🤑 Latest Deals + Travel Hacking Flights/Hotels for Japan

Hi all👋! In last week’s newsletter I talked about How to Travel to Japan like a Pro and today, I wanted to share a bunch of tips about using your points and miles for flights and hotels for Japan. I’ll also add a few other ways to save on a trip, even if you’re not using points. Many of these tips should be useful for trips to other countries, so it should be good even if you’re not planning a Japan trip (though you probably should consider it). If you prefer to listen, check out (🎧Ep102) Travel Hacking Japan with Points and Miles.

But, first I want to share some of the latest deals I’ve found! :)

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💵 Latest Deals

Finally, there are a few deals worth sharing!

📦 Chase Freedom Q2 Bonus

For Q2, you’ll get 5% cash back at Amazon and Lowe’s, so don’t forget to register your Chase Freedom or Chase Freedom Flex℠ Card here. You can also convert that cash back to points if you also have a Chase Sapphire card.

🚖 Free Lyft Pink w/ Chase Sapphire Reserve®

You can get 2 years of Lyft Pink free as a Chase Sapphire Reserve® member here. Lyft Pink includes 3 free cancellations/year, priority pickup, 3 scooter or e-bike passes/year, unlimited 45-minute classic bike rides, and free GrubHub+ for a year.

🛫 15% off Delta Awards

Delta is now offering 15% off all award bookings for SkyMiles cardholders. If you have a lot of Delta points, this is an amazing perk. And if you don’t already have a SkyMiles card, it could be worth getting Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card. Personally, I’m thinking about getting the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card for a trip we’re taking this summer, because it’ll save me >25k points. While it does have a $250 annual fee, you also get a 90,000 mile bonus and a free companion certificate each year (starting year 2). You also get your first checked bag free for up to eight people on a reservation.

📈 CapitalOne: 30% Bonus on Virgin Atlantic Transfers

Through the end of March, you can get an extra 30% on your transfers from CapitalOne to Virgin Atlantic, which after reading this email, might come in real handy for a trip to Japan.

💸 Chase/American Express Offers

There are a few offers you might want to add your cards right now (unless you’re using my favorite app for this, CardPointers, which you’ll see more about below). You might not have all of them, or you might have better ones I don’t have:

American Express

Insurance Bills: 10% off up to $30
Dell: $120 off $600+
Hilton Resorts: $200 off $1,000+
Dropbox: 50% off
Marriott: $60 off $300+

Chase

TurboTax/TaxAct (if you’re using either for Taxes)
Southwest: 10% off (only shows up on my Southwest Card)
Dropbox: $20 off

CardPointers

The best way to manage all these offers is to use the CardPointers browser extension. It AUTOMATICALLY enrolls you in every single card offer, which is amazing because on at least 3 occasions I’ve earned cash back on purchases I didn’t know had an offer. On top of that, it sends the requests to American Express for all cards at the same time, so you can add offers to multiple cards at once (if you try yourself, Amex will remove the offers after you add them to one card. So, for example, if you could add the Insurance Bill offer above to 4 cards, you could get $120 back. On top of that, you can get 20% off CardPointers Pro here or at the link below.

Add Offers with CardPointers

💳 Card Signup Bonuses

Reminder: While using the card links below does help support me and All the Hacks, I do want you to prioritize getting the best sign-up offers, so 1) if you find a better offer, please use that one, and 2) when I don’t have the best offer, I’ll try my best to link to the best offer, even if it’s not mine, which includes sharing reader referral links (more on that below). Thanks!

90k on Ink Cards (Last Chance)

The 90,000 point signup bonus is an all-time best offer for spending $6,000 in 3 months on the $0 annual fee Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card and Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Cards. Technically the offer is for $900 cash back, but with a Chase Sapphire Card you can convert that cash to points.

I’ve been told the offers will be gone 3/21, so if you want to get them (and support me), you can use these links to sign up soon: Chase Ink Business Cash® Credit Card / Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card.

The Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card also has a 100,000 point signup bonus (link here), but it has a $95 annual fee, and you need to spend $15,000 in 3 months, so for 90% of the points, the Ink Cash/Unlimited offers might be a better option.

