The real value is deciding the exit (ANA or JAL) before you save and designing a low-loss relay route — miles turning into large value is just a bonus on top

The core of miles strategy is deciding ANA or JAL before you start saving — then designing a low-loss relay route

Points earned through point-site activities can be converted into ANA miles or JAL miles via relay conversion services. Used for award tickets, one mile can be worth several times its cash value — making miles one of the strongest exits for your points if you travel. But that value only materializes when you design the exit correctly first.

The very first step is not comparing conversion rates or researching relay services. It is deciding whether you are converting to ANA miles or JAL miles. Once the exit is set, you can see which relay routes are strongest for that exit, and which point-site offers to prioritize. Saving without deciding the exit means you may only have access to relays that are weak for your target miles and lose value in the ratio — or you accumulate miles you never use because there is no travel plan behind them. This article focuses on three axes: how to choose between ANA and JAL, designing the relay route for your chosen exit, and whether accumulating both is worthwhile. For a rate comparison by point site, see the miles point-site comparison article; for ANA in depth, see the ANA miles article; for JAL in depth, see the JAL miles article; for the overall frequent-flyer roadmap, see the frequent-flyer roadmap article.

ANA or JAL — choose by your home airport, target routes, and how each airline's award tickets work

There is no universal answer to which is better. Both ANA and JAL can produce high value through award tickets, but the real question is which one fits your home region and the routes you actually want to fly. Before comparing conversion rates, ask yourself whether you can realistically use the miles you accumulate.

※ Required miles for award tickets, validity periods, and seat availability change by route and season. Do not rely on any fixed numbers — check the current figures on each airline's official site and on Pointnavi. For a comparison of conversion rates by point site, see the miles point-site comparison article.

The single best way to reach a decision: "In the next one to two years, which airline makes it easier for me to actually book and use an award ticket?" — answer that and you have your exit. Miles saved without a travel plan behind them will sit unused no matter how good the conversion rate is.

If you are torn between ANA and JAL, writing out concretely "where you want to travel next" on paper makes the answer easier to reach. For example, "I want to go to Hawaii or North America with my family," "I want to use it for trips home within Japan," or "I would like to travel Europe once"—concretizing the destination reveals which airline alliance and hub airport is strong for that route, and naturally narrows down which miles are an 'exit you can actually use.' Conversely, picking the higher-multiplier side just "because it seems like a deal" tends to leave you, when you go to book, unable to get award seats from the airport in your area—so you end up not using them. The rule is to choose miles by "how hard they are to use up in your own living area," not by "how hard they are to earn." Note that the required miles, validity, and seat counts for award tickets, and each airline's systems, are revised from time to time, so rather than memorizing specific figures here, having a "habit of confirming the latest conditions of your chosen exit on the official site" is more useful in the long run. When in doubt, decide by working backward from your destination and route, before any site-by-site rate difference.

Designing the relay route for your exit — drawing the path with the least value loss

Once you have chosen ANA or JAL, the next step is mapping how point-site points connect to those miles through relay services. Evaluate each potential path on three questions: Can you convert directly? How many steps does the relay add? Does each step lose value?

• Direct conversion: Some point sites allow direct conversion to specific miles; others require a relay service. Even when a direct route exists, going via a relay may yield a better ratio — so always compare before deciding.
• Choosing a relay service: For ANA, the Solachika-route family has been a common option; for JAL, Dotmoney and G Point are well-known paths. However, relay routes and their ratios are revised frequently — routes that were once highly efficient have been discontinued. Always confirm the current relay conditions immediately before converting. See the relay conversion mechanics article for up-to-date details.
• Waiting for a boost campaign: Relay services periodically run campaigns where the conversion ratio is enhanced for a limited period. If there is no time pressure, waiting for a boost campaign can meaningfully reduce value loss.
• Allow for processing time: The full chain from point site to relay to miles can take days to several weeks. Work backward from the date you need to book an award ticket and start the conversion well in advance.

Is accumulating both ANA and JAL miles worthwhile? — Concentration usually beats splitting

"If I'm going to save miles anyway, why not save both ANA and JAL?" seems appealing, but in most cases concentrating on one exit allows you to redeem more award tickets than splitting your points. Here is why.

