The Beginner Strategy We Use for Award Flights to Japan
How annual trips to Japan became a reality - and how we stopped paying full price for flights.
Most people planning a trip to Japan have a huge budget. One of the biggest pieces of that pie is usually the flight.
Now, imagine, if you could reduce that amount to several hundred dollars, or even to under a hundred dollars round trip.
That is the power of planning ahead and covering your flights with miles.
Many people who have entertained the idea of the points and miles hobby back off or put it off because they dive into articles with complex strategies or that push ultra high-end credit cards with massive annual fees. To be honest, those cards have a place, too, but not so much in the beginning.
In this article, I’ll demystify how to earn enough miles by recommending a few cards that helped us to fly to Japan over the years. Rest assured, these are the same cards that we recommend first to our travel buddies as well.
The First Card I Recommend to Everyone
Yes, he’s everywhere. Can you blame him?
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card
This one is almost always my go-to recommendation for friends and family. The card typically offers a generous sign up bonus of 60,000 to 80,000 miles. The annual fee of $99 is typically waived for the first year, and the bonus spend requirements are reasonable, ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 in 3 months.
You might be surprised, and even feel a bit betrayed. AA? Why not a Japanese carrier? I get it. The simple reason this card is a winner is because AA miles can be used for Japan Airline (JAL) flights right on American’s own website. With only 70,000 miles, you can fly round trip to Japan on JAL in economy - a flight that would normally cost me about $2,500+ per person from Boston.
The best part about AA miles is that they do not pass on massive surcharges like other programs, which range from $300 to $500+ per person. Redeeming AA miles for a round trip to Japan on miles costs me about $60 per person in fees. Now that’s pretty sweet.
So if a couple were to both apply for this card, within 3 to 4 months, they would meet the required spend, and have the miles to cover both of their flights for about $120.
If you live in a city that does not have JAL flights, you can still book other airlines that fly to Japan. Also, if flying JAL is on your bucket list, you can book a separate positioning flight to a city that does have JAL flights.
Speaking of other flights, there are many AA flights that land in Haneda airport, which can be a really helpful option for someone’s first visit to Japan, or for those who want immediate access to Tokyo. Unfortunately, JAL flights from Boston only go to Narita Airport, but we make it work.
Why This Works So Well for Japan
Japan is one of the best uses of points and miles - especially for travelers coming from the U.S.
Why? Because flights to Japan are expensive.
Even economy fares can easily jump into the $1,700 - $3,000+ range during peak travel like cherry blossom season, fall foliage, and holidays. Business class prices get even crazier. It’s fairly normal to see nonstop flights pricing at $6,000-$10,000+ per person.
That’s where points become incredibly powerful.
Because Japan is such a long-haul trip for most of us, the value of using points feels much more noticeable. Saving a few hundred dollars on a short domestic flight is nice. Saving several thousand dollars on a 12-14 hour flight to Japan feels completely different.
And honestly, the quality of the flight makes all the difference.
Japan Airlines is one of the biggest reasons I keep flying on points. Even in economy, the experience usually feels calmer, cleaner, and more thoughtful than what most of us are used to on domestic flights.
In both the larger and smaller JAL planes, they are configured as 2-4-2 in economy, which is great for couples, since you don’t have to sit next to a stranger for over 10 hours.
In fact, I became so used to this, I almost forgot what it was like to share a row with someone. On our last domestic flight on Jetblue, my wife and I were stuck next to someone for only four hours - but it felt like an eternity - the gentleman kept taking my arm rest and leg space, and it was hard to get comfortable when his entertainment was on full blast. If he were on the other side of the aisle, I would have had no issues.
Also, once you fly JAL business class on miles, it becomes impossible to ever justify paying $8,000 for it. Even if I had the cash, I would just pay half of that and buy the miles or upgrade my award seat with cash to fly business - there’s almost no reason to ever pay full price once you understand these systems.
Another thing that makes Japan especially good for points travelers is how well transferable points work for these routes. Programs like American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Miles, and Citi Thank You can all unlock flights to Japan through different airline partners.
So instead of being locked into one airline ecosystem, you can build transferable points and decide where your points go later.
