Bilt Adds JAL as a Transfer Partner

Tl;dr: With the addition of Japan Airlines as a transfer partner, Bilt is now the easiest way to book a points trip to Japan. But unless you're splurging on a premium seat, you'll probably get more value from Alaska transfers or the Bilt travel portal.

The LazyPoints love affair with Bilt just keeps on getting stronger, as Bilt adds yet another transfer partner: Japan Air Lines. We’re also obsessed with Japan, so our favorite card becoming the only card with transfers to JAL is just more icing on the cake. 🎂 (Especially once the seemingly inevitable massive Rent Day transfer bonus drops.)

But are JAL transfers a good use of Bilt points? Maybe!

The Basics

Points will transfer to JAL Mileage Bank at Bilt’s usual 1:1 rate, and must be transferred in 1,000 point increments. Points should transfer within a matter of minutes, but may not be usable for a week if your Mileage Bank account is less than 60 days old (so sign up now!).

JAL has an award chart, with economy redemptions starting at 54,000 miles round-trip, and business class redemptions starting at 110,000 miles round-trip. Unfortunately, JAL also tacks on fuel surcharges of about $200 each way. A ¥3,100 (~$21) cancellation fee applies; to make changes, you will need to cancel and rebook.

In my somewhat limited experience, flights are fairly easy to find, even at the base award chart rate if you book comfortably in advance and are somewhat flexible on dates. To search and book, go to the JAL US site here, login, go to “JAL Mileage Bank” and choose “award tickets” —> “international award ticket.”

Economy redemptions: there are better options

Transferring Bilt points to JAL offers a solid value, but isn’t the best way to get to Japan.

54,000 points and ~$425 in fees gets you a direct JAL flight—arguably one of the best economy experiences in the sky. But that’s still nearly $700 in points plus another $400+ in fees. Ouch. I could fly to Europe twice like that—once with the points, once with the cash.

Meanwhile, you could transfer Bilt points to Alaska and book the same JAL flight for 75,000 miles + <$100 in fees—fully refundable, and it even counts toward elite status. Or just use the Bilt portal: I found roundtrips from San Francisco to Tokyo for just over $800, which is ~60–65k Bilt points with no cash outlay at all.

Business class? Great if you want to splurge

The pointy end of the plane is where things start getting really interesting. From SFO, you can book a business class flight starting at 110,000 miles plus $400-500 in taxes and fees. I’ve seen tons of availability for flights at around 140,000 miles, but nothing less than that. Even so, these are fairly impressive rates.

These flights regularly retail for $7,000+. Even if you’d otherwise settle for the cheapest business class flights on offer ($4,000+ per ticket), you’re getting between 2.6¢ and 4.8¢ per Bilt point—undeniably solid value.

Of course, you’d need to spend $5,000 on rent and another $2200 dining out each month to earn enough Bilt points in a year to take that trip… and you’d be paying several hundred dollars more in cash, when you could save that money and go twice or bring a travel companion if you flew economy. BUT, if you want to splurge, JAL is an extremely good way to do it, and the combination of wide availability and solid value makes this a very appealing option if that’s your travel style.

Sloth’s take

The addition of JAL to Bilt’s already stacked transfer lineup further cements its spot as the best flexible currency for Japan-bound travelers. This offers Bilt members great value and wide award availability for their next Japan trip. And it’s easy. You don’t need to hunt around for hours or wait for deal alerts—you can log on now and find a decent JAL redemption with just a little advance planning time. Even though I will be sticking with Alaska for my Japan trips, Bilt has positioned itself as the clear market leader in transfer partners in general and “get to Japan” options specifically. Whether you’re chasing comfort or curiosity, Bilt just made getting to Tokyo a whole lot lazier.

Don’t have a Bilt card yet? Check out our review and sign up HERE.

Booking award flights? Use a Venture X to pay the fees for top-tier travel protections.