How to Earn Miles on Land: A Summary of Research (October 2016)
I've been researching various methods to earn miles and changing my main credit card, so I'll leave a note for future reference.
By the way, this article is completely useless for those who don't want to fly.
I won't go into too much detail, so if you're interested, please research further.
Note!
This article is based on research conducted in October 2016, and the information may have changed significantly since then. In particular, the old Solachi Route is no longer available, and the point site landscape has changed. Please take this article as a reference only, and I strongly recommend checking other sites for the latest information.
Reference Sites
Many advanced mileage earners have written various articles, so please explore and find what you're looking for.
I'll list a few sites that I couldn't fit in here.
Background
- I suddenly wanted to earn miles
- The return rate of my Hanhwa card dropped to 1.5%
- I realized I needed to use complex methods to earn miles efficiently
Premise
This article is based on the following premises:
- I love traveling and flying
- I'm okay with economy class, but I'd love to ride business or first class if possible
- 1 mile is equivalent to 2 yen
While 1 mile is often considered equivalent to 2 yen, it can drop to around 1 yen when compared to budget airlines or less popular airlines. However, when compared to ANA's cheapest tickets, the value of miles increases to over 10 times. Considering this, I'll assume 1 mile is equivalent to 2 yen.
Achievable Goals
- Earn a 1.5-1.7% return rate (around 3% in monetary terms) through daily credit card use
- Ensure an efficient route to convert points to ANA miles
Necessary Items
Here's a list of necessary items.
Please note that registering through the links below will earn me a small reward.
I'll explain why these items are necessary later.
Essential
- ANA To Me Card (Solachi Card)
- Essential for efficiently converting points to miles
- There's a hard-to-find campaign page on ANA's website. Registering for the campaign is beneficial
- https://www.jcb.co.jp/ordercard/teikei/ana_tome.html
- Hapitas
- Useful for issuing credit cards. Note that Solachi is not eligible. Unfortunately
Credit Cards Only
For those who only want to change their credit cards.
- ANA VISA Wide Gold Card
- Registering through Hapitas is beneficial. Be careful not to confuse it with similar card names
- Note that registering for the campaign after application is beneficial. The UI is terrible, so you'll need to search for the link
- https://www.smbc-card.com/nyukai/campaign/cardinfo7010818.jsp
- G-Point
- Converts points to miles efficiently
Earning Miles
- .money
- Better than PEX with no handling fees
- PointTown
- Convenient for monitoring and managing points
There are many other point sites, but I recommend starting with Hapitas and PointTown, and then exploring others if you can manage them. If you spread yourself too thin, you'll get tired of managing them.
Daily Tasks
- Use point sites when shopping online!
- Adjust your monthly credit card payment settings
For example, shopping on Amazon through Point Up Mall earns ANA miles.
While JAL Mileage Bank is more beneficial, I prefer ANA miles.
It's not much effort (just using point sites), and miles accumulate, so it's recommended.
- Increase your credit card return rate.
Other Ways to Earn Miles
- Earn points through point sites
- Participate in beneficial events
Many mileage earners have written about these methods, so I'll check them out and participate if I feel like it.
I don't want to miss out on big events like Amex's festivals.
How Miles Accumulate
This section explains the underlying mechanics.
Routes
There are two main routes to earn ANA miles:
- Point site -> .money (or PEX) -> Metro Point (T-Point) -> ANA mile
- Mitsui Sumitomo's points -> G-Point -> Metro Point -> ANA mile
The first route involves earning points through point sites.
Using Metro Points reduces conversion losses, and this route is loved by many.
The second route maximizes credit card points.
The key is to minimize losses and efficiently earn ANA miles.
Credit Cards
Credit card payments are not particularly useful for earning miles.
This is because point sites offer high return rates.
However, you can earn around 1.4-1.7% return rate through daily credit card use.
To achieve this, you need to adjust your monthly payment settings.
There are many methods to do this, but it's a bit of a hassle.
Note that the annual fee is 15,000 yen, but it drops to around 9,500 yen if you use web statements.
Consider the break-even point based on your usual spending.
Recently, there are new methods like ↓, but I'll wait and see how LINE Pay develops.
Summary
With the above methods, you can earn miles relatively easily.
Point sites are useful for earning miles, especially during big events.
Try using them for daily purchases and meals if possible.
It's a complicated world, but that's just how it is (sigh).
