Japan is high on almost every traveler’s bucket list. From ancient temples and bullet trains to Lawson egg sandwiches and melt-in-your-mouth sushi, it’s a dream destination in every sense.
The even better news? You can fly there without spending a fortune by using points and miles.
Cash fares to Japan aren’t cheap, especially if you want to stretch out in business class. But with the right loyalty programs (and some flexibility), you can score sweet award flights for a fraction of the cost.
Let’s walk through the best ways to book award flights to Japan, which credit cards help you get there faster, and how to get the best deal on your miles.
Best Points Programs for Japan Flights
These flexible points programs offer the most valuable transfer partners for Japan:
Chase Ultimate Rewards: Transfer to United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways Avios, or even Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer to book Star Alliance partners — like All Nippon Airways (ANA) and United.
American Express Membership Rewards®: Great for moving points to ANA Mileage Club, Aeroplan, or Flying Blue. ANA in particular can be a great move.
Citi ThankYou® Rewards: Also partners with Turkish Airlines and Singapore Airlines.
Capital One miles: Transfer to Air Canada, Emirates, or directly to Flying Blue for SkyTeam flights.
Bilt Rewards: Bilt Points can be useful if you want to transfer directly to Alaska Airlines.
Best Credit Cards for Booking Flights to Japan
The best cards for a trip to Japan aren’t necessarily airline-branded. You’ll usually have more flexibility and better value by using transferable points.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Ultimate Rewards transfer to United, Singapore, and Aeroplan.
The Platinum Card® from American Express or American Express® Gold Card: Membership Rewards transfer to ANA (arguably one of the best sweet spots to Japan), plus Flying Blue and Aeroplan.
The Citi Strata Premier® Card: Those ThankYou points can head straight to Turkish Airlines for some great deals.
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card and Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn miles on everyday purchases (yay!) and then transfer to Aeroplan, Flying Blue, or other partners for flights.
American Airlines or Alaska Airlines co-branded cards: If you’re loyal to Oneworld, these can help pad your balances for Japan Airlines (JAL) flights, often bookable with American or Alaska miles.
Top Airlines for Booking Award Flights to Japan
ANA Mileage Club
Booking with ANA’s own program is a great option for Japan trips, and since ANA uses zone-based award charts, you can know exactly how many miles you’ll need for a redemption.
One-way business class awards from the U.S. (zone 6) to Japan (zone 1) can start at just 50,00 miles (plus taxes & fees), depending on the season. Just be aware that availability can fill up quickly! If you’re looking for something a little more budget-friendly, you could fly in economy starting at just 20,000 miles one-way.
How to earn miles:
Transfer Amex Membership Rewards directly to ANA with The Platinum Card® from American Express or the American Express® Gold Card
Transfer points from every major program to Virgin Atlantic, which has a special partnership with ANA — meaning you can use Virgin points to book ANA flights (just give Virgin a call to book if you find availability with ANA)
United MileagePlus
United flies nonstop to both Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT) airports in Tokyo from hubs like Chicago (ORD), Newark (EWR), Houston (IAH), and more. United prices award flights dynamically, meaning the miles needed can fluctuate. One-way economy flights typically start around 50,000 miles, while business class often runs closer to 90,000 miles or more.
It’s also worth noting that you might snag an even better business-class deal if you book your United flight through Air Canada Aeroplan. I’ve seen award flights go for a little cheaper — such as 75,000 miles one way and a reasonable $58 in taxes and fees.
How to earn miles:
Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards directly to United with the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve.
Use United miles earned on one of the airline’s co-branded cards
💡 Pro Tip: United typically has no fuel surcharges on award flights, which saves serious cash compared to booking with ANA, for example.
American Airlines AAdvantage
American is part of the Oneworld alliance and offers many ways to jet-set across the Pacific. Even though American’s own award flights are priced dynamically, their partner awards are not!
For a one-way flight on JAL (a Oneworld partner) from the contiguous 48 U.S. states and Canada to Japan, you’ll need just 35,000 miles for economy or 60,000 miles for business class.
How to earn miles: AA miles are a little trickier to earn, so your best bet is to hold one of American Airlines’ co-branded credit cards.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Alaska is another Oneworld member, and its miles are sneaky good for JAL flights to Japan. Alaska uses an award chart based on a combination of zones and distances. You can often score one-way business-class seats to Tokyo for as low as 60,000 miles — a pretty insane deal for over 10 hours in a lie-flat seat.
How to earn miles:
Use miles earned from Alaska’s own credit cards
Delta SkyMiles
Delta flies nonstop to Tokyo (HND) from a handful of U.S. cities. SkyMiles are unpredictable with dynamic pricing, but you can sometimes catch a round-trip in economy for under 70,000 miles. Delta also partners with Korean Air, which gives you another option if you’re open to a short stop.
How to earn miles:
Use miles earned from Delta’s co-branded cards
Transfer Amex Membership Rewards to Delta
How to Calculate if an Award Flight Is Worth It
One airline might charge 85,000 miles for a business-class ticket to Tokyo, while another might offer a similar seat for 60,000 miles. To see if it’s worth using your points, do this quick math:
(cash price - taxes) ÷ points used = cents per point
For flights to Japan, aim for at least 1.2 to 1.5 cents per airline mile, and ideally over 2 cents per point for flexible points currencies like Chase or Amex.
💡 Pro Tip: Don’t feel like doing the math? Our free Cent-Per-Point Calculator will do it for you!
Bottom Line
While there’s no single “best” way to get to Japan with miles and points, there are plenty of options. And that’s what makes it fun… right?!
Whether you're after ANA business class, a JAL lie-flat seat, or a low-cost United or Delta economy flight, the right program can save you hundreds (or thousands) of dollars.
Just be patient, stay flexible, and make sure you're getting good value for your miles. Now get to it — that spicy udon is calling your name.
