AIR MILES®

The AIR MILES program will transition to Blue Rewards in summer 2026. Your existing Miles will automatically convert to Blue Points at equivalent value, and your AIR MILES account will become a Blue Rewards account without any action needed on your part.

Note: AIR MILES collectors can continue to earn and redeem Miles at Shell until March 2, 2026 in Alberta, and until May 25, 2026 in the rest of Canada. After these dates, Shell will no longer be an AIR MILES partner.

AIR MILES® is one of Canada’s most ubiquitous loyalty programs. While the name suggests that it’s a frequent flyer program of some sort, the reality is that AIR MILES® is more of a multifaceted rewards program with a vast network of in-store and online partners throughout Canada.

While AIR MILES® won’t necessarily fuel your aspirational travel dreams, its flexibility will help you with other expenses, even ones outside of travel. Hence, the program should definitely be on your radar.

Earning AIR MILES®

As of January 25, 2026, AIR MILES has combined Cash Miles and Dream Miles into a single Miles balance. You no longer need to choose an earn split or manage two separate buckets; everything now posts into one unified account.

There are more ways to earn with AIR MILES®  these days than ever before, with some of them introduced only recently. AIR MILES® classifies its means of earning into:

• AIR MILES^® In-store
• AIR MILES^® Receipts
• AIR MILES^® Online
• AIR MILES^® Card linked offers
• AIR MILES^® Travel

In-Store

AIR MILES® has partnered with retailers and other establishments to allow its users to earn Reward Miles directly in-store. Among the program’s biggest in-store partners and their respective default earn rates are:

• Shell (retail gas stations): 1 Mile per 10/20 litres of gas, depending on grade
• IHG Hotels and Resorts: 1 Mile per $5 spent
• National and Alamo Car Rental: 1 Mile per $10 spent
• Avis and Budget Car Rental: 1 Mile per $15 spent

In addition to your base Reward Miles earning, you’ll earn Bonus Miles on offers that you’ll find on the AIR MILES® app, website, or in-store. Most of these offers require you to opt in through the AIR MILES® app or website.

 

You’ll also find flash offers occasionally, where you can earn bonus miles.

Lastly, a recent addition to earning in-store is AIR MILES Receipts. This sub-program offers AIR MILES® with purchase of featured grocery products at participating stores. Basically, all you need to do is scan your paper receipt after your purchase.

Online

Online earning of Reward Miles is mainly through AIR MILES® Shops, an online shopping portal rivaling Aeroplan eStore and Rakuten.

To earn AIR MILES® through AIR MILES® Shops, you’ll need to log into your account, search for the shop you’re intending to make a purchase at, and click “Shop Now”.

With shopping portals, it’s important for you to check out and finish your shopping in the same window that popped up after clicking the “Shop Now” button. This way, your browser will accurately track your purchase.

Moreover, you’ll want to take note of the terms and conditions, as well as the exclusions applicable to a specific store. For instance, Apple and Amazon.ca usually have a list of excluded products or categories.

For more AIR MILES® Shops offers, be sure to periodically check the AIR MILES® app, where there might be special promotions or “flash offers” for Bonus Miles.

Linked Loyalty

AIR MILES® Card Linked Offers allows you to earn AIR MILES® by using your registered Mastercard at participating retailers, without having to present your AIR MILES® number.

As its name suggests, offers are automatically linked to your credit card, and your Miles are awarded based on your card transactions.

To participate, you must register the number of your Canadian-issued Mastercard, along with your AIR MILES® collector number.

Keep in mind that supplementary cards must be registered separately, either to your AIR MILES® account or to another account to qualify for card-linked offers as well. You may link more than one Mastercard per account.

Again, with card-linked offers, you won’t need to quote your AIR MILES® collector number, nor will you be asked for it. Simply pay directly with your registered Mastercard, and your Reward Miles will be issued accordingly.

Travel

AIR MILES® recently revamped its travel portal, implementing changes that include how you can earn Reward Miles.

Currently, the earning rates for booking travel through the portal depend on your status tier, and are structured as follows:

• Blue: 1 Reward Mile per $15 spent
• Gold: 1 Reward Mile per $10 spent
• Onyx: 1 Reward Mile per $5 spent

You’ll earn more Miles by bundling trip items together under a single booking. An example of a bundle is a flight and a hotel.

The earning multipliers on bundles also depend on your status tier, and are structured as follows:

• Blue: 3x Reward Miles on bundles
• Gold: 4x Reward Miles on bundles
• Onyx: 5x Reward Miles on bundles

Redeeming AIR MILES®

AIR MILES redemptions at Shell are only available until March 2, 2026 in Alberta and May 25, 2026 in the rest of Canada. After that, Shell will no longer accept AIR MILES, and fuel rewards at Shell will instead earn and burn through Scene+.

