Miles App Review: Is It Legit & Worth It?

Do you love discounts and deals on your favorite products and services? You may feel this for being a frequent flyer who enjoys regular reward programs. But, if you think the same way, I hate to break it to you, but a frequent flyer program may not be as profitable as it sounds.

Think about it: you get free air miles whenever you take a flight, but how many times do you fly? Once or twice a month?

What if I tell you about one program that makes you earn bonus miles even without flying? It offers much more by tracking your movement while you walk or drive. There’s nothing compared to the excitement of earning miles automatically, especially if you’re a frequent traveler.

If you want to make the most of your travels and earn gift cards, coupon codes, and exclusive rewards, then the Miles App may help you. But is it worth the time?

Sounds interesting? Read along with our Miles app review to find out more. In this review, I will let you know how it works, how to sign up, and what are the pros and cons if you become a member.

What is Miles App?

Miles App is a Frequent Flyer Program for ground transportation. The company’s headquarters in San Jose was founded by three visionary individuals: Jigar Shah, Paresh Jain, and Parin Shah.

The app not only lets you earn miles automatically outside the airline industry. It encourages people to feel rewarded when going out while it solves public transport management and city traffic problems through its cutting-edge technology.

Through this app, citizens can get miles for ground transportation. You’re eligible for miles and exclusive rewards if you:

• Travel through rideshare apps like Uber or Lyft
• Ride a bicycle
• Take public transport
• Drive your car
• Walk

Its ability to track multiple transport modes can potentially revolutionize local transportation systems. Besides that, the intelligent app encourages green transportation, making it a futuristic business model.

So, is the Miles app worth it or not? If yes, how do you sign up for the miles app? We’ve compiled all the information you need below.

How Does the Miles App work

If you’ve read other Miles app reviews, you probably know this app is a unique addition to transportation reward options. Initially, other frequent flyer programs had only one way people could earn rewards for traveling or by flying.

This app fills the gap and rewards people for using various mobility methods besides flying. Not only can consumers earn rewards for moving and traveling, but they can also further redeem those rewards for the same mode of transportation.

Moreover, many other options on the Miles app allow you to redeem your points. You don’t always have to use them for free transportation. I know what you’re thinking. What’s in it for them?

They track every move you make to get ample information about public movements and traffic behaviors. After that, they sell valuable information for revenue.

They also derive tailor-made predictions for every person using their app and give them deals and offers accordingly. This way, they help increase sales for their partner brands and earn a  profit.

We have several concerns about the user-friendliness of this app, so if you’d like to earn easy rewards points, we’d recommend going in a different direction. Here are some options:

• Capital One Shopping
• PayPal Cash by Honey

Are you still confused? I will cover everything further so you can understand how the Miles app works before you sign up.

How to Sign Up for the Miles App

This is an essential aspect you’ll need to know when you decide to sign up for the Miles app. Signing up for the Miles app is fairly straightforward. You must download the app on your smartphone and enter your necessary details to become a member.

After you’re signed in, you will get access to your dashboard, where you can check your earnings and reward opportunities. Mainly, you must keep the Miles app running in the background so it can easily track your movements using your mobile GPS.

Like other tracking apps with frequent flyer programs, it does not suck up your battery or slow your device down. You will be given a Silver status immediately when you become a member.

Once you earn points and rewards, you can raise your status to their Gold and Platinum levels. More on these in a later part of this review.

Miles App Points

First, the daily miles will be recorded on your dashboard as points. You can then use these points to redeem deals and discounts on future transportation or from your favorite stores and retailers.

The best part is that the Miles app gives you a head start of 2,000 miles upon signing up. These miles are worth about $5, which you can spend on gift cards from Target, Starbucks, or Whole Foods.

You can even get this amount as a discount on your bill the next time you visit the store. You get one point for each mile you travel by air or car. But here’s the interesting part: if you travel by carpool or ride-share, each mile you travel will be worth two miles on the app.

You’ll get three miles for each mile traveled for mass transit options like public buses or the subway. Similarly, you get five miles for each mile traveled riding a bike.

Walking is the most profitable activity for Miles app users. If you walk one mile, the app will record ten extra miles on your dashboard, which can ultimately increase your rewards. Besides retail discounts and travel deals, you can get prizes like free Coursera and Vudu credit trials.

