How I saved $1000s on my Japan hotels + flights

Japan is a hot destination and is bound to be on anyone’s bucket list these days. It’s a no-brainer about why so many people want to travel to Japan these days, especially with the sweeping changes Japan is making to tourism within the next year.

Since Japan is such a popular destination, especially during the cherry blossom season, it can be difficult to find affordable flights and accommodation for your travels.

I’m traveling to Japan for the first time this summer in August, and I was able to save over $2000 on my flights and accommodation with the help of two credit cards.

For the Flights: AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®

As always, the first step of planning a trip anywhere is figuring out how you’re gonna get there. Since I’m from Boston, I was eyeing the nonstop flight on Japan Airlines from Boston to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport.

At the time, I heard that the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® was offering a pretty strong offer: Earn 70,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying off the $99 annual fee within the first 90 days after account opening.

I was aware that American Airlines and Japan Airlines are partners, meaning that I could book Japan Airlines flights using AAdvantage miles.

After doing some research and flight scoping, I realized that I could book a nonstop flight from Boston (BOS) to Tokyo (NRT) on Japan Airlines for just 35,000 AAdvantage miles one way.

This was also true for the return flight, meaning that I could use the 70,000-mile bonus to cover my flights to and from Japan. The same round-trip nonstop itinerary on Japan Airlines would’ve cost me over $2,000 had I paid with cash, meaning that I was able to save my fortune on just my flights—and that was only the beginning.

For the Hotels: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

For the trip, I was planning to travel with a total of 3 people, including myself. For Tokyo, we scoped out hotels and looked at a variety of places we could stay, but I couldn’t find a room that fit 3 people for an affordable price. We decided to book an Airbnb that cost roughly $600 for 5 nights and called it a day.

For Kyoto, one hotel caught my eye: the Hyatt Place Kyoto. This hotel was most notable due to the fact that they had a standard room that fit 3 people. Most standard hotel rooms in Japan have a strict occupancy limit of 2 people, but I could book a room for 3 people at the Hyatt Place Kyoto for just 8,000 points a night.

Hyatt points are well-regarded for their value, as you can often attain high values for your points on Hyatt hotel redemptions.

For example, I was able to book 5 nights at the Hyatt Place Kyoto for a total of 40,000 points. With cash, this would’ve cost me about $900.

Additionally, I booked 2 nights at the Caption by Hyatt Namba Osaka for 16,000 points, which would’ve cost me about $500 in cash.

However, you might be wondering: How was I able to get Hyatt points?

I was able to get Hyatt points because of my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card. Hyatt is a transfer partner of Chase, meaning that you can transfer your Chase points over to Hyatt’s loyalty program.

I applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card when it was offering its best deal ever: Earn 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 within the first 3 months from account opening.

After signing up for the card and hitting the spend requirement, I transferred my newly earned points over to Hyatt and was subsequently able to book a week’s worth of hotels in Kyoto and Osaka for 56,000 points, saving almost $1,400 on accommodation.

Final Remarks

Japan had always felt like one of those once-in-a-lifetime trips: the kind that lives in your daydreams but feels just out of reach when you check the price of a round-trip flight or a decent hotel. But it turns out, with the right credit cards and a little research, that dream trip doesn’t have to break the bank.

By using the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard®, I was able to fly nonstop on Japan Airlines for just over $100 by covering the $99 annual fee and making one purchase. Thanks to the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and its incredible welcome bonus, I turned points into real-world savings, booking a week’s worth of hotel stays in Kyoto and Osaka that would’ve cost me nearly $1,400 out of pocket.

Instead of stressing over airfare and accommodation costs, I spent my energy planning what truly mattered: soaking in an onsen, wandering through bamboo groves in Arashiyama, and living out my childhood at Super Nintendo World in Osaka.

Your credit card can be more than just a way to pay. It can be the ticket that makes a dream destination possible.

So, whether you’re eyeing Japan or anywhere else on your bucket list, don’t just scroll through deals. Instead, learn how to unlock them. Your next adventure might be closer than you think.