How can we earn rewards with online shopping?

In Canada, there are several portals you can use to earn rewards for your online purchases.

The best known are:

• AIR MILES’ Airmilesshops.ca
• Aeroplan eStore
• Rakuten (formerly known as ebates)

Through these portals, you can collect AIR MILES miles, Aeroplan points or cash back. At the end of the article, yoi’ll find an interesting technique forthe purchase of gift cards!

Before you can get rewards for your online purchases through these different online portals, you need to understand how they work.

Many brands such as Amazon, Gap or The Bay are looking to attract customers to their online store. To do so, they do business with different partners such as AIR MILES, Aeroplan or Rakuten by paying them a commission for every customer they bring them.

Then, once your purchase has been confirmed, AIR MILES, Aeroplan or Rakuten will pay you back in the form of a reward (AIR MILES miles, Aeroplan points or cash back for Rakuten), a portion of the commission they have earned.

The common rule: your shopping cart must be emptyBEFORE using one of these portals. Otherwise, the store will not consider these portals contributed to bring you in as a customer! And you will not receive your reward (since they will not have received a commission for the sale).

Also, it’s important to go through the portal website! Buying directly from Amazon, Walmart or your favorite store’s mobile application doesn’t work.

airmilesshops.ca is the online shopping portal of the AIR MILES loyalty program.

By using this portal BEFORE you shop with with their online business partners, you will be able to get 1 mile/$20 for your purchases.

However, it is possible to earn more AIR MILES miles through various promotions:

• airmilesshops.ca promotions
• the multiplier of partner businesses
• the multiplier, especially the airmileshops.ca site

On a regular basis, AIR MILES miles collectors receive promotions allowing them to earn a fixed number of AIR MILES miles after a certain amount of purchase at airmilesshops.ca.

As in this example: 50 AIR MILES miles after any $100 purchase through airmilesshops.ca

Regularly, AIR MILES partner stores offer mileage accumulation promotions via a multiplier.

For example, if it says that you will earn 5x the miles, it means:

• you will earn 1 mile/$20 of purchases (basic offer)
• you will earn 4 miles/$20 of purchases (bonus offer with the store multiplier)

Which means 5miles/$20 of purchases.

That’s why AIR MILES says you will earn 5x the miles.

Sometimes, AIR MILES also offers a multiplier on the entire airmilesshops.ca portal.

In this case, the multiplier offered by the retailer and the multiplier offered by airmilesshops are added to the basic offer:

For example, if it says you’ll earn:

• 5x miles at the store
• and 10x miles on all airmilesshops.ca stores

So you will have 5x + 10x = 15x the total miles.

This means that:

• you will earn 1 mile/$20 of purchases (basic offer)
• you will earn 4 miles/$20 of purchases (bonus offer with the store multiplier)
• 1 additional mile / $20 in purchases for the basic offer
• and you will get 19 miles / $20 in purchases (bonus offer with airmilesshops.ca multiplier)

That’s 15 miles / $20 in purchases.

Here is another example.

For a $120 purchase on The Bay, with a multiplier of 3 X for The Bay, and 20 X on the entire airmileshop site:

• 1 mile / $20 purchase (basic offer) = 6 miles
• Multiplier The Bay = 12 miles
• Total for The Bay : 18 miles (which corresponds to 3 X the 6 basic miles)

Then, we add up:

• 1 additional mile / $20 in purchases for the basic offer = 6 miles
• airmilesshops.ca multiplier = 114 miles
• Total for Airmilesshops: 120 miles (which corresponds to 20 X the 6 basic miles)

For a grand total of 138 miles earned on a $120 purchase, or 23 X miles! This has a value of approximately $14.50 (or 12%).

In order to earn even more AIR MILES miles on your purchases, you will need to use a credit card linked to the AIR MILES Program!

Here are three cards that offer a different way to earn miles:

• 1 mile / $25 everywhere for the BMO^® AIR MILES^® Mastercard^®*
• 1 mile/$10 anywhere for the American Express^® AIR MILES^®* Platinum Credit Card
• or 1 mile / $12 everywhere for the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard

When you make a purchase directly at an AIR MILES partner (Shell, Jean Coutu, IGA, etc), the accumulation is more generous:

• 3 miles / $25 everywhere for the BMO AIR MILES Mastercard
• 2 miles/$10 for the AIR MILES^MD* American Express^MD Platinum Credit Card
• 3 miles / $12 everywhere for the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard

To view allAIR MILES credit cards, click here.

The eStore is the online shopping portal for the Aeroplan loyalty program.

By using this portal BEFORE you store at partnering online stores, you can earn at least 1 Aeroplan Point for every $1 in purchases.

There are often promotions toearn additional Aeroplan Points for purchases at businesses listed on the eStore.

This can range from 2x to 10x the points. At certain times of the year, such as in the period leading up to the holidays, there are interesting promotions at the eStore.

These promotions can concern:

• a particular store (such as Apple.ca)
• a category of stores (sports items at a “Fitness” event)
• the entire eStore (during major shopping periods such as Black Friday)

To earn even more Aeroplan points on your purchases, you’ll need to use an Aeroplan-linked credit card available from American Express, CIBC or TD!

Here are some cards that offer a different accumulation:

• 1 point per dollar everywhere with the American Express^MD Aeroplan Card and the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
• 1.25 points per dollar everywhere with the American Express^MD Aeroplan Prestige Card.

To view all Aeroplan credit cards, click here.

Rakuten.ca (formerly known as eBates) is an online shopping portal which offers cash back.

If you use this portal BEFORE shopping at partner online stores, you can earn cash back on your purchases.

By registering via our referral link, you will be able to get a $5 credit after making $25 in purchases!

https://www.rakuten.ca/r/milesopedia

There are often promotions to earn more cash back for purchases at stores posted on Rakuten.ca.

This can go up to 10% or even 20%!

However, pay attention to the product categories for each of the online stores.

Indeed, it is not uncommon for the promotional percentage to vary. At Indigo, for example, the terms and conditions state that no cash back is offered on purchases of :

• Apple branded products
• Used and rare books
• Electronic books
• membership in the privilege points program
• American Girl brand products

Rakuten is a very advantageous portal to get cash back for online purchases. But, it is also the place to buy gift cards!

By purchasing gift cards through the Rakuten.ca site (not accessible from the mobile application), it is possible to accumulate cash back .

But most of all, it’s a roundabout way to use an American Express card with stores that don’t accept this type of card! Examples include Loblaws grocery stores (Provigo, Maxi, Loblaws, etc.) or IGA grocery stores.

Indeed, it is possible to pay your gift cards with:

• Mastercard
• Visa
• Paypal (which accepts American Express!)

Some gift cards will be sent by mail, while you can get others electronically!

Please note that the discount obtained on your credit card for the purchase of a gift card via Rakuten.ca will be the same as for the basic category. Therefore, it is not considered a grocery store purchase, even if you purchase a grocery store gift card.

You will therefore need to choose the credit card that allows you to accumulate the most points or discounts in any category.

It’s still convenient to earn rewards with your American Express card without changing grocery stores . American Express cards are accepted at Metro and Super C, as well as some IGA stores. Or to unlock a welcome bonus!

If you are shopping for groceries at Metro or Super C, it is best to use the American Express CobaltTM Card directly. It is recognized as the best credit card in Canada for groceries.