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Why AIR MILES And American Express Are Simply #BetterTogether

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I’ve been racking my brain to find ways to demonstrate the benefits of doubling up on AIR MILES by pairing your Collector Card with an American Express AIR MILES Credit Card and I think I have finally found something that speaks our language as consumers. While it’s true that I consider myself an AIR MILES enthusiast, I can also state that I never spend money on products just so I can collect AIR MILES. My miles are accumulated through strategic selection of where I am going to shop as opposed to what I am going to purchase.

For example, if I need groceries, I will visit my local Sobeys instead of going to a grocery store that does not give AIR MILES. This is the same reason I get my gas at Shell, fulfill my pharmacy needs at Rexall and split my home and office essentials between Rona and Staples. There are enough AIR MILES Sponsor stores that I always feel like I am getting my money’s worth for my purchases and by using my Collector Card with something like the American Express AIR MILES Credit Card, I was able to accumulate over 9,800 AIR MILES last year!

What I’d like to do now, is demonstrate how far my 9,800 AIR MILES will go by taking you through a short exercise. My family currently has a pretty plain backyard and we’ve been looking for ways we can spice it up by cashing in our AIR MILES Reward Miles for Dream Rewards. Alright, let’s go!

Dream Reward #1 – Shinerich 35” Cast Stone Fire Pit – Wood Finish – 3300 AIR MILES

Fire Pit

Long summer nights with the family can turn into a great evenings when roasting marshmallows and making s ’mores by the fire. Something like this would definitely spruce up our backyard!

Dream Reward #2 – Suncast Wicker Pattern Coffee Table – 1900 AIR MILES

Storage Table

Sitting in the backyard and enjoying my morning coffee with my wife is missing one thing: a coffee table! This baby will let me put my feet up and still have room for a plate of delicious fruit for breakfast.

Dream Reward #3 – Suncast Resin Wicker Patio Cooler – 1900 AIR MILES

Drink Cart

We love to have friends over in the summer and always like to have a cooler with drinks and snacks. Something like this will keep everything cold during the summer heat but also keep our backyard oasis looking stylish.

Dream Reward #4 – KidKraft Outdoor Table And Bench Set With Cushions & Umbrella – 2600 AIR MILES

Kid Table

My kids love to be outside just as much as I do, that’s why something like this is perfect! Letting us all beat the heat in the shade and have a spot to share our meals in the backyard.

As you can see, I was able to stretch out my AIR MILES in order to get some really great additions for my backyard oasis and I even had 100 miles left to spare! However, without some strategic shopping and the pairing of an American Express AIR MILES Credit Card, I would be forced to choose between keeping my drinks cool while in the backyard with a cooler and keeping me and my family toasty at night while roasting those marshmallows.

Finally, just a note about the American Express AIR MILES Credit Card. American Express offers different types of cards, which you can see here. As I mentioned in a previous post, I pay for a higher level of card because the value of the bonus AIR MILES greatly outweighs the yearly cost of the card. Some things are simply better together, as is the case with an AIR MILES Collector Card and an American Express AIR MILES Credit Card!

PS – Check out the #BetterTogether hashtag on twitter to see some really cool chalk art (as seen above) that gives a few examples of things that are definitely better together!

This post was sponsored by Amex Bank of Canada. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely my own.

AIR MILES AMEX

Confessions Of An AIR MILES Enthusiast

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There are things we admit to people and there are some things that we keep inside (like that time you decided that you really did like that new One Direction song), but some things you just need to be said. When it comes to the way I experience the AIR MILES program, there’s nothing I like more than educating my friends and family on the benefits of the program.

You see, I am what you call obsessive compulsive. When my daughter said she loved Beanie Boos, I bought every last one I could find. The same story can be told with my son and his short lived Pokémon addiction. Luckily, Toys “R” Us gives AIR MILES so I at least got something in return for the $$$ I dropped on those toys. When I get my head stuck on something I can’t stop until I have satisfied my craving for it. That is how I feel about my AIR MILES reward miles and that is why I am okay with admitting the following two points of excitement I find when using my AIR MILES Collector Card alongside my American Express AIR MILES Credit Card.

1. When I find out about new AIR MILES sponsors

There is a Sobeys just down the street from my house and although I would sometimes venture farther to different grocery stores, it was often more convenient to walk up to the Sobeys with the kids. Well, on one of our trips last month we received a pamphlet in our grocery bag informing us that Sobeys would be converting their point system to AIR MILES.

I excitedly turned to the people in line behind me hoping that they would share in the joy I was feeling and possibly partake in the age old tradition of the slapping of the fives. They didn’t show it and there were no fives slapped but I just assumed that my excitement had intimidated them. I may have also literally jumped for joy when I realized that I had not used a single Sobeys point in the 4 years I had been shopping there, which meant that I was due a sizable chunk of AIR MILES from the points conversion.

Side Note: I may or may not have also caught myself fist-pumping when I saw the 5X AIR MILES bonus reward miles at the Shell station the other day… I wish I was making this stuff up for dramatic effect.

2. When I got my new AIR MILES Onyx member Card

With the help of my American Express AIR MILES Credit Card, I joined an elite level of the AIR MILES Collectors program this past year when I reached Onyx status. With that membership came a lot of special perks, including amazing discounts on Dream Rewards, but all the perks paled in comparison to my shiny new black Onyx AIR MILES Card.

Honestly, I was so excited to test it out that I drove to the nearest AIR MILES partner (LCBO) grabbed a bottle of my favourite wine and excitedly handed over my Onyx Card to the cashier. As they held the Card in their hands I waited with anticipation for them to compliment me on my sleek new card, but they simply scanned it and passed it back without looking up. Assuming it was some kind of mistake; I drove to the next closest shop and proudly passed them my Onyx Card. Same result.

You’d think this would be enough to deter me but I am extremely stubborn. I now find myself trying new tactics with the store clerks as I pass my Onyx Card to them including, but not limited to, uncomfortable smiles, accidentally dropping it so they have to look at it, explaining its origins without being asked and giving them the wink and double finger guns as they scan it. None of these tactics have been successful so far but I am maintaining hope that the day will come where someone will compliment my new card.

Why am I so obsessive when it comes to AIR MILES, you ask? The answer is simple. Last year I earned enough AIR MILES to purchase almost all of my Christmas presents PLUS a flight to Washington for the Dad 2.0 Summit. The estimated retail value of my redemptions was almost $1100, for only one year’s worth of reward miles!

Achieving this goal was relatively easy. When you combine your AIR MILES Collector Card with the American Express AIR MILES Credit Card you can earn twice on all purchases from AIR MILES Sponsor stores. Aside from that, every time you use your Amex AIR MILES Credit Card, regardless of the store, you still earn AIR MILES on your purchases. Combine that with smart store selection and the points will start piling up in no time.

I should also point out that I pay the annual fee for a higher level Credit Card and the miles easily outweigh the cost of the fee. You use a Credit Card anyway, right? Why would you only collect half the miles you could be getting by only using the AIR MILES Collector Card? That would be like eating a sundae without a spoon or driving without a steering wheel. Go, check out the American Express AIR MILES Credit Card and thank me when you are flying somewhere exotic from all the points you earned!

This post was sponsored by Amex Bank of Canada. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely my own.