Points 2: Earn Aeroplan Miles with No-Fee Credit Card

In Points 101 I began by saying I like to focus on travel rewards and highlighted three of the loyalty programs most popular with Canadians. Next I'd like to discuss credit cards that earn points and show you how you can earn travel without paying hefty annual fees.

Several Canadian banks issue credit cards that earn 1 Aeroplan mile for every dollar spent. And though they usually come with a sign-up bonus, they also carry an annual fee, generally in the $120 range (plus extra for secondary cards). Since I value an airline mile at about 1 cent (that's open to debate, but let's assume), the sign-up bonus can make the fee worthwhile for the first year, and even thereafter, if you spend over $25K a year. There are other benefits that come with these cards, such as travel insurance, that may have additional value for you, but if, like me, you're not a high roller and don't need those benefits, there's a free way to earn miles.

Remember how in Points 101 I mentioned you can earn Aeroplan miles by shopping at Sobeys? You do this by setting up your Club Sobeys account to automatically convert points to Aeroplan miles (2 Club Sobeys points equals 1 Aeroplan mile). But you can also earn points with a Club Sobeys MasterCard, issued by Bank of Montreal. It gives you 1 Club Sobeys point (equal to ½ Aeroplan mile) for every dollar you spend anywhere. And it's a no-fee card. So, pay $120 year for 1 Aeroplan mile per dollar spend, or pay nothing and get ½ Aeroplan mile per dollar spend. As I say, this could be a good deal if you're putting less than $25K a year on the card.

I got a few thousand Club Sobeys points/Aeroplan Miles when I originally signed up for the card about two years ago. It was issued by Citi Bank then, but this summer Bank of Montreal bought Citi's credit card business in Canada. Next month, I'll receive 2,600 Club Sobeys points (equalling 1,300 Aeroplan miles) when I get my new BMO Club Sobey's MasterCard and make a purchase with it, but you can cash in too. Club Sobeys and BMO have an introductory offer on right now. You'll get a welcome bonus of 2,000 Club Sobeys points/1,000 Aeroplan miles after making a single purchase with the card. You can apply online. Enter offer code CS1.

I carry the Club Sobeys MasterCard as a back-up when I travel, but haven't used it much. That's because I have a free card that earns even more Aeroplan miles (and miles on many other airlines besides, if I choose). I'll tell you about it in part 2.

So, if you're keeping track, I belong to PC points, but only incidentally; I don't actively collect. I don't collect Air Miles, mainly because of poor earning potential where I live. I belong to Club Sobey's, but only to earn Aeroplan miles. I have a Club Sobeys MasterCard, mainly for the sign-up bonuses. Aeroplan is a focus program, but I don't have the annual spending to make paying a $120 annual fee worthwhile when there are cheaper ways to earn miles.

Points 1: Canada's Favourite Points Programs

A couple of conversations with friends lately about my points and miles collecting hobby (obsession?) led to requests for me to post on the subject. So over the next few weeks, I'll try to cover the basics of how to get the most out of loyalty programs. Keep in mind, these are my preferences; they may not always be suitable for you, but I hope you'll find something of use here.

For starters, many points experts advise that you focus on one program so you can achieve rewards quickly. I take the opposite view. I believe in signing up for almost any program, focusing on several, and taking a patient, long-term approach. There are a number of reasons why, but one is that I collect with the goal of travel rewards (hotels stays and flights), rather than merchandise or cash-back rewards. That takes a lot of points and that takes time. I find the dream of travel to be more inspiring than cash-back, and the value of travel rewards greater than merchandise.

I'll begin by discussing three of the programs most popular with Canadians.

PC points are earned through a variety of activities with President's Choice Financial, chiefly through the use of its credit and debit cards. Points can also be earned through bonus offers at supermarkets that sell President's Choice products. Rewards come in the form of groceries and other products sold in the stores and are redeemed right at the checkout, using your credit or debit card. No separate membership card is required. Ease of earning and redeeming makes this program the right one for many people.

I do have a PC Financial chequing account, but not a credit card, so my point earning is minuscule. The reason I don't focus on this program is because $20 off groceries doesn't inspire me (see paragraph 2, above), and because I can use a different credit card at the supermarket to earn points in another program that has more value to me.

Air Miles can be earned through a variety of retailers and affiliated credit cards offered by the Bank of Montreal and American Express. It is perhaps the most popular loyalty card in Canada. It seems almost everyone has one. Except me.

The main reason Air Miles has little value to me is that few of their partners are located in my town, so I have little chance to earn. But if you're a BMO customer and can shop at Air Miles retail partners, this program can be valuable to you, especially if you like merchandise or grocery certificate rewards.

That brings me to Aeroplan. Though a separate company, Aeroplan is essentially Air Canada's frequent flier plan and offers reward flights not only on Air Canada, but also on its partners in the Star Alliance, such as United, US Airways, Lufthansa, Singapore, Air New Zealand, and many others. As well, points can be redeemed for hotel stays, car rentals, cruises, and merchandise.

Aeroplan miles can be earned through flights, retail and travel partners, and affiliated credit cards and other products at a range of financial institutions. Aeroplan's gas and grocery partners (Esso and Sobeys) are located in my town, and that's a big reason why I collect Aeroplan miles.

Next time, in Points 201, I'll take a look at points-earning credit cards, with the emphasis on earning points and miles without having to pay an annual fee.

Some People May be Offended (Seriously)

Hoo boy. This sure ain't gonna make me popular.

I'm here to argue in defence of the right to offend; to express views others find offensive; to do perfectly legal things that others may be offended by; even to be an obnoxious, stupid, loutish human being as long as you don't actually hurt anybody else.

I don't advocate doing it gratuitously; I just think that giving offence is not, and should not be, a crime.

