Whats the best Credit card for airmiles?

[BuzzardsWife]

BMO Mosaic Gold, I am an airmile collecting nazi..get your Zellers card and Bay card converted to airmiles too.. I shop at Zellers instead of WAlmart now for the points. Plus I buy all my groceries at Safeway and gas up at Shell. I go to Rona for any of the stuff I used to go to Home Depot for. Sport Check is another place we both shop now.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by fotze

Are you talking about these air miles,


or the aeroplan ones?



Air miles are much easier to redeem.

airmiles. not aeroplan.

[Cowboy89]

I echo a lot of the posters above that suggest that getting cash or more liquid rewards from Credit Cards are the way to go. I have a BMO Mosaik card with cash back and an RBC Rewards incentive for my Visa. I spend enough to make the annual fees for additional incentives worth it as well. Getting 1.5-2% cash back on almost all of my purchases(Pretty much everyone takes credit cards these days) beats airmiles and flight deals. Especially when the conditions change all the time with flight deals (whether it be air miles or aeroplan). The thing I like with RBC rewards is that I get a similar return in the form of contributions to an RRSP account or a regular investment account.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Buff

airmiles. not aeroplan.

Airmiles is very easy to redeem. But you pay more because I think they not only charge you the fuel surcharges etc that are common among all programs but they also charge you the GST on the price of the ticket.

I have Avion. Very easy to use since you can book on any airline. They do have some restrictions though and the main one to keep in mind is you need 2 weeks advance notice to book. They do have some restrictions on the prices of tickets as well, but if you book in advance, not spur of the moment, you won't be affected. I have never had to pay more when using Avion, just the standard fuel surcharges etc which you simply can not get around.

Every year I am able to book my whole family on a vacation somewhere in the Carib on my Avion points.

[Burninator]

I have a TD Platinum Travel Visa. It collects points which are redeemable for travel money. It's really easy to redeem. You can either book it through TD's site, any online travel site or a travel agent. Recently I booked a trip to Mexico through some online site on my credit card, then I phoned TD and they redeemed my travel money right there. I've been getting the card free for the last two years, but come this summer I'll have to pay the annual $99, so I'll probably get rid of the card then. From what people are saying in this thread, I'll probably get a cash back card.

[edn88]

I have been using the CIBC Aventura rewards card. Spending $30,000 gets you 30,000 points - a flight to anywhere in US and Canada (except Alaska and Hawaii). It has been reasonably easy to book flights (way easier than Aeroplan).

Whoever has the dividends card makes a good point about just going for 2% cash back.

My wife and I collect Airmiles as well, but all through retailers who take the Airmiles card - and why not - if Safeway wants to give me 200 airmiles for buying groceries, then I am for it. We have never used Airmiles to book a flight though - we usually get merchandise or car rentals.

[Ozy_Flame]

Who says you have to fly anywhere with your Air Miles? Go buy a schwack of DVD's with them, or other fun stuff. They're not just for plane tickets, you know!

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by BuzzardsWife

I shop at Zellers instead of WAlmart now for the points. Plus I buy all my groceries at Safeway and gas up at Shell. I go to Rona for any of the stuff I used to go to Home Depot for

Just be careful, as each of those three examples there you are paying more for getting your airmiles. I just did some renos around the house; bought everything at Home Depot. Was at Rona the other day and found everything was around 2-4% more expensive; or smaller. (ie bags of concrete were the same price, but HD sells a 30kg bag instead of a 25kg bag.)

As for gas, you can go to Co-op and get 10.5¢/litre off (not counting the 3.5¢ everybody gives), or Canadian Tire offers more CT money than the normal 3.5¢.

And I haven't checked it out recently, but I used to find Wal-Mart just a bit cheaper than Zellers. And with Zellers working out to 1 mile for $40 spent it wouldn't take much to make it worthwhile to shop elsewhere.

I always look at the "top up" price of Air Miles. If I'm a few miles short of a reward I can buy the ones I need for 33¢ each. If shopping at one store over an other is going to cost me more than 33¢ per mile, then I won't do it.

