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Japan is the trip everyone wants to take and nobody thinks they can afford. Flights run $1,200-$2,000+ per person in economy, which is a massive chunk of your budget if you have a family of four or more. This leaves nothing in the budget for the amazing shopping! Points fix that.
We recently got back from Japan and it wasn’t even our original plan. It ended up being the best decision ever.
I found Delta award availability through Flying Blue (Air France’s points program) for the flights there. On the way back, I used Qatar’s loyalty program to book American Airlines flights out of Tokyo into L.A. Then I used my Southwest Companion Pass to get us home from L.A. I didn’t plan any of this a year in advance. It came together because I knew what to look for and stayed flexible.
If you just need a list of the best cards for flights, you can find that HERE.
First, How Do Award Seats Even Work?
When you book a flight with points instead of cash, you’re booking what’s called an “award seat.” Airlines only release a small number of these per flight. They’re not the same as regular seats, and they’re not always available just because there’s a seat open on the plane.
Here’s where it gets interesting: you don’t have to use the same airline’s points to book their flights. Airlines have partnerships, so you can book one airline’s flights using a completely different program’s points. This is exactly why transferable points are so powerful, and why I almost never book Delta flights using Delta SkyMiles.
If you want to know more about exactly how to book award seats for flights, I cover all of that HERE. And if you are wondering more details on booking international flights, make sure to read THIS.
What Our Family Actually Paid to Fly to Japan on Points
I always find real numbers more helpful than hypothetical scenarios, so here’s exactly what our family of six paid.
Outbound: SLC to Tokyo (April 3, connecting through Seattle)
- Points used: 231,000 Flying Blue miles total for all 6 of us
- Taxes paid: $225 total Cash price of those same flights: $3,873
- Points transferred from: Amex Membership Rewards
- Transfer bonus running at the time: 20%, which brought the actual Amex points needed down to about 192,500
I found this and booked it on November 28 for an April 3 departure, about 4 months out. Flying Blue also offers reduced award rates for kids under 12, so having two younger kids in our group helped bring that total down.
Return: Tokyo to LA (April 15)
- Points used: 154,500 Avios through Qatar’s program (American Airlines flights)
- Taxes paid: $1,219.70 total for 4 adults and 2 kids
- Cash price of those same flights: ~$4,115
- Points transferred from: Amex Membership Rewards
- Transfer bonus running at the time: 30%, which brought the actual Amex points needed down to about 118,846
I found the return availability on Seats.aero. The 30% transfer bonus just happened to be running when I went to book. I didn’t plan around it, but it made an already good redemption even better.
Between both flights, we moved our family of six to Japan and back for about $1,445 out of pocket in taxes and fees, when flights would have cost nearly $8,000 in cash in economy.
How to Book Japan Flights with Points By Airline
ANA (All Nippon Airways)
JAL (Japan Airlines)
Delta, United, and American Airlines
These are the U.S. carriers with nonstop flights to Japan.
How to Search for Award Flights to Japan
Of all the search engines, my personal go-to is Seats.aero. No award search engine is perfect, but I use it the most. It pulls available award space across multiple programs at once so you’re not checking each one separately. There’s a free tier for flights more than 60 days out. It’s more of an advanced tool but once you get the hang of it, it’s really efficient.
If you’re just starting out, Point.me is probably the most beginner-friendly option. It’s clean, easy to navigate, and good for point-to-point searches when you know your dates. You can try it HERE, and if you subscribe to an annual plan, use code REWARDS4 to get 4 months free.
PointsYeah is another one worth knowing about. It has some really specific filters that other tools don’t, which makes it easier to narrow down results once you know what you’re looking for.
One thing to know regardless of which tool you use: a lot of search engines pull from cached data, meaning what they show you might already be gone by the time you try to book. Always verify availability directly with the airline or booking program before transferring any points. For ANA and JAL specifically, it’s worth searching their own websites directly if you’re chasing business or first class. Third-party tools sometimes show seats that appear available but can’t actually be booked.
Tips for Booking Flights to Japan on Points
Business Class Flights to Japan on Points
If you’ve seen content promising luxury lie-flat seats to Japan for 50,000-60,000 points, that’s real but it’s not easy to pull off.
For premium cabin seats (business or first class), you’re looking at less than 2% of available seats on most flights for most dates. The people who book business class flights to Japan on points successfully are setting reminders for when the flight schedule opens (nearly a full year out), have their points ready to transfer (with loyalty accounts set up), and are flexible on dates and airports.
