It’s no secret. The Air Miles program, one of the most recognizable in Canada, has had some issues as of late. Air Miles has been losing partners throughout the past few years, leading some to ditch the program or at the very least, question their commitment.
In a series of attempts to hang onto existing customers and entice new ones, Air Miles has made moves to make their program more attractive. The latest move involves making it easier to earn Air Miles Gold and Air Miles Onyx status.
We’ll quickly recap the changes for you so you can see if the changes are worth your time.
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How many Air Miles does it take to get Air Miles Gold status?
The first status that we’ll talk about is Air Miles Gold.
In the past, you needed to earn 1,000 Miles to earn this status. Now, you only need 500 Miles. Going from a requirement of Vanessa Carlton to a requirement of the Proclaimers is a big drop, making it a lot easier to get in on the ground floor and work your way up to Air Miles Onyx status.
The period in which you need to earn your points is still 1 calendar year. It’s good to know they didn’t try to pull a fast one on us and hide a little “must complete within 6 months” in the fine print.
What benefits come with Air Miles Gold status?
If you take advantage of these Air Miles changes and get an inside track on Air Miles Gold status, then you’ll see some very good benefits.
Plus, if you have either the
Here’s what you can expect to get that standard (Air Miles Blue members) will be jealous of:
- flight discounts of up to 30% in Miles,
- merchandise discounts of up to 5% in Miles, and
- the ability to pay with Cash Miles when booking hotels and cars.
How many Air Miles does it take to get Air Miles Onyx status?
Now let’s take it to the next level: Air Miles Onyx status.
It used to be even more exclusive since it had a requirement of 6,000 Miles to get in, but with the changes, Air Miles Onyx status now only requires 5,000 Miles (unfortunately, there have yet to be any pop songs with such a high number).
Again, the period of time that you have to earn all those Air Miles remains the same, so you won’t have to rush any more than you would normally to get this distinctive status.
What benefits come with Air Miles Onyx status?
To put it plainly, just think of it as Air Miles Gold status, but cooler.
You’ll get similar benefits, but with greater discounts and some extra bonuses that are exclusive to Air Miles Onyx status.
Here’s the full list:
- flight discounts of up to 40% in Miles,
- merchandise discounts of up to 10% in Miles,
- the ability to pay with Cash Miles when booking hotels and cars,
- priority customer service,
- a personal shopper, and
- Shell Go+ membership.
Recent updates affect how you earn Air Miles
For those out of the loop, there were recently some earn rate changes to a few BMO Air Miles cards that you could find useful in your quest to get either Air Miles Gold or Air Miles Onyx status.
To summarize it quickly, buying groceries with 3 of the BMO Air Miles cards now has boosted earn rates, garnering double the Air Miles at the till.
We went into much more detail in the link above, but for this article, we’ll just give you a teaser of these 3 cards. And of course, there are better options out there if you check out our list of the best Air Miles credit cards in Canada.
Your standard BMO Air Miles card
$20 GeniusCash + Up to 
First, the standard BMO AIR MILES Mastercard currently gets the following for rewards:
- 1 Mile per $25 spent on all purchases
- 3x the Miles for every $25 at participating Air Miles partners
- 2x the Miles for every $25 spent at any eligible grocery, liquor, and wholesale stores
You’ll get a good return from this for no annual fee. As we mentioned, the grocery bonus was only a recent addition and can help you earn points faster.
Fly high with World Elite status
×1 Award winner 
GC: $150
1x Award winner
Next, the more deluxe BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard gets these rewards for its cardholders:
- 1 Mile for every $12 spent
- 3x the Miles for every $12 at participating Air Miles partners
- 2x the Miles for every $12 spent at any eligible grocery, liquor, and wholesale stores
This card will get you even faster earn rates at partner merchants, as well as a better welcome bonus, much more comprehensive insurance, and World Elite benefits. That being said, you’ll have to fork out for the $120 annual fee.
Students can earn Air Miles Gold and Onyx status too!
Lastly, students can get in on the fun too with the BMO AIR MILES Mastercard for students. Here’s what the rewards would look like for all our friends on campus:
- 1 Mile per $25 spent on all purchases
- 3x the Miles for every $25 at participating Air Miles partners
- 2x the Miles for every $25 spent at any eligible grocery stores
It’ll take a little more effort to earn Air Miles with this card, but because of the ease of acceptance as a student credit card, it’s quite accessible for those keener students who want to be the best at everything.
Will you aim for Air Miles Gold and Air Mile Onyx status?
There you have it, that’s the scoop on the latest changes for both Air Miles Gold status and Air Miles Onyx status.
Now that it’s easier to get to that level, are you more willing to hang onto your Air Miles membership? Or is that not enough to ensure your loyalty? Or maybe it’s enough to swing you to get onboard.
Let us know your thoughts in our friendly little comment section below.
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