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Best Ways To Book ANA First Class Using Points [Step-by-Step]

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Key Takeaways

  • ANA’s newest first class product is one of the best in the world. It can be found on 777-300ER aircraft operating between London, New York, and San Francisco and going to Tokyo.
  • You can book first-class seats using miles from Star Alliance programs like ANA Mileage Club, Asiana Club, and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.
  • Transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, or Marriott Bonvoy will help build your miles balance.

Whether you’re flying Singapore Airlines first class or Cathay Pacific first class, many Asian carriers have developed a reputation for world-class service. When you fly ANA, you will enjoy the privacy and comfort of your first class suite and experience unbelievable service.

With several routes to the U.S., a competitive award chart, and plenty of partner booking options, let’s dive into ANA first class.

A Look Inside ANA First Class

ANA is widely considered to be one of the best airlines in the world, and its first class experience really drives that point home.

When you fly ANA’s first class out of Tokyo, you’ll be treated like a VIP from the moment you walk into the airport. This is because the airline has a private ANA Suite Check-In in Terminal 1 for its most exclusive customers.

ANA’s concierge staff will help make the check-in process a quick and painless process. You can either check in at the counter or wait comfortably on one of the check-in area sofas.

ANA first class check-in NRT
You will be taken care of when checking in to your ANA first class flight at Narita Airport in Terminal 1. Image Credit: ANA

Once you’re finished checking in, you’ll be off to security. While this is probably one of the least enjoyable experiences for most travelers, you’ll be whisked through priority security in no time.

At this point, you might rush to your gate — but hopefully, you’ve left enough time to relax in the ANA Suite Lounge, which is available at both Narita and Haneda.

It’s here where ANA’s amazing service starts to shine. During your stay, you can enjoy a great meal and refresh in one of the fully-stocked shower rooms. ANA really makes an effort to ensure the wait, as well as the flight, is an experience to remember!

Once onboard the ANA Boeing 777-300ER, you’ll see a large rectangular first class suite waiting for you. Unlike some first class suites, these seats do not have doors that close you off from the rest of the cabin. But they provide more than enough privacy (especially the window seats).

Another difference you’ll notice is that the 2 middle seats also have tons of privacy. Even if you lower the divider, you still have to lean forward to talk to the person next to you.

ANA A380 First Class; Amenity Kit
ANA’s Samsonite amenity kits in first class make for a great souvenir. Image Credit: Cherag Dubash

No first class experience wouldn’t be complete without pajamas and an amenity kit. ANA first class amenity kits are provided by Samsonite (departing from Tokyo) or Rimowa (departing to Tokyo) and have everything you need to refresh on a long flight.

ANA’s New First Class

A woman relaxes in ANA's first-class suite before takeoff
ANA New 777 The Suite First Class Cabin. Image Credit: Ryan Smith

ANA is moving forward with its epic refurbishment of its 777-300ERs. Known for offering its “flagship” premium products, the new ANA 777-300ER will arguably solidify its place among the best international first class products in the world.

ANA’s new first class will consist of enclosed suites in a 1-2-1 configuration, each complete with sliding doors. Also, the seats are ridiculously sleek yet minimalist. The in-flight monitor will measure an astonishing 43 inches, which would make it the largest personal television on a commercial airline in the world. Also, it will be a 4K monitor, the first of its kind on an airline.

Arranged in 2 rows with a 1-2-1 configuration, the 8-suite cabin will present an epic “East Meets West” collaboration between architect Kengo Kuma and British design firm Acumen Design Associates. The biggest gripe of ANA’s first class “The Square” had long been the closed-off nature of the hard product, which can make talking to your seatmate difficult if you’re traveling together.

ANA’s response to this is one of the most epic in the history of commercial aviation, and this will undoubtedly catapult the first class experience to a whole new level (not that it wasn’t already a top-tier product).

