From its capital in Tokyo to Okinawa, Kyoto, Osaka, and Sapporo, Japan offers several cities worth visiting — especially if you can redeem points and miles for your airfare.
Fortunately, several award programs offer redemption options between the U.S. and Japan. Here’s a look at the best airline loyalty programs for award travel to Japan.
The first award program worth considering for flights to Japan is Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. The Flying Club program offers fantastic value when booking partner ANA-operated flights to Japan.
Alaska Airlines is part of Oneworld. Alaska’s loyalty program has a major perk: the ability to book stopovers, including on one-way award redemptions. This allows travelers to visit 2 destinations for a single price.
You can redeem American Airlines AAdvantage miles to fly both American Airlines and Oneworld flights between the U.S. and Japan. On AA’s partner award chart, Japan is considered to be part of Asia Region 1.
The first Star Alliance program we will look at is ANA Mileage Club. Thanks to its zone-based award chart, you’ll know exactly how many miles it will require to fly between 2 zones.
Etihad Airways is not a part of any of the major airline alliances but does partner with quite a few airlines around the world, including airlines such as American Airlines and ANA.