Your guide to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank : Say ‘konnichiwa’ to Tokyo 

Have you heard of Japan Airlines Mileage Bank? It’s a powerful frequent flyer program that’s handy for booking flights not only with JAL, but also its global network of partners. With business class tickets to Japan set at just 45,000 miles one-way, you won’t want to miss this opportunity.

There isn’t a single Australian credit card that offers direct points conversions to JAL Mileage Bank. And herein lies the advantage – because you can now earn JAL miles by converting PayRewards Points. It’s a game changer.

Convert PayRewards Points into JAL Mileage Bank miles

Getting to Japan with PayRewards Points has never been easier. That’s because you can transfer PayRewards Points to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles at a 3:1 rate. In other words, you could be enjoying that business class flight to Tokyo from a starting balance of just 135,000 PayRewards Points.

But it’s also fair to ask, does that 3:1 conversion rate offer good value? It all comes down to what you can do with those miles. Sure, some airlines have a more favourable PayRewards conversion rate on paper – but the number of points or miles needed to travel might then be higher. JAL, on the other hand, offers some extremely competitive redemption rates on premium cabin flights. You simply don’t need as many miles as other frequent flyer programs to secure similar seats.

How to spend your Japan Airlines miles

Naturally, with miles to spend in Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, you’ll be able to book JAL’s own direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Tokyo. But Japan Airlines is also a member of the Oneworld Alliance. Using JAL miles, you can fly with Qantas (to Japan, as well as other routes), along with carriers such as Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines and more.

JAL Mileage Bank also allows you to book reward flights with several SkyTeam Alliance members. There’s Air France, China Eastern, Garuda Indonesia and Korean Air. Add to that, Bangkok Airways, Emirates, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Jetstar Japan and LATAM. It’s also possible to convert your JAL miles into ZIPAIR points, for travel on Japan Airlines’ low-cost offshoot.

Fly to Tokyo with Japan Airlines Mileage Bank

From Sydney, Japan Airlines can whisk you to Tokyo’s convenient Haneda Airport. Departing Melbourne, JAL’s flights utilise Narita Airport, which is also well-connected. Add to that, Japan Airlines’ Oneworld partner Qantas offers its own flights to Japan’s capital.

Being able to redeem JAL Mileage Bank miles on both Japan Airlines and Qantas gives you options. Here’s a look at what you can expect to pay for a one-way flight from Australia to Tokyo.

*Applicable rate varies between low season, regular season and high season. JAL first class is only available from Sydney, and not always flown year-round.

Spot the interesting differential on the table above? You can book business class on Japan Airlines for fewer miles than premium economy on Qantas. Speaking of business class, having 360,000 JAL miles to spend could get you three return trips from Australia with Qantas. But if you were to fly with Japan Airlines instead – and every time – you could get a fourth return business class trip to Tokyo from the same starting balance of 360,000 JAL miles.

Being able to book Qantas is handy if there are JAL miles in your account and a flight with reward seats open. But if you’ll be earning miles with Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, try to spend them with Japan Airlines where you can, to get the best value. In fact, the rates given for Japan Airlines also cover domestic connections within Japan at no extra mileage. This means you could fly Sydney-Tokyo-Osaka in business class for the same mileage cost as the international flight by itself.

Europe

Yes, Japan Airlines flies to Europe. Yes, you can book those flights using your miles. But you cannot book straight ‘Australia to Europe’ itineraries on Japan Airlines using Mileage Bank. Instead, every Japan Airlines reward ticket issued through Mileage Bank must begin or end in Japan itself. There simply isn’t an ‘Australia to Europe’ reward rate in the program.

This means booking each leg separately. In other words, reserving a flight from Australia to Japan on one ticket. Then on a separate booking, redeeming miles for Japan to Europe. As this wouldn’t protect your flights together as a ‘connection’, you’ll want to have at least one night in Tokyo to space things out. Hey, it’s an excuse to visit Japan, right?

Here’s what you’d spend for those Japan Airlines flights from Tokyo onwards to the UK and Europe. Figures are one-way. If you’re flying from Australia, don’t forget to factor in the mileage needed to get to Japan on that first ticket as well, indicated higher above.

*Applicable rate varies between low season, regular season and high season. JAL first class is not available for redemption on Frankfurt flights.

Sure, you can’t book these legs on the same ticket as a flight from Australia. But for business class, you’ll still only end up paying 100,000 to 102,000 Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles overall from Australia to Europe. That’s 45,000 miles to Japan, plus the rate above for the onward European connection.

Tips and troubleshooting with JAL Mileage Bank

Joining Japan Airlines Mileage Bank is *free*. But there’s one big hurdle for newcomers. JAL doesn’t allow any mileage redemptions to be made within the first 60 days of joining Mileage Bank. Yes, you read that correctly. You need to sign up and then wait two months before you can spend any miles. You can still earn miles during that time – but you can’t redeem.

There isn’t any way around this rule. It’s designed to reduce frequent flyer fraud in the program (yes, that’s really a thing). It also helps to keep reward seats for those who aren’t just signing up to transfer and book one flight. Japan Airlines wants its members to be loyal – and with redemption rates like those in Mileage Bank, that isn’t a tall order.

If you’re keen to travel to Tokyo and beyond, join Mileage Bank now. You’ll get your account set up, you’ll receive your Mileage Bank number, and you can start earning miles. In a couple of months, you’ll be ready to roar.

Handy hints for making the most of Mileage Bank

There’s so much to learn about Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, and we’re just scratching the surface. But here are some final tricks to keep up your sleeve.

• Domestic and international journeys have different rules. Booking long-haul first class? You can add a domestic connection in Japan, but you’ll travel in ‘Class J’ on that connecting sector – not in ‘first class’. Even if the flight has a first class cabin and a first class reward seat available. It’s not a matter of paying more miles: you just can’t do it. The only way to fly first class on a JAL domestic flight is to book a standalone first class domestic reward seat. Yes, on a separate ticket.

• Partner reward bookings have two different prices. If you’re making a straight point-to-point booking or a simple connecting journey on one airline only (or doing that plus a domestic connection on JAL), the ‘Partner Airlines Award Ticket Chart’ applies. But if you have two or more airlines paired for travel more broadly, the ‘Oneworld Award Ticket Chart’ applies instead. Put it this way… if you can weave an extra airline into your journey and book multiple partner flights together on the one booking, you’ll save on the miles needed quite considerably.

• Where you live is a big deal. Okay, maybe not which suburb, but which country. Japan Airlines Mileage Bank has the capacity to apply different reward booking rates based on your country of residence, regardless of what your actual itinerary looks like. Rates for Australian residents, as we’ve referenced above, fall into the “Asia (excluding Japan) and Oceania” residence category. But don’t let that deter you. As you can see above, us Aussies get quite a good deal, don’t you think?

Speaking of a deal, if you’re in Japan and need to book a domestic flight on its own, these start from just 4,500 miles in economy – or from 5,500 miles in ‘Class J’. Think of it as a business class seat with economy-style service for the quick hop. For the handful of extra miles, you might as well enjoy that extra legroom!

Written by Chris Chamberlin

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About the author

Chris enjoys making the most of frequent flyer points, which have taken him around the world – usually, at the front of the plane. He’s travelled over 1.5 million miles sampling the best in Business Class and First Class. That’s further than three return trips to the moon! Chris is based at Point Hacks' Melbourne office as News Editor, and shares his experiences via @chris_chamberlin on Instagram. When he’s not travelling, he enjoys tennis, keeping fit, and discovering new gins.