Air Miles backs off from plan to let points expire

[Aladora]

Globe and Mail article:

After a backlash from consumers and threats of changes to some of the legislation governing loyalty programs, Air Miles parent company LoyaltyOne is backing away from its plan to let miles five years or older expire.

The company made the announcement on Thursday, two days after it appeared before a committee that was considering legislation in Ontario to block the expiration of any points of rewards programs operating in the province.

The change to Air Miles’ policy was first announced in 2011, and was scheduled to take effect at the end of this year. The practice of setting a time limit to use miles or other points is known in the industry as “date stamping,” and it can be controversial: Aeroplan announced in 2007 that it would date stamp its miles to expire after seven years, but also pulled back from that plan in 2013, after receiving negative consumer feedback.

Air Miles is now similarly canceling its plan to force collectors to use miles before their deadline.

“There is uncertainty with provincial governments proposing or considering legislation across Canada so we have decided to cancel the expiry policy so that all Collectors, regardless of location, can be confident that their balances will be protected,” Bryan Pearson, President and CEO of LoyaltyOne, said in a statement on Thursday. “Our commitment is to create an environment where reward programs continue to deliver value to consumers and the companies that operate them.”

In a statement the company also raised the hope that the move would “lead to more meaningful conversations between government and industry, helping to ensure loyalty programs remain viable in all provinces”.

The legislative pressure in Ontario began last month, when Liberal MPP Arthur Potts (Beaches-East York) tabled a private member’s bill proposing that expiration of points in rewards programs should be banned. This week, the bill was clarified to state that it would not allow date-stamping specifically; leaving the door open for expiration for reasons other than “the passage of time alone.”

Mr. Potts was prompted to bring the bill forward because of the discussion about the upcoming Air Miles expiration policy, he said in an interview earlier this week.

Source Article

 

[scrappinginontario]

Just read this! Hope it's good news to many!

 

[Shumshine]

Looks like its good news for all!

 

[Disneylover99]

Looks like its good news for all!

Except for the people that were saving for something big and recently used their air miles on items they didn't really want or need because they were told their air miles would expire at the end of the year.

 

[AngelDisney]

Except for the people that were saving for something big and recently used their air miles on items they didn't really want or need because they were told their air miles would expire at the end of the year.

Yup! The news came out 2 days after I helped my BIL bought the dining coupon book. Over the last 5 years, he has accumulated only 258 airmiles. Nothing much for 258 airmiles! I have ordered new additional cards for my account and from now on, he is collecting points for me! What a waste!!