This feature article was posted to the main Rewards Canada website last Wednesday December 9th right before our computer crashed. Hence not much action here on Rewards Canada since then!
As much as Canadians love their reward programs there
are two universal truths: a.) It takes too long to accumulate meaningful
points and b.) There are never enough flights available when you want
to travel.
While I’ve written and conducted numerous
media interviews on the topic, the best advice I can offer is to
understand your options.
At their core, true frequent flyer programs
such as Aeroplan are all about rewarding your travel behavior. Sure you
can earn miles through your credit card spend but the bulk of your
earning power is still associated with travel.
The AIR MILES Reward Program funny enough is less about
frequent travel and more of frequent shopping. You earn a bulk of your
miles by shopping at partner retailers, taking advantage of bonus offers
and double or triple dripping by using your associated credit card.
So are you a frequent flyer or a frequent
shopper? Knowing this is the first step to understanding how you can
earn more points faster.
Problem is it still doesn’t solve the
reward redemption part of the equation. Sadly, flight inventory
continues to plague both programs and unless you’re either super
flexible on where you want to go or can plan months and months in
advance, there are limited options.
Or are there???