How to fly to Tokyo with points in 2026 — the cash vs award math

The headline: Virgin Atlantic + ANA partner award is the best-kept secret — 55k one-way in ANA business.

The math, cash vs points

• Cash economy from LAX: $780+ typical shoulder-season
• Award: 55,000 Virgin Atlantic points one-way
• Implied value: ~1.4¢/point if you'd otherwise pay cash

The sweet-spot route

LAX → HND is the clean shot — it's well-served by Virgin Atlantic's partner network and tends to have better award availability than alternate US gateways. If LAX is far for you, Pointify's multi-city award search will show you nearby airports sorted by point cost; often a 1-hour positioning flight halves the long-haul award.

When to book

Award space tends to open ~330 days out in waves — the first wave is for revenue management to seed the inventory, the second wave is 2–3 weeks before departure as unsold seats get released. If you're flexible on dates, Pointify's calendar view lets you scan 30 days of award availability in one grid.

Transfer strategy

If you're sitting on Chase UR, Amex MR, or Capital One Miles, check transfer bonuses before transferring. Virgin Atlantic typically runs a 20–30% transfer bonus from at least one flexible bank per quarter; transferring during a bonus is effectively a 20–30% discount on the award.

The bottom line

For Tokyo, points still beat cash on premium cabins almost every time — the business-class seat that sells for 4–8× economy costs roughly 2× the points. If you're going Tokyo, the question isn't whether to use points, it's which program to redeem from.

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