A new year has begun so your Air Miles counter has reset to 0. Getting to Gold status is pretty easy at 1000 miles but reaching Onyx means accumulating 6000 miles in the calendar year. As 2019’s Shop The Block promo was reduced from a 2000 maximum bonus down to 1200, it might take a bit more effort to reach your goal in 2020. The key is to watch for ways to get some easy miles and the recurring Sobeys gift card promotion is a good one.
Sobeys Atlantic Flyer
This week’s Sobeys flyer features the deal to get 100 Air Miles for every purchase of $200 in Sobeys gift cards between January 2 – 4. Although the terms don’t mention it, I recall a limit of 5 per collector.
Lawtons and Shell
If you shop at Sobeys, it’s a no-brainer to capitalize on this. Also remember you can use it at Lawtons Drugs and Shell gas stations associated with a Needs or Sobeys Express convenience store. If you collect points with the Scotiabank Gold Amex or the Cobalt Amex, using Sobeys gift cards for these gas and drugstore purchases allows you to take advantage of the 5x multiplier on grocery spending.
Does Onyx Make A Difference?
It depends on what you like to redeem your miles for. For instance, I haven’t yet noticed any Onyx discount for hotel redemptions. However, there is currently a promotion where Onyx collectors get a 25% discount on certain Air Canada flight redemptions. If you’re a skier or snowboarder there are discounted redemption options for lift tickets at a variety of ski resorts. There are also occasional crazy deals like tickets to an event for 1 Air Mile. When available, you’ll find those on the “Events Exclusive” page of the Air Miles website while logged in with Onyx status.
Bottom Line
January is a good time to make a plan for your points and miles collecting for the rest of the year. Make a commitment to watch for deals and promotions and keep a close eye on your transactions to make sure the miles post correctly. Evaluate whether collecting in the Dream or Cash category suits your goal best, or perhaps earn some of both. It’s always wise to have at least a few Cash miles on hand to help with a big promo like Mega Miles or Shop The Block.
Hopefully this year will bring lots of great opportunities to boost our Air Miles accounts.
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