How I Booked ANA First Class for 110k Points

ANA First Class is considered one of the best first class products in the world. The food, the service, the suite — it’s legendary. And I booked it for just 110,000 Virgin Atlantic miles.

Here’s exactly how I did it.

Why Virgin Atlantic Miles?

ANA’s own award chart charges 150,000 miles for First Class to Japan. But Virgin Atlantic, as a partner, only charges 110,000-120,000 miles for the same flight.

That’s a 25-40% discount for the exact same seat.

Step 1: Earn Virgin Atlantic Miles

Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner of:

Chase Ultimate Rewards (1:1)
Amex Membership Rewards (1:1)
Citi ThankYou (1:1)
Capital One (1:1)
Bilt Rewards (1:1)

I transferred 110,000 Chase points → Virgin Atlantic. For more on how transfer partners work, check our complete transfer partners guide.

Step 2: Find ANA First Class Availability

This is the hard part. ANA releases First Class award space very sparingly.

Tools I used:

Seats.aero — Alerts for F class on NH (ANA) routes
ANA website — Search as a guest, look for “O” fare class
ExpertFlyer — Set alerts for specific routes/dates

Pro tip: ANA releases more space ~355 days out and sometimes close-in (2-3 weeks before departure).

Step 3: Call Virgin Atlantic

You cannot book ANA First Class online through Virgin Atlantic. You must call.

Virgin Atlantic Phone: 1-800-862-8621

What to say:

“Hi, I’d like to book an ANA First Class award ticket. I found availability on [DATE] from [ORIGIN] to Tokyo Haneda, flight NH[XXX].”

Have backup dates ready. The agent will search and confirm availability.

Step 4: Pay Taxes

The damage: $200-300 in taxes and fees for a one-way First Class ticket worth $15,000+.

My Route

JFK → Tokyo Haneda (HND)
Flight: NH110
Aircraft: 777-300ER with the new First Class suite
Cost: 110,000 Virgin Atlantic miles + $264

The Experience

I’ll save the full review for another post, but highlights:

Private suite with closing doors
Kaiseki multi-course Japanese meal
Krug champagne
Pajamas and amenity kit
Arrived refreshed after sleeping 8 hours flat

Can You Still Do This?

Absolutely. The sweet spot still works in 2026. The hardest part is finding availability — set those alerts and be flexible.

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Questions about booking ANA First? Drop them below and I’ll help you out.