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Tokyo has long been one of the most desirable long-haul destinations in the world — the food, the culture, the sheer sensory experience of the city is unlike anywhere else. But if you've priced out a business class ticket recently, you already know the situation: cash fares from the West Coast are sitting at $4,000 to $6,000+ roundtrip, and they're not coming down anytime soon. The good news is that the award travel system was built precisely for moments like this — and with the right setup, you can fly that same seat for under $500 out of pocket.
This article walks you through the two most reliable paths to an ANA business class seat using transferable points, what the timing looks like, and how to actually make the booking. No vague advice — just the specific steps that work right now.
Why Business Class to Tokyo Just Got Even More Expensive
Jet fuel prices have roughly doubled since early 2026, driven largely by instability in the Middle East and crude oil pushing well past $100 per barrel. Airlines absorb some of that cost, but not all of it — and not forever. United's CEO has already publicly flagged that fares may need to rise 15–20% just to cover operating costs. That's on top of prices that were already elevated coming out of the post-COVID travel surge.
For business class specifically, the math is brutal. Airlines price premium cabins aggressively during high demand periods, and Tokyo is one of those routes where business class rarely goes unsold. A seat that might have cost $3,000 two years ago is now regularly hitting $5,000–$6,000 from Los Angeles or San Francisco. And with fuel costs staying elevated, there's no structural reason for prices to fall.
The window to act is now. Points redemptions are insulated from cash fare increases — award chart prices don't automatically go up when jet fuel does. The longer you wait, the wider the gap grows between what you'd pay in cash and what your points are truly worth.
This is exactly the environment where having transferable points — Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards — pays off most. The value you get per point goes up as cash fares rise, because you're redeeming for a seat whose market price keeps climbing while your redemption cost stays fixed.
The Two Paths to Under $500
There are two primary award routes to ANA business class worth knowing about. Both use transferable points you can earn through everyday spending on the right credit card. The best one for you depends on which points currency you have more of, and whether you're booking one-way or roundtrip.
Both paths land you in the same ANA business class cabin — the same flat-bed seat, the same service, the same product. The difference is purely which points currency you're drawing from and whether you're booking one-way or roundtrip.
Path A: Chase Ultimate Rewards → Virgin Atlantic → ANA
This is the sweet spot for one-way bookings and the most points-efficient route from the West Coast. Here's why it works: Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner of Chase Ultimate Rewards at a 1:1 ratio, and Virgin's own award chart prices ANA business class at just 45,000 Flying Club miles one-way from the U.S. West Coast. That's a genuinely excellent rate — one that ANA's own program and most other partners don't match for a one-way booking.
Earn Chase Ultimate Rewards
The Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 3x points on travel and dining, and the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns 3x on travel broadly. Both transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at 1:1. You need 45,000 points per one-way business class ticket.
Confirm ANA availability first
Before you transfer anything, verify the seat exists. Go to ana.com and search your desired dates in business class — ANA releases its own award inventory, and Virgin can book what ANA makes available. Once you find an open date, lock it in your mind before moving on to the next step.
Transfer Chase points to Virgin Atlantic
Log into your Chase account, navigate to "Transfer Points," and send 45,000 points to your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account. Transfers are instant. Important: only transfer after you've confirmed availability — points moved to an airline partner cannot be returned.
Call Virgin Atlantic to book
Virgin Atlantic's online portal doesn't always surface partner award space. Call Virgin Flying Club directly at +1-800-365-9500, tell them you want to book an ANA partner award, and give them your date and route. The agent will locate and hold the seat. Total out-of-pocket: approximately $150 in taxes and fuel surcharges.
Always verify availability before transferring points. If you're uncertain, call Virgin Atlantic first — they can confirm ANA award space on your dates before you move a single mile. Points transferred to an airline cannot be reversed.
Path B: Amex Membership Rewards → ANA Mileage Club
If you have Amex Membership Rewards points — earned through the Amex Gold, Amex Platinum, or other MR-earning cards — you can transfer them directly to ANA Mileage Club at a 1:1 ratio and book ANA award space from within ANA's own program. This path shines for roundtrip bookings in low season, where ANA prices the entire roundtrip at 75,000–85,000 miles total — that's roughly what other programs charge for a single direction.
Amex Gold Card — best everyday earner for this path
The Amex Gold earns 4x Membership Rewards at U.S. restaurants and U.S. supermarkets, making it one of the fastest ways to build an MR balance on everyday spending. Those points transfer directly to ANA Mileage Club at 1:1. For a roundtrip business class booking at 75,000 miles, you'd transfer 75,000 MR points. The Gold's $325 annual fee is largely offset by its $120 dining credit and $120 Uber Cash, so the effective cost of holding the card is reasonable for the earning rate you get.