• Why dual accumulation often fails: Award tickets require reaching a certain mileage threshold before they become usable. If points are split across two programs, both balances can remain below the threshold long enough to expire. Concentrating on one program means you reach the redemption level faster.
• Cases where dual accumulation can work: You complete many high-value offers as a dedicated point-earning enthusiast and accumulate large volumes of points annually. The best relay for certain offers clearly favors ANA, while others clearly favor JAL, and you can capitalize on each. You travel frequently enough to redeem both programs' miles well within their validity periods.
• Daily spending is a separate question: Automatically routing credit card or e-money spending through an ANA card into ANA miles, or a JAL card into JAL miles, can work as a parallel layer. But again, only if you can realistically use the miles you accumulate.

If you are seriously considering dual accumulation, first set a primary exit (which airline's miles you will redeem for award tickets), then decide what to do with the secondary miles. Treating both as primary usually results in falling short in both. For single-airline strategies, see the ANA miles article and the JAL miles article.

The biggest reason to avoid "doing both" and concentrate on one is the nature of award tickets: they can only be used once you have built up a certain amount of miles. Since miles have an expiry, splitting them half-and-half between ANA and JAL can lead to the worst pattern—both expiring before either reaches an award ticket. Concentrating on one exit shortens the time to reach "one usable ticket" at the same earning pace, and as a result increases how many trips you can actually take. This is less about "efficiency" than about "whether you really reach the goal." Of course, an advanced user who earns a large volume of points a year and travels often can make both work, but for most people "first deciding one main exit and designing so that earnings concentrate there" is the surest way to prevent miles from being left idle. Sub miles (such as those that naturally accumulate from everyday card payments) are fine to think about only after your main exit is up and running. The more you are tempted to split your exits, the more you should remember the risk of "earning both half-heartedly and ending up unable to use either."

Step-by-step: from saving points to redeeming an award ticket

1. ① Decide the exit (ANA or JAL)Choose based on your home airport's service, your target routes, and your travel plans — prioritize "can I actually use this?" over conversion rates.
2. ② Map the relay route for that exitResearch currently available routes; note ratios, processing days, and boost campaign timing. Confirm the latest situation in the relay conversion article.
3. ③ Earn points via high-value point-site offersCard issuance, FX account opening, brokerage account opening, etc., can yield large amounts quickly. See the card-issuance offers article.
4. ④ Convert via relay during a boost campaignExchange during a favorable-ratio period to minimize value loss. Work backward from your award ticket booking date and start with plenty of lead time.
5. ⑤ Book and use the award ticket before miles expireBoth ANA and JAL miles have validity periods. Set a travel goal first and plan your accumulation around it. For expiry management, see the expiry-prevention article.

What matters in this procedure is the order of the numbers itself. Many failures happen by skipping ① deciding the exit and ② confirming the route, and starting from ③ "just earn with high-value offers." Earning a lot first, without the exit (ANA or JAL) decided, can mean you can only use a relay weak for your target miles and lose ratio, or that you have earned but have no plan to use it and it sits idle. That is exactly why not breaking the order—"decide the exit → confirm a route you can use now → earn → wait for a bonus campaign and convert → use it up by plan"—is the shortest path. In particular, for ④ conversion and ⑤ booking, the knack is to work back firmly from your travel booking date, anticipating both the days from relay to miles posting and how quickly award seats fill. Note that relay routes' ratios and survival, and bonus campaigns, are revised frequently, so proceed while confirming the "current latest conditions" on the official sites at each step. Acting on old information is the most wasteful failure in mile use.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Splitting points between ANA and JAL without deciding a primary exit: Both balances remain too low to redeem award tickets and eventually expire. Choose one primary exit before you start saving.
• Saving miles you have no travel plan to use, just because the rate looks good: No matter how good the conversion rate is, unused miles have zero value. Set a travel goal first, then choose the miles that make that trip possible.
• Following an old relay route that has since been revised: Routes that were once highly efficient have been discontinued. Always verify current conditions before acting — not the last article you read.
• Forgetting about relay processing time and finding out too late: The full chain can take days to weeks. Award seats fill up fast; start the conversion months before your intended booking date.
• Ignoring miles validity periods: Both ANA and JAL miles expire. Accumulating large amounts without a plan to use them within the validity window leads to expiry. Check the expiry-prevention article for management tips.
• Choosing a miles program for routes not served from your home airport: Comparing rates without checking route availability at your local airport can leave you with miles for flights you cannot easily catch.

Mini glossary — key terms for miles and relay routes

Miles terminology can be confusing, and misunderstanding it can lead you to choose a high-loss route. Ratios, required mileage figures, and validity periods change frequently, so this section covers only the structural concepts. Always check current numbers on each official source.

For rate comparisons by point site, see the miles point-site comparison article; for relay mechanics, see the relay conversion article; for the overall strategy, see the frequent-flyer roadmap article.

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