This article was automatically translated from Japanese using AI. The Japanese version is the authoritative version.
Apps that let you earn points or miles just by getting around have become popular in recent years.
The trouble is, many of them make you open the app and watch an ad every single time you move, or they simply bombard you with ads. It gets frustrating enough that you start to wonder whether you’re accumulating points or just accumulating irritation.
Recently I came across two apps featured in a magazine that are remarkably convenient—none of the tiresome ads, and you can rack up miles with none of the hassle.
Official sites ↓
Miles
ANA Pocket
They made quite an impression on me, so I’ve put together this blog post about them.
About the two apps
Both apps run on essentially the same system, and you can use them side by side, so I’d recommend installing both.
With both, you accumulate miles as you travel, and those miles can be exchanged for points or goods.
Note that neither offers a cash-back option.
The rate at which you earn miles depends on your mode of transportation—walking earns more per distance traveled than driving.
The mode of transportation is classified automatically, and if it’s wrong you can submit a manual correction.
You can also view your travel history, so you can check how far you moved on any given day.
In my experience, both apps track movement quite accurately—even a quick trip from home to the convenience store is properly recognized and earns you miles!
The one drawback is that your phone’s battery drains unusually fast.
Well, of course it does—location services are running the whole time.
I suppose that’s just the price you pay.
About Miles
Miles is made by Miles Japan Inc., and as the original app of the two, it’s very solidly built.
The actual screen looks like the image below. Beyond your earned miles, it shows travel data and a detailed movement history, making it handy for getting a rough picture of your health and daily activity.
The miles you accumulate can be exchanged for all sorts of things: JAL miles, campaign entries, convenience store coffee, and more.
There’s nothing you have to do on a daily basis, so you can just leave it installed and check in whenever you feel like it—a nice difference from ANA Pocket, and one I find very convenient.
Referral campaign code
(Install the app using the code below and get 100 yen in Amazon gift credit!)
Referral code: NVPRMO
About ANA Pocket
ANA Pocket is ANA’s app, built on the Miles system.
As you’d expect from a major company, the home screen is very easy to read.
Here you accumulate points rather than miles.
ANA Pocket has a “Challenge” system: you sign up for a challenge, and if you meet its conditions you earn bonus points.
The best thing about ANA Pocket is that you can convert points into ANA miles, and there’s also a point-based gacha, so you’re never at a loss for what to do with your points.
Converting to ANA miles always feels like a good deal, so if there’s nothing else you want, that’s a perfectly fine default.
Like Miles, it lets you view your travel history, so you can review your activity in the same way.
The biggest sticking point is that it isn’t available on Android…
Here’s hoping that changes.
Referral campaign code
(Install the app using the code below and get 5,000 pt!)