Amex Platinum — the $200 airline fee credit
If you hold the Amex Platinum, you have access to a $200 annual airline fee credit that can be applied toward incidental fees on a selected airline. If you designate ANA as your qualifying airline for the year, fees associated with your award booking may be eligible. The credit applies to incidental charges — not award taxes directly — but in practice it can meaningfully offset your out-of-pocket. Always check current Amex terms, as eligibility details can shift year to year.
To book through ANA Mileage Club, go to ana.com, log into your mileage account, and search for Saver Award space on ANA-operated flights. ANA's own program has outstanding visibility into its own inventory, and the booking process is methodical and straightforward. Low-season roundtrip from the U.S. West Coast runs 75,000–85,000 miles in business class — one of the best roundtrip values in award travel right now.
Timing: When to Book and When to Fly
Award space on ANA business class is genuinely available — but timing matters on both when you book and when you actually travel. Get both right and you'll have your choice of seats. Miss either window and you'll be fighting for the last scraps.
When to fly
ANA's low season — when award rates are cheapest and availability is most generous — covers roughly: late January through February, May, and September through early November. These windows sidestep the two biggest demand spikes: cherry blossom season (late March–April) and Golden Week (late April–early May), as well as the December holiday crush. If you can travel in late September or October, that's the sweet spot — the weather in Tokyo is outstanding, the crowds are smaller, and business class award space opens up meaningfully.
When to book
ANA releases long-haul award space 355 days in advance. For business class, the best availability tends to appear either 11–12 months out — right when the calendar opens — or in the window 2–3 weeks before departure when airlines release unsold premium cabin seats. If you have a specific travel date in mind, searching the moment the schedule opens is your best chance at exactly the seat you want.
Dates to avoid entirely: Cherry blossom season (typically late March through mid-April), Golden Week (late April through early May), and mid-December through early January. Award availability drops sharply during these windows and whatever space exists tends to go to frequent flyers with elite status. Build your itinerary around these periods, not during them.
Bonus: Chase and Amex Portal Strategies
If you'd rather use points through a travel portal than transferring to an airline, both Chase and Amex have options worth understanding. These are simpler and more flexible than partner transfers, though they typically deliver less value per point for a premium cabin booking.
Chase Points Boost
Chase periodically offers "Points Boost" promotions through the Chase Travel portal, where select flights are valued at up to 2 cents per point — higher than the standard 1.5 cents per point portal rate. If a Japan Airlines or ANA flight appears under Points Boost, you can redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards directly through the portal at meaningfully better value. Check the Chase Travel portal and look for the "Boost" label before booking any long-haul premium cabin — it's worth the 60 seconds to check before you transfer.
Amex Platinum $200 Airline Fee Credit
The Amex Platinum's $200 airline fee credit resets each calendar year. If you select ANA as your qualifying airline for the year, fees associated with your ANA booking may be eligible for the credit. This won't cover the full award redemption amount, but it can take a meaningful bite out of the taxes and carrier-imposed fees you'd otherwise pay out of pocket. Combined with ANA's already-low fee structure on award tickets, the Platinum credit can bring your total cost on a roundtrip award down to under $100.
What It All Looks Like in Practice
Here's a side-by-side comparison of both paths for a roundtrip business class booking, Los Angeles to Tokyo, in late October — low season.
| Path A: Chase → Virgin Atlantic → ANA | Path B: Amex → ANA Direct | |
|---|---|---|
| Points needed (RT) | 90,000 Chase UR (45k × 2) | 75,000–85,000 Amex MR |
| Transfer ratio | Chase → Virgin at 1:1 | Amex → ANA at 1:1 |
| Out-of-pocket fees | ~$300 (2 × ~$150) | ~$100 or less |
| Booking method | Call Virgin Atlantic directly | Online via ana.com |
| Best for | One-way bookings; larger Chase balance | Roundtrip; lower fees; simpler process |
| Cash equivalent | $5,000–$6,000+ (what you'd pay without points) | |
| Total out-of-pocket | ~$300 | ~$100 or less |
The Amex path wins on out-of-pocket costs and simplicity for a roundtrip. The Chase/Virgin path is slightly more points-intensive for a full roundtrip, but becomes the clear winner if you're booking one-way or if your Chase balance is larger. Either way, you're flying the same flat-bed ANA product for a few hundred dollars — instead of several thousand.
The key takeaway: Either path gets you into the same ANA business class cabin for under $500 out of pocket. The points are the real currency here — and every dollar you spend on the right card is one step closer to a flat-bed seat over the Pacific.
Business class to Tokyo isn't a pipe dream — it's a methodical process. Earn the right points through your everyday spending, learn which partners price ANA most efficiently, confirm availability before you transfer a single mile, and time your trip around low season. That's the whole system.
Fuel prices and cash fares will keep doing what they do. But your points balance is something you can control and build deliberately. Start earning now, and Tokyo is a lot closer than it looks.
