Travel to Japan with points and miles: Best ways to redeem your rewards for flights and hotels

Editor’s note: This article has been updated.

Japan seems to be on everyone’s travel wish list this year. The country is home to some of the world’s best hotels and restaurants, fascinating cultural experiences, and famous natural phenomena, including the annual cherry blossom season. And though it requires a long and often expensive flight (or two) to get there from the U.S., you can travel to Japan in comfort by taking advantage of your points and miles.

Here’s a look at the best options on major American and Japanese airlines and how to book them using points and miles at saver levels.

Last chance: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening (see rates and fees). Offer ends May 15 at 9 a.m. EDT.

Book American Airlines award flights to Japan

American Airlines flies to Tokyo’s major airports: Haneda Airport (HND) and Narita International Airport (NRT). The airline flies to HND from:

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

It flies to NRT from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

It won’t be the most luxurious way to get to Tokyo, but American’s economy, premium economy and business-class cabins provide a comfortable way to cross the Pacific. Plus, if you’re flying in business class — or have select Oneworld elite status — you can access American’s Flagship Lounges before you depart.

If you have American Airlines AAdvantage miles, expect to redeem at least 35,000 miles for economy, 60,000 miles for premium economy or 95,000 miles for business-class flights, each way, per the airline’s award chart. Taxes and fees are minimal — $5.60 departing from the U.S. and about $50 in the opposite direction. That said, mileage costs can increase substantially (or decrease) during peak and off-peak travel dates.

You can also book American flights through Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan starting at 37,500 miles in economy, 50,000 miles in premium economy and 75,000 miles in business class. Taxes and fees are slightly higher due to partner booking fees.

If you want to use Capital One miles, American Express Membership Rewards points or Citi ThankYou Rewards points for your flights, consider booking via Qantas Frequent Flyer, which is a transfer partner of all three programs. You’ll pay 37,600 miles in economy, 71,100 miles in premium economy and 94,900 miles in business class on this DFW-NRT route. Note that taxes and fees are higher through this redemption option than when redeeming American or Alaska miles.

How you redeem your rewards for American Airlines flights will depend on which program you have a stash of miles in. If you don’t have AAdvantage miles, you should look to use partner airline programs, such as Alaska Mileage Plan or Qantas Frequent Flyer. If you don’t have miles with either of those programs, check your credit card transfer partners.

You can transfer Bilt Rewards Points to Alaska Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. Though American Express Membership Rewards points don’t transfer to Alaska directly, you can do a bit of a work-around and transfer your points to HawaiianMiles and then transfer your Hawaiian miles to Alaska at a 1:1 ratio. However, Alaska has hinted that Amex transfers to HawaiianMiles may be coming to an end.

Qantas is a transfer partner of Amex, Capital One and Citi. So, the best program for you will depend on the type of rewards you have in your account. Award availability can also vary from program to program, so be sure to check the award calendar using your preferred mileage currency before making any transfers.

Book Delta Air Lines award flights to Japan

Delta Air Lines has an extensive route network to HND, with flights from:

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW)
• Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP)
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Delta SkyMiles utilizes dynamic award pricing for all Delta-operated flights, and prices can be exorbitant in premium cabins. For example, this flight from LAX to HND costs 28,000 SkyMiles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees in basic economy. However, this increases to 300,000 SkyMiles in Delta One business class.

Unfortunately, Delta rarely offers partner-bookable award space on international flights to Asia, so this is often your only option for flying Delta to Japan. However, you can lower your mileage cost if you have an eligible Delta cobranded credit card with Delta’s TakeOff 15 benefit, which offers a 15% discount on award tickets. If you’re a Delta elite member with a Global Upgrade Certificate, you might consider booking Main Cabin or Premium Select and applying for an upgrade.

Book United Airlines award flights to Japan

United Airlines has the largest Tokyo presence of all major U.S. airlines, with flights to both Haneda and Narita. You can fly from the following airports to HND:

• Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Guam’s Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, you can fly United to NRT from:

• Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Guam’s Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM)
• Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

The airline also offers a handful of flights from NRT to major airports in other countries, including Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB) in the Philippines and Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) in Mongolia.

United MileagePlus prices awards dynamically, but you can often find economy flights from 50,000 miles, premium economy flights for 60,000 miles and business-class flights for 100,000 miles each way, all with minimal taxes and fees of under $6 from the U.S. and around $50 when departing from Japan. Prices could be higher or lower depending on when you travel.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points and Bilt Rewards points transfer to United MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio.

