Chase is currently offering a 20% transfer bonus to British Airways Avios, and if you’ve been sitting on a pile of Ultimate Rewards points wondering what to do with them, this is one of the most aspirational redemptions in the entire points and miles world. This is first class to Japan on JAL. A fully enclosed suite, Michelin-quality dining, and the kind of service that makes the flight the highlight of the trip. All for a fraction of what you’d normally pay.
The Deal at a Glance
British Airways charges 136,500 Avios one-way for first class on JAL between the Chicago and Tokyo. That’s BA’s standard partner award price for the route. What makes this moment special is the Chase transfer bonus. With the 20% bonus, you only need to transfer 113,750 Chase Ultimate Rewards points to receive approximately 136,500 Avios in your British Airways Executive Club account. That’s exactly what you need to cover the Avios for the flight. Now, you might see this same availability priced through Qantas, another Oneworld partner, but British Airways consistently prices it lower, and with the Chase transfer bonus active, the gap becomes even wider. BA is the move here, unless you have Rove Miles or Bilt Points, which are the only ones that transfer directly to JAL.
Why JAL First Class?
Japan Airlines is widely considered to have one of the best first class products in the sky. Their suites on the A350 feature fully enclosed seats with a door, a lie-flat bed with premium bedding, multi-course Japanese kaiseki or Western meals, and JAL’s signature hospitality. This isn’t a “better business class.” It’s a genuinely different experience.
JAL operates nonstop routes from several US cities to Tokyo, including JFK, ORD, LAX, SFO, SEA, and DFW. The key here is that you’re looking specifically for flights operated by JAL, not partner airlines, not codeshares. British Airways’ Avios pricing on JAL-operated metal is where the value lives.
Important note: Not all JAL routes feature the new first class suite. Make sure to check which aircraft is operating your specific route before booking. Pricing through BA also varies by departure city, and flights from the West Coast tend to price cheaper than East Coast departures, so it’s worth comparing routes if you have flexibility on where you fly out of.
JAL A350-1000 Routes with the New First Class Suite
| Route | Aircraft |
|---|---|
| Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ New York (JFK) | Airbus A350-1000 |
| Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ Los Angeles (LAX) | Airbus A350-1000 |
| Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | Airbus A350-1000 |
| Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ London Heathrow (LHR) | Airbus A350-1000 |
| Tokyo Haneda (HND) ↔ Paris (CDG) | Airbus A350-1000 |
Step 1: Find Award Availability on Seats.aero
This is where seats.aero comes in. Instead of going to British Airways’ website and clicking through individual dates hoping to find an open first class seat, you can scan months of availability in seconds using the JAL First Class Finder tool.
Here’s exactly how to set up your search:
Use the JAL First Class Finder. Seats.aero has a dedicated tool specifically for finding JAL first class award space. This is the fastest way to spot open seats across all routes and dates without manually checking each one.
The best JAL first class award availability often opens up 10-11 months out, and sometimes just a few weeks before departure, so the Pro subscription is basically essential for this kind of search. It pays for itself the moment you lock in a single redemption. 👉 Sign up for seats.aero Pro
Step 2: Confirm Availability on British Airways’ Website
Once you’ve found a date with JL first class availability on seats.aero, head over to ba.com and search for that exact date and route as an Avios redemption. This step is non-negotiable. Seats.aero is an aggregator. It scans and displays availability, but there can be a slight lag between what the tool shows and what’s actually bookable in real time. Always confirm the seat is still there before you move any points.
Here’s an important nuance: seats.aero will show the availability as bookable through Qantas as well. Both Qantas and BA can book JAL first class as Oneworld partners, but BA prices it significantly cheaper, especially with the Chase transfer bonus factored in. Always cross-reference on ba.com to confirm the seat and lock in the lower Avios price. Log into your British Airways Executive Club account (create one if you haven’t, it’s free), search the route and date, and make sure first class shows available at the Avios price you expect: 136,500 Avios + approximately $200 in taxes and fees.
Step 3: Transfer Your Chase Points
Only after you’ve confirmed the seat is available on BA’s site do you transfer your Chase Ultimate Rewards points. This is a one-way transfer. Once those points move to British Airways, they’re not coming back to Chase. So never transfer speculatively. Here’s the process:
- Log into your Chase account and go to Ultimate Rewards
- Select “Transfer to Travel Partners”
- Find British Airways and enter the number of points to transfer
- With the 20% bonus active, transferring 114,000 Chase points gives you approximately 136,500 Avios
Step 4: Book the Flight
Once your Avios land in your British Airways Executive Club account, go back to ba.com, pull up that same flight, and complete the booking. You’ll pay the Avios amount plus taxes and fees, which for JAL transpacific first class typically run around $200 depending on the specific flight and any surcharges. Even with taxes factored in, you’re looking at a JAL first class flight to Japan for around $200 out of pocket plus 113,750 transferred points. Compare that to cash fares that regularly run $15,000-20,000+ for the same cabin.
Tips to Maximize This
Be flexible with your dates. JAL first class award availability is notoriously limited. They only release one or two seats per flight. Midweek departures (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) tend to have more open seats than weekends. Scanning on seats.aero’s JAL First Class Finder makes spotting these patterns effortless.
Check both Narita and Haneda. JAL operates to both Tokyo airports depending on the route. Don’t limit yourself to just one. Either airport gets you to Japan, and availability may differ between them.
Book as soon as you confirm availability. First class award seats on JAL are among the most sought-after in the hobby. When you see one, act on it. These don’t sit around for weeks.
Don’t forget the return. You can use the same strategy in reverse. Search NRT or HND to your home airport on seats.aero, filter for JL first class, and book the return leg separately.
The Bottom Line
A Chase 20% transfer bonus to British Airways doesn’t come around constantly, and JAL first class is genuinely one of the most coveted award bookings in the world. The combination of the two is the kind of sweet spot that points enthusiasts build their entire strategy around. The hardest part used to be finding the availability. That’s what seats.aero solves. You can scan months of dates across routes in seconds instead of hours, with a dedicated JAL First Class Finder built for exactly this.
👉 Sign up for seats.aero Pro to search availability
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