Air Miles: The Blue Card

[Shades]

Heard on the radio today that the company is upping the number of miles needed for a trip. This increase will be significant, apparently, and will dramatically affect how much "shopping" you need to do to get some sort of a travel benefit. I gather they haven't widely publicized this and reportedly have e-mailed their clients to let them know that they have two weeks to cash in the points at the old rate! The radio report I heard is that not too many folks got this email....surprise, surprise!

I've been looking at these travel reward cards and it seems that the costs, including the annual fees, really outweigh the benefits. I know, for instance that Avion put an upward limit on the amount of offset points/flight cost...something like $700 for an Asian trip. This doesn't cover the costs...and on top of this you pay the taxes, fuel surcharges etc. plus your annual card fee.

Seems to me a simple cash back card may be the best strategy....right after no cards of course

 

[Ol' Sodomy Sam]

Well, first off Air Miles has no membership fee. Many gas stations have loyalty programs, and so you might choose which ones are most advantageous for you. You can get Aeroplan miles at Sobeys, so you might pick them over Metro and their Air Miles, but with the LCBO being a monopoly, I imagine most of us could earn an airmile or two now and again.

Looking solely at the reward cards given by airmiles, you'll see that 400 airmiles is valued at around $50, meaning you could get $50 worth of Boston Pizza, Metro groceries or the like for those 400 miles. Taking that into account, I think that at present if you were to get a short haul flight (Ontario to Manitoba, Quebec, New York, Washington) and the like, you'd be getting a value of maybe double the above, if you booked in the "low season", so not spring break, Christmas, and mid-summer. After the short haul flights, though, the value drops dramatically In my case, I often fly to Winnipeg, and can do so presently for 1250 airmiles (low season), less 30% if I fly Westjet on the current promotion. Were I to go instead to Calgary, the air miles required jumps to 2250 for the same low season trip, with the same 30% available. Compared with gift certificates, that's probably fair market for the additional distance, and the requirement becomes 2850 to Vancouver, which again is fair considering what you'd pay for the ticket in real money.

I didn't hear the CBC call in show, and so I don't know how considerable the increase will be, but it might not be all on Air Miles. They have to negotiate rates with the carriers for the tickets, and maybe it is time for AC and Westjet to bump their rates. Anyways, I get the secondmost reward miles from Shell (after the LCBO), and I lost a ton when they changed from one airmile at $15 and another each $10 to the present one per $20 and one per each $30 thereafter. That's two per fill for most of us, and the small time x2 point promotions like the one going on now don't make up for it.

Anyways, sorry to make you read so much, but really, tempest in a teakettle. Most airline rewards weren't good deals anyways, and the points have been clawed back more egregiously in the past without a whimper. A final suggestion, though- Because you'll need more airmiles for that trip to see the grandkids or whatever tripe they use as a promotion, I see that Victoria's Secret is offering points per purchase, so maybe do me a favour and get a bra for Molly. If I see those whoppers pounce out from under that red shirt one more time, I'm going to go insane. Thank you in advance.

 

[hinz]

Air miles are not that a good deal and it takes forever to earn. Having said that it is still better than Aeroplan, which has expirary date on the points accumulated.

BTW other than LCBO or Shell, you could earn airmiles by using Amex regular or Platinum air miles credit card at Costco.