Japan Airlines (JAL) flag carrier of Japan was founded in 1951 and became Japans first international airline. They are also a member of the Oneworld alliance connecting more than 349 airports in 54 countries and regions together with its codeshare partners, with a modern fleet of more than 230 aircraft.
Find our list of the Best Credit Card Bonuses here.
Mileage Bank (JMB) is Japan Airline’s frequent flyer program.
JMB Summary
| Airline Alliance | Oneworld |
| Hubs | Tokyo (Haneda & Narita) |
| U.S. Destinations | Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Kona, Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle |
| U.S. Credit Cards | JAL USA Card |
| Transfer Partners | Marriott Bonvoy, Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt |
| Redemption Options | Flights, upgrades, hotel & car rental bookings, merchandise, donations |
JMB FLY ON Elite Status
JMB FLY ON is JAL Mileage Bank’s elite status program, they have three tiers available, see table below. If you want to upgrade to a certain tier, you need to collect a certain amount of FLY ON points or hit a certain number of flights and FLY ON points.
| STATUS | POINTS | FLIGHTS + POINTS |
| Crystal | 30,000 | 30 flights + 10k points |
| Sapphire | 50,000 | 50 flights + 15k points |
| Diamond | 100,000 | 120 flights + 35k points |
Once a tier is unlocked, you get to keep that status until March 31st of the following year. You get to enjoy:
| CRYSTAL | SAPPHIRE | DIAMOND | |
| Miles bonus* | 55% | 105% | 130% |
| Oneworld elite status | Ruby | Sapphire | Emerald |
| Priority waitlist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced seat selection | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority check-in | Yes | Yes + 1 | Yes + 1 |
| Extra checked baggage (domestic) | + 10kg | + 20kg | + 20kg |
| Extra checked baggage (international) | +1 bag | + 1 bag | + 1 bag |
| Priority baggage service | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority standby | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Priority security | – | Yes + 1 | Yes + 1 |
| Priority boarding | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| JAL lounge access | 6 coupons | Yes + 1 | Yes + 1 |
| Oneworld lounge access | – | Yes + 1 | Yes + 1 |
| Inflight WiFi | – | – | Yes |
| Preferred benefit** | – | – | Yes |
| Suspended mileage expiration | – | – | Yes |
**Eligible members can select their preferred benefit from the following options: bonus points, partner status, points for Ringbell Smart Gift (accommodation, meal tickets, gift tickets, home appliances, and etc.) and JAL coupons.
When you achieve Sapphire status, JMB will invited you to join JAL Global Club, it’s their exclusive paid program. This program lets you earn special benefits like:
- Bonus miles on flights
- Priority airport service
- Extra baggage allowance
- Use of exclusive lounges at airports and hotels
- + Gifts
This program’s fee is 5,000 JMB Miles and the renewal is waived if you earn at least 35,000 FLY ON Points or fly at least 14 JAL international flights.
Earning JMB Miles
Miles earned by flying and shopping, as well as other everyday activities can be redeemed for travel within Japan and around the world. However, compared to other frequent flyer programs Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, Delta Skymiles and more, earning JMB Miles is not as easy.
Transfer Partners
The best option to earn JMB Miles without flying is the use of their transfer partners. Marriot Bonvoy members can convert their points to JMB Miles at a 3:1 ration, with 5,000 miles bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Points they transfer.