Note: If you don’t think you’re eligible for a business card, you might be wrong. Technically, if you’ve ever sold something on eBay, done writing/consulting work, or have a side hustle, you qualify as a sole proprietor business. So when you apply for a business card, you can use your personal information as all the business requirements (name, address, SSN as tax ID, phone).

American Express Referrals: 90K American Express® Gold Card and 150K The Platinum Card® from American Express

The referral offers for Amex are really high right now:

American Express® Gold Card: 90,000 points + $200
The Platinum Card® from American Express: 150,000 points + $200

So please don’t use my links at allthehacks.com/cards. Instead, click the links above, which I will route to referral links from my readers/listeners (feel free to share your referral link here).

IHG: 175k on IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card

It has an all-time best offer at 175,000 points (which is probably worth at least $875).

🇯🇵 Travel Hacking a Japan Trip

Biz Class on my last flight home from Tokyo

🛫 Flight to Japan with Points:

Let’s first look at the best carriers for getting to Japan with points:

ANA

Flying with ANA through Virgin Atlantic is likely the best option if you can find the space. You can fly round trip from the west coast for

60,000 miles in coach
90,000 miles in business
110,000 miles in first class

Only round-trip bookings are available, but the taxes are reasonable, starting at ~$300. Here’s the process you can follow:

Search on Point.me or any site within Star Alliance to find availability.
Call Virgin Atlantic to book (or try to ask them to hold the spot).
Transfer points to Virgin Atlantic from Amex, Capital One, Chase, Citi, or Bilt.

FYI - Virgin Atlantic has announced that they’re joining the Skyteam Alliance, so it’s unclear how long this will last after they officially join, because ANA is in Star Alliance.

ANA also offers direct booking and while it’s a bit more complicated, you’ll need fewer miles for a round-trip flight:

40,000 - 50,000 miles in economy
75,000 - 90,000 miles in business
150,000 miles in first class

Only round-trip bookings are available, and taxes start at ~$300. However, you can only transfer to ANA from Amex, which takes a few days. And calling an ANA agent to put it on hold is very rare. That means:

If you’re flexible on dates and have Amex points, you could transfer them, and if those flights disappear during the transfer, you can always keep looking.
If you’re set on specific dates and you only found one option, it could be risky.

Japan Airlines

Since JAL isn’t a transfer partner of any credit card programs, you must book through another airline (unless you have JAL miles). Here are some options:

Alaska Air

35,000 miles each way in coach
60,000 miles each way in business
70,000 - 80,000 each way in first class

Taxes can be as low as $100 round trip. Alaska also isn’t a transfer partner of any major credit card programs, so it’s only a good option if you already have a lot of Alaska points or choose to sign up for an Alaska card (here) and get the 72,000-mile bonus.

American Airlines

You can book JAL with American Airlines miles for about the same number of points and taxes as Alaska. If you don’t already have AA miles, they can be harder to come by than other airlines, but they are a transfer partner of Bilt Rewards, and the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card currently offers a 50,000-mile sign-up bonus here.

British Airways

You can transfer points from almost every credit card to BA Avios, but the taxes and fuel surcharges can be super high. So, make sure to factor that in.

Singapore Air

It is possible to fly from LAX to Tokyo on Singapore’s fifth freedom flight (where a carrier flies between two countries where it is not primarily based). You can book the flight directly with Singapore after transferring miles from American Express, Chase, Citi, or Capital One.

First-class tickets can be about 120,000 points, but the Singapore product is undoubtedly one of the best. Sometimes it’s easier to find availability last minute.

United Airlines

United has over a dozen flights to Japan, and it’s easiest to book those flights directly with United or with Air Canada. When lower-priced awards are available, you can book for as little as

35,000 miles each way in coach
75,000 miles each way in business

Almost every point program can transfer to Air Canada and/or United, and taxes can be as low as $50 round trip. You’ll need to search the calendar for availability (easiest on United’s site), but last-minute availability usually has a lot of great options.

While United cards don’t have great sign-up bonuses right now, the Aeroplan card currently has a 100,000 sign-up bonus after spending $20,000 in the first year.

Finally, if you have Capital One points, you might get a better deal on some of the United flights if you book through Avianca.