AIR MILES® can be redeemed as in-store rebates, gift cards, travel, merchandise, events, and attractions.

In-Store Partners

You can use your Miles at Shell gas stations and Pharmasave stores nationwide. With either partner, you can redeem at the rate of 95 Miles = $10 in value, as an instant rebate against your bill.

Occasionally, Shell and Pharmasave offer promotions on redemptions. For instance, Pharmasave might offer 50 AIR MILES® back when you spend $30 or more. These offers can be found on the AIR MILES® app or other promotional materials, such as flyers.

Gift Cards

AIR MILES® lets you redeem for a wide variety of e-vouchers or gift cards. Unlike other loyalty programs, you won’t lose value redeeming this way — you’ll still get the standard redemption rate of 95 Miles = $10 in value.

Gift cards on offer include Amazon, Uber Eats, Doordash, Sephora, Lululemon, Cineplex, Walmart, and more.

Redemptions may be made on the AIR MILES® website or app. Since you’ll be getting e-vouchers, delivery is digital and instant.

Travel

Travel update (March 16, 2026): AIR MILES Travel bookings (excluding cruises) are being serviced through Expedia Group’s platform as of March 16, 2026, with the same AIR MILES Travel entry point but Expedia handling the underlying engine and terms.

Through the revamped AIR MILES Travel portal, you can redeem your Miles for flights, accommodations, car rentals, vacation packages, cruises, and extras. The redemption rate you’ll be getting is roughly around 95 Miles = $10 in value.

The new travel portal also now allows you to pay for flights with a Cash + Miles option, as long as you have 50% or more of the number of Miles quoted.

And for booking packages, the minimum Miles required depends on your AIR MILES® tier, and is structured as follows:

• Blue: minimum 50% Miles to use Cash + Miles
• Gold: minimum 25% Miles to use Cash + Miles
• Onyx: no minimum to use Cash + Miles

Merchandise

AIR MILES® has an extensive catalogue of merchandise you can redeem towards. Products range from electronics to sports and fitness.

The value you’ll get redeeming merchandise largely varies, though you’ll generally get poor value, compared to other means of redemption. Hence, you should compare the price of the product with another merchant, such as Amazon or Best Buy, and use the standard redemption rate of 95 Miles = $10 in value as a benchmark.

Also, keep an eye on products being offered for fewer Miles. You’ll see them being offered on the AIR MILES® Merchandise landing page.

Events and Attractions

AIR MILES® allows you to redeem your Miles for cinema and attraction tickets. Like merchandise, you should compare the retail value of what you’re redeeming against its value in Miles.

AIR MILES® Status and Benefits

AIR MILES® has three status tiers, namely Blue, Gold, and Onyx. Blue is the starting point for most AIR MILES® “collectors”.

You can qualify for Gold status upon accumulating 500 Reward Miles in a calendar year, or for Onyx status upon accumulating 5,000 Reward Miles per year.

In terms of benefits, they’re mostly for AIR MILES Travel. For one, you’ll receive more Reward Miles on your travel bookings as a Gold or Onyx member. As mentioned above, the earn rate on travel is structured as follows:

• Blue: 1 Reward Mile per $15 spent or 3x Reward Miles on bundles
• Gold: 1 Reward Mile per $10 spent or 4x Reward Miles on bundles
• Onyx: 1 Reward Mile per $5 spent or 5x Reward Miles on bundles

Likewise, you’ll need fewer Miles to book select flights with AIR MILES® — you’ll get up to a 30% discount as a Gold member, or up to 40% as an Onyx member.

With merchandise, you’ll also need fewer Miles to redeem. As a Gold member, you’ll get up to 5% discount, while as an Onyx member, you’ll get up to 10%.

In addition, as an Onyx member, you may, rather uniquely, enlist the help of a personal shopper, who can quote you in Miles for items not in the AIR MILES® catalogue.

A full list of Gold and Onyx benefits can be found on the AIR MILES website.

Conclusion

With BMO now running the show and AIR MILES heading towards its Blue Rewards makeover, the program is in a much better place than it was a few years ago.

The shift to a single Miles balance on January 25, 2026 makes it far easier to understand, and the upcoming Expedia-powered travel engine and Blue Rewards relaunch should keep things simple while expanding partner coverage.

Think of AIR MILES (and soon Blue Rewards) less as your headline-grabbing business class scheme and more as the points card that quietly knocks $10 off your bill when groceries, gas, and pharmacy receipts are getting out of hand.

If you already shop with partner retailers, dabble in AIR MILES Travel, and don’t mind stacking a few app offers along the way, it’s still worth keeping tabs on the program as it evolves.

† Terms and conditions apply. Please refer to the BMO Website for the most up to date information.