Save money on car rentals with AIR MILES

Car rentals with AIR MILES are only available with DREAM miles (not CASH miles).

We compared the different car rental rates to get a fair picture of the value of our DREAM miles!

To do this, we did a search:

• for a week
• for a compact-size model
• on the AIR MILES website
• on the website of the rental company chosen by AIR MILES
• on the Costco Travel website (known to be one of the cheapest on the market)

AIR MILES allows you to rent a car anywhere in North America and in some parts of Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.

We took 2 examples: Orlando and Hawaii (Honolulu).

Orlando is one of Canada’s favourite family destinations for its many theme parks, including Walt Disney World.

In fact, we’ve written many articles that help you save money on a family trip to DisneyWorld on the major expenses of the trip:

• Hotels or other accommodations(Marriott Bonvoy / Best Western / travel credits for Airbnb)
• Entrances to the amusement parks
• Spending in amusement parks
• Airline tickets (Aeroplan / travel credits)
• Car rentals (AIR MILES / travel points)

Let’s find out how much a car rental costs with AIR MILES DREAM miles.

On the AIR MILES website, a compact car rental in Orlando costs 2,970 DREAM miles and $10.33 CAD ($10 reservation fee + taxes).

Check the cancellation policy when making your reservation. But if the free cancellation rate is chosen and you change your mind, the miles will go back into your account.

AIR MILES’ rental partner is Budget.

On the Budget website, a compact car rental in Orlando costs CA$ 844.46, for payment at the counter.

On the Costco Travel website, a compact car rental in Orlando costs US$ 571.27 at Budget.

With these 3 components, and by adding the conversion rate US$CA$ (1 US$ = 1.28 CA$ – February 2022), we are able to see how much our DREAM miles are worth for a car rental. >

The cheapest rate for the same vehicle is Costco at CA$ 733.88.

Thus:

1. CA$733.88 – CA$ 10.33 = CA$ 723.55
2. CA$ 723.55/ 2,970 miles = $0.24/ mile
3. or 24 cents / mile

It is therefore particularly interesting to use AIR MILES bonus miles for a car rental in Orlando since we get a value of 24 cents per DREAM mile, much more than what we would have had with CASH Rewards (10.5 cents).

With the BMO^® AIR MILES^® World Elite^®* Mastercard^®* welcome offer, you could earn up to 3,000 AIR MILES Bonus Miles! And also benefit from travel and car rental insurance!

Hawaii is a popular destination and flights are often very cheap!

Let’s find out how much a car rental in Hawaii costs with AIR MILES DREAM miles.

On the AIR MILES website, a compact car rental in Hawaii costs 7,580 DREAM miles and $10.33 CAD.

AIR MILES’ rental partner is Budget.

On the Budget website, a compact car rental in Hawaii costs CA $1,465.18.

On the Costco Travel website, a compact car rental in Hawaii costs US$ 990.60 at Budget.

With these 3 components, and adding the US$>CA$ conversion rate (1 US$ = 1.28 CA$ – February 2022), we are able to see how much our AIR MILES DREAM miles are worth for a car rental!

Therefore, the cheapest rate for the same vehicle is Costco at CA $1,271.94.

Thus:

1. CA$1,271.94 – CA$10.33 = CA$1,261.61
2. CA$ 1,261.61 / 7,580 miles = $0.17/ mile
3. or 17 cents / mile

It is therefore particularly interesting to use your AIR MILES bonus miles for a car rental in Hawaii since we get a value of 17 cents per DREAM mile, much more than what we would have had with CASH Rewards (10.5 cents).

American Express and BMO are the only two institutions that offer credit card that issue AIR MILES bonus miles. Check here to see which of several different AIR MILES credit card is right for you.

Then, check the insurance to take or not when renting a car.