Delta

While it’s very hard to come by a good deal flying Delta to Japan, it does happen from time to time, so it’s worth looking if none of the other options work for you. If you don’t have Delta miles or Amex points, you can search/book from FlyingBlue (Air France/KLM’s frequent flier program), which is a transfer partner for all card points.

ZipAir

This is actually a cash deal. ZipAir is a low-cost subsidiary of JAL with some fantastic fares and beautiful plane interiors. I’ve had a few listeners email me to say they had a good experience with the airline, but there are a few important caveats:

ZipAir only flies to Tokyo from San Jose, Los Angeles, and Honolulu in the US
The price of a round-trip ticket can be as low as $600 for coach or $2,000 for business, which is unmatched by any other carrier (especially the biz class price)
There are no changes/refunds, so you’ll lose your money if you can’t take the flight. So, if you’re booking on ZipAir, I would consider cancel for any reason (CFAR) travel insurance. (I’ve used Trawick International for this in the past)
The only thing included is your seat, so there are a handful of add-ons:
- $50-70 to check your bag (even for business class)
- $50 for carry-ons above the weight limit (they are strict about the limits)
- $11-12 per meal on-board (even water isn’t included)
DEAL: If you have an Amex, there’s currently a Zip Air offer for $150 off $750+

💳 Flight Options Based On Points

Since you can’t transfer to all airlines from all points programs, I thought I’d break down your best options by the type of points you have. Because booking ANA through Virgin is a top option and they’re a transfer partner from all programs, I won’t mention the details every time below, but they’d be my top option if there’s availability. Also, you can transfer to British Airways from every program except Citi and book on JAL or American, so I won’t include detail on that below either, but it’s on the list of options to check for all other programs (though given the fees, it’s probably at the end of the list).

Reminder that you can find my full list of airline transfer partners by credit card here.

Chase Ultimate Rewards

After Virgin, I’d be looking to transfer to United or Air Canada and booking on United or ANA. Finally, I’d look into British Airways. If you need more Chase points, see the Ink Business offers above, or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® cards have a 60k bonus point offer now. However, there’s a rumor that starting next week you’ll be able to get an 80k offer for the Preferred if you apply in a branch, so you might want to check that out.

American Express Membership Rewards

If you’re ok with the ~2 day transfer time, I’d start by looking at transferring to ANA. If not, then I’d start with Virgin and then be trying Air Canada to book on ANA/United. If you’re flexible to fly out of LAX, I’d also look at transferring to Singapore. If you need to boost your American Express balance, check out the American Express® Gold Card or The Platinum Card® from American Express offers above, or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express has a 120,000 bonus (here) and you can probably get a 130k bonus on the business gold card if you call 855-531-3491 and ask for the best offer.

Capital One Miles

With CapitalOne, I’d start with looking at ANA through Virgin, but then I’d try looking at transferring to Air Canada, Singapore, or British Airways (in that order). To add to your CapitalOne miles, I’d consider the 75k bonuses for the Capital One® VentureOne® Rewards Credit Card and Capital One® Venture X Rewards Credit Card cards or the 50k/100k bonuses on the Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business/Capital One® Spark® Cash Plus.

Note: When you have a Capital One card that earns cash back, you can only convert that cash back to miles if you also have a card earning miles. For example, if you have a Venture card and get the Capital One® Spark® Cash Plus card, you can convert the $1,000 bonus into 100,000 miles.

Also, Capital One recently launched the Venture X Business with a 250,000-point sign-up bonus after spending $50,000. You can’t find the deal online, but supposedly you can get a link to apply from the right relationship manager (if you can find one on LinkedIn or at a branch).

Bilt Rewards

After Virgin, I’d try looking at transferring to American, United/Air Canada, or British Airways (in that order). Unfortunately, Bilt only has one card with no signup bonuses, so unless you already have Bilt points, this probably won’t be an option for you.

Citi ThankYou Points

Virgin Atlantic is your best option, but I’d also check Singapore, Avianca (for booking ANA/United), or British Airways (in the order). If you need to boost your ThankYou Points balance, the Citi Premier® Card has a sign-up bonus of 60,000 points, but it was 80k earlier this year, so it’s not the best time to apply.

🏨 Hotels

Let’s cover the four major hotel programs you might want to use for a Japan trip.