You can find the new ANA 777 first class on:

  • Tokyo (HND) – London (LHR) on NH 211/212
  • Tokyo (HND/NRT) – New York (JFK) on NH 159/160 and NH 109/110
  • Tokyo (HND) – San Francisco (SFO) on NH 107/108

How To Fly ANA First Class Using Points

ANA is a member of Star Alliance, which is the world’s largest airline alliance — so you’ll have plenty of options for booking ANA first class.

ANA Mileage Club

The most straightforward way to book first class is through ANA’s own Mileage Club program. The entire booking process can be taken care of online. This might be the best way to book ANA business and first class, because ANA keeps a decent amount of award availability reserved for ANA Mileage Club members only.

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Departure Point

Class of Service

Destination

Hawaii (Zone 5)

North America (Zone 6)

Europe (Zone 7)

L

R

H

L

R

H

L

R

H

Japan (Zone 1)

Y

35,000

40,000

43,000

40,000

50,000

55,000

45,000

55,000

60,000

PY

53,000

58,000

61,000

62,000

72,000

77,000

67,000

77,000

82,000

C

60,000

65,000

68,000

75,000

85,000

90,000

80,000

90,000

95,000

F

120,000

120,000

129,000

150,000

150,000

165,000

165,000

165,000

180,000

Here are the steps to booking ANA first class:

  1. Visit ANA’s website.
  2. Select ANA Mileage Club.
  3. Select International then Award Reservation.
  4. Log in to your account.
  5. Enter your desired route and dates.
  6. Select First Class.
  7. Select your flights.

Hot Tip: Use our Transfer Partner Calculator to quickly determine how many miles you’ll get for transferring between programs.

There are a few important caveats to remember when booking with ANA Mileage Club. First, you can only book awards for yourself and your family members.

Second, ANA has low, regular, and high seasons for awards. Stick to the low and regular seasons for your award bookings to get the most bang for your buck.

The mileage cost of first class awards is actually the same for the low and regular seasons, so there are plenty of travel dates from which to choose.

ANA Waitlist
Make sure award space is available before you transfer miles to your ANA Mileage Club account. If you see the “Waitlist” label, think twice before transferring Amex Membership Rewards points. Image Credit: ANA

Third, ANA allows you to waitlist award bookings. This can be a nice feature, but there’s no guarantee you will move off the waitlist (especially on popular travel dates). For this reason, it’s important to check whether your selection is actually putting you on the waitlist.

Fortunately, it’s clear when you are waitlisting for an award. Just make sure you confirm before moving forward!

Speaking of the waitlisted flight pictured above, you’ll notice the route is from Chicago to Sydney, Australia connecting in Tokyo.

ANA not only allows you to transit a third region on your way to a destination, but they allow you to book a stopover. This means you could visit Tokyo for a bit before continuing to Australia.

If you need some more miles in your Mileage Club account, you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards.

Membership Rewards generally take about 2 to 3 days to transfer. Keep this in mind before transferring, as award space isn’t guaranteed to be available if you wait.

Hot Tip: Check out other great ways to redeem ANA miles with ANA Mileage Club.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

In today’s age, it’s extremely difficult to find sweet spot awards to Asia. Luckily, Virgin Atlantic is an amazing transfer partner of all major flexible award points.

This is crucial for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club because they offer unbeatable first class award redemption rates on ANA to Japan.

The following chart is the ANA Award Chart using Virgin Points:

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Route

Economy Class*

Business Class*

First Class*

Domestic Japan

15,000

Japan – South Korea

18,000

35,000

50,000

Japan – China / Guam / Hong Kong / Philippines / Taiwan

23,000

45,000

60,000

Japan – Malaysia / Myanmar / Singapore / Thailand / Vietnam

40,000

65,000

105,000

Japan – Hawaii / India / Indonesia

45,000

70,000

115,000

Japan – Australia / Canada / Western USA

60,000

90,000

145,000

Japan – Europe / Central & Eastern USA / Mexico

65,000

95,000

170,000

* or equivalent class

The above chart shows the round-trip cost in Virgin Points, though one-way trips are now allowed at half of the round-trip cost.

