Last Call for Air Miles as Blue Rewards Prepares to Board

For over thirty years, Air Miles has been a pillar of the Canadian rewards landscape. It’s undergone numerous transitions since its launch, including its acquisition by BMO in 2023. But Monday’s announcement marks the most significant change for the loyalty program in its decades-long history: by summer 2026, Air Miles will be a thing of the past.

BMO unveils plans for its new Blue Rewards program

BMO calls Blue Rewards "the next evolution of loyalty programs", promising a "more rewarding, seamless, and personalized loyalty experience" for collectors. How rewarding and seamless the program turns out to be remains to be seen, but its claim of simplicity looks promising.

Anyone who’s collected Air Miles over the past few years can attest: previous earn models were confusing. At one point there were Dream Miles, which could be redeemed for non-cash rewards, like flights and experiences, and Cash Miles, which could be redeemed for cash-like rewards.

BMO’s new Blue Rewards program will feature a single-point system with transparently-defined value: 1,500 points = $10 when redeeming in-store or on e-gift cards. That means 1 Blue Point is worth about 0.67 cents.

Is anything radical changing about how points are earned and redeemed? Not really — though Expedia bookings will be available as a redemption option, which could open plenty of new doors for travellers. Beyond this, collectors will be able to earn Blue Points on eligible dollars spent and redemption options span airfare, hotel accommodations, merchandise and more.

One of the more notable promises of the Blue Rewards program is a bigger partnership network. Blue Points collectors will be able to earn rewards at over 400 brands with the addition of some exciting new partners, including Porter Airlines, the Fairmont hotel network, Instacart and more.

The program will have its own app, but existing BMO customers will be able to access their Blue Rewards account information through the BMO mobile and online banking platforms.

What Air Miles collectors need to know about the transition

Miles will automatically become Blue Points

If you’re an Air Miles collector, the transition will be automatic. When the Blue Points program launches in the summer, your Air Miles will convert to Blue Points at the equivalent value. Until then, you can continue to earn and redeem Air Miles as usual.

What about BMO Air Miles cardholders?

BMO debit and credit cardholders can keep using their existing Air Miles cards — for now. BMO says more program details will be available in the coming months, but that existing cardholders won’t need to take any immediate action. Physical cards and credit card numbers won’t change, so it sounds like it’s business as usual until the program transition takes place.

That said, BMO does plan to launch a line of Blue Rewards credit cards, which could be worth a look. That said, there’s no real information available on the cards yet, so it’s difficult to tell.

If you’re keen to be first in line for a Blue Rewards credit card, there’s a waitlist on BMO’s website. Signing up enters you to win a contest for 1,000,000 Blue Points — worth about $6,700 (we’ve checked the math thrice) — not a bad way for new collectors to jumpstart their cache.