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Japan Airlines Mileage Bank has been an overlooked program for many award travelers. That’s largely because JAL miles have historically been difficult to earn. For years, Marriott Bonvoy® was the only viable option for transferring points into the program. Now, there are two major transferable points programs — Bilt Rewards and Capital One — that transfer into JAL Mileage Bank.
With new opportunities to earn JAL miles, let's dig into the best sweet-spot redemptions for the program.
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Basics of Booking Through the Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Program
Before we dive into specific examples, one major benefit of JAL is that its award booking window opens up to 360 days in advance of travel. Many other programs, like American Airlines, open their schedules just 331 days out. So, if you’re trying to lock in award space for a bucket list trip, you may have better luck booking through Mileage Bank.
However, the program has a few quirks to be aware of:
- JAL awards can’t be changed, but they are cancellable for a 3,100 JPY fee (roughly $20 USD at the time of writing)
- You’ll need to book awards at least 96 hours in advance online, or 48 hours in advance by phone.
- Awards can also only be booked for yourself or eligible family members — which may be a dealbreaker for some travelers.
Related: How to Earn and Redeem Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Miles for JAL and Partner Award Flights
With that out of the way, let’s dive into some of the best sweet spots in the JAL Mileage Bank program. Remember that JAL still posts destination-specific award charts for flights it operates, as well as distance-based partner award charts.
Our Four Favorite Ways to Redeem JAL Miles for Top Value
The JAL Mileage Bank program is chock-full of great redemptions. Its sweet spots may be even better than those in other airline programs you’re familiar with. Here are just four top examples to consider.
Business class from North America to Japan
Flights to Asia are long ones, and flying in a premium cabin takes some of the sting away from a long travel day. Thankfully, Japan Airlines offers some of the best award pricing for business-class flights from North America.
Awards begin at just 55,000 miles (plus $142 in taxes and fees) for flights on JAL metal — though it can be hard to find awards at this price. More often, more expensive redemptions — called Plus awards — are available for 80,000 miles, which is still a well-priced award.
Even accounting for JAL’s recent devaluation, booking awards to Japan remains a solid deal. American Airlines business class awards can sometimes be found for 60,000 miles, but availability is typically more limited than with JAL.
Partner awards with up to seven stopovers
Japan Airlines allows up to seven stopovers on a round-trip, multi-partner Oneworld award, which is among the most generous policies in the industry. JAL's website even highlights an economy itinerary from Japan to the United States with three stopovers for just 70,000 miles round-trip.
Because JAL uses a distance-based award chart for partner awards, there are some creative ways to maximize your miles here.
For example, a round-trip itinerary totaling 4,000 miles or less costs only 25,000 miles in economy. In theory, you could start in Dallas (DFW), fly American Airlines to Miami (MIA) and stop over for as long as you’d like, then continue to Nassau (NAS).
From there, British Airways operates a fifth-freedom flight to Grand Cayman (GCM), where you could add another stopover before returning home to Dallas. All of that flying clocks in at just 3,120 air miles, yet costs only 25,000 miles round-trip in economy.
You’ll likely need to call Japan Airlines’ reservations center to ticket more complex itineraries, but there’s plenty of fun and outsized value to be found with this type of award.
Business class flights on Emirates
Emirates miles have become more complex and harder to earn following recent transfer ratio devaluations. On top of that, awards for premium cabins can be pricey. However, when booking through Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, you can fly routes like Athens (ATH) to Newark (EWR) for just 60,000 miles plus $155 in taxes and fees. That’s significantly less than the 87,000 miles, plus $474 in fees, that Emirates charges its own loyalty members for the same flight.
Other routes are also well priced, such as Dubai (DXB) to Southeast Asia. But the fifth-freedom flight to the U.S. isn’t just more popular, it also represents exceptional value.
Business class flights on LATAM
A sad casualty of recent years was LATAM Airlines’ departure from Oneworld, which left a big gap for South American flyers from the U.S. While you can't redeem American Airlines miles for LATAM awards, Japan Airlines still partners with the airline. And yes, the deal for business class awards is excellent.
LATAM flies nonstop from cities like New York (JFK), Dallas (DFW), and Miami (MIA) to its hub in Santiago, Chile. Using JAL miles, these business class flights cost just 60,000 miles from the U.S., plus $5.60 in taxes and fees.
And by using the stopover trick discussed above, you could even build a fun, multi-country itinerary across LATAM’s South American network for a fantastic country-hopping trip.
How to Earn JAL Mileage Bank Miles
As mentioned above, JAL Mileage Bank miles have become easier to earn. In 2025, JAL added new partnerships with Capital One and Bilt Rewards, and both programs now offer transfers to Mileage Bank.
Here are all of Japan Airlines' current transfer partners (but mind the transfer ratios):
Of these currencies, Capital One miles are generally the easiest to earn. Here are some of the top offers on Capital One cards you could use to build your rewards balance before transferring to JAL:
- Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card: Earn 20,000 Miles once you spend $500 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
- Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening.
- Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 100,000 Miles when you spend $10,000 on purchases in the first 6 months from account opening.
- 5 Miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals, and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 5 Miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 1.25 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.
- 5X miles per dollar on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per dollar on all other purchases
- 10X miles per $1 on hotels and rental cars booked via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on purchases through Capital One Entertainment
- 5X miles per $1 on flights when booking via Capital One Travel
- 5X miles per $1 on vacation rentals booked via Capital One Travel
- 2X miles per $1 on all other eligible purchases
Related: Capital One Miles Cards Compared: How to Choose the Best Fit for Your Wallet
Bottom Line
Japan Airlines offers exceptional value, and its miles have never been easier to earn thanks to new award transfer partners. By understanding the program’s rules, U.S.-based flyers can sidestep some of the award inflation we’ve seen in recent years. With Oneworld and a handful of one-off partnerships, JAL offers one of the most robust award programs for travelers.
Will you be transferring your Bilt Points or Capital One Miles to Japan Airlines to take advantage of it?
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