How I’d Book a Tokyo and Kyoto Trip With a Single Credit Card Welcome Offer

Japan is one of those destinations that never seems to lose its appeal. Even after multiple visits, I still dream of going back.

Between the incredible food, fascinating culture, efficient transportation, and seemingly endless list of things to see and do, it’s easy to understand why Japan sits at the top of so many travelers’ bucket lists. If I were planning a trip to Tokyo and Kyoto right now, here’s exactly how I’d earn and redeem enough points to make the trip happen with minimal out-of-pocket costs.

The Best Travel Credit Card’s Welcome Offer

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card is offering a new 100,000-point welcome offer for a limited time only — and it got me thinking. As the highest public bonus offer we’ve ever seen on the card, it’s enough to turn a dream trip to Japan into a real itinerary.

LIMITED-TIME OFFER

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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the ins and outs of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

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Chase Sapphire Preferred^® Card

A fantastic travel card with a great welcome offer, good benefits, and perks for a moderate annual fee.

Welcome Offer

Earn 75,000 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

75,000 100,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$2,000

Annual Fee

$95

APR

19.24% - 27.49% Variable

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.

Good to Excellent

Why We Like This Card

The Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card is one of the best travel rewards cards on the market. Its bonus categories include travel, dining, online grocery purchases, gas, EV charging, vacation homes, and streaming services, which gives you the opportunity to earn lots of bonus points on these purchases.

Additionally, it offers flexible point redemption options, no foreign transaction fees, and excellent travel insurance coverage including primary car rental insurance and emergency evacuation. With benefits like these, it’s easy to see why this card is an excellent choice for any traveler.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 5x points on all travel booked via the Chase Travel portal
• 3x points on dining purchases, online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), gas, EV charging, vacation homes (such as Airbnb and Vrbo), and select streaming services
• 2x points on all other travel worldwide

Cons

• $95 annual fee
• No elite benefits like airport lounge access or hotel elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, 3x on vacation homes, 3x on gas & EV charging, 3x on top streaming services and online groceries (excluding Walmart, Target, and wholesale clubs), 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases
• Earn up to $100 in statement credits each account anniversary year for hotel stays through Chase Travel
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $156.
• Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders.
• Receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to your card for a Global Entry, TSA Precheck^® or NEXUS application.
• Transfer points to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 19.24% - 27.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

Chase Ultimate Rewards

Looking at the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s welcome offer history, the bonus offer has typically been 75,000 points for the same amount of required spend. However, the value is much higher now, as eligible applicants can earn 100,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months.

Beyond the welcome offer, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card checks all the right boxes: a valuable rewards program, useful bonus categories, travel protections and primary rental car insurance, practical everyday credits and benefits, and no foreign transaction fees.

Using the 100K Bonus Offer To Book Flights to Japan

If I were planning a dream trip to Japan, I’d start with flights. Airfare is usually the biggest expense of a trip to Japan and can often be the difference between taking the trip this year or putting it off until later.

In some cases, you can even experience a business-class seat that normally costs thousands of dollars. The challenge is that Japan is one of the most competitive premium award destinations in the world, making business- and first-class award space difficult to find. If I were traveling solo, I’d aim high and target one of the best points-and-miles sweet spots to Japan: ANA business class.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, which offers some exceptional pricing on ANA-operated flights. From the West Coast, ANA business class can cost as little as 52,500 Virgin Points one-way, while travelers departing from the Central U.S. or East Coast can book the same seat for 60,000 points. That’s an incredible deal for a product that sells for more than $4,000 in cash.

That means the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s 100,000-point welcome bonus offer could be enough for 2 one-way ANA business-class tickets from the West Coast after meeting the minimum spending requirement. The bonus requires at least $5,000 in spending, which would earn at least another 5,000 additional points, bringing the total to 105,000 Ultimate Rewards points.

If I were planning this trip with my wife and couldn’t find business class seats, I’d shift my focus to getting us both to Japan for as few points as possible. That’s where economy awards start to look much more attractive.

For example, Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program is a 1:1 transfer partner with Chase Ultimate Rewards. I could transfer 62,000 points (31,000 points per person) to book 2 one-way Delta-operated economy award tickets from Seattle (SEA) to Tokyo (HND).

The redemption value may not be quite as flashy as business class, but getting 2 people to Japan for a fraction of the normal cost — with points to spare — is still a fantastic use of points.

I’d Transfer My Remaining Points to Hyatt for Hotels

Most flights from the U.S. arrive in Tokyo, making it the starting point for many Japan itineraries. If you’re planning to visit Kyoto as well, hop on the Shinkansen bullet train, which makes getting between the 2 cities quick, easy, and enjoyable.

Once I’d used points to lock in flights, I’d focus on stretching the rest of the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s 100,000-point welcome offer toward hotel stays. I’d likely transfer my remaining points to World of Hyatt. Hyatt is one of Chase Ultimate Rewards’ most valuable transfer partners, and Japan has some excellent Hyatt properties in both Tokyo and Kyoto.

If I followed the economy-flight strategy and used 62,000 points to get 2 people to Japan, I’d still have a little more than 40,000 points left, including points from meeting the minimum spending requirement.

However, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card’s transfer ratio to World of Hyatt is changing from 1:1 to 4:3. The ratio update is effective for new cardholders from June 15, 2026, onward, but cardholders who applied before June 15 can continue transferring at 1:1 until October 1, 2026.

Even with the reduced transfer ratio, having 40,000 Chase points could be enough to lock in a couple of award nights.

In Tokyo, I’d consider properties like the Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya or Hyatt Regency Tokyo, both of which can cost hundreds of dollars per night during busy travel periods. Award nights start at 20,000 and 15,000 Hyatt points per night.

Once it’s time to head to Kyoto, I’d look at the Hyatt Place Kyoto. With spacious rooms, a fantastic location, and award nights starting at just 8,000 Hyatt points, it’s one of the best hotel values in Japan.

Considering how expensive hotel rates in Kyoto can be, that could easily save hundreds of dollars on the trip. Rather than using the entire welcome bonus offer on a single redemption, you can split the points between flights and hotels, helping offset 2 of the biggest expenses of a Japan vacation.

I’d Keep Earning Points Throughout My Japan Trip

While the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s 100,000-point welcome offer can help make a dream trip to Japan possible, I’d also earn plenty of points throughout the trip:

• 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel
• 3x points on dining, gas and EV charging, vacation rentals, including Airbnb and Vrbo, eligible streaming services, online grocery purchases
• 2x points on all other travel purchases worldwide
• 1x points on all other purchases

Whether I’m grabbing sushi in Tokyo, taking the Shinkansen train to Kyoto, booking an Airbnb or a hotel through Chase Travel for the remaining nights, or paying for local transportation, I’d earn points throughout the trip while helping replenish my Ultimate Rewards balance for the next adventure.

Final Thoughts

Right now, the 100,000-point welcome offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card has the potential to offset some of the biggest costs associated with visiting Japan. Whether you use the points for a premium-cabin flight, economy tickets for 2, hotel stays in Tokyo and Kyoto, or a combination of all 3, the choice is yours.