 The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card offers 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Each Card renewal year, get up to $300 in statement credits per calendar year (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases at restaurants worldwide. With this card, you'll earn: • 6X Marriott Bonvoy points for each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. • 3X points at restaurants worldwide and on flights booked directly with airlines. • 2X points on all other eligible purchases. • $300 Brilliant Dining Credit: Each calendar year, get up to $300 (up to $25 per month) for eligible purchases made on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card at restaurants worldwide. A Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite member will earn 50% more points on eligible purchases at participating hotels for each U.S. dollar or the currency equivalent that is incurred and paid for by the member. Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck: Receive either a statement credit every 4 years after you apply for Global Entry ($120) or a statement credit every 4.5 years after you apply for a five-year membership for TSA PreCheck (up to $85 through a TSA PreCheck official enrollment provider) and pay the application fee with your Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck. $100 Marriott Bonvoy Property Credit: Enjoy your stay. Receive up to a $100 property credit for qualifying charges at Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton or St. Regis when you book direct using a special rate for a two-night minimum stay using your Card. Free Night Award: Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Award can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 85,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Certain hotels have resort fees. This card comes with a $650 annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. (See Rates & Fees) Furthermore, enjoy unlimited airport lounge visits when you enroll in Priority Pass Select membership. Terms Apply. |
 The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card offers 3 Free Night Awards up to a 150,000 Total Point Value (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • Up to 17X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy • 3X points per $1 on the first $6,000 spent in combined purchases each year on grocery stores, gas stations, and dining. • 2X points for every $1 spent on all other purchase • 1 Elite Night Credit towards Elite Status for every $5,000 you spend. You gain an automatic Silver Elite Status each account anniversary year. Path to Gold Status when you spend $35,000 on purchases each account year. You'll receive 15 Elite Night Credits each calendar year & an additional Free Night Award (valued up to 35,000 points) every year after account anniversary. This card does carry a $95 fee; there are no foreign transaction fees. |
 The Marriott Bonvoy Bold® credit card offers 30,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases within the first 3 months from account opening. You'll earn: • Up to 14X total points per $1 spent at over 7,000 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy • 2X points for all other travel purchases • 1X points per $1 spent on all other purchases This card comes with no annual fees or foreign transaction fees and you'll get 15 elite night credits each calendar year! |
 The Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card offers 3 Free Night Awards after you use your new Card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Receive a 7% discount on eligible bookings as a benefit of being both a Marriott Bonvoy member & a Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card Member when you book directly with Marriott through an eligible channel for a participating property under the Amex Business Card Rate. You can enjoy a complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card. You'll earn: • 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program. • 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. • 2x points on all other eligible purchases. You'll receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. Certain hotels have resort fees. This card does carry a $125 annual fee. (See Rates & Fees) Terms Apply. |
Hilton Honors members can transfer points to their JMB account, however a low rate of 10,000 points to 1,000 miles. You can also convert 5,000 World Hyatt points to 2,000 JMB Miles as well.
Both ratios yield bad value for your points, so we recommend only transferring if you’re looking to top off your JMB account for a specific redemption.
Credit Card
U.S Residents can also earn JMB Miles using the JAL USA Card where a 10,000 mile bonus for signing up, after spending $3,000 within the first three billing cycles. The premium version of the card ($70 a year) earns 1x JMB Miles on all purchases, plus a 10% mileage bonus on all JAL paid flights.
Flights
You can earn JMB Miles when you fly with JAL and their airline partners:
| The Americas | Alaska Airlines American Airlines Hawaiian Airlines LATAM Airlines |
| Europe | Air France British Airways Finnair Iberia S7 Airlines |
| Middle East & Africa | Emirates Qatar Airways Royal Air Maroc Royal Jordanian |
| Asia & Oceania | Bangkok Airways Cathay Pacific China Eastern Airlines Jetstar Japan Korean Air Malaysia Airlines Qantas SriLankan Airlines Vistara |
Other Ways
You can also earn JMB Miles when you book:
- Accommodations with over 15,000 hotel partners
- Accommodations with Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com and more
- Car rentals with Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and more
- Vacations and trips with VELTRA
- Shop at JAL Mileage Mall and JAL Mileage Bank World Marketplace.
Redeeming JMB Miles
JMB members use their miles for award flights with JAL and partner airlines, JAL award fare depends on regions and booking class, while partner award fare is distance-based.
You can trade your JMB Miles for:
- Upgrade awards on JAL international flights.
- Hotel & car rental bookings through JMB World Marketplace.
- Merchandise via JMB World Marketplace.
- Charitable donations.
Other redemption options are available, but they’re more appropriate for Japanese residents.
JMB Miles Expiration
JMB Miles are valid until the end of the 36th month after they were earned. Miles do not extend with earn and burn activity, so use them within three years or lose them.
JMB Tips & Tricks
JAL Family Club lets you u se pool miles for up to eight family members, including immediate family, parents and in-laws. Your Family Club membership is valid for five years and must be renewed if you want to continue.
Stopovers on awards. JMB allows you book up to three complimentary stopovers on the way to or from your destination. Oneworld awards permits up to seven stopovers, which is quite generous in the award travel world.
Sweetspots. The following roundtrip itineraries are great deals for your JMB Miles. Please note, stopovers will maximize your miles’ value.
| FROM | TO | CLASS | MILES |
| Japan | Japan | Economy | 6,000 |
| United States | Japan | Economy | 50,000 |
| United States | Japan | Business | 100,000 |
| United States | Japan | First | 140,000 |
| United States | Dubai | Business | 110,000 |
| United States | SE Asia | Business | 130,000 |
 |
 |
Conclusion
JMB JAL’s mileage program. As a member, you can earn miles from flights, hotel stays, shopping, and other activities – and then redeem those miles for award tickets, e-money, and other special awards.