Here are some great example flights you can take:

  • Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo (NRT/HND) nonstop round-trip for 145,000 Virgin Points + ~$300 in taxes and fees in ANA first class
  • Houston (IAH) – Tokyo (NRT) nonstop round-trip for 170,000 Virgin Points + ~$300 in taxes and fees in ANA first class
  • New York (JFK) – Tokyo (NRT/HND) nonstop round-trip for 170,000 Virgin Points + ~$300 in taxes and fees in ANA first class
  • San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo (NRT/HND) nonstop round-trip for 145,000 Virgin Points + ~$300 in taxes and fees in ANA first class

To make things even better, Citi and American Express often run huge transfer bonuses of 25% to 30% to top off your miles even more! If you line everything up correctly, you can fly from the West Coast to Japan in ANA first class round-trip for 112,000 points! 

One significant drawback of Virgin Atlantic vs. ANA is that Virgin Atlantic will only be able to reserve award seats that are released to partners. Since ANA has access to much more award inventory, you’ll need to plan further in advance or be more flexible.

Here’s how to book ANA first class with Virgin Atlantic (do not transfer your points yet):

  1. Visit United or Aeroplan.
  2. Log into your Aeroplan or United account.
    • For Aeroplan: Under Use Your Miles select Travel. Select your travel dates, cities, and business/first class.
    • For United: Click round-trip, check Book with miles, and select your travel dates, cities, and first class.
  3. Find your desired flight in ANA first class.
  4. Call Virgin Atlantic at 800-365-9500 to hold your award booking for 24 hours.
  5. Transfer your points.
  6. Call Virgin Atlantic at 800-365-9500 to confirm your booking once you have enough points and pay for taxes and fees.
  7. Write down the ANA Record Locator and use it to select your seats.
    • Navigate to ANA’s Manage Reservation Page. Enter your Record Locator and First/Last Name. If you have a middle name on your Virgin Atlantic account, you must type it after your first name without spaces.
      • For example, John Steven Doe would be entered like this: First Name: JohnSteven and Last Name: Doe.
  8. You will be prompted to log in with your ANA Number and Password.
  9. Click Service on the right tab to select your seats and add meal preferences.

The last thing you need to know is about transfer times: Chase and Citi transfer instantly, Amex takes 2 to 3 business days, and Marriott Bonvoy can take as long as Amex. Make sure you know this when you’re planning award holds! If your award hold is lost, there’s no guarantee the seats will still be there if you try again.

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

You can also book ANA flights through Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, a Star Alliance partner.

Star Alliance Round Trip Awards KrisFlyer
Star Alliance round-trip awards (click image to enlarge). Image Credit: Singapore Airlines

Here’s what you need to know to book.

  1. Visit Air Canada’s Aeroplan.
  2. Log in to your Aeroplan account (you’ll need your account number).
  3. Under Use Your Miles select Travel.
  4. Select your travel dates, cities, and class of service
  5. Find your desired flight — make sure it’s ANA first class
  6. Complete the reservation online on Singapore Airlines’ website. Be sure to select Star Alliance Partners instead of Singapore Airlines.
  7. For connecting itineraries and reservations, you may need to call Singapore Airlines to complete the booking at 800-742-3333.
  8. Write down the ANA Record Locator and use it to select your seats
    • Navigate to ANA’s Manage Reservation Page. Enter your Record Locator and First/Last Name. If you have a middle name on your Virgin Atlantic account, you must type it after your first name without spaces.
      • John Steven Doe will be First Name: JohnSteven and Last Name: Doe
  9. You will be prompted to log in with your ANA Number and Password
  10. Click Service on the right-hand tab to select your seats and add meal preferences

Booking through Singapore KrisFlyer allows you to book a one-way first class award on ANA if that’s all you need.

A big benefit to booking this way is that it allows you to leverage Chase Ultimate Rewards and Citi ThankYou Points since Singapore Airlines is a partner. Transfers to the KrisFlyer program generally take up to 24 hours; transfers from Citi generally take 1-2 days.

