AIR MILES is once again coming up with its signature Shop the Block event from September 20–October 4, 2024.
On this year’s edition, you stand to earn up to 825 bonus AIR MILES, worth up to $87 (CAD), by making purchases with five partners.
AIR MILES Launches Shop the Block Promotion
AIR MILES is once again holding one of its signature promotions, Shop the Block, from September 20–October 4, 2024, until 11:59pm Eastern Time.
Simply put, Shop the Block lets you earn bonus AIR MILES when you shop and earn with with different partners. Through the promotion, you stand to earn additional Bonus Miles as follows:
- 100 Bonus Miles when you shop at three different partners
- 250 Bonus Miles when you shop at four different partners
- 775 Bonus Miles when you shop at five different partners
- Plus 50 Bonus Miles when you use a BMO AIR MILES credit card with at least one partner
As a fixed-value rewards currency, AIR MILES are valued at 95 AIR MILES = $10 (all values in CAD). Thus, 100 Bonus Miles are worth $10.54, 250 Bonus Miles are worth $26.31, and 775 Bonus Miles are worth $81.57.
This year’s requirement of five different partners to earn 775 Bonus Miles is somewhat harder to attain than the last iteration of the promotion, which needed only four different partners. Plus, last year’s reward was up to 1,000 Bonus Miles.
To participate in the promotion, you must first opt in by logging into your account on the AIR MILES website or app.
For your purchases to qualify, you must earn at least one Reward or Bonus Mile with each partner. This means that merely making a purchase with AIR MILES partners won’t necessarily count towards the requirements.
To illustrate this, at Dollarama, you’ll only earn 1 Reward Mile when you spend $30 using an AIR MILES-linked Mastercard. Purchases less than that threshold won’t earn you any AIR MILES and therefore won’t count towards this promotion.
It’s also important to keep in mind that your purchases must be made with different partners. But with more new partners and ways to earn AIR MILES, it’s easier for you to do so than it has been for the last couple of years.
For this promotion, purchases made through the following means to qualify:
- In-store partners
- AIR MILES Receipts
- AIR MILES Shops
- Card-linked offers
- AIR MILES Travel
In-store partners include Pharmasave outlets, as well as Shell gas stations nationwide. You must earn at least one Reward or Bonus Mile at an in-store partner for your purchase to qualify.
Different partners have different spend requirements, so make sure to check the AIR MILES website or app for the rules for each partner.
For the purposes of this promotion, each brand counts as one partner. If you make purchases at different stores/branches of a partner, your purchases will only count once.
AIR MILES Receipts lets you earn Bonus Miles when you buy featured products at qualifying retailers and scan your physical receipt. For your receipt to qualify for this promotion, you must purchase one featured product and earn Bonus Miles. Online purchases and online receipts don’t qualify.
For this promotion, AIR MILES Receipts counts as only one partner. This means that even if you submit different receipts from different stores and/or earn AIR MILES on different products, all of your purchases will only count once.
AIR MILES Shops is a shopping portal, similar to the Aeroplan eStore and Rakuten. You must earn at least one Reward or Bonus Mile for your online purchase to qualify. Usually, that means purchasing at least $20 and earning 1 Reward Mile.
Online travel purchases made through AIR MILES Shops, including travel bookings, car rentals, and hotel stays, don’t qualify for this promotion, since AIR MILES for those purchases take longer to post.
AIR MILES Card-Linked Offers require you to register and link a Canadian Mastercard to your AIR MILES account. Then, you must meet the purchase requirements of each partner, and pay with your registered card to earn AIR MILES.
Each store/brand has different requirements to earn AIR MILES, so you’ll want to check to see the fine print of each.
You can link more than one Canadian Mastercard to your account, and supplementary cards must be linked separately, either to your account or another account.
AIR MILES Travel is the program’s in-house travel agency. You’ll earn AIR MILES on qualifying flights, accommodations, car rentals, packages, extras, and cruises, but for your travel purchase to count towards Shop the Block, your booking must be paid entirely with cash.
