How do I accrue AIR MILES?

Earning frequent flyer miles can land you free flights, upgrades, and other travel perks. The most basic way to earn points is to fly often and with the same carrier. You can earn points without flying by signing up for a rewards credit card and using it and shopping with program partners.



In 2026, accruing AIR MILES (specifically the Canadian reward program) is done primarily through a mix of retail partnerships, credit card spending, and online shopping. You can earn miles by scanning your physical or digital card at participating "partner" retailers, which include grocery stores, liquor stores, and gas stations. A highly effective way to stack miles is by using an AIR MILES co-branded credit card (like those from BMO or American Express), which allows you to earn miles for every dollar spent on any purchase, often with "multipliers" at partner stores. Furthermore, the AIR MILES eStore serves as an online shopping portal where you can earn bonus miles for purchases at hundreds of major retailers like Amazon, Apple, and Walmart. Frequent flyers can also earn miles by booking travel, including flights, hotels, and car rentals, directly through the AIR MILES Travel portal. To maximize your accrual, you should keep an eye out for "Mega Miles" or "Shop the Block" promotions, which offer large bonuses for shopping at multiple different partners within a specific timeframe, significantly speeding up your progress toward a reward.

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Sign up for an AIR MILES credit card If you're looking for the fastest ways to earn Miles, an AIR MILES credit card is the way to go. There's no faster way to get to your next reward than this. In fact, AIR MILES credit card holders are rewarded up to 7.8 times faster than those without one of these coveted cards.

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We sampled flight awards available with U.S. carriers and found that consumers need between about 8,000 and 57,000 miles to get a free one-way coach flight. Free flights in business or first class start at around 25,000 miles and climb to well over 150,000 miles one-way.

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50,000 American miles are worth about $850. How much are 80,000 American miles worth? 80,000 American miles are worth about $1,360.

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Redeeming 909 Dream Miles will get you $100 off, and you'll continue to earn $1 for every $20 you spend on the booking.

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Missing Miles Remember: Base Miles collected by making eligible purchases at Partners can take up to 60 days to be deposited into your Account(s). Bonus Miles collected through Bonus Offers or through AIR MILES promotions may take up to 120 days to be posted to Collector Accounts.

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You can redeem AIR MILES as Cash Miles or Dream Miles — you choose how you want your miles to be divided between both categories. Redeem Dream Miles for travel, merchandise and gift cards. Redeem Cash Miles at dozens of stores.

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Miles and points earned on co-branded hotel and airline travel rewards cards do expire usually if you are not active in redeeming them for 12 to 24 months, depending on the terms of the hotel or airline loyalty program.

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Airline miles are oftentimes the most valuable award travel currency. While many travel rewards are worth around 1 cent each, airline miles can be worth up to 6 cents each for first-class flights. Despite the potentially high valuations, miles are not always worth earning.

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  • Traveling with points and miles.
  • Use rewards for premium flights.
  • Book luxury hotels closer to home.
  • Consider low-category extended stays.
  • Find deals on peak travel.
  • Travel during off-peak seasons.
  • Look for sweet-spot redemptions.
  • Redeem for good-enough value.


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To see how much value you can get out of your rewards on an individual flight or hotel stay, divide the cost of a booking in cash by its cost in points or miles. For example, a flight that costs $139 or 21,500 points will offer about 0.6 cents per point in value ($139 / 21,500 points = ~$0.006).

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Key takeaways. Cash back credit cards are generally the better choice if you want to earn simple rewards on your regular purchases. A points or miles card may be a better option if you travel often or want to start earning travel rewards on your purchases.

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The number of miles you can earn from shopping typically depends on the retail partner, but in most cases, it works out to 1 reward mile for every $20 spent. When using an AIR MILES credit card, you can double dip at participating merchants.

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AIR MILES Hotels + Cars provides access to 300,000+ hotels, resorts and independent boutiques around the world and thousands of car rental locations around the world. For your hotel booking, use your Dream Miles towards bookings or get Reward Miles when you pay for your complete hotel booking using a credit card.

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