It’s the height of summer and heat waves are hitting parts of the country so that means increased ice cream and frozen treat consumption for many! If you love your frozen treats, and DQ ones in particular, you should definitely consider joining DQ Rewards.
Following up on the popularity of our post on the 5 best MyMcDonald’s Rewards redemptions we thought we take a look at DQ Rewards and the best redemption options in this very rewarding program.
So what are the best redemptions in the program? Let’s look at the 5 best options found with DQ Rewards in Canada:
#1. Dipped Cone
You can redeem 200 DQ points for a dipped cone which has a cash price of $3.79 before taxes. That works out 1.895 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is a whopping 18.95% not including what you save on taxes!
#2. Mini Blizzard
You can redeem 300 DQ points for any flavour of mini blizzard (except a Royal Blizzard Treat) and these days a mini version of one of DQ’s most famous treats runs $5.29 before taxes. That works out 1.763 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is 17.63% not including what you save on taxes!
#3. Small Shake or Freeze
You can redeem 250 DQ points for a small milkshake or freeze (DQ’s slush) both of which run $4.39 before taxes. That works out 1.756 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is 17.56% not including what you save on taxes!
#4. Small Blizzard
You can redeem 400 DQ points for any flavour of small blizzard (except a Royal Blizzard Treat) which are $6.59 before taxes. That works out 1.648 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is 16.48% not including what you save on taxes!
#5. 8″ Blizzard Cake
You can redeem 2,500 DQ points for an 8″ Blizzard Cake which costs $38.99 before taxes. That works out 1.56 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is 15.6% not including what you save on taxes!
Note on valuation:
The values listed above are based on pricing from Northwest Calgary in July 2024. Prices will vary based on your location and you also have to take into account that you are saving on paying the tax as well. Here in Calgary it’s 5% but it can be as high as 15% if you are out in the Maritimes.
Tip: The least valuable redemption option in the program is the Double Original Cheeseburger Signature Stackburger at 750 points for a $4.99 pre-tax price. That works out to a 6.67% return.
Boost your return even more with a Points Earning Machine!
You can boost your return on spending at DQ’s restaurants in Canada by paying for purchases with any points/miles/cash back rewards credit card but your best bet is one of the three points earning machines. All three of these of cards earn 5 points per dollar spent at DQ’s (It appears more DQ locations are now accepting Amex but not all of them do yet nor does the app accept Amex) The 5 points earned on these cards are the equivalent of a 5% return (or potentially more on the Cobalt and MBNA cards)
- American Express Cobalt Card
- MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard
- Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
Wrapping it up
Before writing this post I had never done much research into the DQ Rewards program and all I have to say is it is very rewarding. The returns on spending are quite impressive with the top 5 rewards all coming in at over 15%. This is even higher than McDonald’s who offer upwards of ~12% returns with their best reward redemptions. With the 10 points per dollar earn rate and rewards starting as low as 150 points it means you only have to spend as little as $15 before you can start redeeming. All in all, DQ Rewards is quite impressive for a loyalty program!
DQ Rewards points expiry
Even though DQ Rewards redemption options are under the $50 level set out by the Ontario government about points expiry, the fast food chain has decided not to go with a 6 month expiry likes its competitors. Instead DQ Rewards have a 365 day (1 year) life span from the date they are earned.
Images via DQ Canada