You may be able to snag a better deal on business-class tickets if you book your United flight to Tokyo through Air Canada Aeroplan. One-way flights from EWR to NRT start at 45,000 points in economy and 75,000 points in business class (not including taxes and fees, which typically are about 80 Canadian dollars or $56).

Note that select Aeroplan partners, such as United Airlines, now operate using dynamic pricing. Therefore, redemption flights can be significantly more expensive than the “starting at” award chart price. Additionally, business-class award space can be difficult to find.

Aeroplan is a transfer partner of Amex, Bilt, Capital One and Chase.

ANA Mileage Club is another interesting option. All Nippon Airways operates using an award chart; prices fluctuate based on location and season. It can yield the best deal on round-trip United flights to Japan — economy awards cost between 40,000 and 55,000 miles, and business-class awards cost between 100,000 and 110,000 miles.

Though you previously had to book a round-trip ticket, which would cost roughly $350 in taxes and fees, starting June 24, Mileage Club members will be able to book one-way award flights.

You can transfer Amex points to All Nippon Airways, but these transfers can take up to 48 hours to process.

ANA Mileage Club can offer the best deals to Tokyo from the U.S., but earning miles with the program can be more challenging than with Air Canada Aeroplan, as the airline is only a transfer partner of one major issuer.

Book Hawaiian Airlines award flights to Japan

Hawaiian Airlines runs flights from HND and NRT to HNL and will launch service from SEA to NRT later this year, now that it has officially merged with Alaska Airlines. Your best bet for booking these flights is with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan or HawaiianMiles.

Alaska prices Hawaiian flights dynamically, and you’ll often see business-class tickets go for over 200,000 miles one-way on all of Hawaiian’s routes. However, we found the upcoming Seattle-Tokyo route for as low as 30,000 miles in economy and 95,000 miles in business class, with taxes and fees of $5.60 to $50 or so depending on the direction of travel.

Meanwhile, you can book Honolulu-Tokyo for as low as 30,000 miles in economy or 60,000 miles in business class, also with minimal taxes and fees.

You can transfer Bilt Rewards points directly to Alaska’s Mileage Plan. Further, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Hawaiian Airlines and then transfer those miles to Alaska Mileage Plan (Note that this transfer option will reportedly end this summer). These transfers all occur at a 1:1 ratio.

If you want to save yourself a step, you can transfer American Express points to Hawaiian and then just book an award directly with the airline’s own HawaiianMiles program. The new SEA-NRT route, which started this month, requires at least 34,300 miles each way in economy (it’s usually 40,000 to 50,000 miles) or 95,000 miles in business class, though award availability is tight, and some days require as many as 250,000 miles each way.

Book All Nippon Airways award flights to Japan

ANA — short for All Nippon Airways — is one of the two major long-haul airlines in Japan. It’s a Star Alliance member with nonstop flights from both Haneda and Narita to a handful of U.S. cities. From the U.S., you can fly from HND to:

• Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
• Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
• Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C.

Plus, you can fly ANA to NRT from:

• Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

ANA offers some of the best business- and first-class seats in the sky. Newer long-haul planes are configured with The Suite first class (pictured below), while older planes are configured with older ANA First Square seats. Likewise, newer planes have The Room business class (pictured above), while older planes are configured with a staggered business-class seat. Regardless of which you book, expect top-notch hospitality and a comfortable ride.

One great way to book ANA award tickets is through the airline’s own loyalty program, ANA Mileage Club. As mentioned for United bookings, booking with ANA Mileage Club means you can only book round-trip award tickets until the one-way award pricing goes into effect June 24. Pricing depends on the airline’s zone- and season-based award chart.

Round-trip off-peak awards from North America cost 40,000 miles in economy, 62,000 miles in premium economy, 100,000 miles in business class and 150,000 miles in first class, plus moderate taxes and fees. Flights to Hawaii cost 35,000 miles, 53,000 miles, 80,000 miles and 120,000 miles in economy, premium economy, business class and first class, respectively. You can transfer Amex points to ANA, but again, transfers can take up to 48 hours to process.

