How to earn Nook Miles and what to spend them on
These daily tasks and long-term challenges will let you earn Miles to spend on goods and services.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has two forms of currency: Bells, which are earned through selling items, and Nook Miles, which come from doing things. You’ll need to collect plenty of both to turn your deserted island into a true paradise.
Nook Miles are earned through a mix of daily tasks and long-term challenges. These can be performed while doing things you want to do anyways, like talking to your neighbors, working on DIY projects, and gathering resources. You’ll want to earn plenty of them to buy key things like expanded pocket space and the ability to customize your designs. Miles can also be easily converted into Bells if you need some quick cash. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about earning Miles.
Nook Miles Challenges
Think of Nook Miles challenges as achievements. Some are gained for fulfilling specific big milestones in the game or learning to use certain features. Others require spending a lot of time to fully unlock, rewarding you with increasingly large numbers of Miles as you make progress. Some even serve as a consolation prize when bad things happen to you. The best way to complete them is to go about your regular business and explore the game’s many features.
We know these aren’t all of the challenges available, as some of them won’t even appear until specific seasons or events happen. Here’s what we’ve unlocked for now, how to complete them, and what the rewards are.
Active Island Resident
Play a bit every day to make progress in this challenge. After three days, you’ll earn 300 miles and 20 days will provide 500. The next milestone is 50 days, and since the game’s only been out since March 20, we’ll have to wait to find out what it provides.
Angling For Perfection!
You’ll earn 300 miles for catching 10 fish, 500 for 100, 1,000 for 500, and 2,000 for 2,000. The reward for catching 5,000 is still unknown.
Bell Ringer
Spend 5,000 Bells on goods and services on your island to earn 300 Miles, 50,000 for 500, and 500,000 for 1,000. The reward for spending 2 million Bells is still unknown.
Bona Fide Bone Finder!
You’ll get 300 Miles the first time you dig up a fossil on your island.
Bugs Don’t Bug Me
Catch 10 bugs for the first time and unlock their Critterpedia entries to earn 300 Miles. You’ll get 500 Miles for 20 new bugs, 1,000 for 40, and 2,000 for 60. The reward for finding all 80 is still unknown.
Bulletin-Board Benefit
You’ll earn 300 Miles the first time you leave a message on your island’s bulletin board for others to read.
Cast Master
Fish flawlessly, and you’ll earn 300 Miles for catching 10 in a row without any getting away. Continue the streak to 50 fish for 500 Miles and 100 for 1,000.
Clam and Collected
Dig up Manilla clams on the beach to use as bait, and you’ll make progress on this challenge. You’ll earn 300 Miles for five clams, 500 for 20, 1,000 for 50, 2,000 for 100, and 3,000 for 200.
Cornering the Stalk Market
Turn a profit by selling turnips, and you’ll be rewarded based on how much money you made. You’ll receive 300 Miles for earning 1,000 Bells, 500 for 10,000, 1,000 for 100,000, 2,000 for 1 million, and 3,000 for 10 million.
Custom Design Pro!
Buy the Pro version of the Custom Design app from Nook Stop and make something using it for the first time, and you’ll receive 300 Miles.
DIY Furniture
Earn 300 Miles for making five pieces of furniture and 500 for creating 50. The future rewards and goals are still unknown.
DIY Tools
Replace your broken tools by building new ones. You’ll earn 300 Miles for crafting 10 tools, 500 for 50, and 1,000 for 200. Future rewards and goals are still unknown.
Dream House
Earn rewards as you upgrade your home. You’ll receive 500 Miles for your first upgrade, 1,000 for your second, 2,000 for your fifth, 3,000 for your sixth, and 5,000 for fully expanding your house.
Edit Credit
Fill out your passport by picking a photo, comment, and title, and you’ll receive 300 Miles.
Exterior Decorator
Place 10 pieces of furniture outside, and you’ll earn 300 Miles.
Faint of Heart
If you get bit by a tarantula or stung by a scorpion and pass out, you’ll get 300 Miles as a consolation prize.
First Custom Design!
You’ll earn 500 Miles the first time you use the Custom Design app on your NookPhone.
First-Time Buyer
You’ll earn 300 Miles the first time you buy something on your island.
Flower Power
Earn 300 Miles for planting 10 flowers, 500 for 50, 1,000 for 100, 2,000 for 200, and 3,000 for 300. Planting flowers is also a Miles+ task.
Flower Tender
Use a watering can to nurture 10 flowers and you’ll earn 300 Miles. The challenge rewards 500 Miles for 50 flowers, 1,000 for 100, 2,000 for 500, and 3,000 for 1,000. Watering flowers is also a Miles+ task.
Fossil Assessment
Have Blathers identify five fossils you’ve dug up, and you’ll get 300 Miles. Thirty fossils get you 500 Miles and 100 rewards 1,000. Future rewards are still unknown. Assessing fossils is also a Miles+ task.
Fruit Roots
Grow all six types of fruit on your island, and you’ll be rewarded as you go. Remember, you need to plant one of your native fruit to complete the challenge. You’ll earn 100 for cherries, 200 for oranges, 300 for pears, 500 for peaches, 700 for apples, and 1,000 for coconuts.
