Maximizing ANA Mileage Club Sweet Spots for Star Alliance Awards to Japan

Introduction

Japan remains one of the most sought-after travel destinations in the world, and for good reason. Its unique blend of ancient traditions and cutting-edge modernity, coupled with world-class cuisine and impeccable hospitality, draws millions of visitors each year. For points and miles enthusiasts, flying to Japan in premium cabins is a bucket-list experience. However, with many frequent flyer programs devaluing their award charts or imposing high surcharges, finding the best way to book these seats can be challenging. Enter the ANA Mileage Club—the loyalty program of All Nippon Airways, Japan’s largest airline. While ANA is not a member of a major alliance, it partners with many Star Alliance carriers, and its distance-based award chart offers some of the most incredible sweet spots for travel to Japan. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how to leverage ANA Mileage Club to book first and business class on partners like United, EVA Air, Singapore Airlines, and more, often using significantly fewer miles than other programs.

Understanding ANA’s Distance-Based Award Chart

ANA Mileage Club uses a distance-based award chart for partner flights, which means the number of miles required is determined by the total flight distance, not by region. This is different from most U.S.-based programs like United MileagePlus or American AAdvantage, which use region-based charts. While region-based charts can be simpler, distance-based charts can offer exceptional value, especially for medium-haul routes or when you can optimize routing to stay within a certain distance band.

For Star Alliance partner awards, ANA calculates the total mileage of your itinerary, including all segments and connections, and then applies the corresponding mileage cost from its partner award chart. Crucially, ANA requires round-trip bookings for partner awards—one-way awards are not permitted. The total distance is based on the sum of all flown segments, and the award must be booked at least 96 hours before departure for international flights. Additionally, ANA imposes a seasonality component with Low, Regular, and High seasons, which can affect the mileage cost. However, even with these restrictions, the value can be outstanding.

ANA Partner Award Chart (Round-Trip, Economy/Business/First)

Below is a simplified version of the ANA partner award chart for round-trip travel. Note that these are base miles for Regular season; Low season requires fewer miles, and High season requires more.

The round-trip mileage requirements based on total distance are as follows: 1、 Total Distance 0 – 1,000 miles · Economy (Y) 12,000 miles · Business (J) 24,000 miles · First (F) 36,000 miles 2、 Total Distance 1,001 – 2,000 miles · Economy (Y) 17,000 miles · Business (J) 35,000 miles · First (F) 50,000 miles 3、 Total Distance 2,001 – 4,000 miles · Economy (Y) 20,000 miles · Business (J) 40,000 miles · First (F) 60,000 miles 4、 Total Distance 4,001 – 7,000 miles · Economy (Y) 30,000 miles · Business (J) 55,000 miles · First (F) 90,000 miles 5、 Total Distance 7,001 – 9,000 miles · Economy (Y) 35,000 miles · Business (J) 65,000 miles · First (F) 105,000 miles 6、 Total Distance 9,001 – 11,000 miles · Economy (Y) 40,000 miles · Business (J) 75,000 miles · First (F) 120,000 miles 7、 Total Distance 11,001 – 14,000 miles · Economy (Y) 45,000 miles · Business (J) 85,000 miles · First (F) 135,000 miles 8、 Total Distance 14,001 – 18,000 miles · Economy (Y) 50,000 miles · Business (J) 95,000 miles · First (F) 150,000 miles 9、 Total Distance 18,001 – 22,000 miles · Economy (Y) 55,000 miles · Business (J) 105,000 miles · First (F) 165,000 miles 10、 Total Distance 22,001 – 26,000 miles · Economy (Y) 60,000 miles · Business (J) 115,000 miles · First (F) 180,000 miles 11、 Total Distance 26,001 – 29,000 miles · Economy (Y) 65,000 miles · Business (J) 125,000 miles · First (F) 195,000 miles 12、 Total Distance 29,001 – 34,000 miles · Economy (Y) 70,000 miles · Business (J) 135,000 miles · First (F) 210,000 miles

Table data reflects Regular season. Low season subtracts 3,000–10,000 miles depending on class; High season adds similar amounts.

As you can see, the sweet spots are often found just under the distance thresholds. For example, a round-trip that totals 6,900 miles falls into the 4,001–7,000 band and costs 55,000 miles in business class, whereas a trip of 7,100 miles jumps to the next band and costs 65,000 miles. Careful planning of your departure city and routing can keep you within a lower band.

Key Rules and Restrictions

• Round-trip only: You cannot book one-way partner awards.
• No stopovers: ANA does not allow stopovers on partner awards; you can only have connections (less than 24 hours).
• Open-jaw permitted: You can have an open-jaw (e.g., fly into Tokyo and return from Osaka) as long as the distance between the open-jaw points is less than the distance of the shortest segment.
• Mixed classes allowed: You can mix cabins on different segments, but the award will price at the highest cabin.
• Fuel surcharges: ANA passes on fuel surcharges from partners, which can be high on some carriers (like ANA itself or Lufthansa). However, many partners have low or no surcharges, which is key to maximizing value.
• Booking window: Awards can be booked up to 355 days in advance. Last-minute bookings are allowed as long as it’s at least 96 hours before departure.
• Changes and cancellations: Changes are allowed for a fee (usually 3,000 miles), and cancellations incur a fee (also 3,000 miles) if done after ticketing. Unused miles are redeposited but expire based on their original expiration date.

