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A new year brings opportunities to take stock of your points and rewards goals. It’s the perfect time to adjust your points and credit card strategy, validate your statuses, and plan your next accumulations. Indeed, a few decisions made in January can transform your points balance and your travels for the rest of the year.
Whether you’re aiming for Aeroplan status, a family trip, or simply more cash back on everyday purchases, this guide brings together the main actions to take to start 2026 off right. To go further, check out our page on the best credit cards in Canada.
Start by checking where you stand with your points balance or cash back. Do your current cards still meet your travel and everyday spending needs? If the answer isn’t clear, it’s a signal that you need to review your wallet.
Our list of the best credit cards in Canada helps you choose according to your goals. Additionally, subscribe to our newsletter to discover Milesopedia’s 2026 Awards, coming out in mid-January.
The Milesopedia credit card comparator remains the go-to tool for finding the right card based on your spending. Also take advantage of the start of the year to optimize recurring categories like groceries, which weigh heavily in the family budget.
Depending on your comfort level with rewards programs, here are three approaches from our Beginner’s Guide:
Airline or hotel chain status is generally earned between January 1 and December 31. If you reached your target level during the year, the status extends into the following year. Otherwise, it drops. Everything starts over from scratch on January 1, 2026.
First question to ask yourself: what status are you aiming for in 2026 and what value do you place on it? If you’ve just reached a tier, don’t forget to select your annual benefits with Aeroplan or Marriott Bonvoy.
Starting in 2026, the way to earn Aeroplan Status is changing. Find out how to achieve Aeroplan Status in 2026 with our comprehensive guide. We also explain what Milestone Benefits are, the program’s new perks.
If you had Aeroplan status in 2025, it would remain valid until January 31, 2026. The benefits associated with the status reached in 2025 then take effect on February 1, 2026. For example, a 35K member who only met the 25K requirements in 2025 keeps their 35K benefits until January 31, 2026, then switches to 25K status starting February 1, 2026.
Do you want to stay loyal to a single chain or airline, or keep your freedom? The real question: is paying several hundred, even thousands of dollars worth it for upgrades, priority lines, or free breakfasts? Fortunately, certain credit cards and partnerships provide status access without having to fly or stay extra nights.
Basic rule: only transfer your points when you actually need them. Transfer promotions come back regularly and can add 15% to 50% bonus points to your transaction. On the other hand, a hasty transfer is irreversible and often deprives you of the flexibility of the original program.
Here are some promotions seen in 2025 to give an idea of the cycles to watch for:
These promotions are also useful for orphan points, those that are about to expire or that you won’t use in the original program. You can also transfer your RBC Avion Rewards points to other airline programs at any time.
The year 2025 brought several changes to the Canadian loyalty program and credit card ecosystem. Here are the highlights:
Make a resolution to use online shopping portals. These points and rebates are obtained very easily and boost your balance without additional spending. The principle is simple: go through the portal link before finalizing your purchase on the merchant’s site.
Plus, you double up during multiplier promotions. For example, watch for long weekends, Amazon Prime days, Black Friday, and commercial holidays (Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day). To push the strategy further, also read our guide to optimizing your online purchases.
Several programs offer online deals to activate manually. This is particularly the case with AIR MILES, American Express, Scene+, Avion Rewards, and now TD. An offer can take the form of:
Even if an offer seems irrelevant, make it a habit to activate it. It only costs a click and can prove useful when an unexpected expense arises.
A good points and credit card strategy in 2026 relies on a few simple actions: doing an inventory at the start of the year, aiming for statuses that make sense for you, waiting for the right transfer promotions, following program changes, and adopting small habits like portals and targeted offers. These actions, put together, can be worth several hundred dollars in rewards.
To go further, compare your options with our card comparator and explore our detailed rewards strategies. Happy 2026!
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