• expired

Jetstar Japan Return for Free Sale: Tokyo from Melbourne $447, Cairns $289, Sydney $454, Adelaide $480, Brisbane $419, GC $319

2800

It's on again, $300 - $450 return from various cities with quite a variety of dates.

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  • +44

    I had a really pleasant experience when I went to Japan on Jetstar, cheap as and really easy. I'd recommend getting a WISH gift card through CR and transferring it into a Jetstar gift card at woolies to save 5% + also saving on transaction fees! Worked out about $60 cheaper when I booked for 2.

    • good idea! thanks! but how do you transfer a wish card to a jetstar card?

      • Woolworths sell them

        • cool i see…thanks mate

      • can you use a woolies egift card to buy jetstar gift card in woolworths supermarket?

    • Do you lose any unused giftcard credit? Or does it last for the next time?

      • I believe the unused credit on the gift card just stays on the card until the next use. Gift vouchers on the other hand need to be used in first and any difference is sacrificed.

        • Awesome! I'd better stock up, since you now pay fees for price beat fares, this make it even sweeter.

    • +4

      I did same for Coles as well, not just 5% but earn flybuy points :)

  • +3

    Already bought and off for the 4th trip myself, don't forget your JR passes folks!

    • JR passes?

      • Japan Rail

      • Japan Rail Pass.

    • Attempting to go for 2 weeks without JR pass =P

      • +3

        I went last year and never used a JR Pass, just used Passmo and Suica.

        • +2

          I'm assuming you didn't use the Shinkansen?

        • +2

          @j4ck: I am only doing a one-way shinkansen which is 1/2 of the full price and use passmo/suica for the rest. Based on my calculations, it's still cheaper than the JR pass by $100.

        • @4tran:

          Yeh this, anyone with first grade maths realises the JR pass is only the way if you are bullet training nonstop after the first visit.

        • @4tran: yeah, just like my first trip. It was cheaper as I only did 1 way Tokyo-Kyoto.

        • @4tran:

          Yeah, that's what I was trying to understand :) And yep, that makes sense!

        • I packed 7 Shinkansen/Thunderbird journeys into a 2 week period last time I was in Japan. It really helps with exploring more of the country outside of the well trodden Tokyo and Kansai regions, especially Hiroshima and Kanazawa/Nagano. It’s so much more luxurious than air travel. But yes if you’re only doing a single journey it’s cheaper to pay the fare.

      • I booked flights for 8 days in August. I plan to day-travel to different cities. What pass do you recommend I get?

        Japan newbie here.

        • Use hyperpedia to see the costs of your travel then compare it with the cost of JR pass. If you're doing a lot of regions then it sounds like a 7 day JR pass and 1 day of suica/passmo and top it up (kind of like a myki/opal card if you are in melb/syd)

    • +1

      our JR pass was more expensive than the ticket last time we went

    • +2

      going to Japan for a third time in September (and lived there for 4 years). never had a JR pass. OK if you want to travel large distances quickly.

      last trip I used buses.

      tokyo to Kyoto (night bus 6 hours)
      osaka to hiroshima ( 5 hours)
      hiroshima to fukuoka (4.5 hours)
      then car hire to kagoshima and then jetstar flight to Narita.

      there was four of us. cost of all that was the price of one JR pass

      4 JR passes would have been takai

    • +2

      Already bought and off for the 4th trip myself, don't forget your JR passes folks!

      Don't buy a JR pass without first running your trips OUT OF TOKYO through Hyperdia and comparing costs. The amount of people that keep coming to me asking about it, only to find that they would have wasted their money, is surprisingly larger than I thought.

      • It's worth to buy a JR Pass even for one return trip from Narita airport to Tokyo (using NEX), and say Tokyo to Osaka and back same route.

        • +2

          Tokyo to Shin Osaka return is 27240 YEN. A return Nex ticket is 6040, a total of 33280 yen. A 7 day JR pass is 29110 yen. You do come out cheaper here.

          A 14 day pass, which is what I usually get asked on, does not contain the same value. Especially as you hit areas outside of Tokyo where JR isn't as prevalent (IE, Kansai region JR trains are slower and more inconvenient over the better Kintetsu service).

          So it's always worth doing research before investing in the JR Pass

      • Yeah, as a rule of thumb unless you're going to at least say Kansai and back on the shinkansen it of course won't pay off.

      • https://www.japan-guide.com/railpass/

        Run all your rail trips (even approx.) thru that calculator. easy as!

    • +4

      4th time and still using JR pass? rookie error.

      it's good for first time travellers but take off the training wheels once you're back cos it's cheaper without it

      • +3

        Unless you're travelling in a decent sized group and splitting a rental car, I can't imagine any means of transport much cheaper than a JR pass when you're going from Hokkaido to Kyushu and everywhere in between.

