AIR MILES: How You and I Have Been Doing It Wrong

I’ve been using my AIR MILES Collector Card both online and in shops on a quest to collect ALL THE MILES since 1999. There is no card I enjoy pulling out of my wallet more and I am hooked on the thrill of earning miles.

So, it is with red cheeks that I sheepishly tell you: I’ve been doing it wrong.

I recently acquired an American Express AIR MILES Card. This Credit Card, when used in conjunction with my AIR MILES Collector Card, allows me to earn miles even faster. All this time I’ve been limiting myself to collecting AIR MILES at specific retailers that displayed the AIR MILES logo, but now with my American Express AIR MILES Credit Card, I can earn miles wherever I shop.

So, this year, when I pay for my daughters’ cheerleading fees, equipment, and travel expenses I’m going to earn miles. Summer camp? Earning. Household bills? Earning. Simply put, everything I pay for using my American Express AIR MILES Credit Card can earn me miles, which is why I’m saying to you, if you only have an AIR MILES Collector Card, you're only getting half the picture!

Here’s where avid AIR MILES collectors will get giddy. When I pull out my AIR MILES Collector Card at my favourite place to earn miles *cough* The LCBO *cough*, and I pay using my American Express AIR MILES Credit Card, I earn miles on both cards! With over 120 sponsors and over 100 online sponsors, the potential for earning is endless.

Let's look at a typical day:

1. Hit the drive thru and grab a cup of caffeine. Earning!
2. Pay for parking downtown. Earning!
3. Have lunch. Still earning!
4. Put gas in the car. Extra miles earned for me because I stopped at a Shell station!
5. Grab groceries at Sobeys on the way home. Oh yeah, baby! Another earning double whammy!

It is virtually impossible to go an entire day now without earning miles.

How could I have been so foolish not to clue into this sooner! To further compound my embarrassment, as a travel writer, I really should have known better. The American Express AIR MILES Credit Card is made for travelers. Jetsetters can earn amazing travel perks like travel accident insurance and assured reservations and let's not forget, MORE MILES every time they book travel!

So what am I doing with all the AIR MILES I've been earning? I have my rewards split evenly between Dream Rewards and AIR MILES Cash. I regularly redeem miles for AIR MILES Cash for things like movie passes and dinners out. This way, I'm always reaping the rewards of having these two cards working together. The rest of the time I'm saving my miles towards my dream trip—Italy.

The bottom line is this:

Not using the American Express AIR MILES Credit Card together with the AIR MILES Collector card is like peanut butter without the jelly, peas without the carrots, bread without the butter—they're all better together. And because of this, I'll be roaming Venice a whole lot sooner.