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Perhaps a lesser-known rewards program, the Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS offers fair and consistent redemption value across the board, no matter how you choose to redeem your points.

You can use your BONUSDOLLARS to pay for any travel you like, make contributions to your investments, get free show tickets, or purchase gift cards and merchandise.

We’ll be breaking down exactly how much each point is worth for each redemption option, giving you further insight on the best ways to redeem your dollars, and the various credit cards you can get to earn these points.

Related: 8 Tips For Using Your Travel Credit Card For A 5-Star Vacation At A 1-Star Cost

Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS Rewards at a glance

Value of a Desjardins BONUSDOLLAR: High: $1 for multiple items
Low: $0.92 for merchandise
Ways to redeem Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS: * Travel – 1 dollar per point (DPP)
* Desjardins financial products – 1 DPP
* Show tickets – 1 DPP
* Donations – 1 DPP
* Gift cards – 0.96 DPP
* Merchandise – 0.92 DPP
How to earn Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS: * 5 credit cards
Who these rewards are good for: * World travellers
* Avid savers and investors
* Entertainment lovers
* Value shoppers
Frequently Asked Questions: * Level of flexibility? High
* Blackout dates? No
* Do rewards expire? No
* Rewards cover taxes and fees? Yes
* Can these rewards be transferred? No
* Is there a way to earn rewards faster? No

How to redeem Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS

BONUSDOLLARS can be redeemed for a variety of items, including travel, merchandise, show tickets, and financial products.

A BONUSDOLLAR is advertised as being worth an actual dollar, and in most cases, that’s true.

However, in a few instances, they’re worth a little less.

Redeem BONUSDOLLARS for travel: 1 DPP

If you want to redeem for travel purchases, each BONUSDOLLAR is worth one dollar. Simply charge any travel to your card and use your BONUSDOLLARS to help pay for any portion of the cost.

It’s worth noting that travel can umbrella a lot of things – your monthly public transit pass, or a visit to the Desjardins Odyssey Lounge at Montreal-Trudeau airport, to name a few.

Redeem BONUSDOLLARS for Desjardins financial products: 1 DPP

If you have any financial products with Desjardins, you can conveniently redeem your BONUSDOLLARS towards things like:

  • RRSP, RESP & TFSA accounts,
  • service fees,
  • insurance, and
  • personal loans and mortgages.

You have to redeem a minimum value of 20 BONUSDOLLARS.

Redeem BONUSDOLLARS for show tickets: 1 DPP

If the last thing you want to do on Friday night is stay at home, you can use your BONUSDOLLARS to redeem for concert tickets, tourist attractions, exhibits, or museums.

Simply charge the expense to your credit card, and then apply your points towards that purchase. A minimum of 20 BONUSDOLLARS must be redeemed.

Unfortunately, here are a few things you won’t be able to use your BONUSDOLLARS for:

  • amusement parks,
  • circuses,
  • carnivals,
  • water parks,
  • zoos, and
  • movie theatres.

Redeem BONUSDOLLARS for donations: 1 DPP

If you’re looking to use your points for a charitable cause, you can use your BONUSDOLLARS to make donations, with a minimum donation value of $20.

Redeem BONUSDOLLARS for gift cards: 0.96 DPP

If travel, donations, or concerts aren’t your thing, you can redeem your BONUSDOLLARS for gift cards.

Ranging in value from $25 to $250, any gift card you redeem for requires the same number of BONUSDOLLARS as the gift card value, plus an additional 2 BONUSDOLLARS.

For example, to redeem for a $50 gift card, you would need 52 BONUSDOLLARS giving this redemption option a value of 0.96 dollars.

Redeem BONUSDOLLARS for merchandise: 0.92 DPP

Finally, Desjardins offers a large inventory of merchandise available for point redemption. However, your BONUSDOLLARS aren’t worth $1 in merchandise. The value depends on what you are redeeming for.

