Air Miles Collectors can use the official travel website and Dream Miles to pay for some or all of their bookings at over 300,000+ hotels, resorts, and boutiques. In this guide, we’ll show you how to get the sweetest suites for your Dream Miles budget, plus the credit cards that can help take you there.
Key Takeaways
- Air Miles members can choose to collect Cash Miles, Dream Miles, or some combination of the two.
- You can redeem Cash Miles for merchandise, tickets, and store discounts on the Air Miles web portal.
- You can redeem Dream Miles for accommodations, car rentals, and flights on the Air Miles travel website.
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How do Air Miles work?
The Air Miles Rewards program awards points – or "miles" – to Collectors for shopping at various partner stores, buying certain products, and participating in occasional bonus promotions.
As for the "rewards" part of the rewards program, you can redeem your Air Miles for a host of discounts, entertainment, merchandise, and travel offers.
Cash Miles vs. Dream Miles
Whenever you collect Air Miles using your membership card or Air Miles credit card, the miles you earn are split into 2 categories: Cash Miles and Dream Miles.
- Cash Miles are redeemable for Cash Rewards like in-store discounts or electronic vouchers. You can trade 95 Cash Miles for $10 off at the checkout with a Cash Rewards partner like Shell, Metro, Hudson’s Bay, or Starbucks to a maximum of $750 per day.
- Dream Miles are redeemable for Dream Rewards, which include entertainment – like movie or amusement park tickets – and products such as kitchen appliances, luggage, home decor, and electronics. You can also use them on travel rewards like hotels, flights, and car rentals.
You can customize how many miles you collect in each category using the Air Miles website, Android app, or iOS app.
Love discounts? Set your preferences to 100% Cash Miles. Got a travel bug? Opt for 100% Dream Miles. Or you could go for a 20/80, 60/40, or 50/50 split.
Take note: You cannot convert your points in one category to the other so make sure you’re happy with the way you set up your collection preferences.
How to redeem your Dream Miles
While Cash Miles have a fixed value, the value of each Dream Mile depends on the type of travel reward you book, when you book, and which Air Miles travel partner you choose.
Depending on how you choose to redeem them, your Dream Miles could be worth anything from $0.098 – $0.127 each:
| Travel reward | Average value |
|---|---|
| Flights | $0.105 per Dream Mile |
| Accommodations | $0.098 per Dream Mile |
| Car rentals | $0.127 per Dream Mile |
| Packages | $0.11 per Dream Mile |
| Extras | $0.108 per Dream Mile |
How to book hotels with Air Miles Dream Miles
Let’s say you followed our guide to redeeming your Air Miles for flights and marked your flight dates on your calendar. If you still have some miles left over, figuring out where to stay is easy: why not use the rest of your Dream Miles to book a hotel?
Collectors of any membership level (Blue, Gold, or Onyx) can get help booking hotels by calling 1-833-345-7003. Or, you can do it yourself on the Air Miles travel booking website.
Visit the website, log in (or create an account and then sign in), and then:
- Select up to 4 rooms for up to 8 travellers in any combination of Adults (12+), Children (2 – 11), or Infants (0 – 2).
- Enter your destination city. Cities are organized by airport code.
- Select your check-in and check-out dates up to 11 months in advance.
- Select your payment preference – you can use Dream Miles to cover at least 50% of your booking and pay the remainder via credit card.
- Click "Search."
Use the filters on the left of the page to refine your search results by hotel star ratings, amenities, or accommodation names. Use the sort function in the upper right corner to order results by price, name, rating, distance, or location.
You can also select "View these accommodations on a map" to see the exact location of every hotel in one place.
To complete your hotel booking:
- Select the accommodation you want by clicking on the picture tile.
- Review the hotel details on the next page and scroll down to select your room by clicking "Select."
- Review the booking and read the advisories at the bottom regarding fees, cancellation policies, check-ins, and check-outs.
- Add an optional Air Miles travel insurance plan if you’d like trip interruption, trip cancellation, and 100% Dream Miles reimbursement coverage.
- Enter all guest and payment details and confirm the booking. Your payment will be due immediately, including a non-refundable $10 CAD booking fee.
Congratulations! All that’s left to do is review your destination’s travel requirements, print your booking confirmation, and save it with the rest of your travel documents.
Air Miles hotel restrictions
It’s fairly easy to book a hotel using the official Air Miles travel website but there are a few restrictions to keep in mind:
- You can’t always cancel hotel bookings for free. Air Miles hotels are either 100% refundable, 100% non-refundable, or partially refundable, so check the fine print on the review page before booking.
- You can’t always earn hotel loyalty points on bookings made through Air Miles. Most hotels won’t count your purchase in Dream Miles towards your hotel rewards account – but you can always call hotel customer service to ask.
