What is Japan Mileage Bank? Why should I join?

Japan Mileage Bank (JMB) is the free loyalty program of Japan Airlines (JAL). Members earn miles from flying JAL, traveling with its airline and hotel partners, and utilizing various credit cards and shopping offers. JMB miles can be used for flights and upgrades on JAL or its partners.

Miles earned in the Japan Mileage Bank program are valid for 36 months.

Is Japan Airlines a member of an airline alliance?

Japan Airlines is a member of Oneworld and has additional airline partners Emirates, Air France, Jetstar Japan, China Eastern Airlines, Bangkok Airways, and Hawaiian Airlines. JAL is also a partner of Asia Miles.

How can I contact Japan Airlines from the U.S.?

From the U.S., call the JAL Mileage Bank Center at 800-JAL-FONE (800-525-3663).

What is the login for JMB?

Log in to the Japan Airlines Mileage Bank here.

Is there a credit card to earn JMB miles?

Earn up to 2 points per $1 spent with the JAL U.S. card (depending on which annual fee version you choose). You can also transfer points to Asia Miles for use on JAL through American Express Membership Rewards cards like Amex Platinum card or Amex Gold card.

14 Best Ways To Redeem Japan Airlines (JAL) Mileage Bank Miles [2023]

Note: As a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, JAL is currently experiencing many restrictions on airspace and may temporarily suspend flights to/from Europe.

Japan Airlines (JAL) is Japan’s original and oldest international airline. It maintains its international hubs at Tokyo-Narita (NRT) and Tokyo-Haneda (HND).

JAL is a member of the Oneworld alliance and has additional partners such as Bangkok Airways, Emirates, and Philippine Airlines.

Members of JAL Mileage Bank (JMB) can use miles for JAL and partner airlines flights. JMB is a distance-based mileage program that has interesting values compared to traditional zone-based programs.

Table of contents

How To Earn Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Miles
The 14 Best Ways To Use Your JAL Mileage Bank Miles
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Program (JMB)
Final Thoughts

Table of Contents

How To Earn Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Miles
The 14 Best Ways To Use Your JAL Mileage Bank Miles
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Program (JMB)
Final Thoughts

How To Earn Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Miles

You can earn JMB miles by flying Japan Airlines and its partner airlines like American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards

You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points and transfer those to Japan Airlines at a transfer rate of 3:1. Plus, for every 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000-mile bonus.

Recommended Marriott Bonvoy Cards

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, a program that shares a lot of partners with Japan Airlines, can be transferred from American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards (both at a rate of 1:1) or from Marriott Bonvoy at a transfer rate of 3:1.

Recommended American Express Cards (Personal)

If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Amex business credit cards.

JAL U.S.A Card

The JAL U.S. card earns miles and discounts on in-flight purchases. This $20 annual fee card only earns 1 point per every $2 spent, though, and is a poor value compared to alternate cards. The $70 annual fee version earns at a better ratio of 1 point per $1.

The 14 Best Ways To Use Your JAL Mileage Bank Miles

The following are what we believe are some of the best ways to use JAL miles. These, of course, aren’t the only ways, so once you’ve learned a few, feel free to get creative and come up with your own!

Once known as the premier frequent flyer program for some of the world’s most aspirational airlines including Emirates, Japan Airlines has suffered from back-to-back devaluations, resulting in a program that isn’t what it once was.

Nonetheless, let’s get into some of the best redemptions you can make with JAL miles.

1. Emirates Business Class

Emirates Inaugural World's Shortest A380 Flight Business Class Seat 23A - Cherag Dubash — Emirates A380 business class seat. Image Credit: Cherag Dubash

Flying Emirates using Japan Airlines miles used to be the holy grail of points travel. This method has since been devalued and Emirates will no longer allow partner redemptions for first class awards on JAL as of September 1, 2021, but it still represents the most points-effective way of flying on Emirates business class.

Japan Airlines employs distance-based award pricing. If you intend on flying Emirates to/from the U.S., here are some great example routes you can take:

Hong Kong (HKG) – Dubai (DXB) – San Francisco (SFO) one-way in Emirates business class for 100,000 miles + $7 in taxes and fees
Melbourne (MEL) – Dubai (DXB) – Boston (BOS) one-way in Emirates business class for 110,000 miles + $7 in taxes and fees
New York (JFK) – Dubai (DXB) round-trip in Emirates business class for 110,000 miles + $7 in taxes and fees

2. JAL First Class to Japan

Japan Airlines 777 First Class Seat — Measuring 33 inches wide, the Japan Airlines 777 first class seat will give you more space than you know what to do with! Image Credit: Stephen Au

This has to be one of the absolute best ways to redeem JAL miles: to experience the exquisiteness of JAL first class on a flight to its home city of Tokyo.

