The Best Ways To Fly to North Asia With Points and Miles [Step-by-Step]

As many of us know already, it’s hard work to acquire the hundreds of thousands of points and miles required to plan a first class vacation. And many of these vacations involve flying to the countries that constitute the North Asia region of the world.

This isn’t surprising since North Asia is shared by the likes of Japan and South Korea. In this guide, we’ll be focusing on how to redeem points for max value on flights to North Asia, so you can get the very best value for the points you’ve worked so hard to earn.

As you’ll see, different frequent flyer programs treat regions differently, and North Asia is no exception to this. In general, North Asia refers to China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Let’s take a look at the best ways to get to North Asia with your points and miles.

Nonstop Flights Between the U.S. and North Asia

While South Korea and Japan are undoubtedly part of North Asia, most also accept that China, Taiwan, and Mongolia are part of the region as well.

Star Alliance and SkyTeam have strongholds in Taiwan, while Oneworld and Star Alliance generally split up market share in Japan. On the flip side, South Korea is shared by Star Alliance and SkyTeam. At the moment, no nonstop flights exist between the U.S. and Mongolia.

China is split fairly evenly with the vast majority of long-haul flights falling under the Star Alliance and SkyTeam umbrellas. There are a few Oneworld flights, mainly thanks to American Airlines, but the numbers don’t compare to what Air China, China Eastern, Delta , and United offer.

Hot Tip: Flight schedules involving mainland China may be incomplete due to the flight capacity, arrival, and departure restrictions that have been imposed from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we will include popular award travel routes to China in the next sections to give you some post-pandemic travel inspiration.

With all that being said, here are the major foreign airlines offering nonstop flights from the U.S. to North Asia:

Air Canada

ANA

Asiana Airlines

China Airlines

EVA Air

Japan Airlines

Korean Air

Singapore Airlines

And here are the major U.S. airlines offering nonstop flights to North Asia:

American Airlines

Delta Air Lines

United Airlines

* Expected to start in spring 2022

Best Programs for Booking Flights

There are several fascinating ways to fly to North Asia with points and miles. With the growth of commercial aviation and stiff competition between carriers to fight for market share, the results are competitive business and first class products across the board and consumer-friendly ways to book award travel.

Generally, when you’re looking at flights to North Asia, you’ll notice plentiful award availability, amazing redemption “sweet spots,” and great onboard products, to boot.

Without further ado, take a look at our picks of the best frequent flyer programs you should use to book flights.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

When talking about North Asia, a country that immediately comes to mind is Japan — one of the most culturally rich countries in the world, replete with top-notch food, culture, and amazing sights.

One of the world’s economic and cultural powerhouses, Japan has 2 global airlines: Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA). Japan Airlines first class has one of the best international first class products in the world and is roughly on par with its crosstown rival ANA.

Virgin Atlantic, though not in any airline alliance, has strategic partnerships with many airlines. Its loyalty program, known as Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, is advantageous for points travelers because it provides excellent ways to redeem Virgin Points. In fact, one of the best ways to book ANA first class is by redeeming Virgin Points.

The Virgin Atlantic partners that would be useful for premium cabin flights to North Asia are All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Delta Air Lines.

Using Virgin Points To Fly ANA

The best way to fly to North Asia using Virgin Points is undoubtedly on ANA. Here is the region-based award chart to redeem Virgin Points for round-trip flights on ANA:

For only 110,000 to 120,000 Virgin Points, you can fly round-trip from the U.S. to Japan in ANA first class, which is a ridiculously good deal. One-way flights require half the miles.

For reference, United MileagePlus charges more than that one-way, so you’re saving at least 50% over other partners for an amazing first class product.

Similarly, you can get round-trip tickets in business class for 90,000 to 95,000 Virgin Points and economy for 60,000 to 65,000 Virgin Points. The Western U.S. cities that will qualify for the cheapest prices are Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), and Seattle (SEA).