I haven’t flown business or first class to Japan with my own family, but I’ve booked it twice for family members. Once for my mom and sister, and once for my other sister and her husband. Both times we got it by booking right when the schedule opened.
Here’s something worth knowing: how many seats are available can affect the price. When I booked, there were 2 seats at 60,000 points each. The third seat would have cost more. That’s just how these programs work sometimes. But even at the higher price point, JAL went from 60k to 70k for that third seat in business class, which is still incredible when you consider the cash price for that same flight can be well over $10,000. The value is there even when you’re not getting the absolute lowest rate.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. It just means you need realistic expectations and a plan B.
Economy and premium economy to Japan? A lot more achievable, even with a little less lead time. Both of those are also super affordable on JAL.
Booking Business Japan Flights on Points as a Family or Group
This is worth its own section because it’s one of the trickier parts of using points for Japan travel with kids.
Finding 2 business class seats at the same price is realistic if you’re booking right when the schedule opens. Finding 3 or 4 at the same price is harder. The number of seats available at each price level varies by flight, and once you move into that next pricing tier, costs go up per seat.
If business class is super important to you, some families will split their group across two flights that arrive around the same time. Sometimes even from different airports. It sounds less ideal but it can be the difference between everyone flying in a lie-flat seat vs. nobody getting one.
Also worth knowing: if you’re flying with a lap infant (under 2), the points cost to add them varies by program. Through Aeroplan it’s just 2,500 miles or $25. Through most other programs it’s 10% of the adult fare in miles, which is still very reasonable compared to cash prices.
What to Do When You Can’t Find Business Class Award Space to Japan
Even very experienced points people can’t always find business class award seats to Japan.
A few options:
- Book economy to Japan on points and enjoy the trip. My 15 year old, who is used to flying mostly Southwest on the companion pass, asked if the Delta economy seat was first class. Japan is worth it at any seat.
- Book economy in advance and keep watching for business class to open up closer to departure. Sometimes seats come back when other people cancel.
- Look at airlines with more consistent award availability, like Singapore Airlines, which tends to hold business class award seats a little longer than JAL or ANA.
What doesn’t usually work: buying an economy ticket hoping to upgrade with points at the airport. Upgrades on Japan routes are really hard to get, especially during busy travel seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions About Flying to Japan on Points
How many points do you need to fly to Japan?
It depends on the program and cabin. Economy award seats can start around 35,000-50,000 points one way. Business class starts around 60,000 points one way on JAL through programs like British Airways Avios or Qatar. First class is higher and much harder to find.
What is the best way to use points to fly to Japan?
It depends on where you’re flying from and how flexible you are. From the West Coast, British Airways Avios for JAL is a great sweet spot. For Delta flights, Flying Blue tends to offer good value. For American Airlines flights, Qatar Privilege Club is worth checking.
Can you fly to Japan with Chase points?
Yes. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to several programs that can book Japan flights, including British Airways Avios (for JAL), Aeroplan (for ANA), and Qatar Privilege Club (for American Airlines), although I tend to prefer saving my Chase points for hotels.
How far in advance should you book flights to Japan with points?
For business or first class on ANA or JAL, you want to be searching close to 360 days out. For economy on US carriers like Delta or American, availability can show up much closer to departure.
Is it hard to find award seats to Japan?
Business and first class are very competitive, especially on ANA and JAL. Economy is much more achievable. US carrier flights (Delta, American, United) release seats less predictably but can have availability even a few months out.
Do I need to fly in and out of Tokyo?
Nope. Most visitors use the bullet train (Shinkansen) to get between cities anyway, so flying into Osaka or out of Hiroshima can make total sense depending on your itinerary, and sometimes the award availability is better on those routes too.
The Bottom Line
Japan is absolutely worth chasing with points. The flights are expensive enough that the redemption value is high, and there are real strategies that work.
For some trips, yes, you need to plan close to a year out, especially if you want business class on ANA or JAL. But our trip proved that’s not always the case. We pivoted from a completely different destination, found award availability across three different programs, and made it work. The key is knowing which programs to check and being willing to be flexible when you find something.
If you want help figuring out which cards to start with or how to build up points for a trip to Japan, that’s exactly what I teach inside my free beginner’s guide. Japan will still be there. Start building toward it now.
Related Article: How We Flew to Italy on Points — The Business Class Flight That Felt Unreal
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