For 140,000 miles round-trip, you can fly to Japan in ultimate style. With limited discounts on certain days of the week, you can reduce that to 110,000!

Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking Japan Airlines first class.

3. Upgrade to JAL Premium Economy, Business, or First

Japan Airlines 777 Business Class Seat 5G — It’s a beautiful sight to see that you’ll be able to enjoy a fully lie-flat bed, excellent food, and amenities in Japan Airlines’ business class aboard the 777-300ER. Image Credit: Stephen Au

Paid tickets on JAL can be upgraded for a reasonable miles price.

North America to Japan from economy to premium economy/business is 20,000/30,000 miles each way. If seats are available, you may be offered those upgrades at the airport for 15,000 and 24,000 miles, respectively.

You have to be in a paid business class to upgrade to first for 45,000 miles in advance (30,000 at the airport).

4. JAL Business Class to Japan

Book JAL business class is a great way to enjoy lie-flat seats and gourmet dining en route to Japan. For as little as 50,000 miles each way, you can fly between Japan and the U.S. in business class.

This represents a savings of 10,000 miles each way compared to American Airlines AAdvantage.

Here are some great example routes you can take:

Boston (JFK) – Tokyo-Narita (NRT)
Los Angeles (LAX) – Osaka (KIX)
New York (JFK) – Tokyo-Haneda (HND)

Need help booking? See our step-by-step guide for booking Japan Airlines’ business class.

Hot Tip: Want to know more about JAL business class? Don’t miss our review of Japan Airlines 777 business class from LA to Tokyo.

5. JAL Economy to Japan

Japan Airlines Economy Meals — Japan Airlines economy meal. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

JAL off-peak awards start at just 25,000 miles one-way from the U.S. to Japan in economy. For only a few miles more, you can continue to JAL’s many Asian destinations.

For being in the back of the plane, economy on JAL is one of the best in the world!

6. JAL Domestic Flights From 6,000 Miles

One-way awards on JAL’s domestic flights are extremely reasonably priced, compared to how expensive a simple domestic economy ticket can be. With superb award pricing, these tickets can get low as 6,000 miles one-way.

Here’s the award chart:

Japan Airlines domestic zones. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

JAL Domestic zone A awards — JAL domestic zone A awards. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

JAL Domestic zone B awards — JAL domestic zone B awards. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

JAL Domestic zone C awards — JAL domestic zone C awards. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

Use them to island-hop around Okinawa!

7. 3 Stopovers on Partner Awards

Partner award tickets are distance-based for up to 6 flight segments, meaning you’ll pay for the total distance you fly. There are a few exceptions, which are as follows:

Korean Air: a maximum of 2 flight sectors are permitted
China Eastern: a maximum of 4 flight sectors are permitted
- China domestic sectors are permitted for a maximum of 2 flight sectors
Hawaiian Airlines: a maximum of 4 flight sectors are permitted
- Hawaiian inter-island sectors are permitted for a maximum of 2 flight sectors

There are some fantastic possibilities for tickets with stops in up to 3 cities, with the exception of international travel originating in China on China Eastern (no stopovers in China are permitted).

Remember that these are stops, not connections, meaning you can stay in each place as long as you want within the ticket validity. Add many partner-specific discount promotions and you have some of the best mileage deals anywhere!

To learn how this works, you can practice online with the group of partners available on the JMB website: Air France, American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas. For more information on using these partners, check out our guide to searching for award availability for Oneworld alliance partners.

There are a few rules surrounding back-tracking, which cannot be done back to the point of origin and country of origin as shown here:

Backtracking on JAL is not permitted. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

8. Hop Around the U.S. East Coast (American Airlines)

Let JAL inspire your trip around the U.S. East Coast on its partner American Airlines:

JAL AA Short-haul — Short-haul flights on American Airlines using JAL miles are an awesome way to save cash. Image Credit: Great Circle Mapper

For this entire route, you’d only pay 25,000 JAL miles. This specific routing would allow you to visit Montreal, Chicago, and Miami from New York on 1 ticket.

