Airmiles Armchair Chatter

[mort1331]

The Duck sheepishly enters the room and raises her hand, clears her throat and sticks her hand in the air ...
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YUP, that was ME! And dang, that's correct -- credit card will only see it as a purchase in the CLASS of store not what you actually bought. That exclusion is specific to Airmiles and we already KNOW that!!

Add me to the group that has zero idea of how these targeted offers are sent out. We also use our credit cards for just about any purchase we can but the MC is only for places that don't accept the AMEX since our earn rate for that card is higher. Only time we use it more is when there are these big offers.

SIDEBAR -- I got a new AMEX last week because the expiry was approaching and the dang thing has already been compromised I've only used it once in Metro on Sunday and then updated the info on my Fido account. Got an email at 3:42 am letting us know that someone bought close to $300 worth of Nike shoes thru the AMERICAN website. Red flags for them: above the dollar value of our regular online purchases and we never order thru a website in the states. When hubby got up first thing he did was try to check the online account and he couldn't sign in -- called AMEX to get password reset (took some time because it appeared we had done it on our end already) We're fairly confident we know what happened-- i had the option to activate it online and since i hate the phone, went ahead and did that but it forced me to create an online account for myself instead of attaching it to the current one. We thought it was odd and should have listened to the little voices but hubby figures there was a spoof of the website. Just had TWO phone calls from "AMEX fraud detection" insisting i needed to tell them my password so i could verify myself, uhm yeah, I don't think so! Had to call Fido to get them to remove my credit card for the account and then a hotel in Toronto to replace the credit card attached to our reservation for Thursday night to avoid arriving after 9 pm to find we have no room!

That sucks,,,,On a side note, with the Sobeys, Foodland GC upcoming deals. One of the things I do is after purchasing the gc, I purchase a few items, plunk down a vanilla MC and pay for the whole thing with the GC. My Sobeys has never blinked when I do this, as long as there is other purchases on the cart at the same time. I use the prepaid mc for my online purchases or things like netflix and the such. With this deal the AM offsets the pay requirement to activate the cards. Something to think about.

 

[isabellea]

I also got the Sobeys offer...
$280 get 70
$340 get 120
$400 get 140

I will buy the gift cards(probably only 2) this weekend and hope that it works. Never in a million years would I spend $280 on a single grocery shop, sometimes I have difficulty getting to $100.

Lucky you! My weekly grocery is rarely less than 200$. Just last week we spent 300$ and the fridge is now empty!!! Both my kids train 5-10h a week so that requires tons of snacks (fruits and cheese mostly) plus all the school lunches and our dinners.

 

[pigletto]

Lucky you! My weekly grocery is rarely less than 200$. Just last week we spent 300$ and the fridge is now empty!!! Both my kids train 5-10h a week so that requires tons of snacks (fruits and cheese mostly) plus all the school lunches and our dinners.

We are about $150 a week and that requires me to cook from scratch quite a bit. We don't buy too much convenience food. However, I'm feeding four adult appetites and packing full lunches for three people on weekdays, so it goes quickly. Ds14 just started training for rowing.. oh my goodness can that kid eat .

 

[isabellea]

We are about $150 a week and that requires me to cook from scratch quite a bit. We don't buy too much convenience food. However, I'm feeding four adult appetites and packing full lunches for three people on weekdays, so it goes quickly. Ds14 just started training for rowing.. oh my goodness can that kid eat .

Almost no pre-packaged foods here too since I cannot eat any dairy or beef. What kills our food budget are fresh fruits. My kids eat 5-7 servings a day and they refuse to eat the same kind of fruit twice in a day. Also, goat milk and cheese are a lot more expensive than cow and I only buy antibiotic-free meats (I work in the field of antibiotic resistance). My 9yo GIRL is eating more than me and she’s tiny.

 

[mab2012]

I spend around $150 / week on groceries, but it took me months to get through the last $150 gift card I bought at Sobeys. 90% of my shopping is done at Costco (significantly cheaper) and Farm Boy (not sure if it's actually cheaper there, but I just like it better). I don't know if the Farm Boy sale to Sobeys means they will start offering Air Miles. I actually kind of hope not, since that would probably come with higher prices. But I would love it if I could use Sobey's gift cards at Farm Boy!

 

[TFC_UNTIL_I_DIE]

That sucks,,,,On a side note, with the Sobeys, Foodland GC upcoming deals. One of the things I do is after purchasing the gc, I purchase a few items, plunk down a vanilla MC and pay for the whole thing with the GC. My Sobeys has never blinked when I do this, as long as there is other purchases on the cart at the same time. I use the prepaid mc for my online purchases or things like netflix and the such. With this deal the AM offsets the pay requirement to activate the cards. Something to think about.

