How to find Avios seats to Japan with British Airways or Iberia

This article is sponsored by Reward Flight Finder who are offering Points Well Made readers 20% in July 2026. Link down below.

One of the most common destinations we get asked about regarding reward flights using Avios is Japan. A week doesn't go by without someone emailing, DM'ing, or commenting about how to do it.

Japan has, over the last couple of decades, emerged as one of the most popular destinations for UK holidaymakers. Whether that's a paid booking or a reward flight, people cannot get enough of this beautiful country, and we totally understand why. It's firmly on our bucket list.

Sam wants to eat all the food (to be fair, so do I), and immerse himself in the culture, and I really, REALLY want to chase the cherry blossom across the country and see all the magnificent gardens, because their horticulture industry is off the scale.

That probably paints the picture of exactly why people want to go. The breadth and range of things to do, see, eat, and drink is immense, and there's something fantastic about immersing yourself in someone else's culture for a couple of weeks and then not wanting to come home.

So, how do you actually get reward seats to Japan?

How many Avios will I need?

Let's start with the important bit: the Avios needed for a return trip in each cabin from the UK. Don't forget we have a handy calculator for this.

British Airways flies direct from Heathrow to Tokyo Haneda, whilst Iberia flies from Madrid to Tokyo Narita.

(One thing to note about Haneda and Narita is that Haneda is very central to Tokyo, think of it as your London City Airport. Narita is more like your London Stansted airport, about an hour's drive outside of Tokyo city centre.)

Also, don't forget that you can use your American Express Companion Voucher with both British Airways and Iberia if you book via the British Airways website, which is a huge boon. If you have the free card, this gets you into Economy. A voucher earnt from the Premium Plus card gets you into a cabin of your choice.

Below are the Avios prices for the UK to Tokyo, but of course you could instead choose to start your journey in Madrid for significant savings.

British Airways

Cabin	Off-Peak Avios	Peak Avios
Economy	77,000	88,000
Premium Economy	110,000	170,500
Business	220,000	242,000
First Class	204,000	264,000

Iberia

Cabin	Off-Peak	Peak
Economy	69,500	84,500
Premium Economy	115,000*	157,000*
Business	174,000	243,500
First Class	N/A	N/A

*UK to Madrid in Economy, Madrid to Tokyo in Premium Economy.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the taxes and fees that apply alongside your Avios. These aren't insignificant on long-haul routes to Japan, so always check the full cash cost before you commit any points.

How many Avios seats are released?

British Airways and Iberia both guarantee to release a minimum amount of Avios seats for every flight.

British Airways will release a minimum of:

• Eight economy seats

• Two premium economy seats

• Four business class seats

Iberia will release a minimum of:

• Four economy seats

• Two premium economy seats

• Two business class seats

This is a minimum, not a maximum. More can be released, which we'll get onto down below.

When do Avios seats go on sale?

British Airways release reward seats 355 days in advance. Whereas with Iberia, seats are released 360 days in advance. Both put their flights on sale at midnight GMT (1am BST).

How popular are they?

These flights can go exceptionally quickly (as you'll know from our guide to the most popular British Airways routes), often within minutes of going on sale, particularly around the most popular dates. School holidays are always popular, as well as Sakura (the Cherry Blossom Festival) which tends to be late March to early April, however this can go to as late as May depending on what the weather is doing. The Autumn is also a very popular time to go as Japan has some wonderful Autumn colour thanks to their native trees, so September and October are often sell outs.

How to book the flights?

The first way to try and book the flights is as soon as they get put on sale.

So step 1 is to either be online or on the phone to an agent at the stroke of midnight. The UK call centre is shut during the middle of the night, so people have traditionally phoned BA's US call centre which is open. Do be aware that some US call centre agents will refuse to help you as the line is technically meant to be just for people based in the US. Just hang up, phone back, and try and get a different agent.

If you're unable to nab the seats you need as soon as they go on sale, do not fret.

Thankfully reward availability doesn't just appear once and disappear forever. People cancel trips, move their bookings, or airlines release extra allocation closer to departure, meaning that new seats pop up all the time.

If you didn't manage to get the flights when they first go on sale, we would recommend using a tool which does the checking for you, scanning availability around the clock and alerting you the moment something opens up on the dates and cabins you require. Because checking manually for this, day after day, route after route, is not a realistic way to spend your life. Reward Flight Finder shows you what seats are available on each day, and you can create alerts for your specific search criteria.

As you can see from the photo below, the calendar display shows you which dates have availability and which don't. Each cabin is shown in a different colour, with the key on the left hand side.

Setting up an alert is really simple, even my mum could do it. Just search your required route, and once the calendar availability shows, hit the "Create Alert" button at the bottom of the screen. Then, you'll be notified the moment your seats appear.

We use this tool to great affect. We love a pre-planned holiday as much as the next person, but we also like to book something ambitious and slightly spontaneous. Like a First Class seat to Singapore, four weeks before we fly, with zero plans for what we're doing when we get there. Tools like this are what make that spontaneity possible.

Oh, and only fancy flights with British Airways' Club Suite? You can filter your search to only show those planes.

We've also been kindly given an exclusive 20% off link for Reward Flight Finder, so if you fancy giving it a go, simply click here to get your discount.

Springboarding

Whilst nothing ever beats flying direct to your country of choice, should finding flights prove particularly difficult, there is always the option of Springboarding (full guide to what we mean here).

For Japan, there are three good options for using your Avios to get as close to the country as possible, before hopping on a cheap, cash flight. These would be:

• Shanghai

• Singapore

• Hong Kong

In that order. Why, I hear you ask? Hong Kong is extremely popular and can sell out quickly. Singapore has better capacity and they quite often drop more reward seats on their A380s which fly there. The best option with the most availability will be Shanghai.

Lastly, flexibility when redeeming points is your great asset. If your travel dates can move by even a few days either side, your odds improve considerably.

Helena

Points Well Made is a passion project of Sam and Helena with a loyal following. If you like what we do, and wish to help us continue to create the content you love, please consider buying us a Kofi, or subscribing monthly. Your help is greatly appreciated. Thank you.