Best thing to use air miles on?

[OnceUponATime15]

We've rented cars through Airmiles for years, multiple times, in many places and we always have to pay a loyalty fee for booking as well as the taxes, this is what is showing for a car we'll be renting in January for example :

Taxes & Fees ..... USD 96.24 Payment is due at pick-up location in local currency.
Just don't want someone to get a surprise when they pick up the car! less than $100.00 for a car for almost 3 weeks is still an AWESOME deal!

Was 100% sure I had not paid a cent so I pulled my receipts for the past 3 rentals. Not a penny charged. But.....

The "oops" in this case is my car rentals were done with Aeroplan
miles not Airmiles. *blushing*
My booked Hotel nights pre trip were Airmiles.

 

[star72232]

For me, the best option is using my miles as cash miles. I can then use them to buy GC for groceries and put the cash I would normally spend into my vacation fund. Another option would be to buy a Visa GC, but since those have a service fee it isn't as good a value. It's usable in places that my points wouldn't be though.

We have 4 kids, so buying 6 passes with AM isn't ever going to happen. I refuse to buy anything just to collect AM unless it is equal or lesser price than I can get it somewhere else and it is something we will use. The GC deal this week at Foodland is a GC I can use at FreshCo, a less expensive store that price matches. I won't spend $4 on something with 4AM if I can get it for $2.50 somewhere else. We don't have a Rexall Pharmaplus nearby, and the tiny Rexall pharmacy we have is expensive and is basically just Rx and OTC meds.

 

[Pumpkin1172]

I refuse to buy anything just to collect AM unless it is equal or lesser price than I can get it somewhere else and it is something we will use. The GC deal this week at Foodland is a GC I can use at FreshCo, a less expensive store that price matches. I won't spend $4 on something with 4AM if I can get it for $2.50 somewhere else.

I am the same way. We have no Rexall drugs here, and we do have Safeway. I just check out the flyer when I'm making our menu and grocery list. We have a no frills just up the road from us. There are things that I simply won't get from Safeway, because they are just sooo cheap at No Frills. But I do have to say that since they are now owed by Sobey's, their prices have come down on some things. And when they have their spend 100 and get 100 airmiles etc etc...I do take advantage of those.
I also do some online shopping ( we live in a smaller city with limited shopping ) I will start going through the airmiles shop to do online shopping Hopefully that will add some extra miles

 

[Donald - my hero]

The "oops" in this case is my car rentals were done with Aeroplan
miles not Airmiles. *blushing*
My booked Hotel nights pre trip were Airmiles.

Hee-hee, that's my trick, mix up my memory! That is the reason i love booking hotels thru Airmiles, it's all paid for up front and i was wondering if i was missing that option for the car rentals!!

For me, the best option is using my miles as cash miles. I can then use them to buy GC for groceries and put the cash I would normally spend into my vacation fund. Another option would be to buy a Visa GC, but since those have a service fee it isn't as good a value. It's usable in places that my points wouldn't be though.
I refuse to buy anything just to collect AM unless it is equal or lesser price than I can get it somewhere else and it is something we will use. The GC deal this week at Foodland is a GC I can use at FreshCo, a less expensive store that price matches. I won't spend $4 on something with 4AM if I can get it for $2.50 somewhere else. We don't have a Rexall Pharmaplus nearby, and the tiny Rexall pharmacy we have is expensive and is basically just Rx and OTC meds.

Curious about the Gift Card option here -- are you saying you're able to use your AIrmiles CASH to pay for them at say Metro? (or any other sponsor store that sells them) if so I'm thinking I'll swap my saving method to Cash once i have the car rental secured. I'm the same with my Airmiles --- it has to meet the threshold of at least a 1:1 --- I must admit we have become slightly snobbish when it comes to grocery stores now that we're just feeding the 2 of us. We also both have dietary issues which means we have to eat mainly fresh foods and we've been burned 1 too many times with meat or dairy items that are labeled as "safe" (date wise) but end up being too close for us (hubby can't eat bread if the date is more than 5 days out) We're a Neilson Family and scan every item we purchase and they always want to know if an item was on sale -- rarely do we say NO so we do wait to get the biggest bang for our buck. When i shop at Rexall I also only buy things on sale. And the biggest caveat for us is never, ever EVER will we buy something with the sole purpose of collecting Airmiles .. it has to be a needed product (nice that at this time of year I'm collecting for 6 very large stockings!)

I also do some online shopping ( we live in a smaller city with limited shopping ) I will start going through the airmiles shop to do online shopping Hopefully that will add some extra miles

YES! do this! Pay attention to the specials that occur at certain times (you can sometimes earn up to 20 X the base amount) Do a scan before you decide to buy anything because new stores pop up in there. Happy clicking

 

[star72232]

My understanding is that with AM you can purchase a GC at Sobeys (I'm going on what a cashier told me, as I haven't actually done it yet). I know you can buy them with PC Points, but not with Optimum Points. Optimum Points would be awesome - they accumulate quickly for me due to targeted offers, but they don't allow it.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

I use our Optimum Points for our trip essentials. If we are going on a cruise or sun destination, I buy all of our sun screen, etc with the points.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

I use our Optimum Points for our trip essentials. If we are going on a cruise or sun destination, I buy all of our sun screen, etc with the points.

Same with us. I'm waiting for the next spend your points event. Will also be adding headphones and portable charges to list for kids stocking stuffers that they will need for the trip.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I have just under 750 'Dream' miles (not a lot I know) but there is absolutely nothing on their site that interests me for the amount that I have so they're just going to disappear. Find their site very un-friendly when it comes to seeing what I can get. Wish there was a place to enter my amount and have options display.

 

[ottawamom]

Sorry to say there is no easy way. You have to hunt to find what you want. Things on offer change quickly and often as things sell out.

Are you near Toronto? There is a Toronto Zoo package for 375AM, or The Biodome in Montreal 300AM (it includes two other venus). If you can see your way to getting 150 more AM, there is a Fallsview family package for the waterpark 895AM. To get to these offers: Log into your account go to Dream Rewards then Events and Attractions followed by Attractions,Sports & Theatre - Canada. Scroll through the 5 or so pages and you should be able to see each of them.

If you can't find something you want, don't let the AM go to waste and expire. I believe there is a way on their website to allow you to donate them to charity.

 

[Pumpkin1172]

I have just under 750 'Dream' miles (not a lot I know) but there is absolutely nothing on their site that interests me for the amount that I have so they're just going to disappear. Find their site very un-friendly when it comes to seeing what I can get. Wish there was a place to enter my amount and have options display.

What about for a night at a hotel? You may be able to find a hotel for that many miles. That's how the dd used hers last month, as her boyfriend has one of the credit cards that collects miles as they use the card. She wanted to use up her miles so they could start collecting with his cc.