book tickets on Star Alliance partners to Japan on Air Canada and a number of partners including ANA, Asiana Airlines and United.
Aeroplan charges for award flights based on zone, distance and whether you are booking Air Canada or partner flights.
Most flights between the U.S. and Japan are going to fall into the 7,501-11,000 mile band.
If you fly Air Canada to Japan, you can expect to pay around $135 in fuel surcharges and taxes in each direction. Different airlines have different amounts of fuel surcharges. If you want to get to Japan for the lowest cost, you should look at United and Air Canada flights. Bookings through ANA or Asiana will cost more.
Air Canada also allows you to add a stopover on an award flight by paying only 5,000 additional points.
How To Book With Aeroplan Points
You can search for award space on Aeroplan’s site, but you might find it easier to use United’s flexible date search to narrow down the exact dates with award space. Once you do that, you can search for exact dates with Aeroplan and complete your booking online.
Aeroplan sometimes has issues with itineraries that include connections. If United shows award space but Aeroplan doesn’t, try searching segment-by-segment. If Aeroplan shows the space, call to complete the booking (1-800-361-5373).
How To Earn Aeroplan Points
You can transfer Membership Rewards points (1:1 ratio) to Aeroplan. These transfers process almost instantly, making it easy to get your hands on Aeroplan miles quickly.
Cards to Help You Earn More Aeroplan Points
Chase offers an Air Canada Aeroplan co-branded card: the Aeroplan® Credit Card.
ANA Mileage Club Miles can also be accessed through American Express Membership Rewards-earning cards:
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- American Express® Gold Card
The Platinum Card® from American Express
80,000
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $8,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual Fee: $695 Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.
60,000
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
Annual Fee: $325 Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.
United Airlines MileagePlus
Have a ton of Chase Ultimate Rewards? You may want to consider using United miles to book awards on United or its Star Alliance partners.
United doesn’t publish an award chart anymore, so you’ll have to run your search directly to see how much your itinerary will cost.
How To Book With United Miles
United has a great award search engine that shows all partner availability.
How To Earn United Miles
You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United at a 1:1 ratio, and these transfers process instantly.
Cards to Help You Earn More United Miles
Chase also offers a few co-branded cards that earn United miles directly including:
- United℠ Explorer Card
- United Club℠ Infinite Card
- United℠ Business Card
50,000
Bonus Miles
after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Annual Fee:
$0 for your first year, then $95.
80,000
Bonus Miles
after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee: $525
75,000
Bonus Miles
after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.
Annual Fee:
$0 for your first year, then $99.
These more flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards-earning cards might be a better bet:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Each of these cards offers varying benefits and have varying annual fees.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Special Limited-Time Offer!
60,000
bonus points
after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year.
Annual Fee: $95
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Virgin Atlantic is one of the best ways to book an award ticket to Japan. The airline partners with ANA and Delta and offers very competitive rates for non-stop flights, especially on ANA.
Virgin Atlantic charges different amounts to fly on ANA depending on what part of the U.S. you are flying from. These prices are roundtrip, but you can book one-way awards for half the cost of a roundtrip.
| Class of Service | Economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 60,000–65,000 points | 90,000–95,000 points | 145,000–170,000 points |
How To Book With Virgin Atlantic points
If you want to book an ANA award with Virgin Atlantic Points, get ready to get on the phone, because you won’t be able to book online.
You can first search for award space either on ANA’s website or United.com, and then note your ideal flight numbers. Call Virgin Atlantic (1-800-365-9500) to book your flights.
Keep in mind that ANA’s website may show more award availability on ANA flights than Virgin Atlantic has access to, which is why it is a better idea to search on United.com.
(10xTravel founder Bryce Conway went through this process more than once to book his own ANA first-class flight to Tokyo.)
While you can actually book Delta awards on Virgin Atlantic’s site, we prefer to put awards on hold by calling (1-800-365-9500) before transferring points to Flying Club. The phone agents are fantastic.
Before you call, you can search Virgin Atlantic’s site for Delta award space. Call to put the award on hold, and then transfer your points so you don’t end up with points stuck in your account and no award availability.
How To Earn Virgin Atlantic Points
Another strength of Virgin Atlantic Points is that they partner with all of the major transferable points programs—Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Bilt Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.
| Program | Transfer Rate | Transfer Time |
|---|---|---|
| American Express Membership Rewards | 1:1 | 1–2 days |
| Bilt | 1:1 | 24–72 hours |
| Capital One Miles | 1:1 | Instant |
| Chase Ultimate Rewards | 1:1 | Instant |
| Citi ThankYou Rewards | 1:1 | ~2 days |
| Marriott Bonvoy | 3:1 (Transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, receive 5,000 bonus miles) | ~1 day |
Cards to Help You Earn More Virgin Atlantic Points
Virgin Atlantic offers the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard, but the best way to earn Virgin Atlantic Points is through cards offering the transferable points mentioned above:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
- Chase Sapphire Reserve®
- Capital One Venture Credit Card
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Card
- The Platinum Card® from American Express (Rates & Fees)
- American Express® Gold Card
- Citi Strata Premier℠ Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Special Limited-Time Offer!
60,000
bonus points
after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year.
Annual Fee: $95
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
75,000
Miles
once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee: $95
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
75,000
Venture Miles
after you spend $4,000 in purchases in the first 3 months.
Annual Fee: $395
The Platinum Card® from American Express
80,000
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $8,000 on purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
Annual Fee: $695 Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.
60,000
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
Annual Fee: $325 Terms Apply. | Rates & Fees.
70,000
bonus ThankYou® Points
after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months of account opening, redeemable for $700 in gift cards or travel rewards at thankyou.com
Annual Fee: $95 | Rates & Fees.
Bottom Line
Japan is a beautiful country, and it’s even more amazing when you visit for close to free. It might take you some time to learn the ins and outs of using miles and to earn the miles you need to book your ticket, but it’s without a doubt a destination worth the trip.
New to the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the best card to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year. , 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel Portal and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
bonus cash back
after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Miles
once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening
bonus points
after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening. Plus, get up to $300 in statement credits on Chase Travel℠ purchases within your first year.
Membership Rewards® Points
after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
