Air Miles Rewards Program in Canada: A Complete Guide
Nov 22, 2024Air Miles is one of Canada’s most popular loyalty rewards programs. Members can earn, collect and redeem Dream Miles and Cash Miles for travel, retail and more.
The Air Miles rewards program offers many ways to earn and redeem both miles and cash, but getting the most out of your Air Miles may require some research and strategic spending.
What is the Air Miles program?
Launched in 1992, Air Miles is one of Canada’s popular loyalty rewards programs with nearly 10 million members. In 2023, the Bank of Montreal (BMO) acquired the Air Miles Reward Program from LoyaltyOne.
As an Air Miles member, you can earn miles by shopping in-store with partner retailers, buying merchandise online through the Air Miles shop, claiming bonus offers at most Canadian grocers, taking advantage of offers using your linked Canadian Mastercard, or making eligible everyday purchases with a BMO Air Miles credit card.
After collecting a sufficient number of miles, you can redeem them for a variety of items like flights, travel bookings, merchandise or instant cash rebates at select retailers.
How do Air Miles work?
There are two forms of Air Miles rewards: Dream Miles and Cash Miles. You can choose to earn either type or a combination of both, with the flexibility to adjust your preference at any time.
Dream Miles vs. Cash Miles
Dream Miles | Cash Miles | |
|---|---|---|
How they work | Dream Miles are redeemable for non-cash rewards like flights, car rentals, hotel stays, merchandise and experiences. | Cash Miles are redeemable exclusively with participating partners, either in-store or as eVouchers for online and in-store purchases. |
Value | 1 Dream Mile = 13.78 to 19.70 cents when booking flights. The value varies depending on the redemption method. According to NerdWallet’s analysis, the average value per mile is: • ~ 16.07 cents overall • ~19.70 cents for economy class • ~13.78 cents for business class. | 1 Cash Mile = 10.53 cents. This fixed value applies regardless of the redemption method. 95 Cash Miles = $10, redeemable in $10 increments, with a daily cap of $750. |
Best for | Travellers and those wanting rewards that can be redeemed for big-ticket items, like flights, vacation packages and more. | Everyday shoppers seeking rewards that can be used for cash-back like redemptions. |
Pros | Redeemable for travel and high-value experiences. | Easy to use with a stable value. |
Cons | Variable redemption rates complicate reward planning. | Subject to daily redemption caps. |
Best Air Miles Credit Cards in Canada
Compare different Air Miles credit cards side-by-side to choose one with the perks and benefits that will meet your needs.
How to choose between Dream Miles and Cash Miles
After you open an Air Miles account, you’ll be asked how you want to allocate the rewards you earn. Choose a percentage of Cash Miles and Dream Miles that makes sense for you. For example, if you want to only redeem your miles as cash, you could set the slider to 100% Cash Miles and 0% Dream Miles. You can adjust your selection at any time.
Once a Dream Mile has been earned, it can be converted to Cash Mile — and vice versa — but only by Gold and Onyx-tier Air Miles collectors.
How many Air Miles for a flight?
For a $400 flight, you’d typically need around 6,428 Air Miles Dream Miles, depending on the seat class. Here’s the breakdown:
Economy Class: 7,880 Dream Miles.
Business Class: 5,512 Dream Miles.
How did we calculate this?
NerdWallet analyzed over 50 data points to determine the Air Miles redemption values for flights in 2024. This analysis calculated the average “cent-per-mile” value for each flight.
Based on our analysis, the average value of 1 Air Miles Dream Mile is 16.07 cents.
More specifically, by class, you can expect to get around:
Economy Class redemptions: ~19.70 cents per Air Miles Dream Mile.
Business Class redemptions: ~13.78 cents per Air Miles Dream Mile.
These values can fluctuate based on several factors, such as destination, time of year (i.e., during holidays or other peak times), and how far in advance you book your flight.
Unlike some travel rewards loyalty programs (like Aeroplan), Air Miles does not offer a flight chart showing how many miles are needed for specific destinations.
To find out how many Dream Miles you’ll actually need for a trip, search for flights on the Air Miles travel portal. Adjust search metrics, like dates, seat class and number of layovers, to see how the number of Air Miles required fluctuates.
How to earn Air Miles
There are multiple ways to earn Air Miles.
Present your Air Miles membership card with retail partners
When shopping in person or online at an Air Miles retail partner, you need to present your card or input your membership number to earn Air Miles.
The amount of Air Miles you earn varies among retailers. For example, at the time of writing, you get 1 Air Mile per $15 dollars spent at Budget Car Rental, whereas, with Global Pet Foods, you earn 1 Air Mile for every $20 you spend.
PARTNERS ACCORDION
Shop with an Air Miles credit card
A fast and easy way to accelerate your earnings is with a co-branded Air Miles credit card.
Air Miles is owned by BMO, which offers six credit cards that earn Air Miles on purchases:
BMO AIR MILES Mastercard
BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard
Student BMO AIR MILES Mastercard
BMO AIR MILES World Elite Business Mastercard
BMO AIR MILES No-Fee Business Mastercard
BMO AIR MILES Business Mastercard
Use a BMO AIR MILES debit card
You can earn 1 Air Mile for every $30 you spend using a BMO Debit Card that’s attached to an Air Miles chequing account. If you also hold a BMO AIR MILES World Mastercard or BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard, you can earn an extra 25 miles per month.
Link a Canadian-issued Mastercard
Link your Canadian-issued Mastercard and Air Miles accounts through the Air Miles website to take advantage of limited-time in-store and online offers with partner brands to earn Air Miles. Once connected, you no longer need to show your Air Miles card at the time of purchase — simply pay with your linked Canadian-issued Mastercard to earn Air Miles.