Each AIR MILES Travel purchase counts as one partner, regardless if you make more than one booking, or if you make bookings with different airlines or hotels.
For the Shop the Block promotion, earning AIR MILES through BMO AIR MILES credit cards doesn’t count towards partner requirements. However, as mentioned, you’ll earn an extra 50 Bonus Miles if you use a BMO AIR MILES credit card with at least one of the partners of your choosing.
You’ll likewise earn more AIR MILES by stacking this promotion with other concurrent promotions, as the terms and conditions specifically state that “this offer can be combined with other offers”.
Lastly, it may take until October 31, 2024 for your Bonus Miles from this promotion to be posted to your account.
Maximizing the Shop the Block Promotion
As mentioned, AIR MILES now has more ways to earn and partners to shop with, so it’s easier to maximize this promotion than ever before.
Here are some ways for you to maximize the promotion.
Bonus Miles with In-Store Partners
With the Shop the Block promotion, purchases with in-store partners count when you earn at least one Reward or Bonus Mile.
An easy, affordable way to earn Bonus Miles with in-store partners is by buying featured items. You’ll see them in promotional materials, through the AIR MILES app or website, or in-store.
For Shell gas stations, you’ll earn Bonus Miles by buying featured items from their attached convenience stores. You’ll see these featured items in-store or through the AIR MILES app.
You can also buy $10 worth of items, such as personal care items, at Pharmasave and already earn 1 Reward Mile for this promotion.
Make Three Online Purchases with AIR MILES Shops
You may actually participate in and maximize this promotion from the comfort of your own home with AIR MILES Shops. You’ll earn the full 775 Bonus Miles by shopping and earning AIR MILES with five different online partners.
Usually, with online partners, you’ll earn 1 Reward Mile with a $20 purchase. Therefore, you can simply make small purchases with five different stores, and you’d already have earned the 775 Bonus Miles.
Of course, you’ll want to choose stores that have a low purchase requirement for free shipping. For example, Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic only require $50 in merchandise to qualify for free shipping.
If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you can take advantage of its low free shipping requirements.
However, keep in mind that Amazon has a list of “included categories”, such as clothing, luxury beauty, and Fire TV devices. Therefore, for your purchases to earn AIR MILES and qualify for this promotion, you’ll have to make sure you’re buying items from the listed categories.
Combining with Other AIR MILES Promotions
As mentioned, the terms and conditions of the Shop the Block promotion specifically state that “this offer can be combined with other offers”. This means that you can maximize your AIR MILES earnings by looking at other concurrent offers through the AIR MILES website or app.
For example, on September 20, 2024, you’ll earn 100 AIR MILES when you spend at least $10 at Pharmasave, making your purchase effectively free.
You might also find similar offers for Shell and other partners. Again, you must check the AIR MILES app or website for your current offers, as some of these offers are targeted and require opting in.
Using a BMO AIR MILES Credit Card
Again, you’ll earn 50 Bonus Miles when you use a BMO AIR MILES credit card with one of the partners of your choice.
But on top of that, you’ll also earn more AIR MILES when you shop with AIR MILES partners. For example, with the BMO AIR MILES®† World Elite®* Mastercard®*, you can 3 AIR MILES per $12 spent with participating partners.
Some of the abovementioned partners also happen to be in-store partners of AIR MILES, so in turn, your purchases with these partners will qualify for Shop the Block.
Conclusion
Shop the Block, one of the signature promotions of the AIR MILES program, is back from September 20–October 4, 2024, until 11:59pm Eastern Time.
With this year’s promotion, you stand to earn up to 825 AIR MILES by making purchases at five different partners. With more partners and ways to earn AIR MILES these days, it’s easier to do so than ever before.
To participate in the promotion, you must first opt-in on the AIR MILES website or app. You must also make sure to earn at least one Reward or Bonus Mile with each partner for your purchase to count towards the promotion’s requirements.
As always, carefully read the terms and conditions of the promotion to make sure you’ll get the AIR MILES you’re due.
