How to get to Japan with credit card rewards

You can get to Japan without paying much out of pocket for your flight. To do so, you likely need to pick a card with high signup bonus, which is usually enough to redeem for a one-way ticket.

Additional purchases with your card can secure you a ticket home.

Credit cards that get you to Japan

Your best choices include cobranded airline credit cards and general travel cards. If you’re looking for flight-specific perks like free checked bags and priority boarding, an airline card is usually the better choice.

But if you want to get a broader collection of perks like earning miles on flight purchases, getting an airline credit or TSA PreCheck and Global Entry fee credit, and you also want to get hotels benefits — consider a general travel credit card.

Jump to …

• Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®
• United℠ Explorer Card

• Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
• The Platinum Card® from American Express

Our pick for getting to Japan

United℠ Explorer Card

• $0 first-year intro annual fee, then $95.
• Signup bonus: 40,000 miles after you make $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening.
• 2x miles on United purchases, hotel stays and restaurant purchases.
• Credit every four years for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee.
• 25% back as statement credit on United inflight purchases. Plus, priority boarding and your first checked bag free on United-operated flights.
• 2 United Club one-time passes each card anniversary.

Read less

Read more

See offer
Read review

See Rates & Fees

Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®

The information about Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® has been collected independently by Finder and and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

Read review

How many American Airlines miles do I need to fly to Japan?

American Airlines flies between the US and Japan, and you can also catch a flight on one of its partner airlines through Oneworld Alliance. Airlines within the network include Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines.

One-way trips between the US and Japan start from 32,500 miles plus $5.60 for taxes and fees for Economy MileSAAver tickets according to the American Airlines website as of January 2019.

How do I earn the miles?

Spend $2,500 in your first 3 months of card membership and earn 50,000 bonus miles.

Now you need to spend another $7,500 at gas stations, restaurants or American Airlines purchases to get a total of 65,000 miles, which is enough for a round trip to Japan.

• Top travel perks

  Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®: Top travel perks

  • Earn miles.
    Earn 2x miles at restaurants, gas stations and American Airlines purchases. Everything else you buy earns 1x miles.
  • First checked bag free.
    Get this perk for yourself and four companions on your reservation for domestic flights.
  • Preferred boarding.
    If you don’t like to wait, this perk could save your nerves.
  • In-flight savings.
    Pay for food and beverages with your card on American Airlines flights and get 25% back.

United℠ Explorer Card

See offer

Read review

How many United miles do I need to fly to Japan?

United Airlines offers direct flights to Japan, but you can also board a flight to one of the Star Alliance partner airlines — including Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Nippon Airways.

Whichever airline you choose, redeeming miles for a flight to Japan starts from 35,000 miles plus $5.60 for fees and taxes for an Economy flight. This is according to the United website as of January 2019.

How do I earn the miles?

You can earn 40,000 miles if you spend $2,000 within 3 months of your account opening.

• Top travel perks

  United℠ Explorer Card: Top travel perks

  • Earn miles.
    Earn 2x miles on hotel rooms booked directly at the hotel, at restaurants and on all United Airlines purchases. Everything else you buy earns 1.5x miles.
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit.
    Pay the Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee with this card and get reimbursed up to $100 once every four years.
  • In-flight purchases discount.
    If you transfer points to airline miles you’ll get the same number of points. But when you book flights through Chase Ultimate Rewards, your points are worth 50% more.
  • Complimentary lounge access.
    Buy food, beverages and Wi-Fi on United Airlines flight and get 25% back as a statement credit.
  • First checked bag free.
    Save up to $30 with the first checked bag on a one-way trip. This perk also applies to one companion traveling on the same reservation. If you both use this perk on a return trip, you can save $120.

Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card

Apply now

Read review

How many SkyMiles do I need to fly to Japan?

Delta is slightly more expensive where additional fees are concerned for a one-way trip. Be ready to spend at least 35,000 miles and $120 for fees and taxes according to the Delta website as of January 2019.

If you opt in for a round trip, you’ll save around $70 on additional fees, meaning you’ll need 70,000 miles and $50.73.

How do I earn the miles?

The card comes with a decent welcome offer of 50,000 miles when you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months of card membership. Compared to similar cards, you get high value for a low spending threshold.

By earning the welcome offer, you’ll have nearly enough points for a one-way ticket to Japan.

• Top travel perks

  Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card: Top travel perks

  • Earn miles.
    Earn 2x miles for Delta purchases including flights booked at Delta.com, Sky Club membership or passes, Delta packages, seat upgrades and in-flight purchases. Also earn 2x miles at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets. Everything else you buy earns 1x miles.
  • First checked bag free.
    Save up to $60 with this perk on a round trip with Delta. Two round trips are enough to offset the annual fee.
  • Priority boarding.
    Save $15 on this perk and board your plane sooner with a Main Cabin 1 priority boarding.
  • In-flight savings.
    Use your card to pay for food, beverages or headsets on Delta flights and get 20% back as a statement credit.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

Read review

How many Membership Rewards points do I need to fly to Japan?

According to the American Express website as of January 2019, with The Platinum Card® from American Express you can transfer your points to Delta SkyMiles at a 3:2 ratio. This means, you need 52,500 membership reward points to convert to 35,000 SkyMiles — which is the minimum for a one-way Economy flight to Japan.

How do I earn the miles?

When you spend $5,000 within 3 months of account opening, you can earn 60,000 bonus points. That’s more than enough to convert to Delta SkyMiles and book a flight to Japan.

To get the return ticket, you need to spend about $8,250 on prepaid hotels or flights booked through Amex’s travel site.

• Top travel perks

  The Platinum Card® from American Express: Top travel perks

  • Earn points.
    Earn 5x points on prepaid hotels booked through the Amex travel site and flights booked directly with airlines or through the Amex travel site. Starting January 1, 2021, however, your 5x points on flights will be capped on up to $500,000 annually, reverting to 1x points after that.
  • Airline fee credit.
    Select the airline you use the most and get $200 annually as a statement credit to cover incidental fees like checked bags, in-flight purchases and more.
  • Global lounge collection.
    Get complimentary access to more than 1,200 airport lounges worldwide, including the Centurion Lounge, International American Express lounges, Delta Sky Club and Priority Pass Select lounges.
  • Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit fee.
    Get up to $100 in statement credit for the application fee charged to your card once every four years.

Compare similar travel credit cards

Bottom line

To earn a reward flight to Japan, consider getting a general travel or airline credit card. With an airline card you earn miles on your flights and potentially purchases at restaurants or gas stations. Plus you get airline-specific perks like free checked bags or priority boarding.

With a general travel rewards card, you can convert your points to airline miles. And you may get additional perks at hotels and extra statement credits among other benefits.

However, if you’re not sure whether any of these cards will work for your spending habits, check out other travel credit cards to compare your options.

Frequently asked questions

• What credit cards are accepted in Japan?

  Mastercard and Visa are universally accepted, but you should find it simple to use an American Express card — especially in the large cities. For more details, check out our guide to using a credit card in Japan.

• What's the difference between American Airlines MileSAAver and AAnytime tickets?

  MileSAAver flights are the cheaper version, where you’ll have to pay additional fees if you change your travel date. The AAnytime ticket is more flexible and it’s free of charge to switch your date.

• Which of these cards offer TSA PreCheck or Global Entry fee credit?

  • The Platinum Card® from American Express
  • United℠ Explorer Card