Points and miles collection in Japan for the non-Japanese.
The Great Mile Scramble: How I Pieced Together Enough Points for a Manila–Japan ANA Business Class Ticket (Part 1 of 3)
When you don’t have enough ANA miles for a Manila–Japan flight — not even for economy — you get creative. In this first installment of a two‑part mile redemption series, we will walk through the surprisingly chaotic, occasionally stressful, but ultimately satisfying process of cobbling together miles from Rakuten, nanaco, Marriott Bonvoy, V‑Points, ANA Pocket, ANA Denki, and even Sony Bank. If you’ve ever wondered how far everyday points can take you, this is your sign: farther than you think.
I’ve flown from Manila to Narita before — most recently on PAL — but this time, I had my sights set on ANA. Not just ANA, but ANA business class on the 787‑8 Dreamliner. The problem? My ANA Mileage Club balance was laughably low. Not even enough for economy.
Now, I’d already locked in my return flight from Haneda to Manila in premium economy — on my preferred date, no less, which felt like winning the lottery. But with that secured, I turned to the outbound leg and realized I was in trouble. I needed 26,000 miles for the business class redemption, and I didn’t have them. Not even close.
So began what I now call The Great Mile Scramble.
First stop: Rakuten. I redeemed 25,000 points at a 2:1 ratio, netting me 12,500 miles. A solid start, but Rakuten transfers are notoriously slow. I knew I’d be waiting weeks. Next, I dipped into my nanaco stash — 11,000 points converted to 5,500 miles. I’d hoped to wait for their March transfer bonus, but availability waits for no one.
Marriott Bonvoy came next. I know, I know — redeeming hotel points for airline miles is sacrilege in the travel content world. But I needed miles, and I needed them fast. So I traded over 10,000 Bonvoy points for 3,630 ANA miles. Not proud, but it got the job done.
Then came the tiny but mighty V‑Points. I tossed in 500 points for a modest 250 miles. Every drop counts. To round it out, I leaned on my slow-burn earners: ANA Pocket, Sony Bank’s foreign currency time deposits, and ANA Denki. Yes, even my electricity bill was working overtime to get me airborne.
All together, I had just enough — plus a little surplus. But the Rakuten transfer was dragging, and I needed a backup plan.
I checked United. They wanted 22,000 miles for a one-way economy ticket on ANA metal. Hard pass.
Then I checked Delta. To my surprise, SkyMiles had availability. I snagged a 30,000-mile business class ticket on China Eastern from Manila to Haneda. But that meant a layover in Shanghai Pudong — my first time there.
Cue the prep montage: I secured the digital arrival card (after botching the date and reapplying), researched rest spots at PVG, and hunted down a CCC-certified power bank — which, by the way, is not easy to find. Eventually, I scored one on Rakuten Market using limited-use points, getting it at half price.
Just when I thought I was Shanghai-bound, the universe intervened. My ANA miles finally posted. I had enough for the business class redemption. Availability was tight, but there was one seat left on one of my preferred dates — arriving in Narita. Not a problem. I booked it instantly and canceled the Delta/China Eastern ticket, saving around 25,000 JPY in taxes and fees.
And just like that, the scramble was over.
Next up: the flight itself — and a chance to redeem myself for a lounge mistake I’ve been thinking about ever since my last trip.