Notes when using JAL International Upgrade Awards
General rules and conditions
- All award bookings must be made by the JMB member.
- Regardless of who uses the award, application for the award should be made by the member himself/herself.
- For children under 5 years of age (children/infants), reservation of accompanying adult is required.
- Award travel is not permitted on the Restricted Travel Dates. At other times the number of seats available for award travel may be restricted. (Seats for award use may not be available in certain flights or routes.)
- The total mileage required for redeeming awards will be deducted from the JMB account of the applying member.
- Members who have registered for the JALCARD Family Program can combine mileage of a main member and a sub-member.
- Mileage can be combined among family members who have registered for the JAL Family Club.
- As it is necessary that there is enough mileage available for award exchange at the time of award application, please confirm that there is enough valid mileage for award exchange.
- Award reservations will not be accepted if there is not enough mileage in the JMB member account. Mileage accumulated in other airline companies' mileage programs (including JMB partner airlines) cannot be combined with JMB mileage in order to receive awards.
Tickets eligible for Upgrade Awards
- Tickets eligible for Upgrade
Tickets with booking classes J/C/D/X/W/R/E/Y/B/H/K printed in the CLASS column of tickets. - Tickets not eligible for Upgrade
Tickets other than above.
(Individual or group inclusive tour fares, special discounted fares, JMB award tickets or tickets subject to special provisions.)
- For booking classes other than J and Y, flights traveled in Dynamic Package or international package tour products are ineligible for upgrade.
- Certain types of fares are not eligible for upgrade irrespective of booking.
Taxes and handling charges
- At the time of using upgrade awards, airport taxes and/or fuel surcharges, insurance surcharges and other surcharges must be borne by the JMB member or users of awards.
- Amounts for the following air passenger duties differ according to cabin class. The difference in amount is required for every upgrade to Premium Economy Class or Business Class.
- Payments are accepted by phone. Please contact JMB International Award Reservations Desk/JMB Center before departure.
(As of January 2020)
UK AIR PASSENGER DUTY : 78GBP/94GBP* for departure from London.
(Payment is not applicable to upgrades from Premium Economy Class to Business Class.)
(Passengers under 16 years of age)
Passengers under the age of 16 will be exempt from payment when traveling in Economy but will not be exempt when traveling in Premium Economy Class or Business. Accordingly, a payment of 156GBP / 172GBP* is required for upgrades from Economy Class to Premium Economy Class/Business Class.
- Applies to tickets issued on/after May 11, 2018 for flights departing on/after April 1, 2019.
FRANCE AIR PASSENGER SOLIDARITY TAX: 40.56 EUR and AIR PASSENGER SOLIDARITY TAX SURPLUS: 15.00 EUR* for departure from Paris.
(Payment for the tax difference is not applicable to upgrades from Economy Class to Premium Economy Class.)
- Applies to tickets issued on/after January 1, 2020 for flights departing on/after January 1, 2020.
DEPARTURE TAX (Malaysia) : 130 Ringgit* for departure from Kuala Lumpur.
(Payment is not applicable to upgrades from Economy Class to Premium Economy Class.)
- Applies to tickets for flights departing on/after September 1, 2019.
Please note that members with tickets issued on/before August 31, 2019 will be required to pay the 150 MYR departure tax that is levied on Business Class passengers.
Passengers who need special arrangements
As the following passengers may need special arrangements, please contact the JMB International Award Reservations Desk/JMB Center after completing the reservation bookings. Seat selection is also handled by the aforementioned JMB International Award Reservations Desk/JMB Center.
- Customers who have already requested special arrangements will need to make the request again after upgrade as information will not be carried over.
- Passengers using wheelchairs*
- Passengers with sight impediment*
- Passengers with hearing impediment*
- Pregnant passengers falling under any of the following:
- Medical information Form(MEDIF) must be submitted.
- When the expected date of delivery is within 4 weeks (28 days)
- When there is some doubt concerning the expected date of delivery
- In the case of a multiple pregnancy
- If there is a history of early delivery
- Passengers who have requested Baby Food/Baby Meal or disposable diapers*
- JMB members who travel with an infant who does not occupy seat and is under 2 at the start of the journey (purchase of air tickets is required.)
