Editor’s Note: TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt adviser and investor.
There are loads of overseas carriers with loyalty packages that supply nice worth. Japan Airlines Mileage Bank is one such program, however it’s usually neglected as a result of it’s not a transfer associate of American Express, Capital One miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards or Citi ThankYou rewards.
However, with Bilt Rewards not too long ago including Mileage Bank as its newest 1:1 transfer associate, it is now a lot simpler to earn miles to redeem on Japan Airlines and its associate airways.
Here’s why you must concentrate to Mileage Bank.
Related: New top notch, enterprise class and the remaining: Flying the Japan Airlines A350-1000 in all 4 cabins
How to earn JApan Airlines Mileage Bank miles
There are some ways to earn Japan Airlines miles, each by means of flying and spending.
Earn Mileage Bank miles by flying
Japan Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance, which incorporates members like American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Qantas and British Airways. The airline additionally companions with different nonalliance airways, together with Air France, Emirates, Korean Air and Hawaiian Airlines.
You can earn miles by crediting your income from Japan Airlines, Oneworld and different associate flights to your Mileage Bank account. Check the associate earnings web site and have a look at your airline and fare class to see what number of miles you will earn. For instance, most financial system fares on American Airlines earn between 30% and 50% of the miles flown.
If you are flying on an affordable fare and do not maintain standing with American, crediting to Japan Airlines (even on the diminished incomes charge) may nonetheless make sense.
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Earn Mileage Bank miles with bank cards
Bilt Rewards members can transfer Bilt Points to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank at a 1:1 ratio. Bilt expects most transfers to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank to be accomplished inside 10 minutes.
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank usually requires accounts to be at the least 60 days outdated to redeem miles. However, Bilt members will probably be ready to redeem miles inside seven days after a transfer if their Japan Airlines Mileage Bank account isn’t 60 days outdated.
You also can transfer Marriott factors to Mileage Bank at a 3:1 ratio. (You’ll additionally get 5,000 further miles factors for each 60,000 you transfer.) Earning Marriott factors is pretty straightforward — the next bank cards earn bonus factors on Marriott purchases, and a lot of them come with further perks like elite standing and annual free evening awards:
The data for the Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card particulars on this web page haven’t been reviewed or offered by the cardboard issuer.
Earn Mileage Bank miles by procuring and different journey actions
You also can earn Japan Airlines miles by means of a myriad of enterprise companions, together with (however not restricted to):
- Booking IHG, Hyatt, Marriott, Melia and different lodges by means of the Mileage Bank platform (and foregoing incomes lodge factors for these bookings)
- Booking rental vehicles by means of Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and others
- Tokyo Monorail routes
- Select parking heaps
- Onsen Ryokan
- Japan Airlines’ airport baggage supply service
- Using WAON digital cash as cost at Aeon, Family Mart, and different WAON member shops throughout Japan
While Mileage Bank has an internet procuring portal, that is just for redeeming miles, not incomes them.
Related: The finest instances to go to Japan
Earn Mileage Bank miles by pooling
The Japan Airlines Family Club permits the pooling of miles for up to eight relations, all of whom have to be instant household, plus mother and father and in-laws. A Family Club membership is sweet for 5 years and have to be renewed for subsequent five-year intervals.
How to redeem Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles
Mileage Bank makes use of a number of completely different award charts, relying on whether or not your journey is solely on Japan Airlines, on a single Oneworld or different associate airline, or a number of Oneworld airways.
Japan Airlines operates flights to Tokyo from the next U.S. gateways:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Daniel Okay. Inouye International Airport (HNL)
- Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (KOA)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- San Diego International Airport (SAN)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Here are a few of the finest methods to redeem your Japan Airlines miles:
- Fly to Japan from North America for 25,000 miles in financial system, 32,500 miles in premium financial system and 50,000 miles in enterprise class every means with affordable charges, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges, and no peak or off-peak pricing
- Fly Japan Airlines’ fabulous new A350 top notch suite from the United States to Japan for 70,000 miles in off-season, 85,000 miles in common season and 100,000 miles in excessive season every means (you may test the season dates right here)
- Book a lap toddler for simply 10% of the miles required for an grownup on the identical flight
- Book home flights inside Japan from as little as 4,000 miles
- Book American Airlines home financial system class flights of up to 1,000 miles in size for simply 12,000 miles
- Book American Airlines or British Airways flights from the northeast United States to the United Kingdom for 23,000 miles every means in financial system class, 30,000 miles in premium financial system or 42,000 miles in enterprise class every means
- Fly Emirates enterprise class from JFK to Dubai International Airport (DXB) for 80,000 miles every means.
- Book flights of 6,001 to 8,000 miles in size on a single Oneworld service like Cathay Pacific for 80,000 miles. This covers many of the West Coast of the United States to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG)
You also can redeem miles for non-travel merchandise like on-line procuring, however you will not normally get nice worth out of your miles this fashion.
Related: Cathay Pacific unveils its swanky new ‘Aria Suite’ business-class seat
Note that for bookings made on or after June 10, 2025, Mileage Bank award charges flying Japan Airlines to Japan will improve as follows:
- 27,000 miles in financial system
- 40,000 miles in premium financial system
- 55,000 miles in enterprise class
- 110,000/125,000/140,000 miles in top notch (relying on low, common or excessive season dates)
There are not any adjustments to associate redemption charges on this date.
Mileage Bank doesn’t enable first-class awards on Air France, Emirates, Korean Air or Malaysia Airlines.
It’s price noting that Mileage Bank has some of the beneficiant stopover insurance policies of any airline loyalty program. Up to an unimaginable seven stopovers are allowed on a number of Oneworld airline redemptions, and three stopovers on a single Oneworld or different associate airline redemption.
Most Mileage Bank redemptions could be booked on-line.
Related: First have a look at Japan Airlines’ new premium financial system on the Airbus A350-1000
Bottom line
If you are prepared to sit down and examine the completely different promos, routing guidelines and award charts for the Mileage Bank program, you may get fairly far for only a few miles. There are a number of zones within the distance-based award chart for companions which can be ripe for creating itineraries that maximize the beneficiant award charts and stopover guidelines.
Now which you could transfer Bilt factors to Mileage Bank, this program is price contemplating, particularly when you hope to journey to Japan or past.
