- Option 4 (HawaiianMiles) has been retired. Amex ended transfers to HawaiianMiles on June 30, 2025. HawaiianMiles merged fully into Alaska Atmos Rewards on October 1, 2025.
- Option 3 updated: "Alaska Mileage Plan" is now officially called Atmos Rewards — same great program, new name.
- New Option 2 added: Fly JAL directly using Capital One or Bilt → JAL Mileage Bank — best premium cabin availability, and a 30% Capital One transfer bonus is active through April 30, 2026.
- New Option 5 added: Fly ANA directly using Amex → ANA Mileage Club — the best Amex-specific Japan redemption available today.
- ANA one-way awards now available as of June 24, 2025 — no longer requires roundtrip booking.
Some of the best award redemptions in all of points and miles travel depart right from our home airport of Honolulu. Japan is one of the most popular destinations for Hawaiʻi families — and the sweet spots below make it achievable for far fewer points than most people realize. We call redemptions that offer outsized value compared to cash prices a Sweet Spot. Here are the four best ones for HNL → Japan.
This is one of the sweetest deals in all of award travel. Using Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles, you can book a seat on ANA from Honolulu for 22,500 points in economy, 35,000 in business class, and 57,500 in first class one way. Taxes and fees run about $200, but it's well worth it to fly Japan's premier airline.
- Economy: 22,500 Virgin Atlantic miles one way
- Business class: 35,000 Virgin Atlantic miles one way
- First class: 57,500 Virgin Atlantic miles one way
- Taxes & fees: ~$200 per person
You need a Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.
How to Book
This is the most powerful Japan strategy many Hawaiʻi travelers overlook. By transferring Capital One miles or Bilt points directly to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, you book JAL using JAL's own award chart — which unlocks significantly better premium cabin availability than what you'd see booking JAL through a partner program. JAL releases far more seats to its own members than to Oneworld partners like Alaska or American.
- Economy: ~27,000 JAL miles one way
- Premium Economy: ~40,000 JAL miles one way
- Business class: ~55,000 JAL miles one way (base rate)
- Business class PLUS: up to 75,000 if base seats are taken but PLUS space is available
- Taxes & fees: low — JAL charges minimal carrier surcharges on own-program bookings
Capital One miles normally transfer to JAL Mileage Bank at a 3:2 ratio — 1,000 Capital One miles = 750 JAL miles. But a 30% transfer bonus is active right now through April 30, 2026, bringing that to effectively 975 JAL miles per 1,000 Capital One miles — nearly 1:1. This same bonus ran twice before (October 2025 and February 2026), so watch for it to return if you miss this window.
Bilt transfers to JAL at a flat 1:1 ratio — the best standard rate of any credit card program for JAL. On top of that, Bilt runs transfer bonuses to JAL on Rent Day (the 1st of each month). The most recent was March 1, 2026 — up to 125% bonus depending on your Bilt status:
- Blue (base): 25% bonus → 1,250 JAL miles per 1,000 Bilt points
- Silver: 50% bonus → 1,500 JAL miles per 1,000 Bilt points
- Gold: 75% bonus → 1,750 JAL miles per 1,000 Bilt points
- Platinum: 100% bonus → 2,000 JAL miles per 1,000 Bilt points
- + Pay $135 in Bilt Cash for an extra 25% on top
Watch for these on the 1st of every month inside the Bilt app. They are not always announced in advance.
When you book JAL using Alaska Atmos Rewards or British Airways Avios (Options 3 and 4), JAL only makes a limited number of seats available to those programs. When you book using JAL Mileage Bank miles directly, you see the full seat inventory — including premium cabin space that partner programs simply cannot access. For business class from HNL, this is often the difference between finding a seat and not.
How to Book
- Capital One Venture X — 2x on all purchases, 10x on hotels & car rentals via Capital One Travel
- Capital One Venture — 2x on all purchases, 5x on hotels & car rentals via Capital One Travel
Remember: Capital One normally transfers at 3:2 to JAL. Always wait for a transfer bonus (like the current 30% bonus through April 30, 2026) before moving miles if possible.
If you'd rather fly Japan Airlines, Chase transfer partner British Airways Avios lets you book directly on the BA website starting at just 20,750 points in economy — the cheapest Japan option on this list.