The Central and Eastern U.S. cities that are slightly pricier are Chicago (ORD), Houston (IAH), New York (JFK), and Washington, D.C. (IAD).

Finally, you can book round-trip flights between Hawaii and Japan using Virgin Points on ANA’s new A380 for 45,000 miles in economy, 70,000 in business, and 90,000 in first class.

Hot Tip: Need a one-stop-shop for ANA routes? Check out our definitive guide to ANA’s direct routes from the U.S. 

Once you’ve solidified your travel plans, here are the steps to follow for booking ANA first class using Virgin Points:

1. Begin your search for award space by visiting United’s website.
2. On the homepage, check the box that says Book with miles.
3. Choose Round-trip or One-way.
4. Type your origin and destination cities, outbound and inbound dates, and number of travelers.
5. Click Find flights.
6. After finding flights that you like, write down the flight numbers, dates, and times.
7. Call Virgin Atlantic at 800-365-9500.
8. Request an award hold for 24 hours with your specific flight.
9. Transfer your points.
10. Call back Virgin Atlantic at 800-365-9500 to confirm your booking and pay for taxes and fees.
11. Write down the ANA Record Locator.
12. Visit the Manage Reservation Page for ANA and enter your record locator and name.
13. Select your seats and add any applicable meal preferences.

Using Virgin Points To Fly Delta

In addition to flying on ANA, you can redeem Virgin Points to travel on Delta Air Lines.

While Delta charges ridiculous prices for its Delta One Suites routes — often upwards of 320,000 SkyMiles one-way — you can redeem Virgin Points according to a distance-based award chart. Here’s what you can expect to pay for one-way flights:

Taxes and fees usually hover around $6 to $80 one-way. This is a pretty good deal, especially when you look at the shorter flights, particularly under 6,000 miles in flight distance one-way.

Your Delta booking can be performed completely online at Virgin Atlantic’s website. If you need more help, check out our post on the best ways to book Delta One for a step-by-step guide on booking Delta flights with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

Follow these steps to book your Delta flight using Virgin Points:

1. Visit Virgin Atlantic’s website.
2. In the top-right corner, click Login.
3. Log in to your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account.
4. On the homepage, you’ll see a search banner at the top of the screen.
5. Enter your search details, choose Round trip or One way, and enter the travel date(s).
6. Select the number of passengers, and expand the menu that says Advanced search. Click Points under Show Price In, and select Upper Class under Show Fares For.
7. Click the checkbox that says Show flexible dates.
8. Complete the search, and choose the itinerary you’d like to book. Redeem your Virgin Points and use a credit card for taxes and fees.

Bottom Line: Overall, Virgin Atlantic offers unprecedented value on North Asia flights, especially for ANA first/business class and Delta One Suites. If you don’t mind flying on a less premium product, try Delta One!

Earning Virgin Points

Perhaps the best part of Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is that its currency is ridiculously easy to earn. There are countless ways to earn Virgin Points, and Flying Club has transfer partnerships with most of the major transferable currencies.

Specifically, you can transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Chase, Amex, and Citi all transfer at a 1:1 ratio instantaneously. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio within 1 business day, and for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points you transfer, you’ll receive a bonus of 5,000 Virgin Points, bumping up your total miles received from 20,000 to 25,000.

Additionally, both Amex and Citi offer transfer bonuses from time to time, typically ranging between 20% and 30%.

If you leverage a transfer bonus, your first class round-trip flight on ANA from the West Coast could drop to as few as 85,000 points — an absurdly low cost.

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Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan

The next best way to book flights to North Asia is a fan favorite: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. The West Coast-based airline might not come immediately to mind when thinking about flights outside of North America, however, its loyalty program is extremely valuable for booking award flights. Alaska has individual partnerships with certain airlines and offers the ability to book flights with those partners with its miles.

