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Update: The award chart changes mentioned below have now taken effect.
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank isn’t a particularly popular program in the United States. That's primarily because it’s rather tough to earn Mileage Bank miles. But for travelers who can and do collect JAL miles, the program's upcoming devaluation is nothing short of unwelcome.
But at least JAL has given advance notice and is giving members a window to book award travel at current rates. Here's what’s changing — and how to lock in lower rates before the new chart kicks in on June 10, 2025.
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Overview of Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Upcoming Devaluation
Japan Airlines uses several region-based award charts, along with seasonality, to determine how many miles you’ll need for an award flight. You can view the current charts here and the updated charts taking effect June 10, 2025, here.
For flights between North America and Japan (excluding Hawaii, which has its own chart), here’s what the changes look like:
| North America To/From Japan | Until June 10, 2025 | After June 10, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Economy | 25,000 | 27,000 |
| Premium Economy | 32,500 | 40,000 |
| Business Class | 50,000 | 55,000 |
| First Class | 70,000-100,000 | 110,000-140,000 |
The increases are especially steep in First Class during high season, which will require as much as 57% more miles.
How to Book Japan Airlines Award Tickets
You can search for awards directly on the Japan Airlines website. After logging in, select “JAL Award Tickets” under the “Redeem Your Miles” section.
From there, enter your departure and arrival cities, dates, and class of service. You’ll see the results in a list — and there's even a calendar view.
The example above shows a First Class flight from Chicago (ORD) to Tokyo (HND) priced at 85,000 miles. That same flight will soon cost 125,000 miles — a 47% increase. Be sure to avoid “Waitlist” dates since these awards don't offer a confirmed seat.
Which Japan Airlines Awards Should You Book Before the Devaluation?
The upcoming devaluation isn't limited to flights between North America and Japan. All of JAL’s award charts are being updated on June 10, 2025, with First Class seeing the steepest increases.
Take, for example, a First Class flight from Tokyo (HND) to Sydney (SYD). It currently costs just 57,500 miles and around $246 in taxes and fees during the “Regular Season.” That's a pretty good deal for a 9.5-hour flight.
Once the new chart goes into effect, this will be 97,500 miles!
Don’t forget: You can book JAL awards through partner programs
The good news is that you don’t need JAL Mileage Bank miles to book JAL flights. Many Oneworld partners, including American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific, all allow bookings on JAL. Japan Airlines award prices — even after the devaluation — align with other partners' prices. However, availability is the key issue in booking these awards.
| North America To/From Japan | Japan Airlines After June 10, 2025 | British Airways | Alaska Airlines | American Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 27,000 | 25,750-36,250 | 30,000-37,500 | 35,000 |
| Premium Economy | 40,000 | 50,000-72,250 | 40,000- 50,000 | 50,000 |
| Business Class | 55,000 | 77,250-108,250 | 60,000- 75,000 | 60,000 |
| First Class | 110,000-140,000 | 103,000- 144,250 | 90,000- 110,000 | 80,000 |
| Calendar Opens (Number of Days in Advance) | 360 days | 354 days | 330 days | 331 days |
One advantage of booking through Japan Mileage Bank is that it releases award seats to itself earlier than many of its partners. That means premium cabin space might show up on JAL’s site before it appears through Alaska or American Airlines — or not show up at all elsewhere.
Best Ways to Earn Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Miles
This is where it gets tricky. Japan Airlines isn’t a partner of any major transferable credit card points program — and that’s why it tends to be overlooked. Still, there are some ways to earn JAL miles.
Transfer Marriott points to JAL
Marriott Bonvoy® members can transfer points to nearly 40 airline programs (including JAL) at a 3:1 ratio. And for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Points you transfer, you’ll get a 5,000-mile bonus.
In other words, 120,000 Marriott points would yield 40,000 JAL miles, plus a 10,000-mile bonus, which is enough for a pre-devaluation business class award ticket that costs 50,000 miles.
To book the 85,000-mile First Class flight from Chicago to Tokyo, you’ll need to transfer roughly 215,000 Marriott points to get just over 86,000 JAL miles (including the bonus).
That’s a steep transfer compared to what you’d need through other partners, but JAL often has better award availability than its partner programs do, so this is a route worth considering if you’ve got a large stash of Marriott points — or can build them up through Marriott Bonvoy credit cards.
- Earn up to 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points. Earn 100,000 points after you spend $6,000 and an extra 50,000 points after you spend an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months of Card Membership.
- $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) in statement credits for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide.
- With Marriott Bonvoy® Platinum Elite Status, you can receive room upgrades, including enhanced views or suites, when the stay is booked with a Qualifying Rate at hotels that participate in Marriott Bonvoy, subject to availability upon check-in.
- Earn 6X Marriott Bonvoy® points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Earn 3X Marriott Bonvoy® points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines and 2X Marriott Bonvoy® points on all other eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card.
- Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Each calendar year after spending $60,000 on eligible purchases on your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card, you will be eligible to select a Brilliant Earned Choice Award benefit. You can only earn one Brilliant Earned Choice Award per calendar year. See https://www.choice-benefit.marriott.com/brilliant for Award options.
- $100 Marriott Bonvoy® Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at The Ritz-Carlton® or St. Regis® when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck® (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Each calendar year with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card you can receive 25 Elite Night Credits toward the next level of Marriott Bonvoy® Elite status. Limitations apply per Marriott Bonvoy member account. Benefit is not exclusive to Cards offered by American Express.
- Enroll in Priority Pass Select, which offers unlimited airport lounge visits to over 1,200 lounges in over 130 countries, regardless of which carrier or class you are flying. This allows you to relax before or between flights. You can enjoy snacks, drinks, and internet access in a quiet, comfortable location.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees on international purchases.
- With Cell Phone Protection*, you can be reimbursed, the lesser of, your repair or replacement costs following damage, such as a cracked screen, or theft for a maximum of $800 per claim when your cell phone line is listed on a wireless bill and the prior month's wireless bill was paid by an Eligible Card Account. A $50 deductible will apply to each approved claim with a limit of 2 approved claims per 12-month period. Additional terms and conditions apply. *Coverage is provided by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- Rates & Fees
- 6X points on purchases at Marriott Properties
- 3X points at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery
- 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines
- 2X points on all other eligible purchases
Credit JAL and Oneworld flights to Mileage Bank
Since Japan Airlines is part of the Oneworld alliance, you can credit flights on partner airlines to your Mileage Bank account. It’s usually not the fastest way to rack up miles, but if you’re flying paid Oneworld flights — especially long, premium cabin flights — crediting to JAL can help you build a balance.
Related: Japan Airlines Miles Expiration Guide: Managing JAL's Inflexible Expiration Policy
Bottom Line
Devaluations are par for the course in award travel, so these new Japan Airlines charts are not a surprise. Because Japan Airlines miles are hard to earn and cannot be transferred from any flexible currencies, this news doesn't affect a huge subset of travelers.
However, for those outside the United States or those who happen to have a stash of Japan Airlines miles, now's the time to book before prices go up.
If you really have your heart set on flying JAL's incredible new business class cabins, you can always transfer points from Marriott or try your luck at finding award space through Japan Airlines' partners.
For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees)
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