In Canada, air miles are still all the rage, especially among millennials who love to travel. In this article, let’s take a look at two of the best Air Miles credit cards.
As a Canadian, it’s very easy to accumulate and use your Air Miles – all you’re looking for may be to increase your mileage accumulation rate. When you use a good Air Miles credit card, you can earn more airline miles to easily travel anywhere and anytime.
Not only in the form of travel rewards, but airline miles can also be redeemed for a ton of useful gifts and perks.
Advantage of the Air Miles credit card
Using the Air Miles rewards program is very common, especially among frequent travelers. Many people have signed up for airline miles and make great use of them.
The Air Miles benefits are pretty straightforward. With the Air Miles credit card, you can increase your points by participating in several platforms that use these Air miles to earn great rewards. For example, if you buy something at a place that allows payment with Air Miles, you can earn double your points.
In this article, our main goal is to take a look at the two best Air Miles credit cards in Canada. Let’s look at the main benefits and features, the pros and cons, and what makes them great choices.
You can read my full, in-depth review of the Air Miles rewards program by clicking here
1. BMO Air Miles World Elite Mastercard
This is currently one of the best Air Miles credit cards in Canada. It is used by many people in Canada and the best thing is that it has many benefits. However, it is important to note that to use this card, you must ensure that your credit score is excellent.
The annual maintenance fee for this card is $120, but as a first-time user, the fee is waived for the first year. This is one of the best Air Miles credit cards you get on the market today.
Compared to other Air Miles credit cards in the market, the BMO Air Miles World Elite Mastercard stands out and also offers the best sign-up bonuses. When you first register. You will receive a bonus of 3,000 miles, which is equivalent to $320.
Another thing you need to know is that when you use this Air Mile credit card, you will also get 15% off Air Miles you use it for flights within North America, and for every $10 spent, you’ll earn 1 Air Mile. This is considered the highest Air Mile return rate among all other credit cards.
There are also other added benefits including a travel insurance package and medical insurance for up to 15 days during your trip.
Benefits and Features of the BMO Air Miles World Elite Mastercard
1. Annual Fee – $120
2. Interest charged for regular purchases – 19.99%
3. Interest charges on cash advances – 22.99%
Income Eligibility to Apply for the BMO Air Miles World Elite Mastercard
Minimum annual income of $80,000 (individual) or $150,000 (household) required
Disadvantages of the BMO Air Miles World Elite Mastercard
After looking at all these great benefits and features, we are sorry to say that there are also some downsides to this card that many people don’t know about and I will share them here.
One of the major downsides to this card is simply the value of the rewards you get from the card. By using this card, your reward value is significantly lower than the value of other major competing credit cards. Most other no-fee cards offer better rewards than this lousy card.
Another major disadvantage is that you may not be able to take full advantage of the benefits that this credit card offers you.
2. American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card
It’s also one of the best Air Miles credit cards you can get in Canada today. Once you sign up for this card, you will receive a welcome bonus of 3,500 Air Miles.
Every time you load a total of $1,500 on your card you will receive bonus miles. These bonus miles amount to 1,700 miles for the first 3 months of card membership. Over the next three months, you’ll earn 150 miles for every $500 you spend.
Besides these great bonuses, you can also get 1 mile for every $5 spent on food, gas, and other important things. American Express Air Miles also offers insurance that covers car rental, accidents, and more.
Benefits and Features of the American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card
1. Annual Fee – $120
2. Annual interest rate on regular purchases – 19.99% on purchases and 22.99% for cash advances
3. Additional Card Fees (Spouse and Family Members) – FREE
Key Benefits of the American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card
1. Bonus Air Miles – Once per calendar year, when you use your Dream Miles to book your first one-way flight or vacation package through airmiles.ca or vacations.airmiles.ca, you will be eligible to earn bonus Air Miles equal to 25% of the net number of miles used. The maximum number of bonus miles is capped at 750.
2. Increased Air Miles earn rate – You will be able to earn Air Miles at the rate of 1 Mile for every $5 in regular credit card purchases in-store and online, up to an annual cap of $30,000, on all eligible food and beverages as well as eligible gas and public transportation in Canada.
Plus, you’ll be able to earn 1 Mile for every $10 in regular credit card purchases everywhere else except those mentioned above.
3. Balance Transfer Offer for New Cardholders – This offer is only applicable if you are a new cardholder – You will definitely benefit from the promotional interest rate of 1.99% for the first 6 months.
All you have to do is choose to transfer your other credit card balances to the American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card when applying online or signing up for this credit card. There are no balance transfer fees charged for this offer. It’s absolutely FREE.
Disadvantages of the American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card
First of all, getting the American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card has many benefits. However, there are also some disadvantages which we will discuss in this section.
While this card is great, the downsides associated with this card are not that great. The only downside is that this credit card doesn’t offer you travel insurance, trip cancellation reimbursement, and medical coverage.
As a frequent traveler, these are some of the important things you will need and this card does not cover them. So think about it before getting one. There are other cards on the market that offer these benefits – if that’s a concern for you.
However, apart from all these benefits, the America Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card is the ideal choice for you if you want to buy one at any time for yourself or your family.
Conclusion
So there you have it, that was the review of the two best Air Miles credit cards in Canada right now.
I hope you liked the content and information shared here. I have tried my best to note the important and key benefits of these two credit cards from an end-user perspective. There are other common benefits as well, which I haven’t discussed here. But check them out on the official credit card page.
In this article, we have introduced you to two top Air Miles credit card companies in Canada that you should consider when choosing an Air Miles credit card for you or your family.
If you found the content useful, please share it on social media, let me know your thoughts and comments below.
