How I Booked 2 Round-Trip Flights to Japan With 100K Amex Points

Over the past decade, I’ve been fortunate to visit Japan several times. Despite traveling to more than 100 countries, it remains my favorite country in the world. With the exception of my first visit in 2016, every trip since has been booked using points and miles.

When my wife suggested we visit again (despite having just been there a few months ago), I didn’t need much convincing. Even better, I had recently earned the massive welcome offer on the Platinum Card^® from American Express, which gave us more than enough points to cover our tickets to Japan and back.

Here’s how I used the Amex Platinum card’s welcome offer to book 2 relatively last-minute round-trip flights to Japan entirely with points.

Amex Platinum Card Overview

The Amex Platinum card is arguably the most premium card on the market, with premier travel benefits. These include airport lounge access, elite status with the Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programs, rental car elite status, and strong travel and purchase protections (enrollment required for some benefits).

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Platinum Card^® from American Express

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The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

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Platinum Card^® from American Express

The Amex Platinum reigns supreme for luxury travel, offering the best airport lounge access plus generous statement credits, and complimentary elite status.

Welcome Offer

You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted. 

As High As 175,000 Points. Find Out Your Offer.

UP's Offer Valuation*:

Up to $3,850

Annual Fee

$895

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Credit Recommended

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 card application.

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Why We Like This Card

When it comes to cards that offer top-notch benefits, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better card out there than the Platinum Card^® from American Express.

Make no mistake — the Amex Platinum card is a premium card with a premium price tag. With amazing benefits like best-in-class airport lounge access, hotel elite status, and tremendous value in annual statement credits, it can easily prove to be one of the most lucrative cards in your wallet year after year.

 

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The best airport lounge access out of any card (by far) — enjoy access to over 1,550 worldwide lounges, including the luxurious Amex Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges (enrollment required), Plaza Premium Lounges, and many more!
• 5x points per dollar spent on flights purchased directly with the airline or with AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per year)
• 5x points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com
• Annual and monthly statement credits upon enrollment (airline credit, Uber Cash and Uber One, Resy, Saks Fifth Avenue credit, lululemon credit, streaming credit, prepaid hotel credit on eligible stays, Walmart+ credit, CLEAR+ credit, and Equinox credit)
• TSA PreCheck or Global Entry credit
• Access to American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts and Amex International Airline Program
• Access to Amex transfer partners
• No foreign transaction fees (rates and fees)

 

Cons

• $895 annual fee (rates and fees)
• Airline credit does not cover airfare (only incidentals like checked bags)

 

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Card Highlights

• You may be eligible for as high as 175,000 Membership Rewards^® points after you spend $12,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
• Get more for your travels with 5X Membership Rewards^® points on all flights and prepaid hotel bookings through American Express Travel^®, including Fine Hotels + Resorts^® and The Hotel Collection bookings. You earn 5X points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through American Express Travel^® on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year.
• With over 1,550 airport lounges - more than any other credit card company on the market* - enjoy the benefits of the Global Lounge Collection^®, over $850 of annual value, with access to Centurion Lounges, 10 complimentary Delta Sky Club^® visits when flying on an eligible Delta flight (subject to visit limitations), Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required), and other select partner lounges.* As of 07/2025.
• $200 Uber Cash + $120 Uber One Credit: With the Platinum Card^® you can receive $15 in Uber Cash each month plus a bonus $20 in December when you add your Platinum Card^® to your Uber account to use on rides and orders in the U.S when you select an Amex Card for your transaction. Plus, when you use the Platinum Card^® to pay for an auto-renewing Uber One membership, you can get up to $120 in statement credits each calendar year. Terms apply.
• $300 Digital Entertainment Credit: Experience the latest shows, news and recipes. Get up to $25 in statement credits each month when you use your Platinum Card^® for eligible purchases on Disney+, a Disney+ bundle, ESPN streaming services, Hulu, The New York Times, Paramount+, Peacock, The Wall Street Journal, YouTube Premium, and YouTube TV when you purchase directly from one or more of the providers. Enrollment required.
• $600 Hotel Credit: Get up to $300 in statement credits semi-annually on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection* bookings through American Express Travel^® using the Platinum Card^®. *The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $400 Resy Credit + Platinum Nights by Resy: Get up to $100 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card^® to make eligible purchases with Resy, including dining purchases at U.S. Resy restaurants. Enrollment required. Plus, with Platinum Nights by Resy, you can get special access to reservations on select nights at participating in demand Resy restaurants with the Platinum Card^®. Simply add your eligible Card to your Resy profile to book and discover Platinum Nights reservations near you.
• $209 CLEAR+ Credit: CLEAR+ helps get you to your gate faster by using your face to verify you are you at 55+ airports nationwide. You can cover the cost of a CLEAR+ Membership* with up to $209 in statement credits per calendar year after you pay for CLEAR+ with your Platinum Card^®. *Excluding any applicable taxes and fees. Subject to auto-renewal.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to the Platinum Card^® Account. American Express relies on airlines to submit the correct information on airline transactions to identify incidental fee purchases. If you do not see a credit for a qualifying incidental purchase on your eligible Card after 8 weeks, simply call the number on the back of your Card. Qualifying airlines are subject to change. See terms & conditions for more details.
• Start your vacation sooner, and keep it going longer. When you book Fine Hotels + Resorts^® through American Express Travel^®, enjoy noon check-in, when available, and guaranteed 4PM check-out.
• $300 lululemon Credit: Enjoy up to $75 in statement credits each quarter when you use the Platinum Card^® for eligible purchases at U.S. lululemon retail stores (excluding outlets) and lululemon.com. That’s up to $300 in statement credits each calendar year. Enrollment required.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Receive a statement credit* for one monthly Walmart+ membership (subject to auto-renewal) after you pay for Walmart+ each month with the Platinum Card^®.* Up to $12.95 plus applicable local sales tax. Plus Ups not eligible.
• Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
• $895 annual fee.
• Terms Apply.

