It had been a few years since we had traveled internationally, so we were getting the itch to travel abroad.  I had discovered a few of my tools-of-the-trade (airline point heisting tools, that is) since our last trip.  First, was The Points Guy.  Six of one, half a dozen of the other (including yours truly!), find your own travel points guru and start following them, reading their articles, and most importantly, picking up on their tricks and windfall award redemptions.  For this trip, it started with an article.

I learned that not all points are created equal.  For instance, Delta points (possibly the worst!) may cost 300,000 points for a flight you could simultaneously book through another airline such as KLM or Air France for half the points.  (When I say same, I mean same - such that you could even be flying on a Delta airplane - but using Air France points to do it!).  How doest thou earn Air France points without a second home in Paris you ask?  I thought you would never ask!  Transferable points currency!  

We currently have two point currencies that we use, but at the time, we only had one - Chase Ultimate Rewards through the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.  Excellent welcome bonuses, good spending bonuses, and - most importantly - transferable points to at least eleven (11) different airlines.  I’ve used this card multiple times to save thousands of dollars on airfare.  Possibly our greatest heist, however, was the trip to Japan.

One of the holy-grails of points redemptions is the ANA first class ticket.  Tickets routinely sell for $19,000 per ticket.  (You read that right).  So, if you have a chance to do it, it’s almost worth going to Japan just to say you flew on a $19,000 ticket for free!  (Yeah, yeah, yeah - there’s that Land of the Rising Sun thing too…)  

All Nippon Airways (ANA) is the flagship airline  of Japan, and the airline is excellent in every way.  For this point redemption, and because Chase Ultimate Rewards is not a transfer partner of ANA, you have to get a little crafty.  Remember when I said “at least” eleven (11) different airlines, that is because Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred to eleven airline reward programs, but that doesn’t mean you can only spend transferred points on flights with those airlines.  

Here’s how it worked.  I transferred 115,000 miles per person (inflation has sadly caused these numbers to go up since) to Virgin Atlantic Airlines (Sir Richard Branson’s pride and joy).  I called Virgin Atlantic to ensure that the award space was available before transferring the points (a necessity, since points cannot be transferred back to Chase).  Since the points transfer almost instantly, I was even able to stay on the phone while we booked the whole thing!  I told the agent I wanted to get to Tokyo and that I had searched for award availability and found some between LAX on the flight out and IAD (Washington Dulles) on the return flight.  Sure enough, she confirmed that the tickets were available, I transferred 230,000 points to Virgin Atlantic, paid the paltry $340 in taxes for each ticket, and started planning my first class experience.  (For those bad at math, the savings on the tickets amounted to approximately $37,320 - hence this being dubbed “a heist.”)

Having only experienced the Business Class Lounge of British Airways (shared with Aer Lingus), we did not even know that there were different lounges for business and first class!  We were in for a treat.  After our private check in and private security checkpoint, we were escorted to the ANA first class lounge at LAX.  Aside from being very exclusive (I believe there were 4 other people in the entire lounge), the fresh food and drinks flowed freely.  I checked (because I was curious - not because I’m “that guy”) and the champagne being poured was $100 a bottle, retail.  Needless to say, we arrived early to the airport to enjoy the lounge and certainly found it to be several notches above any of our prior airport experiences!

The flight was incredible.  I think it was 12 hours or so, but the time flew (no pun intended).  Personal entertainment system, lie flat bed, and a separate first-class cabin crew to attend to the needs of the first class passengers.  Unlike first-class in the U.S.A., where the airline gives away empty first class seats to patrons with “status” or practically anyone who would pay an extra $50 before the flight, first-class on ANA was practically empty, only allowing those who “paid” (and I use that term loosely) to be in the first class cabin.  Along with the attentive service, the seats boasted our first experience with an “individual suite,” complete with a sliding door for added privacy.  (Nothing really private about it, since someone walking by could easily look over the dividing wall, but hey, it was still super cool!)  On the way out, we tried the multi-course “Japanese menu.”  The food, beverage, and presentation on this airplane rivaled what you might experience at a fancy restaurant in any city.

Two of our three hotels (Odawara and Tokyo) were free through Hilton Honors Points and free night certificates.  (Yes, you can get hotel rooms for free too!)  As previously explained, the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card has a nominal annual fee, but currently comes with a 130,000 point bonus (good for a free night just about anywhere in the world), and the ability to earn a free night certificate by using the card throughout the year.  It also boasts automatic Hilton Honors Gold status (for breakfast and upgrades) as well as points multiplication when used at Hilton properties.  Each of the Hilton properties were amazing. 

Although these articles are more about the “how” we did it, as opposed to the trips themselves, I’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight some of our favorite memories of Japan.  Since 2 out of 3 hotels and our flights were free, we splurged on the hotel in Kyoto and stayed at the Four Seasons.  The property was impeccable, nestled amongst the temples and gardens of the City, and was our first experience with such a luxury property.  We also enjoyed dinner with a two star Michilin chef in Kyoto and were able to splurge on other food and entertainment options due to our savings on flights and hotel.  Highlights included eating at a Japanese Hibachi Steakhouse (when in Rome, right?) and visiting Tokyo Disney Seas resort.

The trip itself would not have been possible without points.  Could this be topped?  Are airline lounges really this different?  This airline was unlike anything we’ve experienced and we wondered whether other airlines were the same. What was clear to us was that we had just pulled of an unbelievable heist using credit card points, had an incredible trip, and we could not wait to find our next destination to do it again!