I find the same with Sobeys that I can use Sobeys GC and buy Shell GC as long as there are a few small items in the basket. Then I am really getting the AMs on my gas as well

 

[flyingjay]

I don't know if this is new or not but the BMO World Elite Airmiles card sign up bonus now has a free companion flight attached to it (plus the 3000AM bonus and fee waved for first year). Looks like you have to use Dream miles for the purchase of the two flights then they will credit you back (in airmiles) for the second flight. You get to pay the taxes etc.

I don't know if anyone here was thinking about signing up. That free flight is a nice perk.

Thanks for the heads up on this. I have been waiting for this offer to come out...it's the best one that any credit card has for Air Miles! I used it last year and cancelled after I got my 3k miles and companion flight. I think because I cancelled before the "offer period", I can apply again and receive the bonuses.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Thanks for the heads up on this. I have been waiting for this offer to come out...it's the best one that any credit card has for Air Miles! I used it last year and cancelled after I got my 3k miles and companion flight. I think because I cancelled before the "offer period", I can apply again and receive the bonuses.

Hmm, let us know if that works for you. Lots of us on here have card-churned all these bonuses, but I don't think anyone has tried to reapply and get the bonuses a second time...

 

[Disney Addicted]

Almost no pre-packaged foods here too since I cannot eat any dairy or beef. What kills our food budget are fresh fruits. My kids eat 5-7 servings a day and they refuse to eat the same kind of fruit twice in a day. Also, goat milk and cheese are a lot more expensive than cow and I only buy antibiotic-free meats (I work in the field of antibiotic resistance). My 9yo GIRL is eating more than me and she’s tiny.

Ugh. Tell me about it. The price of goat's milk is ridiculous! My daughter drinks it. $11.99 for 4 litres. She can drink a litre a day!! I keep reminding her to slow down on it.

 

[Aladora]

I got another targeted offer, from Shell, which wants me to fill up 4X with a minimum of 40L each time (highly unlikely this will happen). What's up with the offers for bonus miles we really can't use?

In September I had a 4X min 25L which was easy for me. Unfortunately, 1 of my fills never posted (and I stupidly threw the receipt away!) so I managed a 5th one on Sept 30! My new one for October is the same as yours, 4X min 40L. I should be able to get this as well since my Escape has a 57L tank, although I really don't drive a lot so it might be tight for that last one. DH drives a plug in hybrid so there is no way he can help!

 

[ottawamom]

Thanks for the heads up on this. I have been waiting for this offer to come out...it's the best one that any credit card has for Air Miles! I used it last year and cancelled after I got my 3k miles and companion flight. I think because I cancelled before the "offer period", I can apply again and receive the bonuses.

No mention of the "once in a lifetime clause" there is with other cards so it may work. They used to specifically mention this but I didn't see it anywhere in the fine print. Part of the fine print:

BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard (“Credit Card”) applications must be received between October 2, 2018 and March 31, 2019 (the “Offer Period”) to be eligible for the following Bonus Miles, Companion Flight Rebate and Annual Fee Waiver offers (each an “Offer” and collectively the “Offers”)

These offers are subject to change or can be withdrawn without notice. Limit of one of each Offer per Collector Number. Existing BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard customers who cancel their card during the “Offer Period” and existing BMO Mastercard customers who transfer into this Credit Card product during the “Offer Period” are not eligible for the Offers. If the Credit Card is cancelled within ninety (90) days from the date it was opened, all Miles earned within that period will be cancelled and the Companion Flight Miles (if applicable) will be clawed back. The AIR MILES Bonus Miles Offer and the Companion Flight Rebate Offer are each subject to the AIR MILES Reward Program Terms and Conditions.

As I think about this offer I may get DH to sign up for the card. If we time it for when our car insurance is due that will take care of the spending required to get the 3000AM. He can cancel the card before its annual fee comes due in a year and we will have flights for two to Las Vegas for minimal AM (3655+655-3000 bonus =1310AM) and the taxes.

 

[hdrolfe]

I got an exciting 3 cents off per litre at Shell for October and November. But only on weekends, and not this coming weekend. So. Probably won't be doing that since gas tends to be at least that much more expensive on weekends, and I fill up during the week. Ah well!

 

[dancin Disney style]

Lucky you! My weekly grocery is rarely less than 200$. Just last week we spent 300$ and the fridge is now empty!!! Both my kids train 5-10h a week so that requires tons of snacks (fruits and cheese mostly) plus all the school lunches and our dinners.

We are a family of four, the kids are both adults. My oldest is hardly ever home and I actually don't even consider her into the weekly shopping. My youngest is away at university 6 days a week but I buy her groceries every week with my own. She is in a full time dance program so she eats a lot...she dances 3-6hr/day. My DH has to follow a diabetic diet (therefore we all do) so our groceries are very heavy on fruit and veggies. My weekly costs went up approx. 20% when we had to make that change because carbs are cheap. MY costs are on the low side (compared to other people) because of three things. 1. I only buy what's on sale and our meals are planned around that....so if chicken is on for $2/lb, we are eating chicken every night for a week. 2. I price match EVERYTHING. 3. I get a 10% discount because my DD is a grocery store manager. I think my weekly average is right around $90. That does not include things like TP or laundry soap....I don't consider those groceries.

