Originally Posted by
JasonMath
Thank you for the advice! I have a few comments to make:
1. I forgot to mention that I am looking for business/first class. I have trouble falling asleep on planes unless I have a lie-flat seat (and I have a CPAP machine for sleep apnea), so business class+ is a must on long-haul routes. The extras (lounge access, amenity kit, upgraded food) are also nice.
2. I already got the Barclays AA Red Aviator card last year, albeit with the 60k miles. I currently have just over 80k AA miles, 160k Capital One miles, 200k Chase points, and 50k Amex points. Capital One/Chase/Amex can all be transferred to BA, but not to American Airlines. Also, Amex can be transferred to ANA, though I don't have enough miles for a business class redemption on ANA.
Thanks again,
Jason
OK. As you may know, a one-way Business Class partner award from North America to Japan costs exactly 60,000 AA miles. That rate applies whether you're on a JL nonstop, or you fly AA or AS to an intermediate point (like the West Coast) to connect to JL. If you were to book a connection and the JL nonstop opened up shortly before departure, you could hold the JL nonstop, call AA to cancel and refund the original award, and then use the refunded miles to purchase the nonstop award.