[Boblobla]

I have found that aeroplan is good if you travel enough to get to the Elite or Super Elite status. I travel with work and I make sure to fly Air Canada and I will have more than enough to get to Elite and that makes it much easier to redeem points.

[return to the red]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Who says you have to fly anywhere with your Air Miles? Go buy a schwack of DVD's with them, or other fun stuff. They're not just for plane tickets, you know!

we use our airmiles for gift cards, usually can get a 50 dollar gift card every month or so from just using the regular airmiles cards at Shell or Safeway.

That being said I have Avion points, we never carry a balance so the interest rate doesn't bug me and i've used it many times for flights without problem

[FurnaceFace]

We used aeroplan to fly to Australia 1st class. We had to book 10 months in advance, but that wasn't a big deal for such a significant trip.

I've also used my remaining aeroplan miles to get Future Shop gift cards to buy my Archos media player.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by redforever

Airmiles is very easy to redeem. But you pay more because I think they not only charge you the fuel surcharges etc that are common among all programs but they also charge you the GST on the price of the ticket.

I learn something new everyday. I let my wife handle the flight arrangements, but I was under the impression that we didn't have to pay a dime. Guess I'll ask her sometime.

[truth14]

So with the BMO Mosiak Westjet card, can you still get any Westjet flight for a max of 1600 air miles?

[KTown]

Ive got the Aerogold Visa, and I never had an issue with getting seats. The main reason I had that one is because I travelled overseas for work with my old job and I made sure all my business class seats where booked with Star Allianace partners.

For Example, on one work trip my ticket to Sydney was around 9,000 return for business class, thats 9000 aeroplan miles just for the purchase. I then collected aeroplan miles which equated to be about 23,000 miles by the time I returned, the main reason is the multipler for business class is 1.5 to 1.

I collected 32,000 miles just from one trip for work. I ended up with a free flight with it.

People say cashback is better, while I do agree. I also think if you fly for work collecting aeroplan miles is your best option, because aeroplan can only be collected by the persons name on the ticket. Meaning your company can't take your aeroplan miles.

With all my work miles and credit card purchases I have gotten free flights

to Hawaii, PEI on many occasions and Orlando.

The trick is to use your miles for the longer trips that would cost more money as its 25,000 anywhere in USA/Canada. Why use 25,000 miles for California, if its the same to Miami, when the flight cost is about double.

[KTown]

Originally Posted by truth14

So with the BMO Mosiak Westjet card, can you still get any Westjet flight for a max of 1600 air miles?

I heard west jet is dropping air miles? Can anyone confirm?

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by KTown

I heard west jet is dropping air miles? Can anyone confirm?

They are, but BMO is countering with a new 20% off miles required for flights by Gold card members (ie the old WJ card). Technically better as now international flights are fair game.

As I typically don't book stuff for trips till 3 months in advance, Airmiles / Aeroplan are pretty much worthless for me.

[Fobby]

Originally Posted by KTown

I heard west jet is dropping air miles? Can anyone confirm?

Yep... a friend who works on the inside told me so.

Collecting AP is the best if you can achieve elite/ super elite status. did you know though, AP is a taxable benefit?

I wouldn't use my AP for overseas trip either.. 75k which is normally a 1000 dollar trip, vs a 25k anywhere in NA which is normally a 600 dollar trip...

[truth14]

Collecting AP is the best if you can achieve elite/ super elite status. did you know though, AP is a taxable benefit?

"Should" be claiming the Fair Market Value of the ticket on your tax return.....

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by truth14

"Should" be claiming the Fair Market Value of the ticket on your tax return.....

Only if work is paying for your ticket is it a taxable benefit. Do you get taxed on money saved on coupons?

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by Fobby

Collecting AP is the best if you can achieve elite/ super elite status. did you know though, AP is a taxable benefit?

Come on...really?

Umm...good thing I get none of those...