For North Asia flights, the best airlines to leverage are:

• American Airlines
• Hainan Airlines
• Japan Airlines
• Korean Air (round-trip flights only)

Each of these airlines has an extensive network of routes in the U.S., which drastically increases your chances of snagging a coveted business or first class award flight.

Using Alaska Airlines Miles To Fly Japan Airlines

Let’s first discuss Japan Airlines. To redeem Alaska miles on Japan Airlines flights from the U.S. to Asia, you’ll need to follow this chart:

In this case, Asia includes South Korea, Japan, and India, while Southeast Asia encompasses every other country in Asia. You can spend as few as 70,000 miles for a one-way first class flight between the U.S. and North Asia. Taxes and fees are around $38.

Here are some great examples of Japan Airlines routes you can take:

• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo (NRT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo (HND/NRT)
• New York (JFK) – Tokyo (HND/NRT)
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo (HND)

Japan Airlines’ direct U.S. routes are plentiful and booking Japan Airlines first class is an easy process.

Hot Tip: For 5,000 additional Alaska miles, you can take advantage of the stopover allowance and visit Japan en route to a Southeast Asian country such as Singapore!

Using Alaska Airlines Miles To Fly American Airlines

For American Airlines flights, the award chart is as follows:

2 separate regions split the North Asia area:

• Asia Zone 1: Japan, Korea
• Asia Zone 2: Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam

Here are American Airlines’ routes to North Asia:

• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Seoul (ICN)
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Shanghai (PVG)
• Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) – Tokyo (NRT)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo (HND)

If you want to keep your mileage cost as low as possible, you’ll want to stick to Tokyo or Seoul for your award flights, as it costs only 60,000 miles in business class, plus ~$38 in taxes and fees.

Using Alaska Airlines Miles To Fly Hainan Airlines

The next partner is unique: Hainan Airlines, whose U.S. routes are all over the place.

Before the pandemic, there were numerous point-to-point routes, such as from New York (JFK) to Chongqing (CKG) — we’ll see if these are reinstated as the global reopening progresses.

Here are the mileage prices for Hainan Airlines flights using Alaska miles:

Taxes and fees would be an additional ~$38.

As you can see, Hainan Airlines business class flights booked with Alaska miles are very cheap, especially if you build in a stopover to your itinerary.

Here are some great examples of routes you can take when utilizing the stopover policy (note these routes are pre-pandemic, but we believe they will resume when restrictions are lifted in China):

• Chicago (ORD) – Beijing (PEK) – Bangkok (BKK)
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Changsha (CSX) – Sanya (SYX)
• New York (JFK) – Chengdu (CTU) – Guangzhou (CAN)
• Seattle (SEA) – Shanghai (PVG) – Xi’an (XIY)

Hainan Airlines is focused primarily on connecting China to other countries, so you’ll likely either want to focus your trip on China or include it in your itinerary if you decide to book a Hainan flight.

Using Alaska Airlines Miles To Fly Korean Air

Lastly, let’s touch on Korean Air.

Korean Air is an Alaska Airlines partner, but its one-way award prices are the same as round-trip prices, so you’ll want to book a round-trip flight to avoid paying ridiculous mileage for just 1 flight.

The good news is that you can book a stopover in both directions.

Here’s Alaska’s chart for award travel on Korean Air, with taxes and fees ~$38:

There are a lot of Korean Air routes you can take, so be creative when planning your travel. Unfortunately, you can’t book first class flights on Korean Air using Alaska Airlines.

How To Book Partners With Alaska Airlines Miles

All 4 of these Alaska Airlines partners we discussed can be booked 100% online, so follow these steps to continue:

1. Visit Alaska Airlines’s website.
2. Sign in using your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number and password.
3. Type in your city pairing, dates of travel, number of passengers, and check the box that says Use miles.
4. Click Find flights.
5. Choose the flights you’d like and confirm the reservation by spending your Alaska miles and paying for any taxes/fees.

Earning Alaska Airlines Miles

Earning Alaska Airlines miles is very easy. Although it only has 1 transfer partner, Marriott Bonvoy, there are still several ways to earn Alaska miles.