- Economy: 20,750 Avios one way
- Premium Economy: 41,250 Avios one way
- Business class: 62,000 Avios one way
Create a British Airways Executive Club account and search directly on the BA website. Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to British Airways instantly. Note that JAL does not release as much award availability as ANA — search often, and check multiple date windows.
Alaska Mileage Plan officially rebranded to Atmos Rewards on October 1, 2025, when it merged with HawaiianMiles. Same great award chart and partner network — just a new name. Alaska + Hawaiian flights, JAL, oneworld partners — all still bookable.
If you have Atmos Rewards points (formerly Alaska miles), you can get to Japan quite affordably by flying on JAL. Search and book directly on the Alaska/Atmos website.
- Economy: 30,000 Atmos points one way
- Premium Economy: 40,000 Atmos points one way
- Business class: 60,000 Atmos points one way
- First class: 90,000 Atmos points one way
Atmos Rewards is a transfer partner of Bilt Rewards at 1:1 — the best way to earn Atmos points with a credit card. Capital One also transfers to Atmos. Note: Chase and Amex do not transfer directly to Atmos Rewards.
Amex ended all transfers to HawaiianMiles on June 30, 2025. HawaiianMiles merged into Atmos Rewards on October 1, 2025. The new Amex-specific pathway to Japan is Amex → ANA Mileage Club — a 1:1 transfer that's been available for years but is now the primary Amex strategy for HNL → Japan.
American Express Membership Rewards transfers directly to ANA Mileage Club at 1:1. ANA operates direct flights from Honolulu (HNL) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) — and when you book using ANA's own program, you get access to their best award availability, which is often better than what partner programs can see.
- Economy low season: ~17,500 ANA miles one way HNL → NRT
- Economy regular season: ~20,000 ANA miles one way
- Business class: ~37,500–45,000 ANA miles one way
- First class: ~60,000–75,000 ANA miles one way
- Taxes & fees: ~$750 roundtrip (fuel surcharges apply on ANA bookings)
As of June 24, 2025, ANA Mileage Club now allows one-way international award bookings. Previously you had to book roundtrip, which required double the miles. This makes Amex → ANA much more flexible and accessible for HNL → Japan one-ways.
How to Book
- Amex Gold — 4x dining, 4x groceries, 3x flights
- Amex Platinum — 5x on flights booked direct or through Amex
- Amex Green — 3x travel, 3x transit, 3x dining
- Blue Business Plus — 2x on everything, no annual fee
All of these feed into the same Membership Rewards balance, which transfers to ANA at 1:1.
ANA charges fuel surcharges (~$750 roundtrip as of 2026). If you want to avoid surcharges, Options 1 and 2 (Virgin Atlantic and BA Avios) typically result in lower fees. But if you can't find availability through those programs, the ANA direct option often has more seats — and the miles rates are excellent for Hawaii departures.
Option 4 (original): Hawaiian Airlines to Japan via HawaiianMiles — no longer available. Amex ended transfers to HawaiianMiles on June 30, 2025. HawaiianMiles was fully merged into Atmos Rewards on October 1, 2025. If you have existing Atmos points (formerly HawaiianMiles), you can still book Hawaiian Airlines Japan routes through the Atmos Rewards program at atmos.com or alaskaair.com.
Want Help Booking a Japan Trip from HNL?
The free ʻOhana Program walks you through which card strategy fits your situation — and how to actually find and book these sweet spots step by step.
Japan is the best redemption you can make from Hawaiʻi.
The options on this page represent some of the highest-value redemptions available to anyone flying out of Honolulu. Most of our ʻOhana members who build up Chase or Amex points end up booking Japan — either the ANA / Virgin Atlantic sweet spot in Option 1 or the BA Avios route in Option 2.
The 2026 update here is important: the old Amex → Hawaiian pathway is gone, but the new Amex → ANA direct option is actually cleaner and often has better availability. If you're Amex-heavy, this is now your go-to Japan play. And with ANA finally allowing one-way awards, the barrier to booking just got a lot lower.
Whichever option fits your points balance — start searching early, check availability often, and don't wait until peak season to decide. These seats go fast.