To the point
Many members of the milesopedia Facebook group often ask this question: What to do with our AIR MILES miles? Let's give them an answer!
This article is a summary of our much more comprehensive guide to the AIR MILES Program.
Table of contents
AIR MILES Cash Rewards
It’s the easy solution for many: 95 AIR MILES = $10.
It’s money that can be credited on a bill:
- grocery store (IGA)
- gasoline (Shell)
- pharmacy (Jean Coutu)
Or for an electronic voucher from other AIR MILES Partners.
This is a simple process and gives a real value to AIR MILES miles: $0.105/mile.
It’s also a great way to use AIR MILES bonus miles to purchase gift cards at Jean Coutu. For example, some people buy Disney gift cards to save money on their Disney trip!
Vous débutez avec les points et cartes de crédit? Voici nos stratégies qui vous permettront d'économiser beaucoup d'argent sur vos voyages!
- How to Get Free VIP Airport Lounge Access?
- Save money on your foreign currency transactions
- How to save money on Airbnb with points?
- Save Money on Hotels with Reward Points
- How to save money on flights with points?
- Save on hotels at Walt Disney World
- Save on Walt Disney World tickets
- The points hunter’s strategy for Disney
AIR MILES DREAMS Rewards
If you travel, our advice is to toggle your cursor on 100% Dreams… because that’s where you can get the most value from AIR MILES miles!
The Dreams Account Trips
In the Travel section, you will be able to book plane tickets, hotels, cruises, car rentals,
and flight tickets with AIR MILES miles
BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®* cardholders benefit from a 15% discount on these reward tickets in North America.
Pleasenote that the short-haul destinations often represent the best deal!
To find out more about how to book a flight reward with AIR MILES, we invite you to read this very comprehensive article on the subject.
Know that the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®* is probably the best AIR MILES credit card in Canada for several reasons:
- The first year is free with this offer
- With this offer, you can earn up to 3,000 AIR MILES
- 2 annual passes for airport lounges are offered (including the National Bank lounge in Montreal or the VIP lounge in Quebec City)
- Excellent insurance for your travels
- Accepted at Costco
- Earn 1 mile for every $10 in purchases.
All-inclusive packages with AIR MILES miles
AIR MILES Dream Miles may apply for all-inclusive packages through Redtag Travel Agency.
Here, you’ll use 909 Dream Miles to save $100.
Events and attractions of the Dreams Account
AIR MILES offers a series of events and attractions, often exclusive to AIR MILES members, through the Dream Account.
Whether it’s a round of golf, a day at the spa or access to a culinary event like YULEAT, there’s plenty of options to use your AIR MILES.
Don’t forget amusement parks in the United States. Given the weakness of the Canadian dollar, there are sometimes good finds on that side (although AIR MILES has adjusted its prices accordingly).
We had already written an article on the subject, which we invite you to read again. Depending on the event or amusement park, this can be a wise choice to use your AIR MILES, especially if they will soon expire!
Miscellaneous items in the Dreams account
Here, if you are a GOLD or ONYX member of AIR MILES, you will have access to promotions that may be of interest.
What caught our attention here is the Sony wireless Ear Go speaker. It’s offered for 1,200 miles instead of 2,400.
We have not seen it for sale on any online store in Canada. On the other hand, this product is offered in the United States for US$168 (CA$220).
So 1,200 miles would be used to buy a product worth CA$220 (excluding taxes).
As a reminder, with CASH Rewards, you can redeem 95 miles for a $10 discount. So 1,200 miles would be worth $126.32 CDN. You are clearly a winner here since you would get $17.42 for 95 miles!
But in this cas, we can thank our GOLD member status for this excellent deal. So do your research and calculations to use your miles wisely!
The Dreams Account Raffles
Here, you use your miles to get 1 participation in a competition to win a prize.
In our opinion, raffles are not a good way to use your AIR MILES.
Earn AIR MILES miles easily
AIR MILES credit cards and their welcome offers allow you to earn miles quickly.
In just a few weeks, we were able to earn thousands of AIR MILES miles thanks to the promotions for both credit cards listed below. More than long-standing collectors!
They also allow you to move closer to GOLD or ONYX status, entitling you to exclusive rewards.
An AIR MILES credit card for cash rewards
There are many AIR MILES credit cards, both with American Express and BMO.
BMO AIR MILES Credit cards
The best of them all, the BMO® AIR MILES® World Elite®* Mastercard®*, earns 1 AIR MILES mile / $10 in purchases at all merchants (including Costco).
In addition, for Dream Rewards, it allows you to get 15% off on rewards flights in North America. See its detailed presentation here.
There are many other BMO AIR MILES credit cards and you canearn the Welcome Bonus on any one of them even if you currently hold another BMO AIR MILES card, or have held a BMO AIR MILES card in the past.
In addition, there are also 2 BMO AIR MILES credit cards for self-employed individuals, professionals or small businesses.
American Express AIR MILES Credit cards
American Express also offers many AIR MILES cards, including the best one, the American Express® AIR MILES®* Platinum Credit Card, which offers a very good welcome bonus.
In particular, it allows you to earn 1 AIR MILES mile / $5 in purchases for:
- food and drink,
- expenses at gas stations
- transit
There are also other American Express AIR MILES credit cards:
