- I found cheap business-class award flights on Japan Airlines using American Airlines miles.
- Transferring Citi points to American Airlines got me enough miles for two round-trip tickets.
- The flights would have cost nearly $19,000 had I paid cash, and if I need to cancel there's no fee.
- Read Insider's guide to the best travel rewards credit cards.
I'm (hopefully) going to Japan in business class for only ~$110 out-of-pocket in April 2022! Since the news broke that Citi ThankYou points transfer to American Airlines through November 13, 2021, I've been running searches on the American Airlines site to see which award flights are available (that's how everyone spends their weekends, right?).
Japan is one of my all-time favorite destinations, and I love that several flights departing the US now land at Haneda (HND), which is much closer to Tokyo, instead of Narita (NRT). While searching, I plugged in dates during cherry blossom season, which is usually late March to mid-April, depending on where you want to go — and was shocked to see lots of flights available in business class on Japan Airlines for only 60,000 American Airlines miles each way.
After pulling up the monthly calendar, I saw many dates with multiple business-class seats and booked two round-trip flights for me and my friend for 240,000 miles and ~$110 in taxes and fees.
Here's how I used Citi ThankYou points to book the trip.
Securing the tickets
I only had 140,000 American Airlines miles in my account, but was ready to book the second I saw the seats were available. 60,000 miles each way to Japan in business class is a great deal, but I needed 240,000 miles for two round-trip flights.
Luckily, American Airlines allows you to hold an award for up to five days if booked more than 14 days before departure. I went ahead with round-trip tickets for my friend from New York-JFK to Tokyo-Haneda, then booked New York-JFK to Tokyo Haneda with a return to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) for myself. My friend's flights were ticketed within minutes, but I needed 100,000 miles for mine.
That's where my Citi ThankYou points came in handy.
Transferring points from Citi ThankYou to American Airlines
Citi says that points transfers to American Airlines can take up to five business days, but anecdotally I'd heard they're usually complete the same or the next day.
It was getting late that night, so I went to bed. When I woke up, there was an email from American Airlines saying I had five more days to book the award, and to call to finish ticketing.
Later that day, the miles showed up in my account and I called American Airlines with my reference numbers. The agent found them easily, charged my card for taxes and fees, and sent the request to ticketing.
This is an incredible deal worth almost $19,000
After I secured the tickets, I plugged the flights and dates into Google Flights to check the retail cost. My friend's flights showed up for $9,426, and mine were $9,128.
For Citi ThankYou points (and really all points), I aim to get at least 2 cents per point in value. For these flights with a total combined cost of $18,554, using 240,000 points divides to nearly 8 cents per point in value.
I've flown to Japan with Japan Airlines before, so I knew what level of service, seat configuration, and overall experience to expect. That, combined with the value I got from my points, makes me so excited to head back to Japan to explore more of their incredible cities and culture.
Citi ThankYou points are easy to earn
Another reason I booked this trip without hesitation is that I know I can quickly replenish the Citi ThankYou points I redeemed. With the Citi trifecta of cards, it's easy to keep ThankYou points rolling in from nearly every single purchase I make.
Plus, the
Read more: Citi Premier credit card review
In fact, the Citi Premier has surprisingly strong bonus categories including 3 points per dollar on air travel and hotels, and at supermarkets, restaurants, and gas stations. That makes it one of the best Citi cards to have in your wallet and to keep long-term.
There's nothing to lose by booking
I booked my trip for April 2022, which is nine months away. It's anyone's guess where the world will be by then with regard to COVID, travel rules, vaccination requirements, and all the rest.
I haven't flown internationally since March 2020 and am ready as anyone for the world to reopen. Late last year, American Airlines stopped charging reinstatement fees for canceled award flights. In most cases, your miles will be instantly redeposited when you cancel your award ticket on aa.com.
So while I'm ready to travel, knowing I can get all my miles back without any fees if I have to cancel made me feel reassured about booking the trip.
Read more: Europe is reopen to Americans — here are the 8 best ways to get there with points and miles
Plus, it's fun to dream about traveling again! Searching for the award space and booking the ticket made it feel like it could be real, and it gives me something exciting to anticipate. There's no place in the world quite like Japan.
And by the way, there's still plenty of award space left for lots of fun destinations. In fact, using American Airlines miles for long-haul international award flights with partner airlines is one of the most high-value ways to redeem them— just in case you're ready to start dreaming about travel again, too.
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