Points Pulse for June 29, 2026: Concert tickets, plus deals and offers for July
Your points can buy concert tickets now — but should they?
BACK TO TOPSeveral major rewards programs let Canadians use points for concerts, sports and live events. The harder question is whether you should.
Most ticket redemptions fall into two buckets: cash-like redemptions, where points cover part of a ticket’s price at a fixed rate, and access redemptions, where points unlock VIP packages, lounges or sold-out experiences that may be hard to buy with cash.
For everyday concert tickets, cash-like redemptions are convenient but often underwhelming.
RBC Avion Rewards now gives members a Ticketmaster Canada checkout option. Avion members can link their accounts and apply points to qualifying ticket purchases, up to $500 worth of points per day. The catch is value: the redemption rate may vary by reward account, so check the dollar amount shown at checkout before applying points.
Blue Rewards, formerly AIR MILES, has a live-events ticket option, and the math is pretty straightforward: 1,500 Blue Points equals $10 toward your purchase — the same rough value as many everyday Blue Rewards redemptions. That makes it fine, not flashy.
American Express is another important access play. Through Amex Experiences and Front Of The Line, eligible Canadian Amex cardmembers can access presale and reserved tickets for select concerts, theatre productions and special events, often before the general public. That is not really a “use points for tickets” option —it is a cardholder-access benefit — but that can be more valuable than a redemption if it helps you get tickets before they sell out or unlocks seats that are otherwise hard to find.
Nerdy take: You may not need a special portal to redeem rewards for concert tickets. Many bank programs, like TD Rewards and CIBC Aventura, offer flexible ways to pay using points — either as a statement credit or “shop with points” style offset.
Statement-credit redemptions are often among the lowest-value ways to use flexible points, so they’re not especially lucrative. But if points make a $200 concert ticket feel like $50, the convenience may still be worth it.
Notable deals and promos ending soon
BACK TO TOPA few short-term promos are worth checking before they expire, especially if they line up with spending or travel you already planned.
Offer | Deadline | What you can get | Key details |
|---|---|---|---|
PC Optimum: Shoppers Drug Mart Super Bonus Redemption Event | July 1, 2026 | Up to 1.8 cents per point at the top redemption tier. 500,000 PC Optimum points can cover up to $900 in eligible Shoppers Drug Mart or Pharmaprix purchases, compared with the usual $500. | Worth timing a stock-up if you’ve banked a large balance, but compare Shoppers pricing first. |
Air Canada Aeroplan: Up to 4X points on economy flights | July 3, 2026 | Up to 4X points on eligible economy fares for travel from July 2, 2026, to Feb. 28, 2027. | No registration required for Aeroplan members. Economy Basic, India routes, codeshare, partner and interline flights are excluded. |
Blue Rewards: Shop the Block | July 8, 2026 | Up to 8,000 bonus Blue Points, or 8,800 with a BMO Blue Rewards credit card. | Members must opt in and earn at least 1 Blue Point with multiple participating brands. |
American Express Shop Small | July 12, 2026 | Up to $10 back: a $5 statement credit after spending at least $25 at up to two participating Shop Small merchants. | For eligible registered cardmembers. Applies to eligible in-store purchases in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec. |
Must-see credit card welcome offers
BACK TO TOPSeveral elevated card offers are live, but all come with terms and conditions worth checking. Note: The values below estimate the point value of the welcome offer only and do not include annual fee rebates, lounge passes, credits, insurance or other card benefits.
Card | Welcome offer | Estimated point value | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
Up to 170,000 Membership Rewards points | Up to ~$1,700 | July 28, 2026 | |
Up to 150,000 Aeroplan points | Up to ~$2,250 | July 28, 2026 | |
Up to 70,000 Avion points | Up to ~$1,500 | July 15, 2026 | |
RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege | Up to 100,000 Avion points | Up to ~$2,000 | July 15, 2026 |
RBC ION Visa | Up to 14,000 Avion points | Up to ~$100 | Nov. 4, 2026 |
RBC ION+ Visa | Up to 28,000 Avion points | Up to ~$200 | Nov. 4, 2026 |
WestJet RBC Mastercard | Up to 15,000 WestJet points | Up to ~$150 | Nov. 4, 2026 |
Up to 70,000 WestJet points | Up to ~$700 | Nov. 4, 2026 | |
Up to 146,000 TD Rewards points | Up to ~$730 | Not listed. |
Also worth knowing: Neo Financial has launched some new card variants — Gas & Grocery (bonus rates on groceries, recurring payments and gas/EV) and Shop & Dine (bonus rates on food, drink and shopping). There are also new flat-rate Everywhere versions: World earns 1%, and World Elite earns 2%.
In this edition of NerdWallet Canada’s Points Pulse series:
Should you cash in points for concert tickets?
ON A SIMILAR NOTE...
DIVE EVEN DEEPER
Athena Cocoves
Athena Cocoves