JAL Mileage Bank
Japan Airlines International’s frequent flyer scheme is a great boon for anyone flying in and around Japan, and has a huge number of partners in the travel and retail sectors, making it easy to accrue points fast and save money on future flights. JAL group airlines are all members of the OneWorld Alliance, providing more opportunities to collect miles.
Airline
JAL was set up in 1951 and became the national airline of Japan in 1953, becoming fully privatised in 1987. The airline merged with Japan Air System, Japan’s third largest airline, and the two together make the sixth largest airline in the world in terms of passengers carried. JAL encompasses a variety of smaller companies. These are Japan Airlines for international and domestic services, HAL Express for low-cost domestic and international flights, JALways for International leisure services, JAL Cargo for cargo and mail flights, and Hokkaido Air System, J-Air, Japan Air Commuter, Japan Transocean AIr and Ryukyu Air Commuter for domestic feeder services. JAL flies to 220 worldwide destinations in 35 companies, and has a fleet of 279 aircraft. In 2009, JAL flew 52 million passengers and 1.1 million tons of cargo.
Flights
JAL’s main hubs are Tokyo’s Narita International, Tokyo International, Nagoya’s Chubu Centrair International, and Osakas Kansai International Airports, so naturally, Japanese travel is a major focus. JAL flights cover a huge range of worldwide destinations, though, so opportunities are not limited to Japan itself.
Entitlement
There are three types of membership of JAL Mileage Bank, all of which come with various entitlements. The most basic kind of membership is known simply as JAL Mileage Bank. This kind of membership is open to individuals only, and simply allows members to accrue and redeem points by flying with JAL, OneWorld Alliance partners or other retail and travel partners. JAL Family Club membership is open to individuals or families, and provides the same benefits as JAL Mileage Bank, but with more people registered to one account, there is a greater opportunity to earn points. For those looking for a little extra there is the third kind of membership, the JAL Card. This comes with a credit card affiliated with VISA, MasterCard, JCB and Diners Club International. As well as earning points on any flights members buy, they can also earn points on any purchase made using the credit card. Additionally, members with a JAL Card are entitled to 10% discounts on inflight purchases made on JAL, JAA and JALways flights.
Points
Members of JAL Mileage Bank can earn points through a variety of companies. Points are available when purchasing flights from JAL Group airlines, as well as all of the partner airlines. These include American Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Malev, Royal Jordinian, AirFrance, Mexicana, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Lan , Qantas and China Eastern. Hotel partners include Nikko Hotels, Sheraton hotels, W Hotels, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts, Element, Westin Hotels, St Regis Hotels, Marriot Hotels, Rennaissance Hotels and many more. Members can also earn points by using selected vendors of car rental, books, cellphones, gift shopping, online shopping and TV.
Eligibility
Membership of each tier of the scheme is open to different types of customer. JAL Mileage Bank is open to anyone regardless of age or country of residence. JAL Family Club membership is open to families or individuals, but in all cases, the primary membership holder must be aged 12 or over. This membership type also comes with a US $30 annual membership fee. With JAL Card membership, members must pay an annual fee. This is 2,100 Yen for Regular membership, 10,500 Yen for Club A membership, 16,800 Yen for Club-A Gold membership, and 23,100 Yen for JAL Diners Club membership. JAL Card membership is only open to customers with a bank account registered in Japan.