We came to an average value of 0.92 cents for one BONUSDOLLAR, although we found quite a large range in value, from 0.63 all the way to $1.28 dollars each. So, there are definitely some good deals here.

Here is what we sampled for merchandise:

Item BONUSDOLLARS Required Actual Price Value of 1 BONUSDOLLAR
Google Home Mini 70 $89.27 1.28
Gardena R50Li Programmable Robotic Lawn Mower 2939 $3,614.87 1.23
Black & Decker 20V MAX Lithium Circular Saw with 1 Battery 168 $169.50 1.01
Dyson Ball Multifloor 2 Upright Vacuum 585 $563.87 0.96
Amazon Echo (2nd Generation) 157 $146.90 0.94
Apple iPad Mini 4 Wi-FI 128GB 667 $597.77 0.90
Broil King Baron 420 S 1019 $902.87 0.89
Breville Die-Cast 4-Slice Smart Toaster 258 $226.00 0.88
Canon imageCLASS LBP251dw Laser Printer 548 $452.00 0.82
Sony 55 in. X900F LED 4K Ultra HD Android TV 1868 $1,466.74 0.79
Citizen Axiom Eco-Drive Men’s Chronograph Watch 465 $327.70 0.70
Sennheiser GSP 350 PC Gaming Headset 251 $158.20 0.63

*Price as found on google, with 13% sales tax added.

Desjardins credit cards

If you want to earn Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS, a BONUSDOLLARS branded credit card is the only way.

There are 5 BONUSDOLLAR credit cards to choose from.

Related: Best Travel Credit Cards

Desjardins Odyssey Visa Infinite Privilege

The premium offering by Desjardins, the offers the most points per dollar spent. Get 2% in BONUSDOLLARS on all your spending, plus Visa Infinite Privileges, and a terrific suite of insurance coverage.

It has an annual fee of $395 ($295 if you’re a Desjardins member), and a $200,000 household income requirement.

Desjardins Odyssey World Elite Mastercard

If you want a premium card with a lower annual fee, the offers up to 2% in BONUSDOLLARS on all purchases.

Not to mention this card won our top spot for best insurance credit card in Canada for 2019.

It comes with an annual fee of $120 and income requirements of either $80,000 personal or $150,000 household.

Desjardins Odyssey Gold Visa

If you don’t meet the high income requirements mentioned above, there are still a few options for you.

The :

  • has no income requirements,
  • comes with an annual fee of $110,
  • offers a good insurance package, and
  • gives 1% in BONUSDOLLARS on all spending.

Desjardins Modulo Visa

Can’t quite stomach the $110 annual fee? The comes with a more manageable $50 price tag.

You’ll still get 1% in BONUSDOLLARS on all of your spending and a comprehensive insurance package to boot.

Desjardins Elegance Gold Visa

The has the lowest annual fee of $30 and offers its cardholders 1% in BONUSDOLLARS on all spending, and a basic insurance package.

Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS questions and answers

How flexible are these rewards?

These are very flexible rewards, in that there are multiple options for redemption, and there’s little loss of value among all options.

Are there blackout dates?

No, there are no blackout dates, since you get to choose the providers you want to book with.

Do your rewards expire?

No, provided your credit card is in good standing and you make at least one purchase on it per year.

Do your rewards cover taxes and fees?

Yes, your rewards cover taxes and fees.

Can these rewards be transferred?

No, these rewards cannot be transferred to other programs.

Is there a way to earn rewards faster?

No, using the 5 Desjardins BONUSDOLLAR branded credit cards is the only way to earn this type of rewards.

And there you have it

The Desjardins BONUSDOLLARS offers a high-quality program with very little difference in redemption value, which can’t be said for most rewards programs.

With the ability to redeem for travel, contribute to investments, get gift cards, buy merchandise, and redeem for show tickets, there’s a way to use your BONUSDOLLARS to suit your tastes.

Do you collect BONUSDOLLARS? Have you had any success with this rewards program?

Let us know in the comments below.