9. Hop Around the U.S. West Coast (Alaska Airlines)

With Alaska Airlines you can book ultra-cheap multi-city trips around the West Coast on Alaska. You can also mix Alaska with American Airlines flights on the same ticket.

Japan Airlines award chart for Alaska Airlines — Alaska Airlines is a JAL partner and you can redeem for mixed award flights between the airlines. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

10. Save Big When Touring South America (LATAM)

LATAM Short Haul Itinerary using JAL Miles — Using JAL Miles for ultra short-haul itineraries is an awesome redemption. Image Credit: Great Circle Mapper

Flights in South America are expensive, meaning this is a great chance to use your miles.

LATAM does not have the best award availability, but if you can find it, you can create some incredible trips around the continent.

Trips up to 1,000 miles start at 12,000 miles. You can have up to 3 stopovers… think Easter Island, Iguazu Falls, and more! Here’s the rest of the award chart for LATAM when using JAL miles:

Japan Airlines award chart for LATAM Business Class — Japan Airlines award chart for LATAM business class. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines award chart for LATAM Economy Class — Japan Airlines award chart for LATAM economy class. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

11. Thai Beaches and Angkor Wat (Bangkok Airways)

Bangkok Airways is not a Oneworld airline. Fortunately, with its partnership with JAL, you can book awards on this airline with your miles.

Flights up to 1,000 miles in distance are just 12,000 miles. That is enough for a round-trip Bangkok (BKK) to any of the following:

Chiang Mai (CNX)
Koh Samui (USM)
Krabi (KBV)
Phnom Penh (PNH)
Phuket (HKT)
Siem Reap (REP)
Yangon (RGN)

You can even have stopovers! How about Bangkok – Phuket – Siem Reap – Bangkok for just 15,000 miles?

Even flying from Bangkok all the way to the Maldives tops out at a shockingly low 23,000 miles.

12. Cheap Way to the Maldives (SriLankan Airlines)

The Sri Lankan Colombo (CMB) to Malé (MLE) shuttle is 12,000 miles, and starting all the way from London (LHR), Paris (CDG), or Frankfurt (FRA) is only 50,000 miles in economy or 100,000 miles in business.

13. Russia on Discount (S7)

S7 is a JAL partner with no fuel surcharges. In addition to prices as low as 12,000 miles in economy and 24,000 miles in business for trips up to 1,000 miles, you won’t be paying high cash fees on your award.

14. Hawaii to Japan, Tahiti, or Australia (Hawaiian)

Hawaiian is also a Japan Airlines partner. Short-distance flights cost a relatively high amount of miles. There are interesting values on longer flights:

Honolulu (HNL) – Papeete (PPT) for 37,000 miles economy or 60,000 miles business (round-trip)
Tokyo (HND/NRT) or Sapporo (CTS) – Honolulu (HNL) – Kauai (LIH) or Maui (OGG) for 45,000 miles economy or 80,000 miles business (round-trip)
Honolulu (HNL) – Sydney (SYD) for 50,000 miles economy or 100,000 miles business (round-trip)

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Program (JMB)

Join JMB Frequent Flyer Program

Japan Airlines Enroll Page — You must join JAL Mileage Bank before you can earn any miles or transfer them from partners. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

JAL Family Club

JAL Family Club allows families to pool miles for awards. This program is only available to families residing in eligible regions outside of Japan. Register here.

Japan Airlines Family Club — The JAL family club allows you to share your miles between members of your family (up to 9). Image Credit: Japan Airlines

A family can register up to 9 members, including the primary member’s spouse, children, parents, and spouse’s parents. Each member must be age 12 and above with their own JMB account.

JAL Family Club fees:

1,000-mile initial registration fee, credited back once the primary member flies a paid JAL international flight (accounts with no miles are allowed to be set up; the 1,000 miles will be deducted once earned by any means)
1,000-mile renewal fee charged every 5 years, also credited back once the primary member flies a paid JAL international flight in the following year
1,000-mile fee to add a new family member

JMB Award Booking Guidelines

Award tickets can be booked up to 360 days in advance.

You must book awards online 4 days prior to departure. By phone, you can book up to 2 days prior to departure.