Bank of America issues co-branded Alaska Airlines credit cards that allow you to earn Alaska miles directly.

The best way, however, to earn Alaska Airlines miles is by transferring from Marriott Bonvoy. You have plenty of options to earn Marriott Bonvoy points that transfer at a 3:1 ratio to Alaska Airlines. Transfers can take around 2 business days, and you’ll get a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Bonvoy points you transfer. You can transfer a maximum of 240,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in a day, which means you can earn up to 100,000 Alaska miles per day transferring from Marriott Bonvoy.

Finally, Alaska frequently offers mileage sales, where you can bonuses of up to 60% on purchased miles. These are exceedingly good deals that can result in first class tickets at a fraction of the cost.

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Bottom Line: Alaska Airlines has some extraordinarily useful airline partners such as Japan Airlines and American Airlines. By strategically spending your Alaska miles, you can redeem for some awesome flights bound for North Asia. 

All Nippon Airways Mileage Club

ANA is known primarily for being a top-notch airline, no matter what cabin class you’re flying. Further, it’s also known for delivering amazing value with its frequent flyer program, ANA Mileage Club.

Because of ANA’s membership in the Star Alliance, there are plenty of different airlines to fly to Asia, too.

There are a lot of ways you can redeem ANA miles to save thousands of dollars. This is primarily because its award chart, especially in business class, is at the top of the industry.

Just how good is it? Let’s take a look. Before we do that, however, here’s a list of the carriers that will be most useful for North Asia flights:

1. All Nippon Airways (ANA)
2. United Airlines
3. Air China
4. EVA Air
5. Asiana Airlines

Using ANA Miles To Fly ANA

ANA has 2 award charts:

• ANA-operated flights (cheapest mileage price), subject to seasonality
• Partner flights (more expensive mileage price)

One condition of ANA Mileage Club is that you’ll need to book round-trip or open-jaw flights to book award travel using ANA miles.

Here’s the division of regions for flights operated by ANA:

As you can see, North Asia is split into Japan, South Korea, and Asia 1, which adds a level of complexity.

Here’s the award chart for ANA-operated round-trip flights from North America by low, regular, and high seasons:

ANA uses seasonality only for ANA flights, depending on what region you’re flying to. You can find out more on ANA’s site — click Seasonality and Required Mileage Charts.

Spending ANA miles on ANA-operated flights always makes the most sense because you’ll pay much more for partner awards.

If you decide to fly to Japan, you can do so round-trip in business class from North America for only 75,000 miles! Considering flights can be as long as 14 hours each way, this is a huge bargain.

Taxes and fees will run a total of around $300 to $400 round-trip. ANA’s routes consist mostly of large U.S. hubs, so you’ll be best served to depart from a city like Los Angeles (LAX).

If you decide to fly in first class, you’ll pay as few as 150,000 miles round-trip. Economy tickets require as few as 40,000 miles round-trip, which is significantly cheaper than its partners.

Using ANA Miles To Fly Partners

If you’ve already tried ANA business class and want to check out another airline, you can book partner travel with ANA miles, too. As mentioned above, the most useful partner carriers are United Airlines, Air China, Asiana Airlines, and EVA Air.

Here’s the partner award chart for round-trip flights:

You’ll notice 2 things right away: there are no seasonality rules or premium economy redemptions on partner award bookings with ANA.