Fun With Fences
Place 20 fence pieces of any variety, and you’ll receive 500 Miles.
Furniture Freshener
Customize any tool or piece of furniture to earn progress on this challenge. You’ll receive 300 Miles for personalizing five items, 500 for 20, 1,000 for 50, 2,000 for 100, and 3,000 for 200.
Go Ahead. Be Shellfish!
Walk the beach and pick up shells to sell for Bells to work on this challenge. You’ll earn 300 Miles for selling 10 shells, 500 for 50, 1,000 for 200, 2,000 for 500, and 3,000 for 1,000. Selling shells is also a Miles+ task.
Good Things in Store
Earn 300 miles for stashing 20 items in your house’s storage space, 500 for 50, 2,000 for 100, 3,000 for 200, and 5,000 for 300.
Greedy Weeder
Clean up your island and earn 300 Miles by selling 50 clumps of weeds, 500 for 200, 1,000 for 1,000, 2,000 for 2,000, and 3,000 for 3,000. Selling weeds is also a Miles+ task.
Growing Collection
Every piece of clothing and furniture you’ve previously bought will appear in the Nook Stop’s catalog once you’ve unlocked Nook’s Cranny. You’ll earn 300 Miles for expanding the catalog’s selection to 100 items, 500 for 200, 1,000 for 300, 2,000 for 400, and 3,000 for 500.
Gulliver’s Travails
You’ll earn 300 Miles the first time you help the shipwrecked sailor Gulliver get rescued by completing his quest. An additional reward will be granted when you’ve helped him 10 times, but it’s unclear what that is.
Have a Nice DIY!
You can collect DIY recipes from bottles, the Nook Stop, balloons, and talking to villagers. You’ll earn 300 Miles when you have 10 recipes, 500 at 50, 1,000 at 100, 2,000 and 150, and 3,000 at 200.
Hoard Reward
Earn 300 Miles for placing five indoor furniture items in your home, 1,000 for 15, 2,000 for 30, 3,000 for 100, and 5,000 for 150.
Island and Yourland
Visit someone else’s island for the first time, and you’ll earn 300 Miles. You’ll get 500 Miles after five visits and 1,000 for 10.
Island Ichthyologist
Fill out your Critterpedia by collecting 10 different types of fish, and you’ll earn 300 Miles. You get 500 Miles for 20 fish, 1,000 for 40, and 2,000 for 60. The reward for catching all the fish is unknown.
Island Icons
The name of this challenge varies based on what you decided to call your island, but no matter what, it will award you with 500 Miles when you change the island flag at Isabelle’s desk in Resident Services. You’ll get another 500 Miles for changing the island’s tune.
Island Miles
The name of this challenge varies based on what you decided to call your island. This will be the first reward you get, 500 Miles, just for beginning to use the Nook Miles program. Who says Tom Nook doesn’t give away anything for free?
Island Shutterbug
You’ll earn 300 Miles the first time that you take a picture using your NookPhone.
Island Togetherness
Talk to every villager living on your island in a single day, and you’ll earn 300 Nook Miles. You’ll earn 500 miles for doing it 10 times and 1,000 after 20. The next milestone is 30 days, so the reward is still unknown.
It’s Raining Treasure
Use your slingshot to shoot down a balloon floating over the island and collect the present that it drops to make progress on this challenge. You’ll earn 300 Miles after 5, 500 for 20, 1,000 for 50, 2,000 for 100 and 3,000 for 300.
Making a Change
Use a wardrobe to change your outfit for the first time, and you’ll earn 500 Miles.
Miles for Stalkholders
Buy turnips from Daisy Mae for the first time to earn 300 Miles.
Moving Fees Paid!
Give Tom Nook the 5,000 Nook Miles needed to pay the fees for moving to your island and your starting gear, and he’ll give you 500 Miles back as a rebate.
No More Loan Payments
Pay off the 98,000 Bells loan that Tom Nook gives you to convert your tent into a home, and he’ll congratulate you with 1,000 Miles.
Nook Miles for Miles
Completing Nook Miles+ tasks is the fastest way to earn Miles, and this challenge gives you bonus Miles for completing a bunch of them. You’ll get 300 Miles for five, 500 for 50, and 1,000 for 200. The next milestone is 1,000 tasks and we’ll let you know the reward when we get there!
NookPhone Life
Play around with your NookPhone and you’ll earn 300 Miles. It’s one of the earliest rewards you can get.
Paydirt!
Dig up buried treasure on your island for the first time, and you’ll earn 300 Miles.
Pick of the Bunch
Sell enough fruit for Bells, and you’ll also earn Miles. You’ll earn 300 Miles after selling 20 pieces of fruit, 500 for 100, 1,000 for 500, 2,000 for 1,000, and 3,000 for 3,000.
Reaction Ruler
You’ll earn 300 Miles the first time you learn a Reaction by talking to one of your villagers. Keep collecting them, and you’ll get 500 Miles for 10, 1,000 for 20, and 2,000 for 30. The reward for collecting all 42 is still unknown.