Shop online via the Air Miles portal and eStore
On top of earning Air Miles directly when shopping at merchants in person or online, you can earn rewards using the Air Miles shopping portal at airmilesshops.ca. Rather than going directly to a partner retailer’s website, shopping through the Air Miles eStore earns 1 Air Mile for every $20 spent.
Book travel through the Air Miles travel portal
You can earn points by booking travel-related items like flights, hotel stays and rental cars via the Air Miles travel hub.
AIR MILES TRAVEL PARTNERS ACCORDIO
Take advantage of Air Miles bonus offers and promotions
Air Miles partner merchants sometimes offer special promotions or bonuses that allow members to earn additional miles. You can find current promotions by checking out the Air Miles website.
Answer surveys to earn free Air Miles
You can earn miles by answering surveys online with companies like Shopper’s Voice. You can find a list of current surveys that offer rewards on the Air Miles website.
Saving grocery store receipts
Upload your grocery store receipts to your Air Miles account for an opportunity to earn bonus Air Miles on eligible grocery purchases. Details on qualifying offers can be found in the Air Miles app.
How to get an Air Miles membership
Air Miles membership is free for all, but automatic for eligible BMO credit card holders. You must be a Canadian resident and at least 16 years old to apply, and the application can be completed online.
How to sign up
When filling out the online application, you must provide your name, date of birth, address and email, then set up a password.
Once the application is approved, you’ll be sent your membership number and digital card via email so you can start earning miles immediately. Then, you’ll receive a physical membership card in the mail within two to three weeks.
Membership tiers and statuses
Air Miles has three membership tiers: Blue, Gold and Onyx. New members immediately qualify for the Blue tier, but can work their way up to higher statuses by earning rewards.
Air Miles Gold status is the next step up, and a tier below Onyx.
Eligibility:
Air Miles members who collect between 500 to 4,999 miles within a year.
Anyone with a BMO AIR MILES Mastercard or BMO AIR MILES No-Fee Business Mastercard.
Benefits include:
Up to 30% off the number of miles needed for certain flights (up to 250 miles)
Up to 5% off the miles required for eligible merchandise redemptions
The ability to transfer up to 1,000 miles annually between Dream and Cash accounts.
Air Miles Onyx status is the highest status tier available.
Eligibility:
Air Miles members who earn 5,000 or more miles within a year.
Anyone with a BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard, BMO AIR MILES World Elite Business Mastercard or BMO AIR MILES Business Mastercard.
Benefits include:
Access to exclusive perks, like discounts of up to 40% of on Air Miles flights (Air Miles flights)
Up to 10% off for merchandise redemptions
Priority customer service
Unlimited transfers between Dream and Cash accounts.
Is it worth joining the Air Miles program?
Air Miles is free to join, so there’s no downside to signing up. Earning miles can be as simple as showing your membership card or entering your membership number at checkout.
That said, it can take time to accumulate rewards. To earn Air Miles quickly, using an Air Miles credit card, shopping strategically and taking advantage of Air Miles promotional offers could help.
Air Miles pros
Join for free.
Maximize your rewards with special offers and promotions.
Earn miles through a wide array of retail partners.
Earn miles through one of BMO’s six Air Miles credit cards.
Access Onyx and Gold status tiers for extra benefits.
Air Miles cons
Redemption value is hard to determine.
Miles cannot be transferred to other loyalty programs.
Dream Miles can only be converted to Cash Miles and vice versa by Onyx and Gold status collectors.
Air Miles expire if an account is inactive for 24 months.
Air Miles alternatives
One alternative to Air Miles is Air Canada’s Aeroplan points, another of Canada’s well-known travel reward programs. Aeroplan also has co-branded credit cards and an online shopping portal.
The value of an individual Aeroplan point may be lower than that of a single Air Mile when redeemed for flights, but Aeroplan points tend to accumulate at a more rapid pace..
For example, with the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard, you can earn 3 miles for every $12 you spend at retail partners. To compare, you can earn between 1.25 and 3 Aeroplan points for every $1 you spend on purchases made with the American Express Aeroplan Reserve Card. Using the above example, you’d need to spend at least $400 to collect roughly 100 Air Miles, but just $33 to $80 to earn 100 Aeroplan points.
Finally, Aeroplan has an attractive “Family Sharing” feature that allows up to eight family members or friends to pool their points, making it easy to redeem Aeroplan points for maximum value. (Note: Aeroplan Family Sharing is temporarily unavailable.)
Make sure you compare the Aeroplan and Air Miles features before you decide what’s best for your needs. You can also get insight from what other travellers think in our Reddit section below.
What Reddit has to say
To give an overview of the Air Miles program, NerdWallet’s credit card experts rigorously review everything from the valuation of points to redemption options. But our Nerds know it can also be helpful to hear what everyday cardholders think. We took to Reddit to find out what users were saying across multiple threads.
Redditors somewhat agree with NerdWallet’s opinion on Air Miles.
Redditors are divided on whether the Air Miles loyalty program is worth it. Some users complain about the program’s limited retail partners, while others suggest the program is worthwhile if you shop strategically.
Frequently asked questions
Did BMO buy Air Miles?
Did BMO buy Air Miles?
Yes, in June 2023, the Bank of Montreal announced the completion of its acquisition of LoyaltyOne’s Air Miles Reward Program.
How much are 5,000 Air Miles worth?
How much are 5,000 Air Miles worth?
5,000 Cash Miles are worth $525, as 95 Cash Miles have a monetary value of $10 (giving each mile a value of 10.5 cents).
The cash value of 5,000 Dream Miles is hard to pin down since it depends entirely on how you redeem them. You can experiment with the Air Miles search tool to explore different trips and see how far your 5,000 Dream Miles can take you.
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Shannon Terrell
Shannon Terrell
Shannon Terrell