To the point
Are you looking to buy miles because you're interested in an Aeroplan or AIR MILES promotion? We'll check it out for you!
Table of contents
Is it advantageous to purchase Rewards Points?
Might as well answer the question right away: no, it will never be advantageous to buy miles and points.
Regardless of the promotion offerred, the purchase value will always be higher than the actual redemption value of these miles and points.
However, there is an exception, with 2 conditions:
- an imminent booking
- few points or miles missing
In all other cases, it is financially more economical to earn points and miles for free or at a lower cost through credit cards or other promotions.
I’m going to go through the offers of the main loyalty programs… and more economical ways to get the missing points and miles!
Earning AIR MILES
Recently, a reader, Manon, asked me this question on Facebook:
Indeed, this is a “promotional offer” that AIR MILES reserves for certain members. I logged into my account and for me it’s still $0.30 per AIR MILE.
$0.30 under normal circumstances. $0.20 during the promotional period. Is it advantageous?
No! Why?
Take the redemption value of AIR MILES for “Cash rewards”:
95 AIR MILES = $10
The value of your AIR MILES here is therefore $0.11. And even if you do manage to redeem your AIR MILES for “Dream Rewards” with a better rate, you will rarely earn more than $0.15 per AIR MILE, as we’ve already established.
So, anyway, you lose out by buying AIR MILES.
Alternatives for earning AIR MILES
It goes without saying that if you are missing a hundred AIR MILES, you might be tempted to buy them. But when you need more, here are some alternatives:
- Promotions
Watch for promotions from AIR MILES and its partners. They come up regularly.
The latest: 100 AIR MILES on your first UBER trip.
100 AIR MILES are sold for $30… when you could get them with a single UBER trip, no matter what the fare, for as little as $5 for example!
You will find these promotions on this page or directly in your mailbox.
Keep up to date by subscribing to our newsletter to find out about the latest promotions.
- Credit cards
Earning Aeroplan Miles
Aeroplan allows you to purchase miles only if you are short of miles to complete a reservation.
The cost is therefore $0.03 per Aeroplan mile (excluding taxes). I estimate the value of an Aeroplan mile at $0.017.
Once again, it’s not worth buying them… unless you’re a little short!
Alternatives for earning Aeroplan Miles
- Aeroplan partner promotions
Aeroplan has numerous promotions to earn miles from its partners. It’s easy to earn to 5x Aeroplan Miles via the Aeroplan netBoutique for example.
There’s also a great promotion with Rocketmiles: you could earn between 1,000 and 10,000 Aeroplan Miles when you book a hotel stay.
Credit cards
As always, the best way to earn Aeroplan miles quickly is through various credit cards offers:
Check out the list of the best welcome bonuses to find the one that suits you best!
Conclusion
As you can see, it’s not worth buying miles or points when, at the same time, there are numerous offers and promotions that allow you to earn as many, if not more, Aeroplan orAIR MILES miles!
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