Hot Tip: Check out other great ways to redeem with Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

Asiana Club

Asiana Club miles provide another great option for booking flights on ANA. Like Singapore Airlines, it also allows one-way bookings.

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Origin

Destination

Economy

Business

First

North America

Northeast Asia

80,000

120,000

160,000

Southeast Asia

90,000

135,000

180,000

Southwest Asia

100,000

150,000

210,000

South Pacific

110,000

165,000

240,000

North America

25,000

45,000

65,000

Mexico, Hawaii, Central America

35,000

55,000

75,000

South America 1

35,000

55,000

75,000

South America 2

50,000

70,000

90,000

Europe

50,000

80,000

100,000

Middle East

80,000

120,000

160,000

Africa

80,000

120,000

160,000

You must reserve and have your ticket issued 3 days prior to departure, which prevents snagging last-minute awards.

  1. Search for availability using Aeroplan’s site (see above for the steps)
  2. Call Asiana at 1-800-227-4262
    • The U.S. call center is open between 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. PST (Monday to Friday)
  3. Tell the phone representative you’d like to book an award with Star Alliance partner ANA
  4. Provide your travel dates and flight numbers
  5. Once you confirm space, you will be prompted to give your credit card for any necessary taxes and fees

Other Options for Booking ANA Flights

You can also book through one of ANA’s other Star Alliance partners including Avianca LifeMiles, United MileagePlus, or Air Canada Aeroplan.

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Great ANA First Class Redemptions

ANA First Class
ANA First Class. Image Credit: Stephen Au

Each program we discussed above has its sweet spots:

  • Virgin Atlantic is the best way to fly round-trip if you see partner availability.
  • Asiana Club often provides solid one-way redemption options, but it doesn’t allow stopovers.
  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer might cost a few more miles, but you can book one-ways and stopovers.
  • ANA Mileage Club requires round-trip bookings, but offers some of the best redemption rates and allows stopovers. Most importantly, ANA has exclusive award availability compared to all other partners.

Here’s a quick comparison of some round-trip award redemptions with each program.

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Departure

Destination

ANA Mileage Club

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club*

Asiana Club

Singapore KrisFlyer

Chicago (ORD)

Sydney

210,000 miles

N/A

240,000 miles

255,000 miles

New York (JFK)

Tokyo

150,000 miles

170,000 miles

160,000 miles

200,000 miles

Washington, D.C. (IAD)

Bangkok

195,000 miles

N/A

180,000 miles

225,000 miles

* Virgin Atlantic is really only worth it to fly to Japan. It’s possible to book to places like Australia and Thailand, but you don’t get anywhere near the same value.

When booking with Asiana Club, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, or Singapore KrisFlyer, a one-way ticket will cost half the miles of the round-trip award.

How To Earn Enough Miles for ANA First Class

Since ANA is an Amex transfer partner, you can transfer miles at a rate of 1:1.

Singapore Airlines and Virgin Points are also a Chase transfer partner, American Express Membership Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards (all at a rate of 1:1).

In addition, Capital One miles can be transferred to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 1:1 ratio. Also, if you have Bilt Rewards points, you can transfer them to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at the same 1:1 ratio.

You can even transfer Brex Rewards points to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer at a 1,670:1,000 ratio.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points and transfer those to ANA, Asiana, Virgin Atlantic, or Singapore Airlines at a transfer rate of 3:1. For every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000-mile bonus.

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American Express Membership Rewards

BEST FOR DINING
American Express® Gold CardTerms Apply / Rates & Fees
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This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!

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Know if you're approved with no credit score impact

If you're approved and accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.

This is the best card for food lovers who dine out at restaurants (worldwide), order take-out and want big rewards at U.S. supermarkets!
Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
60,000 points
$1,200
$325
See Pay Over Time APR
Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.
Good to Excellent (670-850)
Why We Like This Card

The American Express® Gold Card is a game-changer.