Using ANA Miles To Fly United

If you wanted to fly United Polaris, you can do so on these routes:

• Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo (HND) round-trip or 85,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• Denver (DEN) – Tokyo (NRT) round-trip for 85,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• Houston (IAH) – Tokyo (NRT) round-trip for 85,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Shanghai (PVG) round-trip for 95,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Tokyo (HND/NRT) round-trip for 85,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• Newark (EWR) – Tokyo (NRT) round-trip for 85,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Beijing (PEK) round-trip for 95,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Osaka (KIX) round-trip for 95,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Seoul (ICN) round-trip for 95,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Shanghai (PVG) round-trip for 95,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Taipei (TPE) round-trip for 95,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Tokyo (NRT) round-trip for 85,000 miles + $20 in taxes and fees

Using ANA Miles To Fly Air China

Your best bet for flying first class with ANA partners to North Asia is Air China. Although the product isn’t spectacular, it’s still a spacious option with excellent award availability (pre-pandemic, at least). All of Air China’s direct U.S. routes are to Beijing (PEK), which means you’ll either connect onwards to your final destination or spend some time vacationing in China.

Here are some examples of routes you can fly with Air China:

• Houston (IAH) – Beijing (PEK) round-trip for 95,000 miles in Air China business class + $82 in taxes and fees
• San Francisco (SFO) – Beijing (PEK) round-trip for 180,000 miles in Air China first class + $82 in taxes and fees

Using ANA Miles To Fly EVA Air

Although the status of Taiwan as a part of North Asia is somewhat disputed, we’ll be including it in our analysis. Taiwan is home to 2 of the best Asian Airlines in the world: China Airlines and EVA Air. China Airlines is a SkyTeam partner while EVA Air is a Star Alliance member.

Flying on EVA Air is spectacular. The airline is at the top of our best international business class airlines in the world, so it’s worth trying if you are able.

EVA’s hub, Taipei, falls into Asia 1, which means that round-trip economy, business, and first class flights cost 60,000, 95,000, and 180,000 miles, respectively. EVA Air doesn’t offer a first class product, but its business class is actually better than many international first class products out there.

You can fly directly to Taipei (TPE) from Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA).

From Taipei, you can then continue to cities in Asia 1, including Beijing-Capital/Daxing (PEK/PKX), Guangzhou (CAN), Guilin (KWL), Hong Kong (HKG), Macau (MFM), Manila (MNL), Shanghai (PVG), and Tianjin (TSN) by employing a stopover.

Fuel surcharges are going to be around $100 to $150 for a round-trip flight in economy or business class.

Using ANA Miles To Fly Asiana

The last Star Alliance partner to consider is Asiana Airlines, South Korea’s smaller airline (SkyTeam airline Korean Air is larger).

Asiana Airlines provides the Star Alliance with an excellent means of flying to North Asia its hub at Seoul (ICN). Asiana Airlines U.S. routes are plentiful, though you should note the airline has ceased the sale of first class suites. Flying to South Korea on Asiana costs 60,000 miles in economy and 95,000 miles in business round-trip.

You can fly directly to Seoul (ICN) from these U.S. cities: Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA). From Seoul, you can proceed to other destinations including Beijing-Capital/Daxing (PEK/PKX), Cebu (CEB), Changsha (CSX), Fukuoka (FUK), Hangzhou (HGH), Hong Kong (HKG), Manila (MNL), and Shanghai (PVG) by using a stopover.

The taxes and fees on Asiana Airlines flights will run around $300 round-trip when booking through ANA Mileage Club.

How To Book With ANA Miles

To book with ANA Mileage Club, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to ANA’s homepage.
2. On the top-right side of the homepage, click ANA Mileage Club.
3. You’ll want to book an international award reservation, so first click International, then click Award Reservation.
4. You’ll be prompted to enter your ANA login information.
5. Select your origin and destination cities, travel dates, number of passengers, and desired cabin class. Click Search.
6. After locating an itinerary that works for you, you’ll want to transfer your points. Points transfers to ANA aren’t instant, so be proactive in booking your award tickets as soon as the transfers are completed. If not, your award flight may not be available any longer.
7. Finish your booking and pay for taxes and fees using a credit card.

Earning ANA Mileage Club Miles

There are loads of ways to earn ANA miles. ANA has transfer relationships with Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex Membership Rewards is the best option here, as the transfer ratio is 1:1 and Amex points are easy to earn. Amex points take around 3 business days to transfer to ANA.

Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred to ANA. The maximum number of Bonvoy points you can transfer in 1 day is 240,000, which would net you 100,000 ANA miles. Transfers may take upwards of 7 days.

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Card Highlights

• Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards^® Points after you spend $8,000 on eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards^® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel.
• $200 Hotel Credit: Get up to $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts^® or The Hotel Collection bookings through American Express Travel using your Platinum Card^®. The Hotel Collection requires a minimum two-night stay.
• $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back in statement credits each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card^® on one or more of the following: Disney+, a Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, The New York Times, Peacock, and The Wall Street Journal. Enrollment required.
• The American Express Global Lounge Collection^® can provide an escape at the airport. With complimentary access to more than 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries and counting, you have more airport lounge options than any other credit card issuer on the market. As of 03/2023.
• $155 Walmart+ Credit: Save on eligible delivery fees, shipping, and more with a Walmart+ membership. Use your Platinum Card^® to pay for a monthly Walmart+ membership and get up to $12.95 plus applicable taxes back on one membership (excluding Plus Ups) each month.
• $200 Airline Fee Credit: Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees are charged by the airline to your Platinum Card^®.
• $200 Uber Cash: Platinum Card^® Members can get out and about and explore their local area with $15 in Uber Cash for US rides each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings. Simply download the Uber app and add your Platinum Card^® to your Uber account to get started. Available to Basic Card Member only. 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.
• $199 CLEAR^® Plus Credit: CLEAR^® Plus helps to get you to your gate faster at 50+ airports nationwide and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your Membership (subject to auto-renewal) when you use your Card. CLEARLanes are available at 100+ airports, stadiums, and entertainment venues.
• Receive either a $120 statement credit every 4 years for a Global Entry application fee or a statement credit up to $85 every 4.5 years for a TSA PreCheck^® (through a TSA official enrollment provider) application fee, when charged to your Platinum Card^®. Card Members approved for Global Entry will also receive access to TSA PreCheck at no additional cost.
• Shop Saks with Platinum: Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or at saks.com on your Platinum Card^®. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
• Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences with Global Dining Access by Resy when you add your Platinum Card^® to your Resy profile.
• $695 annual fee.
• 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

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American Express Membership Rewards

BEST FOR DINING

Terms Apply / Rates & Fees

American Express^® Gold Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's 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.

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.

American Express^® Gold Card

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!

Welcome Offer

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

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$325

APR

See Pay Over Time APR

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 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

• $325 annual fee (rates and fees)
• No lounge access

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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

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American Express Membership Rewards

Bottom Line: ANA has the best business class redemption prices in the business, particularly for round-trip flights to Japan on its own metal. ANA is a Star Alliance member airline with tons of useful partners that can connect you to other countries in North Asia as well, adding to the tremendous value. Best of all, ANA is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy. 

Korean Air SKYPASS

If you’d like to fly first class on Korean Air, there’s only 1 show in town: Korean Air SKYPASS.

Korean Air is a SkyTeam member, and it is also the flag carrier of South Korea. Booking first class on SkyTeam partners is an extremely difficult endeavor, and redeeming Korean Air SKYPASS miles is one of the only straightforward ways to do so.

Booking one-way flights using SKYPASS is allowed only when flying Korean Air. Otherwise, you’ll need to book round-trip tickets if you intend on flying with partners such as Vietnam Airlines.