How Much Do JMB Domestic Awards on Japan Airlines Cost?

JAL Domestic Award Tickets start at 12,000 miles round-trip.

All domestic one-ways will be half the round-trip price.

Japan is categorized into Zones A to C; see the domestic award chart.

Booking Guidelines for JMB International Awards on Japan Airlines

JMB Partner Airlines Award Tickets — There are a few rules for using JMB internationally, but they shouldn’t prevent you from booking an award flight! Image Credit: Japan Airlines

One-way awards are allowed and are charged at half the round-trip price.

Mixed cabin awards are also allowed; these are priced to match the highest cabin on the itinerary.

Round-trip flights must return to the same country as your departure, but they can arrive in a different city (book 2 one-ways if you’re planning to return to a different country). Also, note the following country definitions:

U.S. and Canada are counted as the same country area
The U.K. and Europe are counted as the same country area
China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are not counted as the same country area

A maximum of 3 flight segments are allowed each way and no stopovers are permitted within Japan.

Generally, you’ll find better JAL availability for JMB members than on partner airlines.

How Much Do JMB International Awards on Japan Airlines Cost?

JMB has multiple pricing options for international awards on Japan Airlines. A great place to start is the Mileage Calculator, and you can also study the full JAL International Award Ticket Chart.

Here’s the award chart from North America to Japan:

JAL Award Chart North America to Japan — JAL award chart North America to Japan. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

Base Miles:

Lowest level award availability

PLUS*1:

A variable award surcharge that can be applied to reflect a higher level award availability

International Upgrades on Japan Airlines

Paid tickets on JAL can be upgraded using miles. Upgrades are offered in advance and at the airport for a discount (subject to availability).

Economy tickets can upgrade to premium economy or business, but you can only upgrade to first from a paid business class ticket.

JAL runs upgrade discount promotions on select routes. You’ll want to check back with Japan Airlines for these deals.

See the full JMB upgrade chart for other regions.

Hot Tip: See our article on earning JAL miles if you need more miles to earn an upgrade!

Booking Guidelines for JMB Partner Airlines Awards

JMB Partner Airline awards are distance-based and incredibly flexible!

Instead of thinking of these in traditional one-way/round-trip terms, think of this as an additive trip: the more distance you fly, the more you pay.

You can have up to 6 flight segments per ticket, and you are allowed up to 3 stopovers per ticket (stops of 24+ hours).

If you seek to visit multiple destinations in a single trip, this is one of the best mileage values available: 3 destinations for the price of 1!

There are some key rules:

No requirement to return to the origin country
Cannot backtrack or return to the country of origin mid-trip
1 city can be transited a maximum of 3 times
Maximum 1 stopover per city
No domestic China, Hong Kong, or Macau stopover allowed on tickets originating in China
China Eastern: maximum 4 segments per ticket
Korean Air: maximum 2 segments per ticket
Non-Oneworld partner airlines cannot be mixed
Mixed cabin awards price at the highest cabin of the itinerary, meaning even just 1 of 6 segments in business and the rest in economy will price the whole ticket as business

Fuel surcharges are charged on some carriers and can be substantial. Alternate carriers may fly the same route and save you cash. The highest fuel surcharges are usually on Air France, British Airways, China Eastern, and Finnair. Other carriers on most round-trips should be under $200.

Hot Tip: For more information, check out our article dedicated to the topic — The Ultimate Guide to Airline Fuel Surcharges.

How Much Do JAL Mileage Bank Awards on Partner Airlines Cost?

The JMB Partner Airline Award Chart is:

Japan Airlines partner award chart — There is solid value to be had when using JAL miles to book partner awards. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

Book Flights on JAL Partner Airlines

JAL is a Oneworld alliance member and has several additional airline partners.

Japan Airlines partner airlines. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

Oneworld Airline Partners

JAL Partner Airline	Award Bookable Online?
Alaska Airlines	No, search aa.com
American Airlines	Yes
British Airways	Yes
Cathay Pacific	Yes
Finnair	No, search britishairways.com
Iberia	No, search britishairways.com
Malaysia	No, search britishairways.com
Qantas	Yes
Qatar	No, search britishairways.com
Royal Jordanian	No, search britishairways.com
S7 (temporarily suspended)	No, search britishairways.com
SriLankan Airlines	No, search britishairways.com

Other Airline Partners

When booking non-Oneworld partner airlines you cannot mix multiple airlines.