The best deal, however, is booking with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Although Virgin Atlantic is a SkyTeam member, the airline still has individual partnerships with other airlines, including ANA (a Star Alliance member). Here is the one-way award chart for flights on ANA booked through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

You must call to book these tickets after you find award space with your favorite Star Alliance search tool, like those offered by United and Air Canada. Then, call Virgin Atlantic to confirm that award space is available and ask the representative to put the ticket on hold. After this, transfer points from Amex, Bilt, Capital One, Chase or Citi to Virgin Atlantic and call again to finalize your ticket.

Book Japan Airlines award flights to Japan

Japan Airlines is another Japanese airline that offers top-notch service and flights to many major U.S. cities. Unlike ANA, JAL is a Oneworld member, so you can use miles from American Airlines AAdvantage, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and other Oneworld loyalty programs to book award tickets on the airline.

From HND, you can fly to:

• Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
• Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)

Meanwhile, from NRT, you can fly to:

• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
• Guam’s Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM)
• Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
• San Diego International Airport (SAN)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Generally, your best bet value is booking with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, where tickets from the U.S. to Japan start at 30,000, 40,000 or 60,000 miles in economy, premium economy or business class, respectively. Again, you can transfer Bilt points or Hawaiian miles to Alaska.

American Airlines AAdvantage has similar award pricing, with economy, premium economy and business-class flights from the U.S. to Japan starting at 35,000 miles, 45,000 miles and 60,000 miles in economy, business and premium economy, respectively.

If you have Amex points, Capital One miles or Citi points, you can transfer them to Qantas Frequent Flyer to book Japan Airlines tickets. You’ll pay 37,800 miles for economy or 75,000 miles for business class each way on Japan Airlines from the U.S. to Japan, though taxes and fees are around $200 in each direction.

Last month, JetBlue expanded its partnership with JAL to include redemptions. Though award rates vary, we have found some good deals when redeeming TrueBlue points for JAL flights. For example, we found a nonstop flight in economy from Boston to Tokyo for 34,500 TrueBlue points plus $205 in taxes and fees. With a cash price of over $1,300, this would give you a valuation of over 3 cents per TrueBlue point. However, availability, just like the award prices, fluctuates.

As with all the bookings mentioned in this article, the best redemption depends on your available points and miles.

Book Singapore Airlines award flights to Japan

Singapore Airlines runs daily nonstop service from LAX to NRT on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft (the one pictured above is an Airbus A350-900, but the seats are similar). Your best bet for booking this award successfully is with Singapore KrisFlyer miles, which can be transferred from Amex, Chase, Capital One and Citi.

From the West Coast to Japan, you’ll pay:

• 38,500 miles for economy
• 73,000 miles for premium economy
• 103,500 miles for business class
• 120,500 for first-class

Expect to pay between $5.60 and $50 in taxes and fees, depending on the direction of travel. This pricing is for Saver rewards, which are cheaper than booking Singapore’s Advantage rewards. Be sure to check out Singapore’s award chart (PDF link) for a complete award pricing overview.

Best points hotels in Japan

Major cities in Japan, including tourist favorites like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, are chock-full of points hotels. We’ve listed some of our favorites below, alongside award pricing.

• Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills: 25,000 to 35,000 World of Hyatt points per night
• Conrad Tokyo: From 100,000 Hilton Honors points per night
• The Tokyo Edition, Ginza: From 95,500 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
• W Osaka: From 45,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night
• Conrad Osaka: From 100,000 Hilton Honors points per night
• Park Hyatt Kyoto: 35,000 to 45,000 World of Hyatt points per night

Related: The best hotels in Tokyo for your next Japan getaway

Credit cards to bring to Japan

Traveling to Japan means paying in Japanese yen, so you should travel with a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees. This will help you save money on your trip and earn rewards toward your next trip.

Some cards to consider include:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• The Platinum Card® from American Express (see rates and fees)
• Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees)
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
• Citi Strata Premier℠ Card (see rates and fees)

Related: 9 types of cards you should pack for your next trip abroad

Bottom line

Japan has been a hot destination for U.S. tourists over the past couple of years, partially due to the excellent exchange rate of the U.S. dollar compared to the Japanese yen, making it more affordable for Americans to visit. Unfortunately, cash airfares to Japan remain high, but you may save money using points and miles.

That said, you may need to be flexible and book either well in advance or at the last minute to score premium-cabin award seats, but the search is well worth it to fly in comfort before or after your visit to this fascinating destination.

For rates and fees of the American Express Platinum, click here.
For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.