How to Fly ANA First Class With Points

By Bryce Casson, Founder · Cardocrat · Updated August 2026

The short answer: ANA First Class, branded The Suite on its 777s, is one of the best first-class products and one of the better-value ones, thanks to two routes: ANA own Mileage Club program and a well-known Virgin Atlantic Flying Club sweet spot. Each has a catch, but both can put you in a superb suite to Tokyo for reasonable miles.

What ANA First Class is

ANA First Class, The Suite, on the 777-300ER offers a large enclosed private suite, excellent Japanese and Western dining, and famously attentive service. It is a top-tier first product, and unusually it can be booked for fewer miles than many rivals, which makes it a favorite among award travelers heading to Japan.

Route one: ANA Mileage Club

You can book ANA First with ANA own Mileage Club miles, which transfer from American Express. The catch is that ANA awards must be round-trip, and Amex transfers take a couple of days, so you plan ahead. The payoff is a low, fixed round-trip price for a genuinely elite cabin. See our ANA Mileage Club guide.

Route two: the Virgin Atlantic sweet spot

The famous play is to use Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles to book ANA First or business to Tokyo. Virgin still publishes a fixed, set-rate chart, so after its May 2024 devaluation ANA First runs about 72,500 Virgin points one-way from the West Coast and 85,000 from the East, with the catch that you have to call to book because ANA will not price online. Virgin Points transfer from Chase, Amex, Citi, and Capital One, plus Bilt and Rove, so they are easy to gather. See our step-by-step ANA with Virgin points guide and the Virgin Atlantic guide.

The catch and who it is for

ANA First space is limited and opens unpredictably, so flexibility and early searching matter. ANA Mileage Club requires round-trip booking; Virgin Atlantic limits how the sweet spot can be used. This is for travelers to Japan who want a top suite at a fair price and will hunt for space. Award prices and availability change constantly as programs devalue and adjust, so treat every points figure here as a rough, illustrative guide rather than a guarantee. Always confirm the current price and that an award seat is actually available on the airline own site before you transfer points, since transfers are one-way and cannot be reversed.

See exactly what an award costs

Stop guessing at point values. Look up the real award price and live availability for a specific trip before you transfer.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to fly ANA First Class with points?

Two routes stand out: ANA Mileage Club miles, transferred from American Express, for a low fixed round-trip price, or the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club sweet spot for ANA awards to Tokyo. Both require finding limited award space.

Do ANA awards have to be round-trip?

Through ANA Mileage Club, yes, awards must be booked round-trip, which is the main trade-off for its low pricing. The Virgin Atlantic route does not have the same round-trip rule but has its own limits.

Which cards get me ANA First Class?

American Express transfers to ANA Mileage Club. For the Virgin Atlantic route, Virgin Points come from Chase, Amex, Citi, and Capital One, plus Bilt and Rove.

Why is ANA First Class popular with award travelers?

Because it is a top-tier suite that can be booked for fewer miles than many rivals, especially round-trip through ANA Mileage Club, making elite first-class travel to Japan unusually attainable.

Which ANA aircraft has The Suite first class?

The 777-300ER fitted with The Suite. Not every ANA 777 has it and most other aircraft lack First entirely, so confirm the aircraft and cabin before you transfer or you may end up in a lesser seat.