Anyone else worried about Airmiles?

[ontdvc2015]

I have been collecting air miles for years and years now. But with so many retail stores dropping air miles (Sobeys being the latest) I am getting kind of nervous that the program might not be around much longer. Most of my points do come from my BMO mastercard, and I would think if you collect a lot of points, others are probably the same, but can they keep going without having much at all on the retail side of things?

So this has me thinking, are there any other points systems that you can get Disney tickets through? Or does anyone else have any clever ideas as to how to use points to pay for your Disney travel? Now that Scene is taking over the Sobeys, I was looking into that program and saw that you can use the points to pay back a credit card (Scotiabank) and I thought that might be a good alternative. Does anyone have experience doing this option?

 

[Madame]

We use this card for *everything* as it allows points to be used unrestricted for anything travel related - flights, cruise, park tix, whatever. There is an annual fee though (we don't have to pay it fortunately) which will eat into your "profit."

TD Fist Class Travel Visa

There's also a well-known discount gift card site that scores of people use on Disney FB groups that will net you quite a tidy profit *if* you can be patient in getting the gift card - I'm assuming the site is blocked here but a quick google search will turn it up.

 

[KandyM]

Sobeys is dropping airmiles? When is this happening?

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Starts August 11 in the Maritimes and then progressing throughout the country. Air Miles has a banner on the top of their page about it.

 

[bababear_50]

First report here on the Airmiles thread June 7th 2022.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/a...s-offers-start-on-page-1503.3442770/page-1531
Lots of info there on that thread.
First reported by Elcray
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releas...ils-refreshed-loyalty-strategy-810078972.html

This is the link to Airmiles fact page on info.
Please note Sobeys is not the only grocery store leaving to to to Scene.
https://www.airmiles.ca/en.html

Fresh Co---I know many people bought Sobeys Gift cards and got Airmiles then used them at Fresh Co. They are switching to Scene+.
Foodland is also switching over to Scene+.


Regards Mel

 

[bababear_50]

I have been collecting air miles for years and years now. But with so many retail stores dropping air miles (Sobeys being the latest) I am getting kind of nervous that the program might not be around much longer. Most of my points do come from my BMO mastercard, and I would think if you collect a lot of points, others are probably the same, but can they keep going without having much at all on the retail side of things?

So this has me thinking, are there any other points systems that you can get Disney tickets through? Or does anyone else have any clever ideas as to how to use points to pay for your Disney travel? Now that Scene is taking over the Sobeys, I was looking into that program and saw that you can use the points to pay back a credit card (Scotiabank) and I thought that might be a good alternative. Does anyone have experience doing this option?

Scene+ is also affiliated with Expedia for rewards

In my opinion to stay a tier 1 rewards program they will to have a Grocery Store under their banner ,,they have already lost their Pharmacy (Rexall),, and now London Drugs will also be leaving.
My hope is they can scoop up Food Basics. Metro & Food Basic are owned by the same company.
Home Depot just rejoined Airmiles..... crazy times.

 

[cari12]

I think it’s a wait and see situation in the short term. An article I read that spoke to someone at AirMiles said that Sobeys put a lot of restrictions on partners AirMiles could take on so this could possibly open AirMiles up to partner with a bunch of new companies that may make the program better.
For those of us in the West, there were only Safeway and Thrifty’s under the Sobeys banner for AirMiles so that was already pretty limited for us. It’s probably a bigger hit for those of you in Ontario as you had several grocery stores plus s drugstore to look for offers at with Sobeys.

 

[hdrolfe]

Metro remains under AirMiles, I haven't shopped at Sobeys since they changed mine to a FarmBoy. AM are generally harder to find now, I am hoping with Sobeys leaving that perhaps another store will come on board, like Mel said, maybe Food Basics. I doubt I will switch completely to Scene+ but if they offer them at FreshCo, I would consider that since there is one near me. I hate shopping and getting nothing in any type of points. Yet I've been shopping mostly at walmart lately because their online/pick up/delivery is the easiest to use. I get nothing there.

 

[Pumpkin1172]

For us - almost empty nesters in northern Alberta - there are few places to collect AM. Safeway/sobey's was a big one for us. But because of the decline of AM offered there, and prices being higher - we were rarely shopping there. We still collect a fair chunk of miles at Shell and we have the BMO card, but we are just going to sit and watch how this plays out for the next 6 months or more. We just renewed our card for the year, but depending on what happens in the next year, we will decide if we want to keep it going forward or cash out what we have on a vacation and call it good

We will also be watching the Scene points as well and see how that plays out.

 

[cari12]

For us - almost empty nesters in northern Alberta - there are few places to collect AM. Safeway/sobey's was a big one for us. But because of the decline of AM offered there, and prices being higher - we were rarely shopping there. We still collect a fair chunk of miles at Shell and we have the BMO card, but we are just going to sit and watch how this plays out for the next 6 months or more. We just renewed our card for the year, but depending on what happens in the next year, we will decide if we want to keep it going forward or cash out what we have on a vacation and call it good

We will also be watching the Scene points as well and see how that plays out.

We are the same. We have the BMO MasterCard as well and Safeway was a big earner for us. Shell not so much now that the borders are open as we live close and go there to save on gas.
We will see how the Scene+ plays out and the value of that program when shopping at Safeway and Freshco.
For the first while we’ll do both programs and see how it all works out.