Points Pulse for June 15, 2026: 4 burning questions for 4 big brands

In this edition of NerdWallet Canada’s Points Pulse series:

The transition is officially live. If you’ve spent two decades collecting AIR MILES, your balance now answers to a new name: BMO Blue Rewards.

Existing miles converted automatically, retaining the familiar math where 1,500 points equals $10 off at partners or for eGift cards. BMO also added an Expedia-powered travel portal and launched a new Blue Rewards Mastercard lineup, including two personal cards.

But can BMO fix what AIR MILES broke?

AIR MILES had a long fall from grace, bleeding relevance as it became harder to use — anyone remember keeping Cash and Dream Miles straight? (yawn) — and major partners fled.

To succeed, Blue Rewards has to run the AIR MILES failure in reverse: it needs one-sentence earning rules, a growing partner list, and value that shows up on the receipt.

The fine print is already testing that promise. The World Elite card’s 10x partner rate caps bonus points after your first $1,000 in net partner purchases posted per statement cycle; after that, purchases earn base points only. The annual fee is now $150, and the old 25% flight discount is no longer part of the current Blue Rewards pitch.

Wealthsimple's credit card pitch may stop your scroll: 2% cash back everywhere, no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and premium Visa Infinite+ or Visa Infinite Privilege perks.

But if that “no fee” claim is load-bearing, the structure needs inspection. There are two gates here: getting the card, and getting the fee waived.

Miss that fee-waiver test, and the card costs $20 a month, or $240 a year. At that price, the cash back earned on the first $12,000 spent annually does nothing but cover the fee.

Even if you clear all those gates, it’s still not guaranteed: the issuer claims the card is available in “limited quantities.”

I suspect Wealthsimple doesn't really care. There's a detail in the fine print that gives the game away: you can only pay the balance from a Wealthsimple chequing account.

In other words, the credit card is bait — very good bait — to lure in new primary banking clients. Will 2% feel premium enough to move that much money? We'll see.

You can chase a million Aeroplan points this month just by shopping Amazon through the Aeroplan eStore. But the catch is built around Amazon's interests, not yours.

Entering the "Dream destinations, delivered" contest is simple: register with your Aeroplan number and shop Amazon through the Aeroplan eStore between June 2 and 26. You'll need to be a Canadian resident, an Aeroplan member and — note this — an Amazon Prime member at the time of purchase.

For some reason, you can also enter without buying anything by mailing Air Canada a 50-word essay. (Weird.)

Becoming one of just 10 winners is a long shot, so Aeroplan has dangled something more attainable: 10x the points on eligible Amazon purchases during Prime Days, June 23 to 26.

Look at the structure and the real beneficiary comes into focus. You have to be a Prime member, and the headline bonus lands on Amazon's biggest sales event of the year — so the promo's actual job is to funnel Aeroplan members into Prime Day. The exclusions reinforce it: gift cards, groceries and Prime memberships are all out, closing off the cheap, predictable purchases people would otherwise use to farm points. And direct Amazon purchases — anything that skips the eStore — earn nothing special, beyond what your credit card already earns.

If you're chasing the points anyway, factor in Aeroplan's recent chart changes: every point you bring in should already have a specific redemption attached, not a vague pile to "save."

Tims Financial is ending service of the Tims Mastercard on Oct. 1, giving Reddit's favourite coffee-flavoured credit-card punchline one last trip through the drive-thru.

While churners haven't exactly lost their crown jewel, there's a real product — and a real deadline — behind the jokes. For some newcomers and credit rebuilders, the secured version’s no annual fee and rewards made it a useful first card.

Cardholders can keep earning points until Oct. 1. If you’re eligible and do nothing, you may be moved to a Neo-branded replacement (with zero rewards and phone-only support). Move the card to Neo before the deadline, however, and Neo says your credit limit and account history transfer without a new application or credit check.

As for the succession, meme-card status can’t be appointed. The throne will soon be vacant and nominations are open.