It’s the height of summer and heat waves have been 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.
** This post was updated on July 10, 2025 after the recent revamp of DQ Rewards – Click here to read about those changes **
So what are the best redemptions in the program? Let’s look at the 5 best options found with DQ Rewards in Canada:
#1. Dilly Bar / DQ Sandwich
You can redeem 150 DQ points for a Dilly Bar or a DQ Sandwich which have cash prices of $2.89 before taxes. That works out 1.93 cents per point in value and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent, your return on spending is a whopping 19.3% not including what you save on taxes!
#2. Vanilla Cone
You can redeem 200 DQ points for a Vanilla Cone which has a cash price of $3.39 before taxes. That works out 1.7 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is a whopping 17.00% not including what you save on taxes!
#3. Small Shake or Freeze
You can redeem 350 DQ points for a small milkshake or freeze (DQ’s slush) both of which run $5.39 before taxes. That works out 1.54 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is 15.4% not including what you save on taxes!
#4. Medium Shake or Dipped Cone
You can redeem 340 DQ points for a medium milkshake that runs $6.09 before taxes. That works out 1.52 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is 15.2% not including what you save on taxes!
You can redeem 250 DQ points for a Vanilla Cone which has a cash price of $3.79 before taxes. That works out 1.52 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is 15.2% not including what you save on taxes!
#5. Mini Blizzard
You can redeem 400 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 $5.69 before taxes. That works out 1.42 cents per point and since you earn 10 points per $1 spent your return on spending is 14.2% not including what you save on taxes!
Note on valuation:
The values listed above are based on pricing from Northwest Calgary in July 2025. 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 Four Piece Chicken Basket at 1,800 points for a $9.99 pre-tax price. That works out to a 5.6% 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
Even though there were devaluations in the June 2025 update to the DQ Rewards program it continues to be a very rewarding program. The returns on spending are quite impressive with the top 5 rewards all coming in at over 14%. 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
Originally posted on July 22, 2024 @ 11:08 am
