It’s no secret that the All Nippon Airways Mileage Club is a highly regarded loyalty program with excellent redemption options, especially for international business class flights.
One exceptional ANA Mileage Club redemption includes flights to Japan and other parts of Asia. When flying on off-peak dates, these ANA-managed awards can provide significant savings compared to other airlines’ one-way business class fares. Plus, you can add a free stopover to most ANA international award tickets.
In this story, we explore the uniqueness of this deal and discuss how you can use your American Express Membership Rewards points to book.
Why it’s special
You can book ANA Business Class award flights from the US to Asia for just 75,000 miles round trip. This is less than what many programs – such as United Airlines MileagePlus – charge for a one-way business class ticket from the US to Asia. Better yet, ANA offers one of the best business products in the sky, especially on routes equipped with the airline’s new business class product “The Room.”
Prices vary depending on where you fly. Flights to Japan are the cheapest at 75,000 miles round trip during off-peak times. But flights on other dates or to other destinations in Asia cost more miles. Here’s a breakdown of round-trip business class prices between the US and various zones in Asia (you can see the full awards breakdown on ANA’s website).
- Japan: 75,000 miles
- South Korea/East Russia: 80,000 miles
- Asia 1 (Central Asia): 80,000 miles
- Asia 2 (South Asia): 100,000 miles
Off-peak dates vary depending on where you fly. These are the off-peak dates for flights from the US to Japan, South Korea and Eastern Russia (you can see all the seasonal charts on the ANA website).
- 2024: January 4 to February 29 and April 1 to 24
- 2025: January 4 to February 28
You can also add a free stopover and open jaw to most international ANA flight award tickets. This means you can visit a second city without redeeming additional miles. For example, you can start by flying from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT), where you can stay as long as you want. You can then visit Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport (CTS) and return to the US via Tokyo.
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That said, there are some restrictions to keep in mind when booking international ANA flight awards. First, most flights must have ANA flight numbers (if you want to fly with ANA partners, check the partner flight rewards page). And secondly, you can only book return tickets.
Related: What are layovers and open jaws on award tickets?
How to book this price
To book an international ANA flight award ticket, go to the ANA website, log in and click on the ‘Flight Prices’ heading. Then click ‘Award Reservation’ to go to the rewards search screen.
Here you can select whether you want to book a round-trip or multi-city award ticket. Select the multicity option if you want to book a stopover ticket, which is what we do in this example. Enter your itinerary and click the orange “Search” button at the bottom of the screen.
In the center of the screen you will find the flight options for the first part of your journey. Flights listed as ‘available’ can be confirmed immediately (so skip waitlisted flights if possible). Select the desired flight and click the Continue button to select flights for the remaining legs.
Once you have selected all your flights, you will receive a quote for the miles and taxes required to book. Follow the directions at the bottom of the screen to complete your booking.
Related: The best ways to travel to Japan with points and miles
How to earn miles for this award
American Express Membership Rewards transfer to ANA Mileage Club at a 1:1 ratio. You can earn Amex points by obtaining and using an American Express Membership Rewards card. If you’re interested in signing up for a new card, here are two offers that will put you well on your way to earning enough points for an ANA international award ticket for a round-trip flight to Asia:
You can also transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to ANA Mileage Club at a 3:1 transfer ratio. You’ll earn a bonus of 5,000 miles for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred, so 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points can become 25,000 ANA miles.
Related: Book mixed cabin awards with ANA Mileage Club to extend your mileage
In short
Round-trip business class tickets to Japan for 75,000 miles are hard to beat. Bookmark this article and refer to it the next time you need to book a return trip to Asia. It can save you a lot of miles if the award space is sufficient.