Everything You Need To Know About The New Air Miles (2024)

Air Miles is a Canadian loyalty program in which you collect points when you shop at select retailer partners. These points, called Miles, can be used for travel, hence the name, but also for merchandise and gift cards.

Earning Air Miles is twofold: showing your membership card (or entering the number) when you shop at its retail partners in-store or online or using an Air Miles credit card, which is offered by BMO. If you do both at retail partner, you’ll receive double the Miles

Air Miles launched in Canada in 1992, becoming one of Canada’s most widely known loyalty programs. As the Air Miles program evolved, members noticed it had become substantially less rewarding. Here’s how:

• Air Miles decreased in value. In the mid-2000s, Air Miles decreased the value of its points. It now took significantly more points to earn a free flight.
• Air Miles divided its rewards into Cash Miles and Dream Miles. Cash Miles could be redeemed for in-store purchases and e-vouchers, while Dream Miles could be redeemed for merchandise, travel, events and attractions. However, you could not transfer Miles between these two categories, and you had to set the percentage of Miles you wanted to land in your Dream Miles pile versus your Cash Miles pile ahead of time.
• Miles expired after five years. In 2016, the company announced plans to introduce an expiration date for Miles. This decision was reversed after significant backlash, but it frustrated members.
• Major retail partners left. By 2022, several major partners of Air Miles had departed from the program, including the LCBO, Staples, Rexall and Lowe’s.
• Bankruptcy. In 2023, Loyalty Ventures—the Air Miles parent company—filed for bankruptcy protection in March. People were advised to cash out their Air Miles before it was (luckily) acquired by BMO the following day.
• A major grocery partner also left. In 2024, Metro departed from the loyalty program too, which was a very significant partner for the company.

Previously, you weren’t able to turn your Dream Miles into Cash Miles and vice versa—much to the chagrin of members. Cash Miles could only be used for in-store purchases, while Dream Miles could only be redeemed for travel and merchandise.

The type of Air Miles you earned was set within your account ahead of time. Basically, after you open your account, you needed to allocate the Miles you could potentially earn via a slider. You could set up your account to earn all Dream Miles, all Cash Miles or a mix of both at different ratios (like 50/50 or a 60/40 split). You could adjust your selection after the fact but couldn’t convert the two types of Air Miles into each other.

Starting in June, collectors can now convert Dream Miles to Cash Miles or Cash Miles to Dream Miles. The catch is that only collectors with Gold and Onyx status can transfer Miles. Onyx is the highest status in the Air Miles program and to achieve it you need to earn 5,000 or more Air Miles per year or hold any one of BMO’s World Elite Mastercards. You can also get it with a BMO Air Miles Business Mastercard. Gold is the status tier below Onyx and to get it you must earn between 500 and 4,999 Air Miles per year or hold a BMO Air Miles Mastercard or a BMO No-Fee Business Mastercard.

Onyx members—the highest status tier for Air Miles—get unlimited transfers. Gold members—the second highest status tier—can only transfer 1,000 miles annually. Blue members—the lowest status tier—can’t transfer Miles.

Over the years, retail partners for Air Miles have dwindled, making it harder for collectors to earn points on things like groceries. Going forward, the reliance on retail partners will abate slightly. Air Miles credit cards will earn twice the Miles at grocery stores, liquor stores and wholesale stores, regardless of the name of the store in question.

Another way for Air Miles credit cardholders is with exclusive offers through partner retailers like Turo, Instacart, Moroccanoil and Porter Airlines.

Overall, the changes to Air Miles seem significant on the surface. You’ll earn more Miles in grocery stores, liquor stores and wholesale stores like Costco. You’ll be able to convert Air Miles from Cash to Dream Miles and back. You’ll have more redemption options, and you’ll get a discount on fuel at Shell. These upgrades definitely make the program seem more appealing, but to convert Air Miles between its two types, you have to achieve Gold or Onyx Status in the program. Blue Status members are left with the old non-transferrable Air Miles rules.

It’s nice that you can earn double the Air Miles at grocery, liquor and wholesale stores without worrying about whether it’s a partner, but other credit cards attached to other loyalty programs have allowed you to do the same thing for years. Other credit cards also give you discounts on gas, and the new redemption options aren’t in-store for Cash Miles holders or an enticing new group of big retail brands. Instead, you can only cash an e-voucher, and the in-store partners will remain the same.

If that excites you, more power to you, but there are other loyalty programs in Canada that give you more value from more places at this point, whether its American Express Membership Rewards, Scene+ points or Aeroplan points. Air Miles does promise you’ll be able to redeem for flights faster, but that remains to be seen.