I just booked another trip to Asia. Five flights, multiple countries, business class on most legs, and the total came out to about $13,000 in cash value. What I actually paid out of pocket? $752.12 in taxes and fees plus 493,100 points across a few different programs.
In this post, I'm going to break down every single flight, how I found the award availability, which points I used, and why I booked what I booked. Whether you're planning your own Asia trip or just want to see what's actually possible with credit card points, this should give you a pretty clear picture.
We're traveling as a family of three: myself, my wife Tiffany, and our son Oliver, who's about eight to nine months old. Five flights total, a mix of airlines and booking programs. Let's get into it.
Flight 1: San Diego to New York (JFK) on Alaska Airlines
I had a work engagement in New York, so the family tagged along and we flew to Asia from there instead of LAX. Just to be clear, I would not fly cross-country just to reposition for a flight. That's a bit extreme. But since I had to be in New York anyway, we made it work.
I booked this through Alaska Airlines using 12,000 Alaska Mileage Plan points per person, so 36,000 points total for all three of us. I got Oliver his own seat on this one because it's a five-hour flight and we wanted the extra comfort. Taxes and fees came out to $16.80.
The cash price was surprisingly expensive for a domestic flight, over $1,000 for three people ($344 per person). So using Alaska miles here was a solid move.
Bilt Palladium Card
How I got the points: I transferred American Express Membership Rewards to Hawaiian Airlines, then Hawaiian to Alaska Airlines. That transfer path is no longer available as of a few months ago. But Bilt Points still transfers to Alaska at a 1:1 ratio, so that's the move now if you want Alaska miles.
Flight 2: New York (JFK) to Tokyo Haneda on Japan Airlines Business Class
This is the exciting one. We're flying into Haneda, which is the airport closer to central Tokyo. Narita is always a pain to get to, so Haneda is the way to go whenever possible.
Here's the thing about Japan award availability: it's tough. I searched everywhere. British Airways, American Airlines, ANA, a bunch of different partner airline websites. Business class to Japan is one of the hardest awards to find.
But Japan Airlines does something interesting. JAL releases more award seats to its own members. When you search on the Japan Airlines website using JAL miles, you see availability that doesn't show up anywhere else. On my specific travel date, there were actually four business class seats available on the JAL website that were invisible on every partner site.
I transferred my Bilt Points to Japan Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. Bilt is the only transfer partner that does 1:1. Capital One also transfers to JAL, but at a 0.75:1 ratio, so not nearly as strong.
Total cost: 157,500 JAL miles for the three of us. Oliver's lap infant ticket was only 7,500 miles, which I really liked. Most airlines charge 10% of the adult cash fare for a lap infant, which would've been around $250-300. I'll take 7,500 miles over that any day. Taxes and fees were $424.90.
The cash value for this flight is around $2,500 per person one way. And as a bonus, we'll be flying the JAL A350-1000, their newest business class product. Definitely going to make some content about that.
Bilt Palladium Card
Max's Take
Both Bilt and Capital One are relatively new JAL transfer partners and I think they're seriously underutilized. If you're willing to transfer your credit card points directly to Japan Airlines and book through the JAL website, you'll find award space that the rest of the points community can't even see. It takes a few extra steps, but that's where the value is.
Flight 3: Osaka to Shanghai on Japan Airlines (Booked Through Alaska Airlines)
After spending time in Tokyo and Kyoto, we're taking the train down to Osaka and flying from there to Shanghai for our first time in mainland China.
This is also a Japan Airlines flight, but I booked it through Alaska Airlines because the points pricing was better. JAL's own redemption rate was higher for this route, and Alaska was charging just 7,500 points for economy or 15,000 for business class. I went with business class because the difference wasn't that big, plus it'll make for good content.
Total: 45,000 Alaska points for three seats (I booked Oliver his own seat again) and $88.60 in taxes and fees. The cash price for three of us to go Osaka to Shanghai on JAL was around $1,200 one way, so another solid redemption.
Flight 4: Shanghai to Tokyo Haneda on Japan Airlines
Coming back to Tokyo from Shanghai. I specifically wanted to fly out of SHA (Shanghai Hongqiao), which is the airport closer to the city center and much easier to get to than Pudong (PVG). Flying into Haneda on the Tokyo side too, so convenient airports on both ends.
I booked this through Japan Airlines directly because Alaska Airlines couldn't see the award availability. Again, JAL only shows certain seats to its own members.
Total: 54,600 JAL miles, $118.60 in taxes and fees, and the cash value was around $1,000. Not my best redemption ever, but it still beats paying cash, and I didn't have to pay much out of pocket.
Flight 5: Tokyo Haneda to LAX to San Diego on Delta One
We always spend a couple extra days in Tokyo before flying home for final shopping and packing.
For the flight home, we're flying Delta One from Haneda to LAX, then connecting down to San Diego, all on one itinerary. This is actually a rare find. A flight like this would normally cost around 250,000 Delta SkyMiles per person.
I found this deal because the Free Traveler premium newsletter sent out an award alert about it. I was working late in Taiwan, saw the alert, and booked it right then and there. When Delta One availability pops up on a transpacific route, you jump on it.
Having everything on one itinerary is huge for a connecting flight. If one leg gets delayed or I miss the connection, Delta can adjust the whole reservation because it's all on one ticket.
Total: 200,000 Delta SkyMiles for Tiffany and me (100,000 each), and $103.82 in taxes and fees. I transferred American Express points to Delta for this. Usually that's not the move, but the date worked and business class availability across the Pacific is rare enough that I wasn't going to pass it up.
One thing to note: American Express charges a $99 fee (capped) to transfer to domestic airline partners. I transferred 200,000 points, so I hit that cap easily.
And Oliver's lap infant ticket? Only $19. The Delta website says it should be 10% of the adult cash fare, but the Delta rep I chatted with online only charged $19. I confirmed with her twice. Got the email confirmation. Not asking questions.
The Full Trip Cost Breakdown
I'm being conservative on the cash values here. I used real Google Flights numbers, and for the business class legs, I took the round-trip fare divided by two instead of using inflated one-way pricing.
Anything above 2 cents per point is solid in my book. You're beating the travel portal rate and booking exactly what you want.
Points Are Getting More Expensive, But Still Worth It
If you've seen my previous Asia trip breakdown, you'll notice a trend. These round-trip Asia itineraries in business class are costing me around 400,000 to 500,000 points for two adults and a lap infant. The days of 60,000-80,000 point one-way business class redemptions are harder to come by.
But it's still possible if you're flexible. And even at current rates, you're getting experiences you'd never pay cash for. I would never spend $13,000 on flights. But credit card points let me fly business class on routes where I'd otherwise be sitting in economy.
How I Earned All These Points
I've been doing this full-time for about three and a half years. I earn points the same way anyone else does, just at a higher volume: welcome bonuses, referrals, everyday spending, shopping portals. There's no hidden strategy. I just do it more because this is my job.
I'm always grateful when people use my referral links. It supports the channel and lets me experience these products firsthand so I can report back on whether they're actually worth your points.
Key Takeaway
If business class to Asia is on your bucket list, the combination of Bilt Points transferring to JAL at 1:1 and searching for award availability directly on the JAL website is one of the best strategies right now. You'll see seats nobody else can find. Pair that with Alaska miles for shorter JAL flights and keep your eyes on Delta One alerts for the return, and you've got yourself a trip.
Have questions about any of these bookings? Drop them in the comments on the YouTube video, or reply to this week's newsletter and I'll help you out.