That flexibility matters a lot with Japan because award availability changes constantly, and the best deals are always found through partner bookings instead of booking directly through a bank travel portal.
After I Burn My Miles on My First Trip, What's Next?
That’s where Citi’s line-up of cards help. Above the Platinum Select, there are two more cards that offer excellent sign up bonuses ranging from 80,000 to 100,000. The Citi AAdvantage Globe card ($350 annual fee), and the Citi AAdvantage Executive card ($595 annual fee). The annual fees are hefty, but offer some nice perks like access to The American Airlines Admirals Club, free checked bags, and other annual benefits.
I’ve had the Executive card before, and the way I thought of it was, paying $500 (at the time) for the annual fee is still cheaper than paying for a full price ticket. Also, if you ever get to visit an Admirals Club, it’s quite nice, and can be easily worth the annual fee if you can make frequent use of it.
Is This Sustainable Long Term?
The Earth is indefinitely sustainable as long as we don’t mess with it - and so are credit card points as long as we don’t go wild
Finally, over the course of a year or two, let’s say you applied for all three Citi cards mentioned above. Now what?
Each card has a 48 month restriction, meaning that you will not be eligible for another sign up bonus for 48 months from the last time you received a bonus.
But in other words, you could fly to Japan once a year for three years using this exact line-up of cards. 2026 - Citi Platinum. 2027 - Citi Globe. 2028 - Citi Executive. 2029 - a different non-Citi bank card. 2030 - Citi Platinum. 2031 - Citi Globe. 2032 Citi Executive.
Isn’t that awesome? While there are no guarantees that the Citi application rules will not change, this is theoretically how someone could travel to Japan on miles for an indefinite amount of time (that’s what we do!) And there are many other cards out there from other banks that earn miles that can be used for flights to Japan.
Is There Such a Thing as “The Best Premium Miles Card?”
While there are premium cards for airline miles, if you are new to the hobby, it may be best just to stick to cards that earn miles, for simplicity.
Let me explain.
No one premium airline credit card offers long-term benefits for travel to Japan unless you really value lounge visits or prefer American carriers. For better or worse, I usually get the bonus miles, close the card in a year, and start again. With premium hotel credit cards, there are many ongoing perks that make the card worth holding long term.
So rather than holding on to one premium airline card, I would hold on to a premium credit card that earns transferable bank points, such as from American Express, Chase, Citi, and Capital One.
It’s definitely a more complex path to getting more miles, and is not very beginner friendly. These points, which are all too often redeemed poorly, can cause someone to leave a ton of value on the table - a mistake that many regret the more they learn later. That’s why understanding the basics of transferable points can make such a huge difference.
One quick example of a common mistake is by only redeeming transferable bank points through the bank travel portal. You would often get 1 cent per point, and in rare instances (through limited sales or certain credit credit card perks) get 1.25 cents per point.
To put this into perspective, if you had 100,000 Capital One miles, that could be worth $1,000 when redeemed for travel. The issue is, those same points could be transferred to JAL, where it could potentially cover a round trip in economy or even a one way trip in business class. Those redemptions would easily outweigh $1,000.
The Mindset and the Expectation
If you are new to the hobby, don’t rush things and enjoy the process. In the beginning, keep things simple. After booking your first trip to Japan using miles, you can slowly expand your points and miles strategy into transferable bank points. Those will naturally supplement your airline miles and hotel points over time.
This article focused on the beginner strategy and the cards that made our trips to Japan possible. But once you’re ready to go deeper, I also have a full step-by-step guide on exactly how I search for award flights to Japan - including flexible date searches, route selection, and checking real-time availability in The Framework I Use to Plan Every Japan Trip With Points - Part 1: Flights.
Also, remember that award travel should create more freedom to explore Japan and spend money on the things that genuinely make you happy. They are tools to complement and enhance your trip - so don’t let it dominate your planning. You don’t need to build your trip around redemptions; build it around your interests and let the points help you get there.
That way, you avoid luxury fatigue or trapping yourself inside a fancy bubble in Japan. Instead, stay free to experience Japan the way you want to.
And ultimately, understanding even the basics of award travel comes with the freedom of knowing that Japan is no longer out of reach.