        Actually even with a rental car, if you go on the expressways ETC will kill your wallet faster than JR.

  • +5

    Damn why do the dates for these flights always have to suck (for me). I mean i know its probably just flights they are struggling to sell, but still i want these prices for dates i can go. Stupid jetstar

    • +1

      I know right, May and August I am busy at work :(

  • +2

    At best i find flights going to tokyo but there's never any return flight availablr for me to choose… hmmm

    • +33

      It was nice knowing you dude

  • +24

    These fares may look impressive but once you add on the baggage and meals, there's not much price difference to Qantas when there's a sale. Went to Tokyo last year on Qantas for around $600ish from Sydney.

    • +1

      I went late 2016 for $368 rtn plus about $80 for 25kg there and 40kg back which worked out to be around $448 total. I'm not a very tall person so I found the flight to be comfortable and the money I spent on flights meant more spending money when I was there, so you can definitely get cheap return flights with baggage. In the case if meals I always eat before I go then sleep so I'm all set with a couple of snacks

      • +2

        I believed you up until the point were you think you got 25Kg + 40kg for $80 - Jetstar extra baggage has never been that cheap, not from Melbourne anyway, not sure if going from other destinations would make a difference…?

        Current pricing per person from Mel > Kix:

        25Kg = $73
        40Kg = $116

        • +1

          I absolutely did. This was for November 2016. What's the point of me lying about how much I got my baggage for? I booked my flights in April of that year and bought the baggage with it. Others who took flights during that period found that they were able to get free baggage upgrades. So I had felt like I lost out. But please don't call other people liars if you are unsure, I'm sure there are plenty of deals on ozbargain that are just as ' unbelievable'

          Current pricing of baggage doesn't reflect pricing of baggage nearly two years ago.

    • @runamuck Hey mate can you link to those $600 Qantas fares please? Cheapest I can see there around these dates are $971.

      • yeah idk how you fly on $600..

      • +2

        Here's the link to the deal although it's expired.

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/356261

        • +4

          I just booked Qantas for $650 return from Melb to Tokyo, so sale fares are still there, you probably just need to try different dates.

      • +1

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/356261

        Expired deal, we actually paid $2700 for 2 adults and 3 kids which is only about $300 more than what we paid with jetstar last year but this time it includes food, entertainment and extra baggage for everyone.

    • +5

      Pack carry-on efficiently. Bring food with your carry-on. If you want to bring stuff home, pre-purchase checked baggage and use the oversized limits to your advantage and pack a box full instead of a suitcase.

    • +1
      Also, if you are travelling with an infant add on about $300 in seat upgrades to be able to use the bassinet.
      Jetstar are not bad but young families would find better value on a premium airline imo.

  • +1

    Are the extra leg room seats worth it for the trip?

    • +6

      If you're very short, no. If you're very tall, yes.

    • +2

      I sat in the upfront seats both ways and I found it worth the extra ~50 bucks on the Dreamliners. Particularly the far left and right seats right behind business class, you have a lot of legroom there and I'm 6'3. At the end of the day the Japan leg is 7 hours or so, so it's up to you if you can justify the extra cost.

      • +1

        what you gain in length, you lose in width. Because the seats rests have tray and entertainment built into them. But you do get the convenience of going to the loo when ever you like.

      • +2

        I agree! I'm also quite tall (193cm) and getting the extra leg-room seats is a necessity for me. Sitting in the regular seats actually hurts me, even on short domestic flights.

    • +2

      If you can have a baby before your flight you can get the bassinet seat for free!! Get cracking

  • +6

    Got tickets from the last sale, leave in a few days! :D

    • +5

      enjoy your trip! :)

  • I don't have a credit card so would Jetstar Travel Insurance be good enough?

    • Just look around online. There’s heaps of cheap providers. Make sure you read reviews and check the PDS.

    • I used southern cross travel insurance for my last trip, affordable and easy to deal with, I didn't make a claim though but people seem to use it a lot

  • Seems to vary a lot depending on when you book.

    Baggage goes from cheap to expensive just for changing the flight.

  • any dates during school hols? :(

    • Probably not, the such always falls out of most any specials offered by anyone, (not that less kids on a flight is a bad thing for the rest of us I must guiltily admit).

  • +1

    Doesn't look like Perth has much, even any at all.

  • I just booked the flights, but i didn't get send a confirmation email? My account was charged.

    • Sometimes takes a while wait 48 hours before ringing them

    • Jetstar can take a long time for confirmation emails, sometimes days. No need to stress.

  • Booked for May, Thanks OP!