Some recent cases have caused a global media feeding frenzy around the issue. One was the plan by some Muslims to build an Islamic centre a few blocks from Ground Zero. Another was the antics of Florida lunatic Terry Jones with his on again, off again plans to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States by burning a Qur'an.

But unless you live in my neck of the woods, you probably haven't heard of this one: a group of extreme anti-abortion protesters lined a major thoroughfare in my hometown recently, displaying large photos of aborted fetuses. The graphic nature of the images upset a lot of people and the local council has directed township staff to see if there isn't some legal way to prevent them from doing it again.

Well, regardless of whether I think these activities are objectionable or even offensive, I have to say the Muslims, Mr. Jones, and the anti-abortion protesters should be allowed to do as they please.

Setting aside the American examples, our Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees Canadians "freedom ... of expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication" (section 2, subsection b). Subsection c. guarantees us "freedom of peaceful assembly".

Now either these fundamental rights, entrenched in our constitution, mean something, or they don't. They aren't conditional on us finding the views expressed agreeable and inoffensive. They're there precisely to protect the rights of those with unpopular views.

As those of you who know me will readily attest, I'm easily offended. Lord knows there's plenty of human folly and wickedness to keep me outraged a good part of my waking hours. But I don't expect the government to pass laws making such activities illegal. I wish it would, but I'm not holding my breath (chiefly because it's frequently various levels of government that have incurred my ire).

No, what I do is, I try to get on with my day. If that doesn't work, I blog. It's cheaper than therapy.

I don't wish to be insensitive. I acknowledge that such images are disturbing, and yes, offensive to many people. And I do believe that freedom of expression is not absolute. For example, we do have provisions in the criminal law of Canada against hate speech. And that seems to me a sensible, if not always easily discernable place to draw the line.

But the case of the anti-abortion protesters in Port Perry is not about that. These are people with an extreme view expressing it in an extreme way. That offends many other people. But that shouldn't be a crime.

Action Plan

My doorbell rang the other day.

There was a slightly pudgy middle aged man on my porch. "I'm here to put up your sign," he said. A short, dumpy-looking woman next to him nodded.

"What sign?" I asked.

"Why, your Economic Action Plan sign, of course." He pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Sorry," he said, "they're new." The short woman nodded some more.

"Why do I need an Economic Action Plan sign?"

"We're putting them everywhere. Beside roads, on trees, in windows, on uninhabited islands. It's just your lawn's turn, that's all. It is Canada's Economic Action Plan after all. Your lawn is a part of Canada, isn't it?"

I assured him my lawn was not a socialist-separatist lawn, but I was doubtful that it had been getting any action.

The short woman handed him a blue cardigan. He put it on and began to explain patiently how Canada's Economic Action Plan worked. "So far we've installed 143,849,594 signs. That's created jobs for a lot of sign makers. And then there are all those working at newspapers and radio and TV stations, not to mention the advertising agencies. Yes, my friend, Canada's Economic Action Plan has put thousands of Canadians back to work." The dumpy little woman was nodding vigorously.

I began to feel patriotic. But while he was here, I thought I'd ask him a few questions. "I thought you were a big fan of law and order. How come you're at odds with the police over the long gun registry?"

"As soon as all the police chiefs have had French language training, I'm sure they'll see things our way."

I was impressed by his logic.

"Well, then, how about scrapping the mandatory long-form census? Won't that cost more and give us worthless information?"

"We already know everything we need to know." The nodding was now non-stop.

I had to admit, his argument was bulletproof.

"Right then, where do you want that sign?"

I told him where to put it.

To Serve You Better

No question, we live in the golden age of b.s.

I remember when this first really hit home with me. It was some years back and we were staying in a high-rise hotel. Maybe you're like me and are old enough to remember when hotels had ice machines on every floor. Well, on this occasion, a card in the room announced that, to serve me better, ice machines were now located on the third, seventeenth, and twenty-ninth floors.

I've learned to dread those words "to serve you better". They're the modern equivalent of "duck and cover". You know a load is incoming; you're just not sure how big or which directions it's coming from.

It's not just "to serve you better". Companies also tell us our call is important to them. We know it isn't. If it were, they'd answer the darn phone.

And have you ever noticed that the ones with the worst customer service (insert name of phone company, bank, or airline here) waste bazillions on advertising telling us how great their service is? Why don't they spend some of that money on actually improving customer service instead?

Of course it isn't only companies. During elections, politicians shower us with promises we know they won't keep. Once elected, they do pretty much what they condemned the previous guys for doing when they were in office.

The common thread here is that we know we're being lied to. In fact, I'm sure that they know, we know. They just expect us to be good sports and play along. To believe our teeth will be whiter, our clothes brighter.

And that's what really riles me. It's not that I object to being fed a steady diet of b.s. (well, OK, I do). It's that I'm expected to smile and agree it tastes like chocolate pudding.

I was in a local grocery store a while back. You probably know the one; it's famous for its supply chain problems. In layman's terms: it never has the specials advertised in its weekly flyer. Anyway, hope springs eternal, and I went in looking for three items in the meat department. I didn't see any of them in the display cases, so I enquired of a friendly fellow behind the counter.

They did not have any of item A, he cheerfully informed me. Ditto for item B. Beginning to feel a little like John Cleese in a cheese shop, I asked about item C, with predictable results. His smile never wavered. "OK?" he chirped.

"OK?" I spluttered. "Why would it be OK? You haven't had a single item you advertised that I was looking for." I was beginning to work myself up into a fine state of Cleese-ness.

But then I saw his face fall and I felt bad. Like I'd told him his puppy was ugly.

So maybe it's better if we just play along. I mean, where's the harm? And it does seem to give them so much pleasure. Seems mean to spoil their fun.