AIR MILES: should I collect CASH or DREAM Miles?

Updated May 8, 2026
Fact checked by
Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Jean-Maximilien Voisine Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Jean-Maximilien Voisine is the President and Founder of Milesopedia and a leading expert in rewards programs, credit cards, and travel across Canada, France, and the U.S.A. Now 40 years old and a father of two, he has explored more than 100 countries—many of them alongside his wife Audrey and their children. Specializing in loyalty programs such as Aeroplan, Flying Blue, American Express Membership Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, Jean-Maximilien helps travellers unlock the full potential of their points and benefits. His mission: empower others to travel better and smarter across North America and Europe.
All posts by Jean-Maximilien Voisine
AIR MILES: should I collect CASH or DREAM Miles? - carte air miles en main
To the point The AIR MILES program will transition to the new Blue Rewards program in summer 2026. Members’ Miles will be converted to Blue points at an equivalent value. For full details on these changes, read our post on Blue Rewards.

AIR MILES CASH and DREAM Miles

There are two types of AIR MILES Reward Miles:

  • CASH Rewards
  • DREAM Rewards

AIR MILES CASH Rewards

Cash Miles are very easy to use:

  • at an AIR MILES partner’s register
  • either online for electronic rewards

In both cases, the exchange value will be identical and fixed:

95 Cash Miles = $10
or 10.5 cents / mile

AIR MILES: should I collect CASH or DREAM Miles? - 31580 cash educationalbricks 980x330 fr

But at some times of the year, you can redeem 85 or even 75 Cash Miles for a $10 rebate at Jean Coutu. This mathematically increases the value of your Cash Miles.

AIR MILES DREAM Rewards

DREAM miles require more flexibility to redeem. They can be used online to earn a reward from the AIR MILES DREAM catalogue:

  • Travel: flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages…
  • Miscellaneous articles
  • Events and attractions

In most of these cases, the exchange value will often vary.

AIR MILES: should I collect CASH or DREAM Miles? - airmiles reves utilisation

Nous avons d’ailleurs souvent obtenu, par le passé, d’excellentes valeurs d’échange de nos milles RÊVES notamment:

In fact, within the milesopedia community, many members find value in the AIR MILES DREAM catalogue like these 3 readers:

And the key is here: in order to use Dream Miles, you have to be flexible!

The difficulty of redeeming Dream Miles

AIR MILES offers its members the opportunity to redeem their DREAM miles for airline tickets.

The cost per mile varies thanks to what is called a “dynamic” fare structure .

This means that the cost in miles will vary depending on market dollar prices.

Since the search tool was recently launched by AIR MILES on November 18, 2021, the true cost in miles remains to be seen. An article on this subject will be published shortly.

AIR MILES: should I collect CASH or DREAM Miles? - billet air miles yul mco

If you are not flexible in your dates, it will be better:

In fact, this is the only case where the value of the DREAM miles will be fixed:

909 DREAM miles = $100
or 11 cents / mile

AIR MILES: should I collect CASH or DREAM Miles? - forfait vacances milles reves

This problem with the availability of rewards with DREAM miles has prompted many collectors to migrate to Cash Miles.

The choice is yours!

Thus, to the question:

There is no single answer. This will be according to:

  • your objectives
  • your flexibility

If you prefer concrete and immediate rewards, you’ll be better off with CASH miles.

Si vous êtes davantage “joueur”, et davantage flexible dans vos dates, il sera conseillé de se diriger vers les milles RÊVES.

Vous pourriez y trouver votre compte:

Mais comme toujours: vérifiez bien le prix du marché de ce que vous souhaitez obtenir !

Par exemple, Disney World réalise à certaines périodes de l’année des promotions ciblant les Résidents Canadiens… mais AIR MILES ne prend pas en compte cette promotion et n’ajustera pas son prix !

Comme l’a constaté Frédéric sur le tarif adulte d’un billet pour Disney (taxes incluses):

Ceci peut alors diminuer très nettement la valeur d’échange en dessous des 10 cents par mille… soit la valeur des milles ARGENT !

Bottom line

So it’s hard to know for sure if loyalty programs are trying to adjust in some way to change the value of points & miles held by their members.

However, I have noticed, with the feedback of many milesopedia community members, a clear preference for Cash miles on the AIR MILES side. This preference seems to have increased in recent years.

Personally, being more flexible on my vacation dates, I am accumulating 100% on the DREAM miles side!

Maybe when our kids are older – with a school calendar – reason will prevail to switch to the Cash side!

AIR MILES: should I collect CASH or DREAM Miles? - accumulation air miles jm

Finally, don’t forget that there are many AIR MILES credit cards available. Here are the best deals available today:

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Jean-Maximilien Voisine
Jean-Maximilien Voisine is the President and Founder of Milesopedia and a leading expert in rewards programs, credit cards, and travel across Canada, France, and the U.S.A. Now 40 years old and a father of two, he has explored more than 100 countries—many of them alongside his wife Audrey and their children. Specializing in loyalty programs such as Aeroplan, Flying Blue, American Express Membership Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy, Jean-Maximilien helps travellers unlock the full potential of their points and benefits. His mission: empower others to travel better and smarter across North America and Europe.
All posts by Jean-Maximilien Voisine

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