JAL Partner Airline	Award Bookable Online?
Air France	Yes
Bangkok Airways	No, call JAL
China Eastern	No, search airfrance.com
Hawaiian Airlines	No, call JAL
Emirates	Yes
Jetstar	No, call JAL
Korean Air	No, search airfrance.com

Fees, Changes, and Cancellations:

JMB has reasonable award fees:

Telephone ticketing service fee (varies by region): $50 (North America), applicable to phone bookings except partners/itineraries not available online
Change: no fee to change flight or date, except bookings that were originally subject to a ticketing service fee will be charged again for each change; can be processed up to 48 hours prior to departure
Refund: ¥3,100 (~$29); can be processed up to 24 hours prior to departure

Mileage Expiration in JAL Mileage Bank

JMB miles expire at the end of the 36th month from when they were earned, regardless of subsequent activity.

The Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan/JAL Partnership

JAL and Alaska Airlines have a strong partnership, which adds another excellent option for award flights on Japan Airlines.

The way Alaska Airlines works with partners is that only routes published on its award chart are available for booking with Alaska Mileage Plan. For example, you can book U.S. to Japan but not Europe to Japan.

The award chart is:

Route	Economy	Business	First
US – Northeast Asia	35,000	60,000	70,000
US – Southeast Asia	40,000	65,000	75,000
Intra-Asia	15,000	25,000	30,000

The American Airlines AAdvantage/JAL Partnership

American Airlines AAdvantage is a strong alternate to JMB for booking award travel on JAL.

You can redeem for economy, business, and first, but not premium economy.

On these awards, you cannot mix multiple partners, but you can add connections.

From the continental U.S., the one-way award chart is:

Continental U.S. to:	Economy	Business	First
Asia 1	35,000	60,000	80,000
Asia 2	37,500	70,000	110,000

The British Airways Executive Club/JAL Partnership

British Airways is not just a great tool for checking online award availability; the Avios distance-based chart also has the cheapest short-distance awards available on JAL. Most Japanese domestic flights are 6,000 Avios.

British Airways JAL Domestic — Use the British Airways search engine for greater visibility into available award travel on JAL. Image Credit: Japan Airlines

Give British Airways a pass for long-haul fares, which are non-competitive.

Hot Tip: Earn additional Avios by transferring from Chase Ultimate Rewards using the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or from Amex Membership Rewards using the Amex Gold card.

The Cathay Pacific Asia Miles/JAL Partnership

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.

The Asia Miles award chart is distance-based and has some competitive values for short and long-haul flights.

You must be traveling round-trip on JAL and cannot mix with airlines other than Cathay Pacific.

A round-trip award to Japan from the continental U.S. is 80,000/150,000/240,000 miles in economy/business/first.

Asia Miles North America to Japan — Asia Miles is a great award program and allows you to book flights on JAL! Image Credit: Asia Miles

Final Thoughts

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank is a niche program little-known outside Japan. There are tremendous award values both on Japan Airlines and partner airlines, and we offered what we think to be some of the best ways to use JAL miles.

Distance-based awards with 3 stopovers are one of the greatest mileage values in the world. Why visit 1 destination when you can visit 3 for the same price?!

The information regarding the JAL U.S.A Card was independently collected by Upgraded Points and not provided nor reviewed by the issuer.

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6 comments

Chuck Hong March 8, 2019
Didn’t Alaska Airlines kill redemption of their points for JAL premium economy back in mid March of 2017? Just checked the Alaska Airlines website and it still shows redemption for only First, Business and Economy. You may want to update your table in this article.
- Toby Plumb March 13, 2019
  Hello Chuck and thank you for spotting that. You are correct. We have updated the table.
Hubert July 5, 2019
You seem to be implying that you can transfer Asia Miles 1:1 to JAL Mileage Bank. Is that right? I haven’t seen that anywhere else. Thanks!
- Jarrod West July 5, 2019
  Hi Hubert,
  You cannot transfer Asia Miles straight to JAL Mileage Bank. However, since the two are both partners, you can use Asia Miles to book award flights with JAL.
Kelly July 26, 2022
Can you use Asia Miles to upgrade tickets with JAL?
- Jarrod West July 28, 2022
  Hi Kelly,
  To my knowledge, I do not believe you are able to.