Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways · Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Despite the addition of Japan Airlines (JL) as a transfer partner by several credit card rewards programs, booking premium class redemptions with JL miles is becoming increasingly difficult due to limited availability. This follows a trend of increased transfers to Japan Airlines starting around 2025.
“But that also could mean that the availability to book with points might be a little bit limited. Japan Airlines miles used to be really hard to earn. But recently, like maybe since 2025, a lot of different credit card rewards programs have added Japan Airlines as a transfer partner.”
“And now, I've seen all over social media that it is getting really hard to book some of those premium class redemptions with Japan Airlines because the availability just isn't there.”