Financial Snapshot

• APR: See Pay Over Time APR
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

American Express Membership Rewards

 

The card also earns valuable American Express Membership Rewards points, including:

• 5x points for flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com (up to $500,000 per calendar year)
• 5x points on prepaid hotels booked with AmexTravel.com

The biggest draw, however, is the as high as 175,000-point welcome offer:

• Apply and find out if you're eligible for as high as 175,000 points after spending $12,000 in eligible purchases in the first 6 months. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.

What 175,000 Amex Membership Rewards Points Are Worth

American Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable transferable currencies available. We value them at 2.2 cents per point, meaning a 175,000-point welcome offer can be worth up to $3,850 when redeemed strategically.

The value, however, depends entirely on how you redeem your points. While Membership Rewards points can be used for statement credits, gift cards, shopping, or travel bookings through AmexTravel.com, the highest-value redemptions almost always come from transferring points to airline and hotel partners.

That’s the only way I redeem Membership Rewards points — and it’s how I booked this trip.

Why I Chose ANA Mileage Club

Japan is one of the most popular destinations in the world, and there’s no shortage of ways to book award tickets there. Programs like Air Canada Aeroplan, ANA Mileage Club, Singapore KrisFlyer, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club all offer redemption options to Japan and are all Amex transfer partners.

I ultimately chose ANA Mileage Club because it has some of the lowest redemption rates in the industry and offers tremendous value. Even better, Amex Membership Rewards is the only major credit card program that transfers to ANA at a 1:1 ratio, making Amex points especially valuable for booking flights to Japan.

ANA has several award charts, including domestic, international, and Star Alliance partner redemptions. For this trip, I took a closer look at the ANA International Flights award chart. Here is the region-based, round-trip award pricing for flights between North America (excluding Hawaii) and Japan based on seasonal pricing:

According to the award chart, I could book round-trip economy flights for as few as 40,000 Mileage Club miles during the low season or up to 72,000 miles during the high season, plus taxes and fees.

While the mileage requirement for an award ticket varies significantly depending on season, it’s understandable given that Japan experiences extremely high travel demand during peak seasons, which justifies the higher mileage pricing.

Finding Award Availability With ANA Mileage Club

Although I initially wanted to fly in business class, I knew it would be difficult to find award space for 2 people at the last minute. However, we found a great deal in economy during Japan’s cherry blossom season.

I found award availability directly on ANA Mileage Club’s website by playing around with the weekly calendar view. I quickly found ANA award space for 2 people between New York (JFK) and Tokyo (HND). In total, 2 round-trip tickets cost 100,000 miles, plus ¥119,000 (about $766) in taxes and fees, or 50,000 miles plus $383 in taxes and fees per person.

I proceeded to the next screen to confirm my dates once more and that the award price was correct. From there, I transferred 100,000 Amex Membership Rewards points to ANA Mileage Club. The transfer took approximately 3 hours, though in some cases, it can take up to 2 days.

While 100,000 points is a lot of points, it sure beats spending over $3,500 for 2 round-trip flights to Japan.

After factoring in the award taxes, I received 2.73 cents per point, which is higher than our valuation of Amex Membership Rewards points. Better yet, I’ll still have 75,000 points left from the Amex Platinum card’s welcome offer that I can use for my next vacation.

Final Thoughts

The welcome offer on the Amex Platinum card is one of the most powerful tools for award travel — if you know how to use it. By transferring 100,000 American Express Membership Rewards points to ANA Mileage Club, I was able to book 2 round-trip flights to Japan to see the Japanese cherry blossoms.

In the process, I also saved well over $2,500, which I consider a major win. With the right planning, points and miles can unlock trips that feel completely out of reach, and for me, that meant returning to my favorite destination once again.