ANA Credit Card Review - Read Before You Get This Card

Summary - The ANA Credit Card is issued by National Bank of Omaha. It is targeted mainly at folks who travel a lot to Japan and also to the Japanese expatriate in the US who flies ANA back to Japan frequently. But as we are about to find out, this may not be the best card to earn ANA miles.

Reward Formula - The ANA credit card allows you to earn only one mile for every dollar that you spend on the card. You can also use your cards to get discounts at various ANA related places. For example, you will receive a

• 10% discount at all ANA group duty free shops at ANA HOUSE TOKYO (No. 1 Terminal of Narita Airport), ANA HOUSE OSAKA (Kansai Airport). But Cigarettes, Japanese alcohol, bargain items, perfume and cosmetics purchases are not eligible for the 10% discount.
• 5% discount for Best Flexible Rates at ANA Hotels Group and Complimentary breakfast & welcome drink at IHG ANA Hotels Group Japan.
• You will receive a 10% discount at "ANA FESTA" gift shop at airports in Japan directly operated by ANA Trading Co
• 10% discount for ANA in-flight purchases - Up to 200,000 yen for international flights and 85,000 yen for domestic flights.


Bonus Miles - New card members will get 5,000 bonus miles after their first purchase.

Fees - The annual fee is $70.00. There is no annual fee for additional card members.

ANA Credit Card Peer Comparison

The ANA credit card does not compare well with it's peers. That is because you have to pay a $70 annual fee. But you cannot earn double miles for any ANA airline ticket purchases. Most frequent flier credit cards charge an annual fee but allow you to earn double miles. You also get some other perks like lounge access, priority boarding, elite miles and even free baggage. But the ANA does offer discounts for shopping in their shops in Narita Airport and also on hotel stays at their hotel groups.

Alternatives to Earning ANA miles

While researching this card, I uncovered a couple of reward programs (and hence cards) that also allow you to earn ANA miles. The first program is the Starwood Preferred Guest program, which allows you to transfer starpoints to ANA miles at a one for one ratio. Furthermore, if you transfer 20,000 points into miles, you get an additional 5,000 bonus miles! Therefore, if you want to earn ANA miles, you should get the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card. It has a lower annual fee $65, and waived for the first year. Starwood credit card holders can also transfer points to over 30 airline partners.

The other reward program that allows you to transfer points to ANA is Membership Rewards from American Express. The best Amex card to get is the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card, allows you to earn triple points on airline ticket purchases. These points can then be transferred into ANA miles. The price for having the ability to earn triple points is a $175 annual fee.

ANA Credit Card - Forget About It?

Conclusion - The ANA card must be one of the worst airline cards I have come across. You pay an annual fee of $70 and you cannot earn double miles. You get a measly 5,000 bonus miles. Yes, you do get discounts at ANA shops and hotels in Japan, but the rewards earning capacity is really not up to standard. I would rather you get the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card for a lower annual and still being able to earn points that can be converted to ANA miles and 30 other airlines. If earning triple points when you buy a ANA ticket sounds like a great way to rack up points, then the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card would be ideal. Both these alternatives come highly recommended by us.