Giving Tuesday with points and rewards

Every year, Giving Tuesday also known as Mardi Je Donne, is the world’s most important day dedicated to generosity. This day follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday to highlight the importance of supporting causes, organizations and people that matter to you.

Moreover, it is possible to do it with the help of points, or to earn points by giving. Here’s how.

As a Enfant Soleil Platinum Company, Milesopedia is proud to support a cause that is close to its heart, through a project as unifying and hopeful as the Air Canada Passeport de rêve draw.

By purchasing raffle tickets, you contribute to the cause of Opération Enfant Soleil and have a chance to win the Grand Prize, valued at $115,000 and including :

• Eight (8) Business Class tickets, valid for any Air Canada destination and for two years from the date of prize claim with an approximate retail value of $55,000;
• One million five hundred thousand (1,500,000) Aeroplan Points, valued at $45,000, subject to the Aeroplan terms and conditions described on their website: www.aeroplan.com;
• 15,000 in cash, in the form of a cheque payable to the winner upon claiming the prize;
• Or $25,000 in cash, delivered by cheque.

As an added bonus, you’ll also receive coupons, including a 15% discount on scheduled Air Canada flights in North America, Mexico and the Caribbean! There are also 16 secondary prizes up for grabs, with the draw taking place on March 26, 2024. Tickets are available in limited quantities, so Giving Tuesday is the perfect time to snap them up.

Did you know that most point donations are also eligible for the donation tax credit? It will usually take a few weeks before you receive your tax receipt, but be aware that your points have a monetary value for the organizations and that you should, in most cases, receive a receipt eligible for a tax credit following your donation. Please note that most non-profit organizations only issue a tax receipt for donations over $25.

Here are some programs that offer the option of redeeming points for charitable donations.

Aeroplan partners with more than 300 organizations to allow you to donate points. You can choose from the causes that are important to you and donate 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 20,000 points or simply select the amount of your choice.

You can donate your Marriott Bonvoy points to over 35 organizations around the world. Visit this page to explore your options. You can choose the organization that best corresponds to the cause you care about with the help of an interactive chart that guides you in your choice.

What’s more, from November 21 to 28, Marriott Bonvoy will match your points donation (up to 10 million points) in support of these three organizations: World Central Kitchen, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Legal Defense Fund.

The choice is more limited, but if your American Express credit cards allow you to earn a lot of Membership Rewards points, you can donate them to Save the Children for a redemption rate of 1,000 points per $10.

Please note: In this case, it is specified that no tax receipt will be issued for these donations in points.

Most other loyalty programs such as HSBC Rewards offer similar options for redeeming points for charitable donations. To participate in Giving Tuesday, we invite you to visit the points redemption page of your rewards program of choice to verify the organizations they support.

The beauty of online donations is that it is also possible to earn rewards points since credit card payments are often accepted.

We invite you to visit the Giving Tuesday website and find the organization(s) you wish to support today.

Paying by credit card can help you reach a minimum spending threshold to unlock a welcome bonus. Some organizations even give the option of contributing monthly to a cause; this can help you grab the monthly welcome offer from cards like the American Express Cobalt^® Card, for example, in addition to supporting a cause on an ongoing basis.

That way, everyone wins!

A reminder that your donations to charitable organizations are eligible for a tax credit, upon presentation of a tax receipt. You can view the charitable tax credit rates here. For example, in Quebec, donations of less than $200 are eligible for a 20% tax credit and this amount increases to 24% above $200.

We give first and foremost to make a difference and have a positive impact, but it’s good to know that our actions are in turn rewarded, whether it’s in terms of taxes or reward points.

Whether in points, cash or by participating in the Air Canada Passeport de rêveSupporting and contributing to causes and organizations is something we can do all year round, but Giving Tuesday is the perfect time to do it, especially as the holiday season approaches. It is often said that every cent makes a difference, but we really mean it. In this case, we would even say that every point can make a difference!