Air Miles eVoucher Breathes New Life Into Rewards Program

I used to be a big-time Air Miles collector – taking advantage of bonus offers at Safeway, double-dipping with an Air Miles credit card, and then redeeming miles for $20 Shell gas gift certificates.  But ever since Air Miles devalued its program by increasing the amount of miles needed to get rewards, I’ve barely used my card.

Related: New Air Miles Expiry Policy

It used to cost 170 Air Miles to get a $20 gift certificate.  Now with the Air Miles Cash feature it costs 95 Air Miles for $10 off at the cash register.  The 11 percent reduction in value was somewhat justified because instead of waiting 4-6 weeks for a reward to arrive in the mail, you could redeem your miles instantly at the retailer.

The problem for me was that none of the Shell gas stations in my city were equipped to process Air Miles Cash.  I later found out that Shell stations affiliated with Mac’s stores and Flying J’s did not accept Air Miles Cash.

That left Rona as the lone sponsor (aside from a sprinkling of independent Shell’s) that accepted Air Miles Cash in Alberta.  I also lamented the fact that Ontario and Atlantic residents could redeem Air Miles for groceries at Sobeys and Metro, while Western Canadians had no option for groceries.

Related: Using Air Miles Cash

Air Miles eVoucher

That’s why I was excited to learn that Air Miles has introduced a new online eVoucher program with more reward partners to choose from.  Here’s how it works:

Visit www.airmiles.ca/cash and you’ll see the list of sponsors in your province, including traditional Air Miles Cash sponsors like Shell and Rona where you can still redeem 95 miles for $10 off in-store.

You’ll also see new eVoucher sponsors, including Cineplex, iTunes, Starbucks, Hailo Taxi, and Safeway, to name a few.

To redeem an eVoucher, select a sponsor, click “Get e-Voucher”, then select the number of e-Vouchers you want and in what denomination.  Then simply enter your email address and hit “continue” and Air Miles will email you a voucher for the selected sponsor.

An interesting new feature is that you can send Air Miles eVouchers to friends and family, which makes for an easy gift.

After redeeming, you’ll get an email with instructions on how to use your reward.  This will vary by participating reward partner.  The email will include either a printable eVoucher that can be used in-store at the retail location, a code to be used online, or the option to load your reward to the Reward Partner’s gift card.

Related: How Many Air Miles Do You Need For A Free Flight?

The new eVoucher feature gives more than two million Air Miles Cash collectors more options to redeem miles for useful items like groceries, gas, coffee, and even a night out at the movies.

That makes this Air Miles collector happy and willing to put forth a bit more effort into earning reward miles again.