  • We went to Tokyo last Nov, but it was $350 from Mel one way (return for free), now it's $448, is that because Jetstar stopover rather than direct?

    • 13 July - 17 Aug. $350

      • +2

        Right in the middle of summer. It's humidity is even worse than Malaysia's at that time of year.

        • thought summer in japan would be more tolerable than summer in sydney. I guess i am wrong.

        • @aec: i was there from june 8-22 last year and it was amazing weather. solid 30 the whole time basically, not a drop of rain, not as humid as somewhere like singapore, i cant imagine that its that different in the july-august months?

        • +1

          @lyle88: Wet season comes in. Brings in the humidity and becomes a pain in the ass. Lived there for 12 years. I made sure to always come back to Australia during Summer!

        • @Cyphar: I thought wet season ended at the start of August? Either way, if it was more humid than when I was there, it would be unpleasant, particularly over night.

        • +1

          @lyle88: Tsuyu typically arrives in late June & July. August is the start of Typhoon season. Not a pleasant time. There'd be days where I'd spend nearly 2 hours on my train trip to high school only to rock up and it be cancelled. I do not recommend people travelling during that time. While the wet season (Tsuyu) is more akin to KL (Brief but frequent rains in the arvo creating humidity and can be planned around), Typhoon season is a constant battering of wind and rain, not to mention the lingering heat, with frequent danger warnings.

        • @Cyphar: sounds like a pain in the ass

  • +2

    This convinced me to book Qantas flights for $650, I'd even do the Singapore Airline's $650 non-direct sale over this.

    • +2

      The recent Qanatas deal was amazing. I got return from Brisbane (direct flight) for $550, service and 30kg luggage included. Honestly though, Jetstar have never disappointed me going to Japan. If you don’t need inflight service and can go direct, there’s no reason I wouldn’t choose Jetstar.

    • +1

      Same. I'd rather pay the extra for direct. May be because I have a 10 month old with me though!

    • @andysa where can I find the $650 Qantas flight?

  • +1

    Can't seem to get flights from GC, keeps showing me Brisbane.

    • +1

      Clear your browser's cache/cookies maybe?

  • I remember booking these flights a year ago for Easter, and getting put on a Qantas flight, that was lucky

  • +6

    For those interested, its only $200 more on Singapore Airlines at the moment (to Tokyo or Osaka). Not worth it for some, but you get food, drinks, baggage, VA points/credits, entertainment.

    • +2

      And a warmer cabin, I swear jetstar make theirs colder to sell more blankets.

      • Nah, Jetstar cattle class customer conserve their energy as part of their stinginess nature.

        • You know what the outside temperature is on a flight up in the air right? It costs more to heat up the cabin :)

  • +4

    I think I would rather pay th extra 200 for a full service airline and direct flights. Jetstar flights from Melbourne have stop overs in cairns/gold coast.

  • I went last year in May with this Jetstar deal. I was pleased with the overall customer service experience with them. Only downside was the 5 hour transit at Cairns airport at 3am flying to Brisbane… there was nothing to do there which made the wait feel even longer. was thoroughly expired by then and just wanted to go home lol

  • +1

    If you don't add any extras, you can get return flights as cheap as $350 from Melbourne. 13 July - 17 Aug. That's pretty damn good. I had similar price last time, and for a budget trip it was great, I travel light and 7kg carry on was fine.

  • Jetstar are great if you can travel light, start adding any baggage and it all ads up quickly.

  • Anyone know why when I search for January next year, all fares say 'Sold Out'? Do they not sell tickets this far out?

    Thanks

  • Still waiting patiently for my $650 return business fares from sydney.

  • +3

    It's hard to beat the Jetstar sales if you're flying from Gold Coast or Cairns. Direct flights from those locations generally, which makes all the difference in the world. Baggage adds up, but I try and pack light when I travel to Japan (so I can bring back whisky!)

    • It's dry season all over japanfor the Japanese stuff.

    • Agree. GC has direct and cheaper flights which is awesome.

  • +2

    i wonder if the japanese walk around their cities thinking "omg we are being swamped with those australian tourists.. they are EVERYWHERE!"?

    • +3

      From seeing how many people from Ozbargain travel to Japan you would think that but once you actually get there you realise there's not many foreigners in Japan.

      • +2

        There are way way more foreigners than before.

        First trip about 6 years ago we saw about 5 other white people it felt. Last year in places it got to the point of ridiculous.
        Great that people are getting interested, but the introduction of so much english etc, is slightly taking away from the feeling that you are in a foreign place and that you don't fit in.

        Still my favourite country to visit.
        I do think everyone should go now, i reckon the olympics in 2020 might ruin the feel of the place a little, mainly by increasing tourism post olympics to an even higher level.

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