See Related: Best Ways to Earn Delta SkyMiles

Bonus Points

Oh yes, get ready for bonus points as well! The app awards extra miles to its customers during holidays. Also, if you complete your profile with your details, you will go the extra mile on occasions such as your birthday or wedding anniversary.

You can earn miles here by referring it to your friends. As soon as you sign up, you will get a unique link that you can use to invite your friends to the app. You will redeem exclusive rewards, get bonus prizes and gift cards, and earn extra miles if they sign up and continue using the app.

Even though it says there is a referral program, we tested the program by referring a couple of people to make sure we would get the bonus. It showed nothing. Here is a screenshot from our account:

The referral program also has terms and conditions attached to it, which are not all that favorable to users.

If you get a tier or status upgrade on the app, you’ll get bonus miles whenever you travel on your usual commute. I will discuss the different statuses and tiers later.

Most importantly, the Miles app holds promotions and advertisements on social media. You can win amazing prizes and valuable promo codes if you look out for those and participate. That sounds amazing, right?

See Related: Ways to Book the Cheapest First Class Flights

Redeeming Points on the Miles App

As I mentioned, there are multiple ways to redeem rewards through the points you earn. Besides that, the points never expire, so that’s a plus. You can redeem them immediately or save up for top deals in the future – that’s totally up to you. Here are several forms that you can use your miles points:

Raffle Drawings

Miles’ raffle drawings are another compelling redemption option worth looking into. The prize is usually a $25 gift card, but you can earn much more with your miles if you spend them wisely.

Today, Miles offers Walmart, Target, Starbucks, and Amazon gift cards as their rewards program. Through your accumulated points, you can also have a chance to win up to $250 via Paypal.

Gift Cards

The easiest way to redeem your points is by getting discounts and deals from Miles app partner brands. The most popular retailers from its partner list include:

• Garmin
• Peet’s
• Postmates
• Shipt
• DoorDash
• Reebok
• Pandora
• HP

Moreover, you can choose whether to redeem your points online or in person. The app provides multiple options to access your points, including coupon codes, QR codes, promo codes, and discount vouchers.

You can fill in the codes online during checkout or scan your coupons or QR codes when purchasing in person. This allows you to save up while grocery shopping, dining, traveling, or receiving medical care.

While these options are listed, it’s far from the reality of what is actually offered on the app. This is what I see on the app, which contains Amazon redemption options that are only available every 3 minutes or so and are for a maximum of $1 gift card(!?).

Then, after redeeming my lucrative $0.50 gift card on Amazon, here’s what happened next. I was locked out for redeeming again that day and had to wait three days to be able to do so again.

Donate Miles

In exchange for a dollar contribution, you will obtain ten thousand miles, which you can donate to charitable organizations such as the American Heart Association (AHA). During February, users of Miles were eligible for an Amazon gift card for $1 for every 10,000 miles they gave.

Miles App Statuses

As you would notice in standard airline loyalty programs, the Miles app has specific status tiers. The Miles App has three tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. The number of miles you earn in the current calendar month affects your tier status for the following month.

All statuses differ in their point redemption rates. After the lowest status, the Silver status upgrades according to your everyday activity. The value of the gift cards and discounts will remain the same, and the point values for different tier members will change.

For example, a V5 gift card will cost Silver members 3,000 points, while Gold members will cost around 2,500. Similarly, the same gift card will be worth only 2,000 points for Platinum members.

This means the higher your status, the quicker you’ll redeem certain rewards compared to other members on the platform. Here is a walkthrough of each one:

Silver Benefits

Your status will change to “Silver” if your previous month’s mileage total was less than 750. Each month, you’ll earn 100 extra miles and receive 2,500 bonus miles on your Miles app anniversary and 2,500 bonus miles on your birthday. However, you may have to go into the app and claim them yourself.

Gold Benefits

The “Gold” tier is reserved for Miles app users who have accrued between 750 and 1,999 miles in the previous month. You’ll get 2,500 miles on your Miles anniversary, 2,500 miles on your birthday, and better redemption rates for your rewards due to these privileges.

Platinum Benefits

In order to qualify for “Platinum” status, you must have earned more than 2,000 miles or redeemed at least two incentives in the previous month. This should be fairly easy for cyclists and runners to hit.

