Here’s your RWRDS Canada update! Your near daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.
Today's update is brought you to by: |
 Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card Earn up to $1,300+ in value in the first 12 months, including up to 40,000 bonus Scene+ points¹. Offer ends Jul 1, 2025 Click here to apply for the Scotia Passport Visa Infinite Card |
Earn 30 bonus AIR MILES when shopping with Amazon
For the next two week AIR MILES Collectors can earn bonus miles for shopping across multiple categories with Amazon via AIR MILES Shops:
Collectors will get 30 AIR MILES Bonus Miles when they shop 3 or more eligible Amazon categories and spend $20+ in a single transaction through airmilesshops.ca during the offer period. Collectors must first sign in at airmilesshops.ca before purchasing in order to get Reward Miles and qualify for this offer. Limit of one offer per collector number.
Click here to learn more and to shop Amazon via AIR MILES Shops.
Here are the eligible categories (as of April 1, 2025)
Included limited-time categories*:
- Beauty & Grooming
- Home Improvement
- Patio, Lawn & Garden
Included always-on categories for the calendar year 2025*:
- Clothing & Accessories
- Amazon Fashion Private Brands
- Jewelry
- Luggage
- Luxury Beauty
- Shoes, Handbags & Accessories
- Musical Instruments
- Business & Industrial Supplies
- Outdoor Recreation
- Major Appliances
- Camera, Photo & Video
- Echo Devices
- Fire TV Devices
- Handmade
- Kindle E-readers
- Ring Video Doorbells and Cameras
- Software
- Watches
- Eero Devices
- Automotive
- Tires & Wheels
Images via AIR MILES
Catch up on This Week in RWRDS
This week we look at the best credit card welcome bonus offers for this month, a 25% discount on reward flights from Montreal to Europe and beyond, Fiji Airways joining the oneworld alliance and much more in our weekly credit card and loyalty rewards newscast!
PC Optimum member loses 43 Million points! (RWRDS Canada in the news)
For the past couple of week I have been mentioning that the PC Optimum frozen account issue seems to be making waves again. Now it has been highlighted by CBC Go Public with a piece that aired last night across Canada on the The National and today on the CBC website. As always with news pieces my half hour or so long interview is cut to a few seconds 🙂
The specific story of the PC Optimum member losing 43 million brings up more questions than answers and I feel there may be more to this story than both sides are letting on. Some questions would be:
- Why did Loblaw only take action now? Why not at 10 million points, 20 million points etc.?
- How did the member earn so many points? They mentioned earning with credit card spending, bonus promotions and gift cards. As we all know Loblaw under their various store banners do not limit the number of gift cards that you can buy and earn bonus points on. This past weekend was 15,000 points for $100 Uber cards. Someone who uses Uber or Uber Eats a lot could easily go buy $1,000 worth of gift cards and snag 150,000 points just like that. I have heard stories of people buying $5,000 of gift cards for the bonus points – so right there if the bonus is 15,000 points for $100 that’s an easy 750,000 points. Do that multiple times per year and it’s pretty easy to get several million points. And while Loblaws doesn’t limit earning the bonus via the stores, the PC Optimum program terms do put an unknown limitation on earning points via promotions like this. Exceed that unknown limit that PC Optimum thinks a regular household will spend and you’ll be thrown in the penalty box.
- Why did the member keep collecting the points and not use them? Outside of the few redemption events with Shoppers there is absolutely absolutely no reason to hold onto that many points. The only thing I can think of is a rainy day fund? However, points should rarely ever be hoarded in any program that runs cash equivalent like PC Optimum and doesn’t offer outsized value or aspirational rewards. I recall a couple of years ago when McDonald’s stopped their coffee sticker program, there were people with hundreds of cards, filled full of stickers and they never redeemed them for those free coffees. Why? There is/was no need to hold onto those completed cards. They should have be redeemed for right away. I mean that’s me with Scene+, I redeem for $10 off at Sobeys or Safeway every time I hit 1,000 points as those points have the same value across the board whether it’s for groceries, travel, dining, Cineplex etc. so there is no need to hold onto them.
You can read the CBC article and watch the news clip here.
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No other resource in Canada provides you with so many ways to earn More Miles More Points More Rewards. Come be part of the RWRDS Canada community and make the most of your loyalty programs and credit card rewards!
Posts since our last update:
- PC Optimum frozen account issues continue + some tips to take if it happens to you
- The best flight, hotel, and car rental bonus offers for April 2025
- This Week in RWRDS April 4, 2025: The best credit card welcome bonuses for April
- RWRDS Daily Update April 4: Credit Card Review – RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card (Updated)
Canadian Bonus Offers
Ethiopian ShebaMiles
– Earn up to 4,500 ShebaMiles when you rent with Sixt in Canada or Worldwide for 2 or more days and choose the “Full Protection” option on your rental. Book Apr 1 – 30 for rentals until Jun 30, 25 More…
Preferred Hotel Group I Prefer
– Earn Double I Prefer Points on Sixt car rentals of 2 or more days in Canada or Worldwide. Book by May 1 for rentals until May 15, 25. More…
Other Bonus Offers
Ethiopian ShebaMiles
– Earn up to 4,500 ShebaMiles when you rent with Sixt Worldwide for 2 or more days and choose the “Full Protection” option on your rental. Book Apr 1 – 30 for rentals until Jun 30, 25 More…
GHA DISCOVERY
– Indonesia Jakarta Earn 2x DISCOVERY Dollars (D$) and save 25% for stays at the Pan Pacific Jakarta Simply book by Jun 30 for stays until Dec 27, 25 More…
Preferred Hotel Group I Prefer
– Worldwide Earn 2,500 Bonus I Prefer points at select new Preferred Hotels & Resorts properties worldwide. Book by Jun 30, 25 for stays until Sep 30, 25. More…
Deals:
Wealthsimple: Get a $50 cash bonus when you open your first Wealthsimple account and fund at least $500 within 30 days. Plus get up to 2.75% interest on your Cash account today. Click here to get this deal.
IHG: Save 10% off Best Flexible Rate or 15% off the non-refundable rate at participating properties in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean. Book by Jun 2 for stays until Nov 17, 25. Click here to book this offer.