Here's how the AIR MILES Reward Program can help you reach your travel goals

Is it just us, or does summer inspire you to plan your next vacation? All the time we’re spending soaking up the sunshine is fuelling our wanderlust — and we’ve got to do something about it.

You only have to spend a couple of minutes on Instagram to get some inspiration from friends or bloggers before you decide on your next destination. Whether lounging on the golden beaches of Cancún, exploring Santorini, or hiking Machu Picchu is on your bucket list, all you have to do is book a flight.

There’s just one thing: most of us mere mortals need some time to save and plan out our trips. For this reason, we’re constantly seeking out ways that can help us achieve our travel goals. Lucky for us Vancouverites, there’s one incredibly effective way to do this: AIR MILES.

Curious to know more? Fantastic. Here are four ways AIR MILES can help you live your best globetrotter life.

Get Miles faster by using your credit card

Let’s go over the basics — the more Miles you have, the greater your opportunities for travel will be. How often do you use your credit card for purchases, like going to the movies, paying bills, using carshare services like Evo, or reloading your Compass card? Chances are you use your credit card at least once a week, and you get nothing in return (what an anticlimax).

But this doesn’t have to be the case, dear friends, because you can get Miles faster when using select types of AIR MILES credit cards. Whether you opt for an American Express AIR MILES Credit Card or one of the BMO AIR MILES Mastercards, you make everyday purchases go further by getting even more Miles on credit and debit purchases.

Shop online and be rewarded with Miles

What’s not to love about shopping online? You can kick back on your patio and sip on a cocktail while you browse your favourite sites. There’s no need to wait in line, ask staff to check for different sizes, or even think about struggling to carry a bunch of bags home. It’s blissful. But the icing on top really is the fact that you can get Miles on everyday online purchases when you shop through airmilesshops.ca.

Back-to-school season is coming up, and you can get Miles by shopping at Amazon.ca, Apple.ca, Indigo, HP.ca, and more. When it comes to shopping for your fall wardrobe, you’ve got BananaRepublic.ca, Adidas.ca, H&M.ca, and HudsonsBay.ca, to name a few online stores, and you’ll get Miles when you shop at each of these stores.

Get Miles on everyday essentials

Trips to the grocery store, the gas station, or the pharmacy are such a casual part of your routine that you don’t think twice about them. That’s the beauty of becoming an AIR MILES Collector — you can get Miles when going about your everyday routine as you normally would. There are no gimmicks or catches, all you have to do is sign up and start getting Miles on your purchases.

In BC, you can get Miles when you shop at IGA West, Needs West, Rexall, Safeway, Safeway Liquor, Sobeys, Thrifty Foods, and Thrifty Foods Liquor. It couldn’t be easier!

From Miles to vacation mode

We’ve already run through how easy it is to get Miles on everything from your everyday purchases to back-to-school essentials. Now, what about that well-deserved vacation you’re due to take? Here’s the thing: your accumulated Miles can lead to amazing vacations this summer, allowing you to experience some of the best times of your life.

AIR MILES can be used towards flights (New York, anyone?), hotel stays, car rentals, as well as incredible package vacations and cruises. The only thing holding you back from smashing your travel goals this year is missing out on opportunities to score Miles!

If you’re not already an AIR MILES Collector, become one today here.