Mileage Bank - Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines is the flag carrier airline of Japan, as well as the second-largest in the country behind All Nippon Airways. This airline has its headquarters in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. Its main hubs are Tokyo Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport), as well as Osaka’s Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport.

JAL group operations include scheduled and non-scheduled international and domestic passenger and cargo services to 220 destinations in 35 different countries all over the world. The Mileage Bank program is Japan Airlines’ way of giving back to its most loyal flyers, providing them with points and miles when they fly with them or one of their partners. Those who frequently fly with Japan Airlines will definitely want to start looking into this program immediately because of everything it has to offer.

Mileage Bank Program

You will find that the JMB program is completely free to join, and there are no eligibility restrictions whatsoever. Those who want to sign up will simply need to visit the JAL official website and click the "Enroll Now" button when following the JAL Mileage Bank link. There are many different benefits associated with joining this rewards program, including the fact that you can use the points you accrue in it for free flights, cabin upgrades, car rentals, hotel bookings, and many other things. This program has thousands upon thousands of members, and there are numerous Elite levels that you can move your way up through to enjoy even more perks and benefits.

Earning Mileage Bank Points

When you become a JBM member, you're provided with the opportunity to earn miles easily. Just quote your membership number when booking anything included in the program. Let's have a look at available options.

The first available way to earn miles in a frequent flyer program is usually by flying. In this case, miles can be earned when flying with Japan Airlines and its partners. The number of points consists of such criteria as your ticket class, flight sector, and fare. Keep in mind that in order to earn miles, the ticket should be with your name in it. In case if you notice missing miles, don't hesitate to claim it and be prepared to provided the necessary documentation such as your boarding pass or ticket receipt.

Hotel stays can be also considered as a good option to earn JMB miles. There are a lot of deals and promotions posted on the official JMB website. Mileage can be issued per stay, night, or based on your booking total. It's important to mention that you will not be able to earn miles with some discount rates or groups. Thus, don't forget to make sure to find out about eligible and relevant rates when booking a room. In addition, if you want to earn JMB points, you might face the necessity of joining the hotel's loyalty program. Not all hotels have such a requirement, however, some of them do demand to enroll in their program.

Redeeming Mileage Points

You can redeem the accumulated miles for different rewards. For example:

Upgrades of Fare Class: Miles can be traded in for JAL international flight upgrades only. Domestic and codeshare flights alongside certain fare types don't imply such upgrades.

Air Tickets: You can redeem miles for JAL Group Airlines domestic, international, and partner airline's award tickets. You're welcome to see the list of actual partners on the official website.

JAL Next Athlete: The project is intended to support potential sportsmen and their training. You're welcome to donate the miles to this project in order to promote it worldwide and increase the development level of next-generation sportsmen in Japan.

Coupons for In-Flight Purchases: Coupon awards might be very useful when you're going to make any purchase on JTA or JAL flights. Besides, you're provided with an option to use the coupons towards Wi-Fi plans when flying with JAL International and other domestic flights.

Routing Rules

Japan Airlines allows for one-ways, but there are no free one-ways. There is a maximum of 8 segments and 7 stopovers. You will only be able to stopover in a city once. There is also a maximum of one open-jaw, but it counts towards the number of stopovers and towards the total distance flown. A total of three stopovers is allowed in Europe.

Elite Levels

There are a number of different Elite levels in the Mileage Bank program, including Crystal, Sapphire, Premier, and Diamond. Base members will need at least 30,000 FLY ON points to move up to this level. The Sapphire level requires a total of 50,000 FLY ON points, the Premier level requires 80,000, and the Diamond level requires 50,000 points.

Booking Fees/Charges

There are some fees that you might need to pay when going through this airline, such as the $90 fee for lost ticket replacement, a $200 fee for canceling a flight, and a $100 fee for changing the date of your flight.

Redeem on Upgrades

Those who are members of Japan Airlines’ Mileage Bank program will be able to redeem the points they accrue for cabin upgrades. All JAL international flights are eligible for upgrades, except code-share flights operated by partner airlines. If you want to redeem your points for an upgrade, you will have to visit the official Japan Airlines website.

Benefits of Japan Airlines’ Mileage Bank Program

There are many different benefits that you will be able to enjoy as a member of Japan Airlines’ Mileage Bank program, such as a number of partner airlines to fly through to earn points. Those who fly with this airline and/or their partners on a regular basis will find that there are quite a few different benefits to consider. One of the best things about the Mileage Banks frequent flyer program is that you will be able to earn points/miles in many different ways, making it extremely easy. While other airlines can make it a bit difficult for you to earn points, that is not the case with this one at all.