Home THE BUZZ Smart, Savvy Shopping Has Its Rewards

Smart, Savvy Shopping Has Its Rewards

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My personal experience with the new AIR MILES ONYX Program

By: Tracey Drake, Editor in Chief, exclusively for NICHE magazine

Okay, it’s a fact – I love to shop. I shop for pleasure, for my job and for my family. I love high end boutiques, home décor shops, furniture stores and I really love shopping online. However, I am not a stupid or frivolous shopper. I love bargains, and I also go back to shops and services that treat me well, and reward me for my consumer loyalty.

Like most of you, I have been an AIR MILES Collector for a long time, but recently I became an ONYX member and my world of retail wonders opened up in a really big way! Suddenly, shopping smart was offering exceptional rewards, and personally, I like this newfound VIP treatment.

Just last month, I used my AIR MILES ONYX status to book a free flight toToronto for FashionWeek, and had my personal ONYX shopper hunt me down an incredible pair of Christian Dior sunglasses! Didn’t cost me a dime! Do I have your attention?

 This is what AIR MILES ONYX is: Formerly just Blue and Gold collector statuses, AIR MILES recently introduced a new echelon of member status – Onyx – reserved for members who collect at least 6,000 or more miles in a single year. It is a way for AIR MILES to reward its best Collectors, providing them with exclusive benefits like better access to airline seats, discounts of up to 40% off cash companion fares on WestJet and Air Canada flights, preferred pricing on cruises and vacation packages, merchandise for up to 50% fewer reward miles, discounts on leisure and entertainment, invitations to events and contests, and of course, exclusive access to the Personal Shopper Service. For more information, check out airmiles.ca/onyx

 

I belong to a large number of rewards programs and my heavy, oversized card wallet can attest to that. From drug stores and supermarkets to airlines and hotel loyalty programs, I use them all. You would think that for the amount of travelling I do with my job at NICHE magazine, and the level at which I love to shop, I would be redeeming all day long. Not so. Most programs make it tough to earn points or miles and even more difficult to redeem. So, when I tell you that my new ONYX card has already started rewarding me, I mean that this is now my go-to rewards program. So, I have started looking for new ways to accelerate my collection of AIR MILES.

Here are my top tips:

1) Apply for a credit card that is associated with AIR MILES and use it for all your day to day purchases. Oftentimes, there are special offers that double your AIR MILES. These reward miles add up fast! For example, American Express offers a Platinum AIR MILES Credit Card and Collectors can earn additional reward miles when shopping at participating AIR MILES Sponsors.

2) Shop more frequently at participating AIR MILES Sponsors and watch for incentives and bonus offers to earn more miles.

3) If you’re like me and love to shop online, start every retail therapy adventure at  airmilesshops.ca. Login with your Collector number and earn reward miles on your online purchases purchase made through the shopping portal. Whether you love to auction hunt on eBay.ca, shop for fashion at Hudson’s Bay, Macy’s or Anthropologie, or pick up a new gadget from the Apple Store, there are more than 175 of your favourite stores that can help you earn AIR MILES reward miles faster.

As a fun little side note, and wanting to earn extra miles, I took the “What’s your shopping personality” quiz on Airmilesshops.ca. By taking the quiz and browsing at select online stores, I earned 5 free bonus air miles. I can’t say I was surprised by my personal quiz result… (this quiz is not longer active but I thought it was fun to show you the interesting ways that AIR MILES is connecting with its members!)

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