Air Miles, the coalition loyalty program Canadians collected at partner stores for decades, no longer exists under that name. BMO, a founding partner of the program since 1992, completed its purchase of the AIR MILES Reward Program business from LoyaltyOne on June 1, 2023, and launched its replacement, Blue Rewards, on June 2, 2026. Collectors’ Miles converted automatically. This page explains what changed and how the program works now; it is part of the rewards programs hub.
What changed: Air Miles to Blue Rewards
| Former Air Miles | Blue Rewards | |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | LoyaltyOne, then a BMO subsidiary from June 1, 2023 | Run by a subsidiary of BMO |
| Currency | Two types: Cash Miles and Dream Miles | One type: Blue Points |
| Conversion | Not applicable | Automatic, with no loss in value; the AIR MILES collector number became the Blue Rewards member number |
| In-store and eGift card redemption | Cash Miles at partner stores | 1,500 Blue Points = $10 |
| Travel | Dream Miles rewards | Blue Rewards Travel, powered by Expedia: points can cover a whole trip including taxes and fees, except cruises and pay-at-property fees |
| Shell | A partner until May 25, 2026 | Not a partner |
Sources: BMO Blue Rewards page; BMO Newsroom, January 26, 2026; BMO Newsroom, June 2, 2026.
Why the program changed hands
LoyaltyOne, the company that ran AIR MILES, sold the program business to BMO as part of its proceeding under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, the federal law for restructuring insolvent companies. BMO announced the agreement in March 2023 and completed the purchase on June 1, 2023 (BMO Newsroom, March 10, 2023; BMO Newsroom, June 1, 2023). BMO unveiled Blue Rewards on January 26, 2026 and launched it on June 2, 2026.
How the Miles-to-Points conversion worked
Every collector’s AIR MILES balance converted automatically to Blue Points, and BMO says the conversion happened with no loss in value. No action was needed, and collector numbers carried over as member numbers. Cash Miles and Dream Miles were consolidated into a single type of point.
The new points are smaller units than the old Miles, so balances look much larger after the switch while buying the same amount. Under the old program, 95 Cash Miles redeemed for $10 at partner stores; under Blue Rewards, $10 takes 1,500 Blue Points, or about 15.8 points for each former Cash Mile at the same dollar value.
How Blue Rewards works now
Redemption value. In store at partners and for eGift cards, 1,500 Blue Points = $10, or about 0.67 cents per point. BMO notes that standard daily Points usage limits and terms and conditions apply to these redemptions, and that other forms of redemption have their own terms and redemption rates, listed at bluerewards.ca/value. Through Blue Rewards Travel, any amount of points can go toward a trip when the rest is paid with a BMO Blue Rewards credit card (cruises excluded), or points can cover the whole trip including taxes and fees, except cruises and pay-at-property fees. (BMO Blue Rewards page; BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard page)
Expiry. An account with no points earned, redeemed or transferred for 24 months is considered dormant, and all its points are removed (Blue Rewards, do points expire?). The program’s full terms are at bluerewards.ca.
Ways to earn without a BMO card. Anyone can join as a member on the Blue Rewards website. Members earn by showing a physical or digital Blue Rewards member card at participating partners, and BMO’s January 2026 release describes earning on grocery and food deliveries by scanning in-store receipts in the Blue Rewards app. BMO customers can link their member number to an eligible BMO payment card for partner offers, and a Blue Rewards credit card earns points on top of those from showing the member card.
Where to earn Blue Points
Shell has left the program. BMO’s release says collectors could earn and redeem at Shell Canada through May 25, 2026, and at Alberta locations through March 2, 2026. Readers whose gas spending used to earn Miles at Shell can compare cards that reward fuel in the best gas credit cards guide.
BMO says Blue Rewards covers over 400 brands. The partners BMO names:
| Partner type | Partners named by BMO |
|---|---|
| Retail | Pharmasave and Global Pet Foods |
| Partners added for Blue Rewards | Dollarama, Instacart, Thai Express, Jugo Juice, Mucho Burrito, Manchu Wok, Mr. Sub and Pizza Delight |
| Travel | Porter Airlines; Accor hotel brands including Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Sofitel, Rimrock and Novotel |
| MTY Group restaurants | Thai Express, Mr. Sub, Manchu Wok, Mucho Burrito, Pizza Delight and Jugo Juice |
The full, current partner list is at bluerewards.ca. (Sources: BMO Newsroom, January 26, 2026; BMO Newsroom, June 2, 2026; BMO Blue Rewards page.)