The Korean Air award chart for flights between China, Japan, and South Korea is as follows for one-way flights operated by Korean Air:

Paying 80,000 Korean Air miles is a great deal for Korean Air first class during off-peak dates. Taxes and fees will be around $150 each way. Here are the step by step instructions to book Korean Air first class:

1. Go to Korean Air’s website.
2. On the top of the page, click Login.
3. Enter your user ID or SKYPASS number followed by your password.
4. In the middle of the page, click the Award Booking button.
5. Choose One-Way or Round-Trip.
6. Type in your origin and destination cities coupled with departure and return dates.
7. Select the Passengers.
   • Korean Air is very restrictive when it comes to who you can book award flights for. The way to get around the piles of paperwork needed to book for others is to create a SKYPASS account for each traveler.
8. Choose your Cabin Class.
9. Under Advanced Search, click USD.
10. Click Find Flights.
11. After you’ve located award availability, call Korean Air at 800-438-5000 to request a 30-day award hold.
    • This step is crucial because Korean Air miles transferred from Marriott Bonvoy can take upwards of 3 weeks to complete.
12. After the miles are transferred successfully, call Korean Air again at 800-438-5000 to ticket the reservation and pay ~$150 in taxes and fees per person.

Hot Tip: Need help booking? Check out our best ways to book Korean Air first class with points.

Earning Korean Air SKYPASS Miles

There are many avenues to earn Korean Air miles, but the most sensible route for most U.S. travelers is to transfer them from Marriott Bonvoy.

Since there are a host of Marriott Bonvoy credit cards out there, from both Chase and Amex, you won’t run out of options to earn Marriott Bonvoy points.

Marriott points transfer to Korean Air at a 3:1 ratio and the maximum you can transfer in 1 day is 240,000 points.

Remember, transfers usually take 3 business days, but can be lengthy on occasion, upwards of 3 to 4 weeks at times. Mitigate the risk by requesting an award hold.

Delta SkyMiles

We briefly introduced the notion of leveraging strong SkyTeam airlines to North Asia with Korean Air, but we haven’t done a deep dive into the merits of using SkyTeam partners.

That’s all going to change now with our discussion of Delta SkyMiles, one of the most useful currencies for SkyTeam flights bound for North Asia. We’ve already established the fact that the best frequent flyer program for booking Delta flights to Asia is Virgin Atlantic, due to the exorbitant prices that Delta SkyMiles charges for its own flights.

The true value of Delta SkyMiles on flights to North Asia comes from these key partners:

• China Airlines
• China Eastern
• Korean Air
• Xiamen Air

Unfortunately, first class flights aren’t available for redemption using SkyMiles, but business class is no laughing matter.

Here’s how much SkyMiles redemptions would cost on partners to North Asia:

Remember that while Delta employs variable/dynamic award pricing for Delta flights, the mileage cost is consistent for partners. As far as fuel surcharges go, Delta selectively passes on fuel surcharges as follows:

As you can tell, flying on China Airlines is the most advantageous from the perspective of minimizing out-of-pocket costs. Indeed, China Airlines is probably the best choice, as it ranks near the top of our best international business class airlines. The Taiwan-based carrier sets an industry-wide example in award availability, which is excellent.

Although China Airlines’ direct routes from the U.S. are typically limited to mega-hubs such as Los Angeles (LAX), this is not the case for China Eastern or Korean Air.

Xiamen Air is one of the smaller Chinese airlines, and its pre-pandemic route network included Los Angeles (LAX) – Qingdao (TAO) or Xiamen (XMN), New York (JFK) – Fuzhou (FOC), and Seattle (SEA) – Shenzhen (SZX). Except for the LAX-XMN route, Xiamen Air’s focus has consistently been on lucrative point-to-point routes. Also, its business class product is known to be excellent, certainly near the top of Chinese airlines.

With such a strong presence in China, the SkyTeam alliance is extraordinarily useful in planning trips to North Asia using points and miles. As long as you avoid China Eastern, you’ll only be responsible for low surcharges, as shown above. The appeal of Delta SkyMiles is at its peak when redeeming for solid partners like China Airlines in business class.

Here are some great example routes you can fly:

• Chicago (ORD) – Shanghai (PVG) one-way in China Eastern business class for 120,000 miles + ~$333 in taxes and fees.
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Xiamen (XMN) one-way in Xiamen Air business class for 120,000 miles + ~$190 in taxes and fees.
• Ontario (ONT) – Taipei (TPE) one-way in China Airlines business class for 120,000 miles + ~$6 in taxes and fees.
• Washington, D.C. (IAD) – Seoul (ICN) one-way in Korean Air business class for 120,000 miles + ~$26 in taxes and fees.

