Two weeks to the day of the news of AIR MILES losing Sobeys, Safeway etc. as partners comes news of another big loss. We just received an email from Staples Canada announcing they will be leaving the AIR MILES program as of July 1st, 2022.
Statement from Staples
Here is the first part of the statement from Staples:
Dear Staples Customers,
We would like to inform you that as of July 1, 2022, our partnership with the AIR MILES Reward Program will be changing. As a result, you will no longer be able to earn Air Miles or redeem Air Miles Cash on Staples purchases in stores, on Staples.ca, on StaplesPreferred.ca and on StaplesCopyAndPrint.ca.
The email then goes on to state that Staples is enhancing their Preferred Program for small businesses, will continue to offer their Teacher membership program and will offer exclusive discounts and offers to email subscribers. They do mention you will be able still earn AIR MILES Reward Miles if you shop online with Staples via airmilesshops.ca
Wrapping it up
First Sobeys and now Staples in less than a month? AIR MILES seems to be fighting a losing battle here. Virtually every major nationwide partner has left or is leaving the program. They are going to be left with Shell, BMO and Amex. Metro is a big partner but they aren’t nationwide and all the other partners are very niche players. It really seems AIR MILES is heading the direction of simply being an online shopping portal and credit card reward program.