Sweet Spot #1: U.S. West Coast to Tokyo in Business Class for 55,000 Miles Round-Trip

One of the most famous ANA sweet spots is flying from the U.S. West Coast to Tokyo in business class. Cities like Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Vancouver (YVR) are all roughly 5,000–5,500 miles from Tokyo (NRT/HND) one way, making the round-trip distance around 10,000–11,000 miles. This falls into the 9,001–11,000 band, costing 75,000 miles in business class during Regular season. However, if you can fly from a slightly closer city or use a routing that keeps the total distance under 9,000 miles, you can drop to the 7,001–9,000 band and pay only 65,000 miles.

But the real magic happens when you consider that ANA’s partner chart allows you to book on Star Alliance carriers like United, EVA Air, or Singapore Airlines. Let’s look at some examples:

United Airlines

United operates multiple daily flights from SFO and LAX to NRT, and from SFO to HND. These flights are operated by Boeing 777 or 787 aircraft with Polaris business class. By booking through ANA, you can secure a round-trip Polaris seat for 75,000 miles (Regular season) or as low as 65,000 miles if you can keep the distance under 9,000 miles total. In comparison, United MileagePlus would charge 110,000 miles for a round-trip saver award in business class between the U.S. and Japan, and that’s if you can find saver availability. The ANA price is a steal.

EVA Air

EVA Air, based in Taiwan, offers an exceptional business class product with its Royal Laurel class on 777-300ER aircraft. You can fly from U.S. West Coast cities like LAX, SFO, or SEA to Taipei (TPE) and then connect to Tokyo. The total distance from LAX to TPE to NRT is approximately 7,500 miles each way, totaling 15,000 miles round-trip. This falls into the 14,001–18,000 band, costing 95,000 miles in business class. While this is higher than the nonstop United option, EVA’s business class is often considered superior, and you get to experience one of the world’s best airlines. Plus, you might be able to include a long layover in Taipei (though not a stopover—remember, connections must be under 24 hours).

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines operates a fifth-freedom flight from LAX to NRT (SQ 12), continuing to Singapore. This flight often features the airline’s renowned business class on A380 or 777 aircraft. The round-trip distance LAX–NRT is around 10,900 miles, putting it in the 9,001–11,000 band at 75,000 miles. However, if you book the entire LAX–NRT–SIN itinerary, the distance increases significantly, so it’s best to book just the LAX–NRT segment. Note that ANA requires round-trip, so you’d need to find availability on SQ for both directions. Singapore Airlines typically releases very limited partner award space, but if you can snag it, it’s an incredible value.

Pro tip: To get the lowest mileage cost, consider departing from a city that keeps the total distance under 9,000 miles. For example, Honolulu (HNL) to Tokyo is about 3,800 miles one way, so round-trip is 7,600 miles—perfectly in the 7,001–9,000 band, costing only 65,000 miles in business. You could position to HNL using a separate ticket or other miles.

Sweet Spot #2: U.S. East Coast to Tokyo in First Class for 120,000 Miles

Flying first class to Japan is the ultimate aspiration, and ANA’s chart makes it surprisingly attainable. From the U.S. East Coast, the distance to Tokyo is roughly 6,700–7,000 miles one way, making the round-trip distance around 13,400–14,000 miles. This falls into the 11,001–14,000 band, costing 135,000 miles in first class during Regular season. However, if you can keep the total distance just under 14,000 miles, you could potentially drop to the 9,001–11,000 band and pay only 120,000 miles. Let’s see how this works with partners.

ANA First Class (Own Metal)

While this article focuses on partners, it’s worth noting that ANA’s own first class, “The Suite,” is available on select routes like New York (JFK) to Haneda (HND). Booking ANA first class through ANA Mileage Club is even cheaper than partner awards: round-trip from the U.S. East Coast to Japan costs 150,000 miles in high season and as low as 120,000 miles in low season. However, availability is extremely limited and usually only released to partners a few days before departure. For partner awards, we look at other carriers.

Lufthansa First Class

Lufthansa first class is legendary, but it’s notoriously difficult to book with miles because Lufthansa only releases first class award space to partners within 14 days of departure. However, if you’re flexible, you can fly Lufthansa from East Coast cities like Boston (BOS), New York (JFK/EWR), or Washington, D.C. (IAD) to Frankfurt (FRA) or Munich (MUC), and then connect to Tokyo. The total distance can vary, but a routing like JFK–FRA–HND is about 10,500 miles round-trip, putting it in the 9,001–11,000 band at 120,000 miles in first class. That’s an exceptional deal for one of the world’s best first-class experiences. Beware, though: Lufthansa imposes high fuel surcharges, which can add several hundred dollars to your ticket. Still, for many, the experience is worth it.

United First Class

United doesn’t offer a true international first class anymore, but its Polaris business class is excellent. However, on some routes, United operates a three-cabin aircraft with a “United First” cabin that is sold as business class on international flights. For the purposes of ANA awards, this is considered business class, not first. So, if you’re looking for first class, you’ll need to stick with carriers that have a true first class cabin, like ANA, Lufthansa, Swiss, or Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines Suites/First Class

Singapore Airlines operates the A380 from New York (JFK) to Frankfurt (FRA) and then on to Singapore (SIN), with a connection to Tokyo. The total distance JFK–FRA–SIN–NRT is around 12,000 miles one way, so round-trip is about 24,000 miles, which would cost a whopping 180,000 miles in first class. That’s not a great value. However, if you can book just the JFK–FRA segment in first class and then connect on another carrier