ANA Mileage Club: Round-the-World Awards and Japan Business Class

ANA (All Nippon Airways) Mileage Club is one of the most beloved programs among serious award travelers — primarily for two things: outstanding Japan business class products and one of the last true round-the-world award tickets available on points. If you hold Amex Membership Rewards, you have direct access.

Why ANA Mileage Club Stands Out

Most airline programs earn their reputation through their own fleet. ANA earns a spot in every advanced traveler's toolkit for a different reason: it allows you to book other airlines' flights at prices that those airlines' own programs charge more for.

The headline example: United Airlines business class to Europe, booked through ANA Mileage Club for fewer miles than United MileagePlus charges.

• United MileagePlus for United Europe business: 70,000-100,000+ miles
• ANA Mileage Club for the same United flights: ~55,000 miles

This arbitrage — using a partner program to book a carrier's own flights cheaper — is the foundation of advanced award booking, and ANA does it better than most.

Transfer Partners (US Access)

Program	Transfer Ratio	Transfer Time
Amex Membership Rewards	1:1	Instant

ANA Mileage Club's primary US transfer partner is Amex. Chase, Citi, and Capital One do not transfer to ANA — making Amex Membership Rewards the essential currency for this program.

Amex cards that earn Membership Rewards: Amex Platinum, Amex Gold, Amex Green, Amex Blue Business Plus, Business Platinum, Business Gold.

ANA's Own Product: Why the Flights Are Worth Booking

ANA Business Class (The Room)

ANA's latest long-haul business class product — "The Room" — is widely considered among the world's best. It features:

• Fully enclosed suites with sliding doors (true privacy)
• Flat-bed with direct aisle access from every seat
• Large personal storage areas
• Available on select 777 flights between Japan and the US, Europe, and Australia

ANA Business Class (The Business)

The previous generation product on other wide-body flights is still excellent — fully flat beds, aisle access, and ANA's consistently high service standards.

Tokyo (Narita or Haneda) is the hub for almost all long-haul ANA flights. Most US routes go through Tokyo, making Tokyo itself a natural stopover opportunity on the way to other Asian destinations.

ANA Award Chart — Key Pricing

ANA uses a distance-based award chart. Prices are for one-way.

On ANA Metal:

Route	Economy	Business	First
US West Coast to Japan	35,000	75,000	110,000
US East Coast to Japan	40,000	85,000	120,000
Japan to Southeast Asia	17,000	38,000	—
Japan to Australia	30,000	63,000	—
Japan to Europe	45,000	88,000	140,000

On Star Alliance Partners (United, Lufthansa, etc.): ANA also allows award bookings on Star Alliance partner carriers, often at favorable prices. US-to-Europe in business class on United or Lufthansa via ANA can be booked for approximately 55,000-70,000 miles one-way.

The Round-the-World Award: A Dying Breed

Most airline programs have eliminated round-the-world awards. ANA still offers one through the Star Alliance network — and it's one of the best remaining options.

ANA Round-the-World Award rules:

• Must fly in one direction (east or west, no backtracking)
• Must cross both the Atlantic and Pacific
• Up to 8 stopovers
• Price determined by total mileage flown

Approximate pricing (economy/business/first):

• Under 36,000 total miles flown: 60,000/120,000/180,000 ANA miles
• Under 50,000 total miles flown: 75,000/150,000/225,000 ANA miles
• Under 75,000 total miles flown: 85,000/170,000/— ANA miles

What this unlocks: For 150,000 ANA miles (transferred from Amex at 150,000 points), you could book a round-the-world business class journey visiting 6-8 cities across multiple continents. At cash prices, such a trip would cost $15,000-$30,000+.

Building a round-the-world award requires: (1) deciding on your city sequence, (2) confirming Star Alliance partner availability in each segment, and (3) calling ANA to book (online booking doesn't support complex itineraries). The phone agents are helpful and available in English.

Japan as a Destination on ANA Miles

For travelers primarily interested in Japan, ANA offers unbeatable domestic Japan coverage. From Tokyo, you can connect to:

• Osaka (Itami Airport): 40 minutes
• Sapporo (Hokkaido): 90 minutes
• Okinawa (tropical islands): 2.5 hours
• Hiroshima: 1.5 hours

Domestic Japan award prices on ANA are affordable (3,000-10,000 miles per segment), making ANA miles the most efficient way to see multiple regions of Japan on a single trip.

Key Sweet Spots Summary

1. Japan Business Class from West Coast: 75,000 miles one-way. ANA's The Room is one of the world's top business class products.

2. United Business to Europe via ANA: ~55,000 miles one-way. 20-30% cheaper than booking through United's own program.

3. Round-the-World in Business Class: 150,000 miles for under 50,000 total air miles flown. Multi-continent luxury travel at a fraction of cash rates.

4. Japan Domestic Extensions: 3,000-10,000 miles per domestic Japan segment. Efficient for multi-city Japan itineraries.

Earning ANA Miles Without Flying ANA

Beyond Amex transfers:

• ANA Shopping: ANA has a shopping portal for Japan-based purchases — less useful for US travelers
• Partner hotels: Several hotel programs allow earning or redemption of ANA miles
• Credit card in Japan: ANA's own co-branded cards (Japanese issuance only) for Japan-based travelers

For US travelers, Amex Membership Rewards is the primary path. The Amex Platinum (80,000-150,000 point welcome bonus) and Amex Gold (60,000-90,000 points) are the primary earning vehicles.

Miles Expiration

ANA miles expire after 3 years from the date earned (not account inactivity). Each batch of miles has its own expiration date — track via your ANA account to avoid losing accumulated miles.

Bottom Line

ANA Mileage Club is essential for Amex Membership Rewards holders planning Japan travel or seeking Star Alliance partner awards at below-market pricing. The round-the-world award is one of the most extraordinary remaining redemptions in the points world — and ANA is nearly the last major program to still offer it.

For Japan business class, ANA's own product (The Room) represents one of the best onboard experiences available. For partner awards like United to Europe, ANA prices the same seats cheaper than United's own program — consistently worth checking before transferring to MileagePlus.