Hyatt

Hyatt has 33 hotels in Japan. The rates range from 6,500 points/night for category 2 up to 35,000 points/night for category 8. Some highlights are:

Park Hyatt in Tokyo is famous from the movie Lost In Translation
Park Hyatt in Kyoto is where we stayed on our last trip, and it’s incredible
The Grand Hyatt and the Andaz in Tokyo
The Sowaka Hotel in Kyoto
There is a Park Hyatt and Kasara in Niseko

Hyatt is a transfer partner of Chase and Bilt, so if you want to boost your points balance, look at the Chase options above or check out the Hyatt Personal card (30k bonus) or the Hyatt Business card (60k bonus).

Marriott

In Japan, Marriott has 85 hotels. Those range from 15,000 to 120,000 points a night. However, Marriott offers a fifth-night free program, so if you can do a 5-night stay, you can take 20% off.

While the only one of the 85 hotels I’ve stayed at was the St. Regis in Osaka, these stood out as some amazing high-end options:

The Prince Gallery in Tokyo
The Mitsui in Kyoto
Ritz Carlton in Tokyo, Kyoto, Okinawa, and Nikko
Courtyard at Tokyo Station

If you need some extra Marriott points, they recently increased their sign-up bonuses on the Bonvoy Bold (60k) and Bonvoy Boundless (100k).

Hilton

In Japan, Hilton has 26 hotels. Hilton also offers the fifth night free, so you can save 20% if you stay 5 nights. Their hotels range in price from 25,000 to 95,000 points per night, with one exception: the Roku Kyoto, which looks incredible but is 110,000 points a night. However, you should know that when space isn’t available at these standard rates with points, Hilton sometimes shows insane points rates for those rooms (I’ve seen >1 million points/night).

I’ve stayed at the Hilton Tokyo twice, and it’s very solid. The hotel has a mini onsen (hot spring bath) by the gym, and the concierge is incredible. Some other great options include Conrad Tokyo, Conrad Osaka, and Odawara Resort.

If you need some more Hilton points, you’re in luck because they also recently increased sign-up bonuses on the Hilton Honors American Express Card (100k) and Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card(150k). However, my favorite Hilton card (that we just got a few months ago) is the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (150k bonus). Yes, it has a high annual fee ($450), but if you can use all the perks below, I think it’s worth it.

14X Hilton points, and 7X points on flights and dining
Free night at almost any Hilton hotel every year
Annual $250 airline credit for seats, bags, upgrades, food, or other fees
Another annual $250 credit at Hilton Resorts
Free Hilton Diamond status (their top tier)
Annual $100 credit on 2-night stays at a Conrad or Waldorf (harder to use)

IHG

In Japan, IHG has 45 hotels. A few options I liked were the Intercontinentals in Tokyo, Osaka, and Beepu (which is a hot springs resort).

You also get a fourth night free with the IHG® Rewards Premier Credit Card, which also happens to have an all-time-best 175,000 point sign-up bonus right now.

Other Hotel Options

If you don’t have any hotel points, there are lots of local hotels and Ryokans to check out, or you can search Airbnb or stay at a hostel or capsule hotel. Overnight buses are also a budget-friendly travel method because you save money by not staying one night in a hotel.

A reminder for you with high-end hotels: we have a partnership that gives you the perks of four-star and five-star hotels with upgrades, complimentary breakfast, resort credits, early check-in, and late checkout. Email upgrade@allthehacks.com if you are trying to book a high-end property. Yes, you get similar offerings if you book with some card company portals, like American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts, however…

We can do this with about 4,000 hotels, while most card programs only have access to a few hundred or maybe a thousand
We work with hotels directly, so you receive a reservation from the hotel, not the credit card company (and usually have higher upgrade priority)

💭 Final Thoughts

If you take a trip to Japan, please email me your experience. I’d love to hear about it and hope all this information helped make things more accessible and affordable.

Also, I hope this email was helpful, but if not, please reply and let me know what you’d like to see more of in the future.

Thanks,

Chris

All the Hacks is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired.

Editor’s Note: Today, I’m grateful for the support of our partners Point.me, Pacaso, BankBonus, and MileValue. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.

Chris Hutchins