Hot Tip: Delta assesses a business class SkyTeam partner award price of 140,000 to 165,000 miles (instead of 120,000 miles) for reserving tickets within 21 days of departure, so avoid close-in bookings to save SkyMiles. 

Follow these steps to book SkyTeam flights using Delta SkyMiles:

1. Visit Delta’s website.
2. The top banner will have a search bar. Enter your origin and destination cities.
3. Select Round-Trip, One-Way, or Multi-City.
4. Choose your travel date(s).
   • Check the box that says Flexible Dates to see what availability looks like for +/- 3 days.
5. Select the number of passengers.
6. Click the button underneath the number of passengers that says Advanced Search.
7. Click Show Price In Miles and Best Fares For Delta One.
8. Click the red arrow to execute your search.
9. You can also click Price Calendar to show 5 weeks’ worth of award availability.
   • If you get an error, it means there’s no award availability in the 5-week range.
10. You can also click the button that says Filter and show only Nonstop flights.
11. Enter your traveler information, pay with Delta SkyMiles, and use a credit card to pay for any taxes and fees.

Earning Delta SkyMiles

Earning Delta SkyMiles is easier than ever. With an abundance of co-branded Amex credit cards and 2 transfer partners, you can earn 100,000 Delta SkyMiles in 90 days fairly easily.

Delta SkyMiles also has transfer partnerships with Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy.

Amex transfers instantaneously at a 1:1 ratio to Delta SkyMiles. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer at a 3:1 ratio with a 5,000-mile bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred. It takes around 2 business days for Marriott Bonvoy points to transfer to Delta. You can transfer a maximum of 240,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per day, which yields 100,000 Delta SkyMiles.

Bottom Line: This completely online process makes booking with Delta SkyMiles a seamless experience, which is one of the benefits of using the program. Couple that with the deep network of airlines and routes from SkyTeam, the attractive redemption rates, and the ease of earning to realize the tremendous value of using Delta SkyMiles for flights to North Asia.

United MileagePlus

United’s MileagePlus frequent flyer program is useful for Chase loyalists. You can use United miles to fly on Star Alliance partners. The most useful ones are (as previously stated above):

• ANA
• Asiana Airlines
• EVA Air
• Air China

United charges the following prices for one-way partner awards to North Asia:

Countries included in North Asia are Mainland China, South Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan. While redemptions to North Asia are costlier when using United miles compared to other programs, the benefits are threefold:

• Simple booking process (100% online)
• Low/no fuel surcharges
• Chase transfer partner and co-branded credit card opportunities

Here’s how to book your award using United miles:

1. Go to United’s homepage.
2. Type the city pairs you desire.
3. Choose your travel dates, number of travelers, and class of service.
4. Click Find flights.
5. Log in with your United MileagePlus number and password.
6. Once you’ve located flights you like, simply select the flight, pay with your miles, and finish your reservation by paying for taxes and fees.

Earning United MileagePlus Miles

There are lots of different ways to earn United miles. The best ways are to transfer from Chase Ultimate Rewards or transfer from Marriott Bonvoy, or directly via Chase co-branded United credit cards

Chase transfers instantly at a 1:1 ratio to United. Marriott Bonvoy points transfer in 3 business days at a ratio of 3:1 to United. Also, you’ll get a bonus of 10,000 miles when transferring 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points to United. This brings your total to 30,000 United miles for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred.

Final Thoughts

We’ve gone over the top ways to fly to North Asia using points. There are several notable sweet spots you can leverage to fly on some of the best airlines in the world, including All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines.

Creativity is your best friend, so be imaginative when thinking about how you’re going to use points to build a dream itinerary to this vibrant part of the world. Happy redeeming!