- You can’t book a room with pets. If you have an animal travelling companion, call potential hotels before booking to confirm their pet welcome policies. If you get the green light, book the hotel on the Air Miles website and then call the front desk 72 hours before your stay to confirm arrangements.
- You can’t change your details after booking a hotel. If you need to add a room, subtract a room, change your dates, or change the number of guests, you must cancel your original booking and make a new one.
- You can’t pay for your accommodations with a mix of cash and Dream Miles unless you’re a Gold or Onyx Collector. Blue Collectors must pay the entirety of the accommodations via credit card or Dream Miles.
- You can’t redeem Dream Miles on hotel cleaning fees, cancellation charges, or room services. If you cancel, the cancellation fees will be deducted from your credit card or Dream Miles refund.
- You can’t use Dream Miles to extend your hotel stay. If you’d like to stay an extra night or two, call the hotel’s front desk directly to pay for an extension.
- You can’t use the Air Miles website to make special requests. If you’re travelling for a special occasion, call the hotel’s front desk 72 hours before your stay to make any special requests.
Refunded Air Miles follow your account’s collection preferences. If you cancel a flight, set your collection preferences temporarily to 100% Dream Miles so your refund doesn’t convert to Cash Miles.
How to stay longer with Dream Miles
Because Dream Miles don’t have a fixed value, it takes some planning to stay as long as you can. To maximize the length and quality of your stay, try:
- Setting your collection preferences to 100% Dream Miles
- Booking accommodations with 1, 2, or 3-star hotels
- Booking hotels during "shoulder" and “off-peak” tourist seasons
- Collecting promo codes by signing up for Air Miles emails
- Taking advantage of Air Miles travel deals
- Collecting 500 Air Miles within a year to unlock Gold membership and 3x earn rates
- Collecting 5,000 Air Miles within a year to unlock Onyx membership and 4x earn rates
- Signing up for an Air Miles credit card
3 credit cards to earn Air Miles faster
BMO is now the only Air Miles credit card issuer in Canada. Despite the limited selection, all 3 BMO credit cards provide worthwhile perks and accelerated Air Miles earning rates – especially when combined with in-store promotions.
1. Best overall: BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard
×1 Award winner 
$150 GeniusCash + Up to 9,000 bonus AIR MILES + 3x the AIR MILES at partners.*
GC: $150
1x Award winner Costing only $120 per year, the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard is a steal. Card holders automatically qualify for Onyx Air Miles Collector status and gain 3 miles per $12 spent, plus a 25% discount on 1 Air Miles flight per year, and 14 types of insurance coverage.
Not only is it a solid travel insurance credit card, it’s a great Mastercard, too. World Elite Mastercards include premium perks like dining discounts, exclusive event access, and concierge services. When you fly, you can visit over 1,000 airport lounges in 400+ airports and 120+ countries courtesy of the Mastercard Travel Pass.
The only downside is the income requirements. You need at least $80,000 of personal or $150,000 of household income to qualify.
2. No annual fee: BMO AIR MILES Mastercard
Zero annual fees usually mean very few perks – but don’t skip the BMO AIR MILES Mastercard. Card holders automatically qualify for Gold Air Miles Collector status and earn up to 3 Air Miles per $25 spent, plus basic credit card insurance valued at $116 per year.
3. Best for students: BMO AIR MILES Mastercard for students
As a student credit card, the BMO AIR MILES Mastercard for students carries few fees or benefits. Cardholders earn up to 3 miles per $25 spent and benefit from Extended Warranty and Purchase Protection coverage.
If you’re a young credit cardholder looking to build up your credit score, you could do worse – plus, you’d miss out on saving up to $0.07 per litre at Shell.
Have you redeemed Air Miles for hotels?
How did you find the process? Where did you go? How did you sleep? Share your experience in the comments below!
FAQ
How many Air Miles do you need for a hotel?
The number of Dream Miles needed to book a hotel depends on the length of your stay, destination, season, and hotel star rating. It’s only limited by the luxuriousness of the hotels available. We found bookings ranging from 350–112,000 Dream Miles for a 2-night stay for 2 adults in 6 major cities around the world.
Which hotels accept Air Miles in Canada?
Air Miles partners with over 300,000 hotels, resorts, and boutiques around the world, including those from the IHG and Hilton Honors networks.
How much are 50,000 Air Miles worth?
On average, 50,000 Cash Miles are worth $5,250 off at the checkout while 50,000 Dream Miles are worth $4,900 off hotels, $5,250 off flights, or $4,750 off merchandise.
How do I use Air Miles for hotels?
To book a flight using Dream Miles, sign into the Air Miles travel booking website, select your accommodations, and select how many Dream Miles to apply during checkout.
Can you use Air Miles for hotels?
Air Miles Gold and Onyx Collectors can cover 50% or more of their base accommodations booking using Air Miles Dream Miles, while Blue Collectors must pay 100% in Dream Miles or cash/credit.
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