With this card, you can earn 4x Membership Rewards points at restaurants, up to $50,000 per calendar year, and you’ll also earn 4x Membership Rewards points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x.

There isn’t another card on the market that offers a 1-2 punch like this. Of course, there are several other benefits of the Gold Card as well, including extra monthly dining rewards and more.

Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 4x points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, up to $50,000 per calendar year; then 1x thereafter
  • 4x points per dollar at U.S. supermarkets, up to $25,000 per calendar year; then 1x thereafter
  • 3x points per dollar on flights purchased directly from airlines or at AmexTravel.com
Cons
Card Highlights
  • Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year. Effective 11/8/2024, an Amex Card must be selected as the payment method for your Uber or Uber Eats transaction to redeem the Amex Uber Cash benefit.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
  • Terms Apply.
Financial Snapshot
  • APR: See Pay Over Time APR
  • Foreign Transaction Fees: None
Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

If you’re a business owner, refer to our article on Amex business credit cards that earn Membership Rewards.

When Should You Search for Award Space?

You can search and book ANA flights between 355 days and 96 hours from departure. Start your search early to give yourself the best chance of finding award space, and check regularly if you don’t see space initially.

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What Makes This a Great Redemption?

ANA is one of the premier carriers operating out of Asia, so you’ll want to give its first class a try. Here are some of the aspects of this experience you would enjoy.

First Class Service

If you’re accustomed to the service of U.S. carriers, you might be a bit overwhelmed. Don’t worry, there’s no trick here — ANA’s cabin crews really are that great!

From the moment you set foot onboard, they are ready to help you have a wonderful first class experience.

ANA Suite Lounge

ANA Suite Lounge at HND Terminal 2
Relax before your flight in the exclusive ANA Suite Lounge. Image Credit: ANA

Once you’re in the ANA Suite Lounge, staff will be there to offer you a hot (or cold) towel and a drink — Champagne is a great choice. If that’s not a great way to start off a lounge visit, we don’t know what is!

If you need a shower after a long flight or a long day visiting Tokyo, you can enjoy a relaxing one here. There’s plenty of seating even during busy times, so you can stretch out. If you need a quiet place to work, grab one of the workstations that include noise-canceling headphones.

Whether you’re enjoying a nice vacation or visiting the lounge for work, the ANA Suite Lounge will be a great experience.

Final Thoughts

Go ahead and add ANA first class to your list of flights you must try. If you need a one-way flight, Asiana Club and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer can get you what you need. If you need a round-trip, you’ll often find your best booking options are ANA’s own Mileage Club and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Additionally, ANA’s new first class is about to be added to its portfolio, so be sure to consider flying that product as it is sensational.

What are you waiting for? From the moment you arrive at the airport, the service will be amazing. Enjoy some Champagne and before you know it, the journey will be as much fun as the destination!

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to book ANA first class?

Often, ANA’s Mileage Club program requires the fewest miles to book first class flights on ANA, but it requires round-trip bookings.

Asiana Club, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and other Star Alliance partners can also provide some great redemption options.

What credit cards can help me earn miles to fly ANA first class?

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and ANA Mileage Club are partners with American Express Membership Rewards.

You can also earn KrisFlyer miles through Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Capital One Miles, or Brex Rewards.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, Bilt Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy. It’s also indirect transfer partners with Capital One Miles through Virgin Red.

What do I get when flying ANA first class?

First and foremost, world-class service. ANA is renowned for its amazing inflight service! Additionally, you can expect some great Champagne and food in the ANA Suite Lounge and during your flight.

Spencer Howard's image

About Spencer Howard

Always a fan of flying, it was only natural that Spencer was drawn to finding a way to improve the travel experience.

Like many, he started this journey searching for cheap flights to take him around the world. This was fun for a while, but Spencer was intrigued by the idea of flying in business and first class!

Throwing himself into what became an extensive research project, Spencer spent 3-4 hours per night learning everything he could about frequent flyer miles over the course of several months (he thinks this is normal). He runs Straight to the Points, an award-seat alert platform.

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