#24 Among Airlines
Point Value
1.40 ¢
Hobby Score
4.0
JAL Mileage Bank is ranked as a top airline in the world, but earning miles can be difficult.
Japan Airlines (JAL) associated alliance is oneworld Alliance
Visit oneworld Alliance
The easiest way to earn Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles is to fly on the airline or one of its partners. Unfortunately, the co-branded credit card options are limited, and while transfer options are improving, there still aren’t many efficient ways to earn miles.
You can earn miles by flying on Japan Airlines. How many you earn depends on where you’re flying and the class of service you book. JAL provides a mileage calculator for both domestic and international flights to help you estimate earnings.
Japan Airlines offers two co-branded credit cards to U.S. customers, but both are geared toward expats. Neither is recommended since they lack traditional signup bonuses and offer weak benefits and perks.
You can also transfer points from select hotel programs. Marriott Bonvoy provides the best hotel transfer ratio at 3:1. We recommend using hotel points only for small top-ups when no other options are available.
You can earn miles by flying with any of JAL’s partner airlines. How many miles you earn varies by partner, route, and fare class. To see the full earning charts, go to JAL’s partner page and click on each airline for details.
The best way to redeem your Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles is for airfare on JAL or one of its partner airlines. JAL uses distance-based award charts for all redemptions, and there are several excellent sweet spots, especially in premium cabins.
Be aware that your account must be open for 60 days before you can redeem miles. Some users also report that award searches may not work immediately after opening an account, so it’s smart to create your free account well in advance.
To search for award flights:
JAL releases award seats 360 days in advance. If you’re trying to book a premium cabin on a high-demand route, searching right when space opens gives you the best chance at snagging a seat.
Discover your points' highest-value redemption options. Use the filters to find the optimal sweet spot for your next trip.
JAL releases award availability 360 days in advance, which is before any partners release tickets. If you have your eye on a specific redemption, or you are traveling with multiple people and hope to use points for all tickets, start searching as soon as flights are released. This is particularly important if you hope to fly in a premium cabin
JAL releases more space on their own flights to JAL members, so if you combine this tip with the one above, you should be able to find what you’re looking for
It can be a pain to find out how to search and book their partners with JAL Mileage Bank miles. Once you are logged in, navigate to the award tickets section, choose the “International” tab, then choose “JMB Partner Airlines Award Tickets”
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank is best for advanced users in the points and miles world. It helps to understand partner airlines and how to read award charts. If you like to plan far in advance, this program is for you. JAL releases award seats 360 days ahead and offers more availability to its own members, which is valuable if you want premium cabin seats on popular routes at reasonable rates.
Japan Airlines is part of oneworld Alliance, giving you access to partner award bookings on airlines like American, British, Iberia, Cathay Pacific, and Qatar. They also partner with Etihad and offer strong sweet spots in premium cabins. JAL does pass along fuel surcharges on most bookings, but they are still much lower than some partners (like British).
Searching and booking award flights on JAL’s site or app can be clunky. Earning miles is also harder, since only Bilt and Capital One transfer to JAL, and Capital One transfers at a 2:1.5 ratio. The two co-branded cards available to U.S. customers are not recommended. Overall, JAL Mileage Bank is a niche program that provides value for travelers who fly to and from Asia regularly and know how to maximize partner sweet spots.
Japan Airlines Elite Status can be confusing because it includes multiple programs. Fly On Elite Status works like a traditional airline status system. Travelers who fly JAL frequently may be invited to join the JAL Global Club, a paid elite program with additional perks. JAL also tracks Lifetime Status Points, which never expire and can unlock even more long-term status tiers and benefits.
Once you join JAL Mileage Bank, you can start earning Fly On Points by flying on JAL or its partners. The formula for earning Fly On Points is extremely complex, so the easiest way to determine how many points you’ll earn for a specific flight is to use JAL’s online calculator.
Global Club is an invitation-only elite program for members who meet specific requirements. There is an enrollment fee, and you can pay it using miles. You can read more about Global Club here.
You can also earn long-term elite tiers by collecting Life Status Points. These are earned by flying with Japan Airlines, spending on JALCARD credit cards, using JAL Pay, and making eligible purchases through JAL Mall. There are six JAL Life Status tiers, each with its own set of benefits. Read more about those here.
Here are the levels for Fly On Elite Status, requirements you’ll need to get to each level, and the benefits of each
We don’t recommend getting either of the co-branded cards available to U.S. customers, so canceling usually isn’t an issue. If you do have one and want to close it, remember that JAL miles expire 36 months after you earn them. There is no way to extend their validity or recover miles once they expire.
