Maximise your Avios, air miles and hotel points

JAL offering 50,000 free domestic Japanese flight tickets

Links on Head for Points may support the site by paying a commission.  See here for all partner links.

Japan Airlines, the oneworld carrier, is offering 50,000 roundtrip economy seats on domestic routes for free.  The offer is open to anyone who will be in Japan between June and October.

It is a bit of a lucky dip. The flights are only available from Tokyo Haneda and Osaka.

Once you register your interest and departing airport, you will receive an email within 3 days confirming your destination.

JAL Japan Airlines

There are a few requirements in order to take part:

You must have an international flight to Japan between 1st June and 31st October, although your free flight will only be for July, August or September

You must have a JAL Mileage Bank number

You must not be a Japanese passport holder (or if you are, have permanent residency in another country)

If you do not already have a JAL Mileage Bank account (and you probably don’t!) it takes 5 minutes to sign up on the JAL website here.

The free flights are being offered from 1st July until 30th September. During the application process you can choose from between three and five departure slots per day. You are then shown four possible destinations, of which one will be confirmed by email within three days.

You can apply for up two four people.  JAL is accepting 250 applications per day, so you may have to try a few times before you get to the application page.

The free flights are for economy tickets only, although you can pay for space-available upgrades to business class or first at the airport. If your plans change you can cancel for free up to two days before departure, although you may not re-apply for the promotion. If you cancel within 48 hours, you may incur a cancellation charge (check the Ts&Cs yourself – it isn’t 100% clear!).

You can see all the details and register for the offer on the JAL website here.

ANA is also running a special promotion for foreign visitors, although it is not offering free tickets. You can see the details here.


best credit card to use when buying flights

How to maximise your miles when paying for flights (March 2025)

Some UK credit cards offer special bonuses when used for buying flights. If you spend a lot on airline tickets, using one of these cards could sharply increase the credit card points you earn.

Booking flights on any airline?

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold earns double points (2 Membership Rewards points per £1) when used to buy flights directly from an airline website.

The card comes with a sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points. These would convert to 20,000 Avios or various other airline or hotel programmes. The standard earning rate is 1 point per £1.

You can apply here.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

Buying flights on British Airways?

The British Airways Premium Plus American Express card earns double Avios (3 Avios per £1) when used at ba.com.

The card comes with a sign-up bonus of 30,000 Avios. The standard earning rate is 1.5 Avios per £1.

You do not earn bonus Avios if you pay for BA flights on the free British Airways American Express card or either of the Barclaycard Avios Mastercards.

You can apply here.

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

Buying flights on Virgin Atlantic?

Both the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard and the annual fee Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard earn double Virgin Points when used at fly.virgin.com.

This means 1.5 Virgin Points per £1 on the free card and 3 Virgin Points per £1 on the paid card.

There is a sign-up bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points on the free card and 18,000 Virgin Points on the paid card.

You can apply for either of the cards here.

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

The UK's biggest frequent flyer website uses cookies, which you can block via your browser settings. Continuing implies your consent to this policy. Our privacy policy is here.