Tl;dr – Bilt officially adds JAL as a transfer partner, confirming the rumors floating around last week.
Last week, I wrote about movement at Bilt, including a possible link-up with Japan Airlines. This week we received the official word that Japan Airlines (JAL) will be Bilt’s newest transfer partner. Importantly, Bilt will be the only major transferable bank point currency to have JAL as a partner so there’s some inherent value there.
Bilt points are transferable to JAL on a 1:1 ratio, and the ability to transfer points went live earlier this week. Usually, before you can redeem JAL Mileage Bank miles, your account must be open and in good standing for 60 days. As part of this partnership, there’s some flexibility to this policy:
“[For] JAL Mileage Bank accounts that are less than 60 days old, there will be up to a seven-day (7) waiting period for miles redemption following the transfer of Bilt Points to a JAL Mileage Bank account. This waiting period will not affect JAL Mileage Bank accounts that are 60 days old or more.”
As a member of the oneworld Alliance, JAL has some intriguing redemption opportunities. I imagine many award search tools will soon start tracking JAL award availability, as it will now be a ‘thing’ for many more travelers.
