Every day thousands of us Canadians rack up customer loyalty points. We redeem these points for groceries, coffee, travel or movie tickets with some credit cards even giving us the opportunity to use points for paying down debt.
About 94% of Canadians belong to a loyalty program of some kind. With so much choice out there it make sense to look into whether you’re getting the best value from your loyalty card (or cards).
Things to think about when joining a loyalty program:
- If you’re paying an annual fee to accumulate points, be sure the cost of the card and the points you get in return give you something that enhances your life.
- Read the fine print (we know there’s a lot of it!) to understand the terms and conditions for your loyalty card.
- Take advantage of programs that offer anniversary bonuses or special promotions for more points.
- Be aware if your points expire and use them before the deadline date.
- Keep track of your rewards with an app that moves points and miles from loyalty cards between programs. You can do this by searching the App store in your cellphone using the term “loyalty.”
- If the points are about to expire, consider donating them to a charity or transferring them to someone else.
- Use your mileage/point-earning credit card to pay for everything you can, including pre-authorized, reoccurring payments but avoid carrying a balance.
- Instead of signing up for as many programs as possible, concentrate on a few and “double dip” when you can. This means earning points from a loyalty card membership at the same time as with your reward-points credit card.
- Lastly, spend within your means. This seems like common sense, but don’t buy things you don’t need despite the number of points offered.
Fun disclaimer:
This blog post provides general information only, and does not constitute financial, accounting, tax, legal or other professional advice. We encourage you to obtain personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding your particular circumstances. Please see our Terms of Use.