BeEasyMark

Hi,

I have accumulated Amex MR points and would like to redeem a JAL Boston-Tokyo round trip on business class for my mom.

It looks like BA Executive Club is the only OneWorld program Amex MR transfers to. BA's redemption charts shows that it would cost 140,000 miles + ¥63,160.00 taxes for this round trip.

JMB shows that this flight would be 80,000 miles + ¥58,980 in taxes. But I don't see a way to transfer Amex MR points directly to JMB miles.

Can someone walk me through this?

Thanks!

JALPak

There's no direct transfer to JMB. You either transfer this to a JMB airline partner, e.g. BA, and redeem using BA Avios or transfer to other program partners, e.g. SPG, and convert those points to JMB miles.

BeEasyMark

Thanks for the prompt reply.

Looks like it won't be easy getting a 1:1 redemption for JAL. Amex MR to SPG is 3:1.

In that case, I just moved to Japan, is there a guide to what the best credit cards are in Japan to earn JMB miles? Especially one that is foreigner friendly?

Thanks again!

JALPak

Someone from Japan should be able to help. We do have a few of them here. But you need to pick from one of the many JAL Cards.

armagebedar

There are many different types: https://www.jal.co.jp/jalcard/index03.html

I would start with one of the standard JMB Visa/MC cards, make sure you add the Tour Premium option for 2,000 JPY/year, and once you hit SPH, upgrade your card to JGC.

There are also combined JAL/Bic Camera cards, JAL/Suica cards, JAL/Tokyu cards, etc.

JALPak

Maybe you could recommend which one will be better. I believe some give you spending bonus too once you hit some annual spending number, right? Also, if OP is young, there's a young Club EST card and a student versions which give extra benefits.

armagebedar

It's hard to recommend one without knowing more about the OP's spending habits, brand preferences, requirement for a premium card, etc. Also, the annual fees on Japanese credit cards tend to be pretty steep (much more so than in the US), which may put him off some of the higher-end ones.

JALPak

Foreigner friendly is one of them. Might be hard for OP to even get a card. I heard Amex might be more friendly but I have no experience given I don't have a Japanese bank account so don't qualify for any of those cards.

OP can you give more information so we could recommend a suitable card for you in case you don't read Japanese?

BeEasyMark

Annual fees shouldn't be a problem as long as there are benefits. I was using a Singapore Amex Platinum which the annual fee was $1800 SGD! I downgraded to Gold because the benefits didn't fit the fees at all in Singapore.

I honestly just prefer whichever card accumulates miles the quickest and has some travel benefits. No one has made a guide similar to this one?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/singa...er-thread.html

Also, I'm new to Japan. I assume it's not really easy for a foreigner to get a credit card right away. Are there any tips on this? My income should meet most requirements, I just don't have credit history here.

Thanks!

musashino22

Let me share with you guys my experience and hope this helps. So I currently have the JAL DC Club-A Mastercard and the JAL MUFG AMEX Platinum but I started with a JAL DC Navi Card for students and then changed to a normal JAL Card after I became a salaryman.

Along the way, I regretted that I didn't get the JAL Card Club & TopQ. (Please take note that the Club & TopQ JMB Card is different as this card earns less miles per spend). What's nice about this card? You get all the standard benefits of a JAL branded credit card like the following:

1. 100Yen = 1 Mile conversion (need to sign up for Shopping Mile Premium-for an annual fee)
2. Up to 5000 Miles bonus on first flight after card sign up
3. Up to 2000 Miles bonus annually on first JAL flight
4. Receive double miles on JAL Partner shops/restaurants
5. Discounts when availing services from any JAL group of companies
6. Less miles when exchanging for award tickets

Other benefits:

1. Be able to earn 100% mileage accrual even when purchasing discounted fares by signing up for JAL Card Tour Premium (for an annual fee).
Note: FOPs towards status is exempted from this benefit. You get the corresponing FOP based on your booking class.
2. JMB Waon Charge --> currently only works with Mastercard/Visa and not AMEX. This is the reason why I still keep my JAL Mastercard. 100Yen = 1 mile conversion when charging. When using, up to 100 Yen = 2 miles depending on the establishment.
3. Pasmo Charge (Auto Charge) --> you can also earn miles unlike Suica where you can't
4. Earn more miles when shopping via Amazon / Yahoo / Rakuten Japan sites. For Amazon should be via the JMB website. For Yahoo and Rakuten should be via Top&Net Mall site which you can exchange to JMB miles. You should be able to read Japanese to do this.
5. This is the biggest advantage of this card --> While you earn miles for you spending, you get to earn Tokyu Points as well at the same time at Tokyu Group Companies/Partner Stores --> anything that has the Tokyu Brand (hotels, supermarkets, department stores, Tokyu Hands, etc)
Conversion 100 yen = 3pts / 2 pts / 1 pt which you can convert to JMB miles. 200 points = 100 miles

As for the AMEX Platinum, the only advantage I can think of would be 100 yen = 4 miles when purchasing JAL air tickets aside from the standard insurance coverage and higher credit limit.

As for being a foreigner, I didn't have any difficulty applying for any cc but I guess that depends on luck. Only thing to note is that the application forms are all in Japanese so you might need assistance when filling up. A hanko/stamp is also important as they put more importance on this over than your signature. As what the others have advised on this thread, start on the basic card and upgrade it after a year or two or after you reach 50K FOPs.

It would be nice to have a master thread for mile accruals but not sure if I am the right person as we need the mod to set the guidelines. I can surely help if needed...

BeEasyMark

whoaaa, thanks for such a thorough reply!

One point where I am confused about is that you say you rather have the TopQ card vs the regular Club-A card, is there a reason why you couldn't get the TopQ card now?

This is definitely a benefit I would use:
1. Be able to earn 100% mileage accrual even when purchasing discounted fares by signing up for JAL Card Tour Premium (for an annual fee).
Note: FOPs towards status is exempted from this benefit. You get the corresponing FOP based on your booking class.

It seems like each JAL card and JAL partner card has a lot of benefits that aren't listed on the JMB site. It would be great if we were able to start compiling these benefits for a master thread. The JMB website also doesn't list cards available such as the JAL MUFG AMEX Platinum that you have.

and then there are the JGC cards also.

musashino22

Sorry for the late response. I can actually switch to a TOPQ card it's just that it is cumbersome but will definitely do it one of these days. Most info are in Japanese and written by bloggers, milers so yeah would be nice if we can start one in English...although Im lazy to do it. haha

armagebedar

I should probably get off my behind and do one -- though I would say the opportunities and miles to be had pale in comparison to the US.

BeEasyMark

Are there any blogs about these cards that you can link me to? I can try to decipher them using Google Translate.

Thanks!

musashino22

you can start with this http://mileme.me/jal/card/list-jalcard.html
There are more opportunities to earn miles aside from what is listed as DC Card/JAL usually runs a number of campaigns throughout the year but sometimes you need to register online...

let me know if you have any questions.