- Special arrangements can also be requested from the reservation confirmation screen on the JAL website. Please note that the ability to request special arrangements on the JAL website may not be available for some reservations including reservations made through travel agencies.
Mileage Reinstatement Service for unused awards
It is possible for the reinstatement (return) of mileage to the JMB account for completely unused award. Please contact the JMB International Award Reservations Desk/JMB Center of your region.
- To be eligible for this service, (1) your award must be completely unused and within the validity period and (2) your mileage reinstatement request must be made before the departure of your reserved flight. Mileage will not be returned to the original account if your mileage reinstatement request is not made before the departure of your reserved flight.
- Mileage cannot be reinstated if it has already expired by the time of reinstatement application.
The following deadline applies for canceling/refunding unused upgrade awards.
Deadline for cancellations/refunds:
24 hours prior to the departure of your upgrade award flight (departure city time)*1.
- Until the end of business hours of your region's call center.
- The following exceptions apply:
- When you change your booked Premium Economy upgrade award to a Business Class upgrade award at the airport on the day of departure.
- When you cancel the purchased ticket, or change your reservation.
Reservations made through the JAL website
Please first log in your JMB account to request upgrade awards on the JAL website.
Deadline for award request
Awards requests on the JAL website will be accepted until 25 hours prior to departure of the respective outbound flight or return flight (departure city time).
Conditions for redeeming awards
- At the time of making your reservation/request (including waitlist requests), you must already have purchased your ticket, which is valid for use with an upgrade award.
Please note that reservation changes will not be permitted on the JAL website for purchased tickets after you request an upgrade award (including waitlist requests).
To change your reservation, please contact the JMB International Award Reservations Desk/JMB Center. (Ticket Service Fee will apply.) - Upgrade awards are available for one-way travel.
- You cannot combine two upgrade awards to be "bumped up" from Economy Class to First Class (by using an award for upgrade from Economy to Business with an award for upgrade from Business to First).
- The following requests cannot be processed on the JAL website. Please contact the JMB International Award Reservations Desk/JMB Center for assistance.
- When your reservation includes an infant who will share a seat with an adult
- When the passenger is an unaccompanied child under 12 years of age or an unaccompanied infant who will occupy his/her own seat
- When making arrangements for bulky baggage/musical instruments and/or extra seats
- When using JMB One-Way Fares
- When your ticket number does not begin with "131"
- When special arrangements or services have been requested
- If a reservation is made through a travel agency for two or more passengers and not all of the passengers on that same reservation wish to upgrade their flight, the reservation record for those passengers who wish to upgrade must be split from the passengers who will not upgrade their flight. Please contact the travel agency to have your reservation split before you make your upgrade request.
Itineraries
- All of the restrictions and conditions of travel for the purchased tickets may apply to the upgrade awards.
- One upgrade award is required for each flight sector. Two upgrade awards will be required for itineraries that originate outside Japan and use Japan as a transfer point to continue to a final destination outside Japan.
Waitlisting
- For waitlisted requests, please verify whether your seat has been confirmed on the JAL website or when you check in at the airport. The mileage will be deducted from your account and the necessary arrangements to issue the award will be made once your seat has been confirmed.
- Waitlists for JAL International Upgrade Awards will be held until 24 hours prior to flight departure (departure city time). Waitlisted requests that are not confirmed by the end of the waitlist holding period will be cancelled. If you still wish to upgrade after your waitlisted request has been cancelled, please inquire at the airport on the day of your flight.
Changes to award reservations
After mileage is redeemed, changes to upgrade award reservations are not permitted. If you wish to change your reservation, you must cancel and refund your existing upgrade reservation and then make a new upgrade reservation.
- Please note that the mileage reinstatement fee will not apply for the upgrade award. Mileage cannot be returned if it is expired at the time of the reinstatement request.
Others
- Information provided or announced through the latest communication medium will take precedence over previous contents in terms of conditions of use for the awards.
- Conditions for the use of awards are subject to change without prior notice.
- When flying on the international flights, Conditions of International Carriage will apply.
- Please check the validity of your passport and requirement of visa. If visa is required, please obtain visa by yourself.