“Because I’m more aware of offers that are in market, I remember to check the app, which opens up even more offers.”
Brandon Roberts knows the AIR MILES® Reward Program™ inside and out. Not just because he’s an avid collector, but also because it’s his job as our Director of Analytics & Insights.
Which means if there’s anyone who has up-to-the-minute knowledge of AIR MILES offers and how to get the most out of them, it’s Brandon. And that makes him, in our opinion, Canada’s most informed AIR MILES collector. It’s a title he wears proudly.
“I’m always looking for the best spend-to-get ratio with all of the offers that are in market.” (Spoiler: Shell’s convenience offer at 1 Reward Mile for every $5 spent is pretty close.)
That’s just one of Brandon’s hacks. Turns out, he’s got TONS more. We narrowed them down to his top three so that you can get an insider look at how to work the Program to your full advantage.
Hack #1: Stack your offers
This is where Brandon really hits the jackpot. Every time he shops, he looks at how to score multiple AIR MILES offers at once.
For example, Brandon had his eye on the Samsung Galaxy S22 phone. As you’ll see in the example below, Brandon saved $400 and then stacked offers to earn a whopping 1,335 Bonus Miles on his purchase. When you translate those Reward Miles to Cash Miles, that adds up to over $140 worth of free stuff.
Let’s break down how Brandon stacked offers like the seasoned AIR MILES collector he is:
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Samsung Galaxy S22 Phone and Buds 2Pro $1,149.75
The phone and ear buds cost $1,017.49 pre-tax, with a discount of $417 from Samsung
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Max Pass 15x 700 Bonus Miles
For $10, Brandon purchased a limited-time Max Pass which gave him a 15x the Miles multiplier at Samsung
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Samsung Base Offer 50 Reward Miles
The Samsung base offer was 1 Reward Mile for every $20 spent
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airmilesshops.ca Base Offer 50 Reward Miles
Brandon purchased the phone through airmilesshops.ca, which had a base offer for Samsung of 1 Reward Mile for every $20 spent
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airmilesshops.ca Multiplier 200 Bonus Miles
airmilesshops.ca was running a 5x the Miles multiplier
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Samsung Bonus Miles on Buds2 Pro 50 Bonus Miles
Samsung was running a promotion that offered 50 Bonus Miles on Buds2 Pro (which Brandon purchased)
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BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard 285 Reward Miles
Brandon earned 3 Reward Miles for every $12 spent since Samsung is a participating partner for the accelerated earn rate on the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard
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GRAND TOTAL 1,335 Reward Miles
All said and done, Brandon earned 1,335 Reward Miles with this Samsung purchase. That is the equivalent of $141 in Cash Miles!
Hack #2: Shop online through airmilesshops.ca
Now THIS is where we really get into stacking because if you use your AIR MILES credit card at our 250+ online stores through airmilesshops.ca, you’ll earn twice—just like when you shop in-store. Once, just for using your credit card and then again, for shopping through airmilesshops.ca. We like to call this “double dipping.”
But here’s the rub. You can also earn multipliers on top of double-dipping. According to Brandon: “There’s often pretty rich multipliers on airmilesshops.ca, from to 5x, 10x, or 20x, even, through things like Amazon Prime Day, Boxing Day, or Cyber Monday. Then adding in the credit card really helps you get Miles really quickly.”
Of course, even if you don’t have an AIR MILES credit card, you can still earn TONS of Miles through airmilesshops.ca, especially when you shop when there are multipliers. (Bonus tip: we run them often!)
Hack #3: Use the Onyx Personal Shopper
“With the Onyx Personal Shopper, you can ask an AIR MILES associate to find an item for you, or you can specify the item that you’re looking to buy and get the item for the equivalent value of Cash Miles.”
If it’s news to you that we even have an Onyx Personal Shopper, you’re not alone. It might be our best-kept secret!
Brandon had his eye on a bike, which cost about $1,200. So, being the avid Onyx collector that he is, he used the Personal Shopper Service to purchase the bike using his Dream Miles.
“It was kind of fun getting a brand-new bike shipped to my house, which is pretty rare.”
Kind of fun is right! So, if you’re an Onyx collector, be sure to check out the Personal Shopper Program as it allows you to buy almost any item that’s not in our catalogue with your Dream Miles.
If you’re not an Onyx collector, consider this: the more you use the program—whether it be stacking offers, using your BMO AIR MILES card, or getting multipliers online—the quicker you’ll reach Gold or even Onyx status. And that’s when things REALLY happen. With higher status comes MORE Bonus Offers and MORE discounts on rewards.
In other words, the more you put into the program, the more you get out of it. And Brandon Roberts is living proof of that.