 

[alohamom]

1. I only buy what's on sale and our meals are planned around that....so if chicken is on for $2/lb, we are eating chicken every night for a week.

I have always done this, it came from necessity when I first was on my own and really needed to watch my budget and now it is just how I shop. I plan my meals around what is on sale.

I just recently told a couple of my good friends this at a dinner party and they were flabbergasted that I do this. They thought it would take too much time to do the planning and told me they thought it was a smart shopping strategy but they could never do that.

I cannot even imagine how much it would cost for me to just buy stuff without it being on sale.

 

[mort1331]

Hmm, let us know if that works for you. Lots of us on here have card-churned all these bonuses, but I don't think anyone has tried to reapply and get the bonuses a second time...

we have done this for the RBC WestJet card and got the $ and flights now 2, for each of us. We did wait a year before reapplying. Might try this with the BMO card as well for free flights. Have to read up on it and see where we can fly to.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I have always done this, it came from necessity when I first was on my own and really needed to watch my budget and now it is just how I shop. I plan my meals around what is on sale.

I just recently told a couple of my good friends this at a dinner party and they were flabbergasted that I do this. They thought it would take too much time to do the planning and told me they thought it was a smart shopping strategy but they could never do that.

I cannot even imagine how much it would cost for me to just buy stuff without it being on sale.

My best friend has two small kids and somehow she spends $250+ per week. She claims to shop the exact same way I do but there is no way. We have had so many conversations about this. The one thing that I know she doesn’t do is plan weekly meals. When I told her that there are weeks we eat...insert chicken example....she said ‘oh my kids wouldn’t go for that’. I’m fairly certain she runs a restaurant at her house. My response is usually along the lines of stop complaining about how much you spend on food. I can’t for the life of me figure out how it’s even possible to spend so much when you are feeding pre schoolers. Maybe I’m just really mean...my kids ate what was on the table or didn’t eat. When they were old enough to make a sandwich that was the only alternative.

 

[hdrolfe]

I also only shop for things on sale, and try to stock up when they are. We do eat some processed stuff, it's just easier, and I hate cooking! But sometimes I do make things (we had chili for supper tonight). I normally spend $75-100 a week, depending on if something is on for a good price I want to stock up on, or for a good AM deal. I meal plan around what's on sale. Spending $150 on a gift card is two weeks of groceries for me, so that's a little tricky sometimes. If only I didn't have an 8-year-old boy who eats so much. He seems to eat from when he gets home from school until he goes to bed! I'm worried about when he's a teenager...

 

[dancin Disney style]

I also only shop for things on sale, and try to stock up when they are. We do eat some processed stuff, it's just easier, and I hate cooking! But sometimes I do make things (we had chili for supper tonight). I normally spend $75-100 a week, depending on if something is on for a good price I want to stock up on, or for a good AM deal. I meal plan around what's on sale. Spending $150 on a gift card is two weeks of groceries for me, so that's a little tricky sometimes. If only I didn't have an 8-year-old boy who eats so much. He seems to eat from when he gets home from school until he goes to bed! I'm worried about when he's a teenager...

I also HATE cooking. Yet because of my husbands dietary needs I am now the one and only cook in the house. They all literally sit at the table and ask what’s for lunch/dinner. I’m about ready to kill someone. I’ve just come off of a 5 day migraine and still no one offered me so much as a bread crust.... although we don’t eat bread any more. I think I might go on strike.

 

[hdrolfe]

I also HATE cooking. Yet because of my husbands dietary needs I am now the one and only cook in the house. They all literally sit at the table and ask what’s for lunch/dinner. I’m about ready to kill someone. I’ve just come off of a 5 day migraine and still no one offered me so much as a bread crust.... although we don’t eat bread any more. I think I might go on strike.

I keep trying to teach my son to cook. He can make toast, when he remembers to use the toaster oven not the microwave, and hot dogs. He should be able to do more, even a bowl of cereal, but it's a struggle. I get tired of getting snacks all evening... I am thankful we have no big dietary needs right now because without picking something up for dinner once in awhile, I'd go nuts! or on strike I vote for that.

 

[bababear_50]

Parents and Grandparents of kids 13 and under
New movie passes on the airmiles website
Package of 2
330 airmiles
Great Stocking stuffers

• Overview
• Terms & Conditions

The Cineplex Child Adventure is redeemable in theatres for 1 child admission and 1 kids’ combo which includes a drink, popcorn and treat.

This package includes 2 tickets that can either be used at the same time or on separate

Hugs Mel