Fly Roundtrip to Japan in a Flat Bed for Just 90k Points

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Did you know that it only costs 90 to 95k Virgin Atlantic miles to fly All Nippon Airways Business Class between the United States and Japan? And only 110 to 120k to fly in ANA First Class?

Those are roundtrip mileage prices. Not one way.

To give you some perspective, it costs 160k United miles to fly ANA Business roundtrip US to Japan, or 180k United miles roundtrip in ANA First. In other words, DO NOT transfer your Ultimate Rewards to United if you want to go to Japan.

I can’t stop thinking about this saccharine sweet spot on Virgin Atlantic’s award chart for flying ANA.

The difference in prices relates to where in the US you’ll be originating. ANA flies to nine different cities in the US:

The cheaper prices, 90k for Business and 110k for First, apply to the Western USA:

• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• San Jose
• Seattle

The slightly more expensive prices of 95k for Business and 120k for First apply to the Eastern USA, which would be:

• Chicago
• Houston
• New York City
• Washington, D.C.

I didn’t include Honolulu because flying between Hawaii and Japan has its own award price, which is also fantastically cheap at 70k roundtrip in ANA Business or 90k roundtrip in ANA First.

Why This Sweetspot is on My Mind

I’ve always wanted to visit Japan for a multitude of reasons. I love Japanese food…or at least the bastardized versions of it I’ve tried outside Japan. I am intrigued by Japanese culture (who isn’t?) and the level of detail and honor involved in what seems like everything. I am a Haruki Murakami fangirl. And then I read about the Kumano Kodo trek and the wheels started turning.

I was visiting friends in San Francisco recently and one of their roommates (obviously, it’s San Francisco) works for the publication AFAR. She gave me an old magazine from earlier in the year, in which I stumbled across an article about one woman’s experience hiking Japan’s UNESCO World Heritage Pilgrimage Trail. It’s called the Kumano Kodo.

Treks and hiking are my meditative happy place. I’m a huge sucker for both. I’m an even bigger sucker when modern conveniences are available to make them more pleasant. With guest houses and inns along the trail that feed you delicious-looking Japanese food and feature traditional outdoor Japanese baths and/or hot springs to rest your weary body along the journey, this trek, while difficult, seems right up my alley. They pack a lunch for you to carry, but beyond that you don’t need to carry much as you can have clothes and essentials forwarded between guesthouses.

Have any of you guys hiked the Kumano Kodo?

Stipulations Redeeming Virgin Atlantic Miles

There are fuel surcharges.

Often the issue with redeeming miles from foreign loyalty programs is that they collect fuel surcharges. That is the reality when redeeming Virgin Atlantic miles, but they aren’t expensive and the mileage price is so cheap they are worth paying.

The fuel surcharges (Carrier-imposed surcharge, YQ) collected on a Business or First Class roundtrip ticket are the same: $260. You’ll pay $357 total out of pocket when including unavoidable taxes/fees.

Only roundtrips allowed flying ANA.

You can see on the Flying Club’s chart for flying ANA that you can’t book a Virgin Atlantic award just one way.

You cannot add a domestic connection on either end.

On the same page you can see that “if a journey requires a connecting flight or stopover to reach the destination, miles are charged for each sector.”

So if you don’t live in one of the cities in the US that ANA flies to, and want to add a segment on partner Delta, you’ll need to pay extra Virgin Atlantic miles than the prices listed in this post for that segment (or just book a separate positing flight with cash or a different type of mile on whatever other American carrier).

On the other end, if you want to add a connection in Japan, the same separate pricing applies to add another segment on ANA.

How to Get Virgin Atlantic Miles Quickly

Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner of all four major point currencies:

• Ultimate Rewards
• Membership Rewards
• ThankYou Points
• Marriott Rewards (what used to be SPG points)

Award space can be a fickle beast, and there’s nothing worse then transferring points just to find you’ve lost your desired award space while the points where in limbo. Thankfully, points transfer from Ultimate Rewards, Membership Rewards, and ThankYou Points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club instantaneously (at least anecdotally). Marriott Rewards transfer in less than 48 hours, but you can put ANA award space on hold with Virgin Atlantic for 48 hours. Not a bad idea if you have little flexibility in your travel dates, no matter what points you’re transferring.

You can earn Ultimate Rewards with the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card .

Not eligible for a business card? You can get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®  and you’ll be well on your way to earning enough Ultimate Rewards to fly ANA Business roundtrip to Japan from anywhere in the US.

An Aside For Those with Amex Membership Rewards

If you’re traveling in what ANA defines as the low season…

…or regular season….

..then you can transfer your points to ANA to redeem on ANA Business Class and spend a little less point than you would transferring to Virgin Atlantic to redeem on ANA Business. Fuel surcharges should be the same.

But as you can see, ANA’s award prices for flying ANA First are higher than Virgin Atlantic’s.

Note also that the transfer time between Membership Rewards and ANA isn’t typically instant but around 48 hours. It is typically an instant transfer between Membership Rewards and Virgin Atlantic.

Searching and Booking

Search for award space on united.com for the most ease. Look for Saver Level space, which is the only kind bookable with partner miles.

You can of course look at ANA’s website for award space, but you won’t be able to book from there since you’ll be using Virgin Atlantic miles and not ANA miles.

Call Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at 800-365-9500.

Look Out for Amex Transfer Bonuses

American Express Membership Rewards periodically runs transfer bonuses to ANA.

Bottom Line

I hope to use my recently amassed (and still amassing) stash of Ultimate Rewards for this incredible sweetspot award on Virgin Atlantic’s chart flying ANA. It’s one of the cheapest ways to get to Asia in a luxurious flat bed that I’m aware of. I’ll probably fly in and out of San Francisco in ANA First Class for 110,000 Flying Club miles, roundtrip, and use that as an excuse to visit friends in the Bay Area. I can’t wait to get to Japan and hope that hiking the Kumano Kodo can be a part of that trip.

Have any of you ever redeemed Virgin Atlantic miles on an ANA premium cabin to Japan? I’m really salivating over this one.