Rough-hewn
Earn Miles for using your axe to chop trees for wood, which you’ll need for plenty of building projects. You’ll receive 300 miles for 20 wood, 500 for 100, 1,000 for 500, and 2,000 for 2,000. The reward for gathering 5,000 wood is still unknown. Chopping wood is also a Miles+ task.
Seller of Unwanted Stuff
You’ll earn 300 Miles the first time you sell something to Timmy Nook at Resident Services.
Shady Shakedown
Shake trees on your island, and they might drop branches, Bells, or even decorative items. You’ll earn 300 Miles the first time you get a piece of furniture out of a tree, 1,000 for 10, and 2,000 for 20. The reward for collecting 50 pieces of hidden furniture is still unknown.
Smile Isle
Help out your neighbors by fulfilling their requests, and you’ll be rewarded with an item and progress on this challenge. I earned my first 300 Miles by bringing medicine to my favorite villager, Mott, when he was homesick. You’ll receive 500 miles for completing 10 requests. The details of the next milestones are still unknown.
Tomorrow’s Trees Today
Earn 300 Miles for planting five trees, 500 for planting 10, and 1,000 for 30. Fruit trees don’t count for this, just the saplings you can get from Timmy Nook or Nook’s Cranny.
Trash Fishin’
Sometimes instead of reeling in a fish, you’ll find you’ve caught junk like a can or an old shoe. Tom Nook will reward you for your unintentional cleanup efforts by paying 300 Miles when you’ve fished up three pieces of trash, 500 for 10, and 1,000 for 20.
Trashed Tools
All tools break after a certain number of uses. It’s annoying, but at least when it happens, you’ll earn progress towards this challenge. You’ll get 300 Miles the first time you break a tool, 500 for 20 broken tools, 1,000 for 50, 2,000 for 100, and 3,000 for 200.
True Friends
You’ll receive 300 Miles the first time that you establish a strong relationship with a villager by talking to them and giving them gifts. This will also unlock requests from them. You get 500 Miles for your second close friend and 1,000 for your third.
Wispy Island Secrets
Put Wisp back together by doing his quest, and you’ll receive 300 Miles. You’ll get an additional reward for helping him 10 times, but the reward for that is still unknown, as is the next step in the challenge.
You’ve Got the Bug
You’ll earn 300 Miles for catching 10 bugs in your net, 500 for 100, and 1,000 for 500. The next milestone is 2,000 bugs caught, but the reward is still unknown.
Nook Miles+ Tasks
Once you give Tom Nook 5,000 Nook Miles to pay off your initial move-in fees, you’ll have access to Nook Miles+ tasks. These are the best ways to rack up Nook Miles, so be sure to pay attention to them by checking the Nook Miles tab on your NookPhone.
You have five active Miles+ tasks at all times – as soon as you complete one, a new one will pop up. The first five that appear in the morning will give you double rewards. After you’ve upgraded Resident Services to a building, one of these starting tasks will instead give five times the Miles. These are all small things that you were probably going to anyways, so with a little planning you can be extremely efficient with your time. Here are the tasks we’ve seen so far.
| Task | Miles Reward |
|---|---|
| Access your wardrobe and change your look | 150 |
| Capture a memory | 100 |
| Catch an atlas moth | 300 |
| Catch a black bass | 200 |
| Catch a centipede | 300 |
| Catch a hermit crab | 300 |
| Catch a loach | 300 |
| Catch a sea bass | 200 |
| Catch a squid | 300 |
| Catch a tiger beetle | 300 |
| Catch a wharf roach | 300 |
| Catch five bugs | 150 |
| Catch five fish | 150 |
| Chop down a tree | 200 |
| Complete three DIY projects | 150 |
| Customize two items | 150 |
| Earn 5,000 Bells by selling items | 150 |
| Get three fossils assessed | 150 |
| Hit rocks five times | 100 |
| Plant a tree | 100 |
| Plant three flower seeds | 100 |
| Pop a balloon | 200 |
| Sell 20 clumps of weeds | 100 |
| Sell five fruit | 150 |
| Sell a Hot Item for a fortune | 200 |
| Spend 5,000 Bells to buy items | 200 |
| Talk to three of your neighbors | 200 |
| Tend eight flowers | 100 |
Using the Nook Stop
Nook Miles are primarily spent at the Nook Stop kiosk inside resident services. Even if you’re not planning on buying something, you should use the kiosk every day as you’ll get a Nook Miles reward just for checking in. The rewards increase based on the number of days you check-in as follows:
| Day Number | Miles Reward |
|---|---|
| 1 | 50 |
| 2 | 80 |
| 3 | 100 |
| 4 | 150 |
| 5 | 200 |
| 6 | 250 |
| 7+ | 300 |
Go the extra mile
Earning Nook Miles is easy and can add some direction to your daily chores in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You’ll need to gather plenty of them to collect the various rewards sold at Nook Stop, so be sure to keep this guide in mind to maximize your earning potential. If you have any questions about Nook Miles, let us know in the comments section.
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