FirstClassFlyer

Cream of the Crop, Top of the Heap: How to save 80% with All Nippon and 69% with Asiana to avoid normal, $20,000-ish fares

Deal #1: All Nippon First Class

Published Fares: To Tokyo from JFK round-trip starts at $19,931.

Mileage Cost: 150,000 miles (165,000 during high season). For the same number of miles you can fly free to anywhere else in Japan—and to many other destinations in Asia for only 15,000 more miles—with a free stopover in Tokyo (or without stopping in Tokyo at all). See mileage award availability in chart below.

No All Nippon Miles? No Problem: Transfer 120,000 Starwood points to All Nippon or 150,000 Amex Rewards points.

Best “Buy Miles to Fly in Style” Deal: You can buy Amex Rewards points, at 2.5¢ each, which brings the First Class ticket down to $3,920 round-trip (including about $170 in award taxes), a savings of $16,011 (80%).

Deal #2: Asiana First Class

Published Fares: To Seoul from JFK round-trip starts at $8,847.

Mileage Cost: 160,000 miles (50% more required during peak seasons, May 13 to July 2, and Dec. 5 to Dec. 23). That also gets you a free ticket to anywhere in Korea and to other destinations in Asia for only 15,000 more miles, with a free stopover in Seoul (or without stopping in Seoul at all). See mileage award availability in chart below.

No Asiana Miles? No Problem: Transfer 130,000 Starwood points to Asiana.

Best Buy Miles to Fly in Style Deal: Purchase LifeMiles from Avianca, an Asiana partner—LifeMiles deal also applies for travel on All Nippon to Tokyo. Based on the last LifeMiles deal, which offered a bonus of up to 125%, the strategy can net up to 69% off, bringing New York-Seoul First Class down to $2,772 round-trip (180,000 miles, including award taxes of $72 on Asiana).

Or, Purchase Amex Rewards points, transfer them to All Nippon, and redeem them on Asiana. This strategy can net you up to 46% off, bringing New York-Seoul First Class down to $4,745 round-trip (180,000 miles, including award taxes at around $245).

Sweet Redeem Survey: First Class New York - Asia Non-stops with Star Alliance

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Booking All Nippon & Asiana With Their Partner's Miles

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First Class Credit Card Points Cheat Sheet

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[aside headline="Deepen Your Skills" alignment="aligncenter" width="big" headline_size="default"]

See FCF’s June article “Buy Miles to Fly in Style” to find out why purchasing miles is a smart move.
Don’t see your departure airport or destination mentioned? Get free tickets from your preferred airports by knowing The Art of Skipping Stones & What We Can All Learn from the Boise to Budapest Premium Traveler in FCF’s December report.
Also refer back to a Freudian analysis of FCF’s “Sweet Redeems” in our January report.

[/aside]

[["Airline","Destination Cities","Availability to Asia<\/strong>","#colspan#","#colspan#","Availability from Asia<\/strong>","#colspan#","#colspan#"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","Handful","Hopeful","Hooray","Handful","Hopeful","Hooray"],["All Nippon","Tokyo (Haneda)","Oct., Dec.<\/span>","Nov., Jan.<\/span>","Dec. to March, Feb., March<\/span>","Oct., Dec.<\/span>","Nov., Jan. to March<\/span>","Dec. to March"],["#rowspan#","Tokyo (Narita)","July, Aug., Oct., Jan. to March<\/span>","Dec.","Jan. to March","Oct., Jan.<\/span>","Nov., Feb.<\/span>","Dec. to Feb., March<\/span>"],["Asiana","Seoul","\u00a0","April","July to Nov.,<\/span> Dec., Jan. to March<\/span>","April","\u00a0Aug.<\/span>","Sept. to Nov., Jan. to March<\/span>"]]

Months in black at least one seat available; in blue at least two seats. Handful: Our most recent research shows that award space is available 4 to 8 days during the months indicated. Hopeful: Our most recent research shows that award space is available 9 to 12 days during the months indicated. Hooray: Our most recent research shows that award space is available for 13 days or more during the months indicated.

[["Operating Airline","Book With These Partner's Miles","Cost With Partner Miles"],["All Nippon","Air Canada","210,000"],["#rowspan#","Asiana","160,000"],["#rowspan#","LifeMiles","180,000"],["#rowspan#","Miles & More","210,000"],["#rowspan#","Singapore","200,000"],["#rowspan#","United","220,000"],["Asiana","Air Canada","210,000"],["#rowspan#","All Nippon","180,000"],["#rowspan#","LifeMiles","180,000"],["#rowspan#","Miles & More","210,000"],["#rowspan#","Singapore","200,000"],["#rowspan#","United","240,000"]]

[["Credit Card Partner","Transfer to","For Redemption on"," Mileage Cost"],["Amex Rewards","Air Canada","All Nippon, Asiana","210,000"],["#rowspan#","All Nippon","All Nippon","150,000"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","Asiana","180,000"],["#rowspan#","Singapore","All Nippon, Asiana","200,000"],["Chase","Singapore","All Nippon, Asiana","200,000"],["#rowspan#","United","All Nippon, Asiana","220,000"],["Citi ThankYou","Singapore","All Nippon, Asiana","200,000"],["Starwood*","Air Canada","All Nippon, Asiana","170,000"],["#rowspan#","All Nippon","All Nippon","120,000"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","Asiana","145,000"],["#rowspan#","Asiana","Asiana","130,000"],["#rowspan#","#rowspan#","All Nippon","145,000"],["#rowspan#","LifeMiles","All Nippon, Asiana","145,000"],["#rowspan#","Miles & More","All Nippon, Asiana","170,000"],["#rowspan#","Singapore","All Nippon, Asiana","160,000"]]