BMO Blue Rewards credit cards
BMO replaced the AIR MILES-branded cards with two personal cards for new applicants. BMO says existing BMO AIR MILES credit cards keep working with no interruption and the same card number, and now earn Blue Points instead of Miles.
| BMO Blue Rewards Mastercard | BMO Blue Rewards World Elite Mastercard | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual fee | $0 | $150/year (waived in the first year) |
| Blue Rewards partners (including Blue Rewards Travel) | 5 points per $1 | 10 points per $1 |
| Groceries, gas, EV charging, wholesale and alcohol | 1 point per $1 | 2 points per $1 |
| Everything else | 0.5 points per $1 | 1 point per $1 |
| Minimum income | None stated | $80,000 personal or $150,000 household |
BMO footnotes the accelerated rates on each card’s page. On the World Elite card, the category bonus applies to purchases in Canada, and both the category and partner bonuses stop at a spending limit per statement cycle, after which purchases earn the base rate; the limits are in the card’s benefits guide on bmo.com. Welcome offers change often and are not a fixed feature of either card. (Sources: BMO’s World Elite and no-fee card pages.)
Example: a year on the World Elite card. A household puts $600 a month of groceries and gas, $100 at Blue Rewards partners and $700 of other spending on the card, all within the card’s accelerated-earning limits.
That earns 1,200 + 1,000 + 700 = 2,900 Blue Points a month, or 34,800 a year. At the in-store and eGift card rate of 1,500 points = $10, that is worth about $232.00, before the card’s annual fee of $150/year (waived in the first year).
Status tiers: what happened to Gold and Onyx
Air Miles ran a three-tier status program (Blue, Gold and Onyx). Blue Rewards’ FAQ on the move from Air Miles says members who obtained Onyx status keep Onyx benefits until December 31, 2027; the FAQ gives the Personal Shopper benefit an earlier end date, December 31, 2026. The rules for each tier, and the dates that apply to each member, are at bluerewards.ca.
Blue Rewards vs other Canadian rewards programs
| Program | Where points are mainly earned | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Rewards (formerly Air Miles) | Partner brands, BMO Blue Rewards cards and eligible BMO chequing accounts | This page |
| Aeroplan | Air Canada flights and co-branded credit cards | Aeroplan guide |
| PC Optimum | Loblaw-owned grocery stores and Shoppers Drug Mart | PC Optimum guide |
| Scene+ | Scotiabank cards and Scene+ partners | Scene+ guide |
| WestJet Rewards | WestJet flights and RBC WestJet cards | WestJet Rewards guide |
| BMO Rewards | BMO eclipse and Ascend credit cards | BMO Rewards guide |
BMO Rewards, the points program on cards like the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite and BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard, is a separate BMO program from Blue Rewards: asked whether the two are the same, BMO says they are different programs. Whether collecting points beats a cash back card for a given household is worked through in the rewards worth-it guide.
For former Air Miles collectors
- The old AIR MILES collector number is now the Blue Rewards member number, and the converted Blue Points balance shows in the Blue Rewards account at bluerewards.ca or in the Blue Rewards app.
- Spending habits built around Shell no longer earn points there, since Shell has left the program.
- A BMO AIR MILES credit card keeps working with the same number and now earns Blue Points; BMO says no card change is needed.
- Point values and partner terms are set out at bluerewards.ca, which shows the current rate for each type of redemption.
Sources
- BMO Financial Group. “BMO Confirms Agreement to Acquire LoyaltyOne’s AIR MILES Reward Program Business.” March 10, 2023.
- BMO Financial Group. “BMO Completes Acquisition of LoyaltyOne’s AIR MILES Reward Program Business.” June 1, 2023.
- BMO Financial Group. “BMO Boldly Reimagines Loyalty with Launch of Blue Rewards.” January 26, 2026.
- BMO Financial Group. “BMO Launches Blue Rewards: A New, Bold and Rewarding Loyalty Experience for Canadians.” June 2, 2026.
- Bank of Montreal. Blue Rewards and BMO Blue Rewards credit cards.