A Platinum Member receives several perks, including 400 bonus miles every month, 2,500 miles on your Miles app anniversary, 2,500 miles on your birthday, and better reward redemption rates.

Miles App Tracking System

The impeccable tracking system of the Miles app is its highlight. It automatically tracks your mode of transport anywhere you go. You can even link your Lyft and Uber apps for more efficient tracking. This way, the Miles app can see if you use carpool or ride-share options and adjust accordingly.

However, this may not work for some people. You see, you’re allowing the app to track your position 24/7. If you don’t let the app access your location details, it won’t be able to track your miles.

Here is how the Miles App mentions that you need to set it to the “Always” track, which is incredibly pushy and not very transparent.

This is a serious factor considering cyber crimes and online malpractice through such apps. If you feel uncomfortable with its tracking technology, we’re afraid the app will be useless.

See Related: GetYourGuide Review: Is it Legit?

Miles Location Predictions

If you thought the tracking part was creepy, wait till you hear this. The Miles app uses your location information to derive future predictions of your activities. The app knows where you are and when you will go somewhere. If they track your location for about a week, they know where you work, shop, eat, and make everyday purchases.

The Miles app knows how many users work or travel close to a Starbucks. Out of that, they can easily track those who stop for coffee at least once daily. Using that information, the app will recommend a Starbucks discount voucher to selected customers.

This technology allows app owners to present their users with offers and deals they’re most likely to avail themselves of. Usually, these predictions can be pretty profitable for you, as you will get discounts depending on the places you visit or the products you need.

As far as app owners don’t use this information for malpractice, the predictions are handy to bag maximum rewards.

See Related: Hopper Review: Is It Legit?

How Does the Miles App Make Money?

At the very least, Miles generates revenue by acting as an affiliate to other businesses presented as potential reward possibilities. If Miles successfully convinces you to sign up for a free trial or an introductory deal from a third-party company, then that company will pay Miles a referral fee.

When you sign up for a new product or service from that third-party company, Miles will make some money due to its role in facilitating the transaction as part of its app referral programs.

Miles App Challenges

This is the most exciting part of using the Miles app. It devises some challenges for users to complete and earn amazing rewards based on public transportation.

For example, some rewards are worth 2,000-3,000 points. But, by availing of the Miles app challenges, you can get the same reward by taking shortcuts like taking other modes of transportation, such as one bus ride or five bike trips.

This encourages people to use green transport modes to move around cities and promotes public transport.

Pros of Miles App

Now that you’ve been through our Miles app review, you have all the information you need to get started. Here, we’ve listed the platform’s main benefits so you can assess if it is worth your while or not:

• Easy to set up and use
• Provides rewards for multiple transportation modes
• Promotes healthy living
• Promotes sustainable transport
• Has a long list of popular partner brands
• The miles points do not expire, so you can save them up for as long as you like
• You get tailor-made reward offers through the app’s prediction technology
• Lots of opportunities to earn bonus points
• Free to use

Cons of Miles App

No doubt, the benefits of the Miles app do sound appealing. But every coin has two sides. Here are a few drawbacks that you should consider before making your decision.

• It tracks where you are through location services.
• If your location tracking option is on, it may affect your phone’s working speed.
• Keep a record of your daily activities and shopping behavior.

See Related: Delta Air Lines Review

Is the Miles App suitable for me?

For some, it’s a no-brainer; for others, not so much. You may not like it, but it’s a great way to add value to your journey that might otherwise go unrewarded. The value of the rewards varies. The app’s makers believe that the rewards will improve as time passes.

Final Thoughts: Is the Miles App Legit?

So, is the Miles app legit and safe? Yep, it sure is. The Miles app is a legitimate platform that rewards you by recording your everyday movements. Their promo codes and discount offers are legitimate and work for online and in-person shopping. To put it lightly, the redemption options are terrible, so I would not spend time on this app.

The Miles app’s location tracking system may sound scary, but they don’t misuse your information. I’m not sure of that. It only uses the information to predict your future actions and recommend vouchers. If that sounds shady and makes you insecure, it’s better not to use this app. No one likes 24/7 location tracking.

Nevertheless, it’s a great way to add value to travel that would otherwise go unrewarded. Prizes like gift cards and vouchers vary in value. Also, the app’s makers expect rewards to improve over time.

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