How I Booked Two First Class Flights to Japan Worth $32,000 for 110,000 Points

I just booked two first class flights to Japan on JAL’s brand new A350. The total out-of-pocket was 110,000 Bilt points. The retail value of those two tickets? Over $16,000 each. That’s roughly 30 cents per point, which is the kind of redemption that reminds you why you got into this hobby in the first place.

JAL A350 First Class | Image Credit: Japan Airlines

Let me walk you through exactly how I pulled this off, why Bilt made it possible, and how you can still get a version of this deal today.

The Seat: JAL’s A350 First Class

If you haven’t seen JAL’s new first class cabin, stop what you’re doing and look it up on YouTube. This isn’t your standard international first class. They feature fully enclosed private suites on their A350, with doors that close, a bed that actually lies flat without awkward angles, Michelin-caliber Japanese cuisine, and the kind of attentive service that makes a 13-hour flight feel like a luxury hotel experience. Cash prices for this seat from the U.S. to Tokyo run $15,000-16,000+ one-way. Even the round-trip “discount” still puts you at around $25,000 per person. For two people flying first class, you’re staring down $32,000 before you’ve even landed.

This is the kind of flight most people assume they’ll never take. That’s exactly why points exist.

The Award Price: Already a Steal Before the Bonus

JAL Mileage Bank charges 110,000 miles one-way for first class from the U.S. to Japan. That’s already one of the best deals in the award chart world. At a cash price of $16,000, you’re looking at roughly 15 cents per mile in value. For context, most points enthusiasts target 2-3 cents per point as “good.” 15 cents is absurd.

But I didn’t pay 110,000 miles per ticket. Not even close.

The Bilt Bonus That Changed Everything

On this past Rent Day, Bilt ran a 100% transfer bonus to JAL Mileage Bank. That means every Bilt point I transferred became two JAL miles. So instead of needing 110,000 Bilt points for a single first class ticket, I needed 55,000. For two first class tickets, my total cost was 110,000 Bilt points.

Let that sink in. Two first class flights to Japan, worth $32,000, for 110,000 Bilt points. That’s a redemption value of roughly 29 cents per point, which I’m rounding to 30 because at this level, who’s counting.

This is exactly why Bilt sits at the top of my list. It’s not just because they have a great selection of transfer partners (though they do, and JAL is one of the best). It’s because of bonuses like this one. No other credit card program offers Rent Day transfer bonuses that can literally double your miles. Amex doesn’t do this. Chase doesn’t do this. Capital One doesn’t do this. Bilt does, often, and it’s the single biggest differentiator in their program.

And here’s the thing: you don’t even need a Bilt credit card to start earning Bilt points. You can sign up, link your rent payment, and start accumulating points for free right now. If you want to learn how, I wrote a full guide on earning Bilt points without their credit card here.

Finding JAL First Class Award Space

I know what you’re thinking: “That’s great, Becca, but JAL first class availability is impossible to find.” I hear this all the time, and I get why people think that. JAL only releases one first class award seat per flight for partner bookings, and their most popular routes fill up fast.

But here’s the truth: once you know where to look, JAL first class availability is actually almost guaranteed. Seriously.

I have a step-by-step video walkthrough inside the Cloud9Club First Class community showing exactly how I find these seats and lock them down.

Here’s the one catch that most guides don’t mention: you almost certainly won’t find two first class seats on the same flight. JAL releases one seat at a time, so if you and your travel partner both want to experience first class, you’ll need to get creative. You can fly on different dates, or fly out of different airports. That’s exactly what we did, and honestly, it works out perfectly. We each get our own first class experience, and we meet up in Tokyo just two hours apart. Not exactly a hardship.

Don’t Cry Over Spilt Milk (But Don’t Miss What’s Still Available)

I know, I know. If you’re reading this thinking “great, I missed the 100% bonus,” I hear you. There’s no point dwelling on past deals. But here’s the good news: you can still book JAL first class at a massive discount right now.

Rove Miles currently has a 50% transfer bonus to JAL running through March 31st. At that rate, you’d need roughly 74,000 Rove Miles for a one-way first class award to Japan. That’s a $16,000 flight for 74,000 miles. Still an incredible redemption, and Rove Miles are really easy to earn through their hotel booking portal (5-50x per dollar on top of your credit card rewards) and shopping portal.

If you don’t have a Rove account yet, you can sign up for free through my link at rovemiles.com/becca and get a 1,500 mile bonus. Between their hotel bookings, gift card deals, and shopping portal, building up 74,000 Rove Miles is more achievable than you’d think. In fact, you can easily get way more than that with just one bougie hotel stay.

Here’s a quick example with math: You spend $2,500 on one night here (which is, by my estimation, severely overpriced – but we don’t care about that). You’ll earn 121k+ Rove Miles, which transfer to JAL with the current bonus and become 181K+ miles! That’s almost enough for a ROUND-TRIP in First Class. Suddenly, paying $2.5k for a night at a bougie hotel in your town makes a lot more sense, huh?

So, instead of thinking “oh I’m paying for this overpriced hotel I’d never pay for”, how about “oh! I’m flying First Class for 90% off and I get to spend the night in a nice hotel to boost!”

The Bottom Line

If you take one thing away from this post, let it be this: start earning Bilt points now, even if you don’t have a specific trip planned. The next time a 100% transfer bonus rolls around, you’ll be ready. And if you want to book JAL first class before the Rove bonus expires on March 31st, the seats are out there waiting for you.

Best Offers

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