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BMO GIC Vouchers Through Air Miles soon to be discontinued
October 8, 2015
9:16 am
kanaka
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An important update on BMO Investment Vouchers

Dear.........

As of December 31, 2015, BMO Investment Vouchers will be removed from our Dream Rewards Catalogue. As a special gesture to our most valued BMO and AIR MILES Collectors, we have extended the deadline just for you. Take advantage and redeem for one last BMO Investment Voucher before they're gone!

You can still get a BMO Investment Voucher before December 31. And just like always, Vouchers are valid for 180 days from date of issuance. Here's how many Dream Miles it takes to make an investment in your future:

$100 Voucher – 950 Miles
$500 Voucher – 4,750 Miles

October 8, 2015
7:15 pm
Loonie
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Aaargh! I have 733 miles and not a big chance of getting that many more of them credited before end of the year. If I'd known, I would have bought more Sobey's gift cards last weekend, at 150 Air Miles for $150. I bought 3 but could have bought one more if I'd known.

October 8, 2015
8:38 pm
kanaka
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Darn....looks like I have to research the new Costco MC as it looks like the BMO AirlMiles MC is useless to me.

October 8, 2015
8:47 pm
Loonie
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One of the really annoying issues is that, with the "Special" Air Miles offers, it often takes months for them to be credited. This makes it all but impossible to meet these kinds of deadlines without buying overpriced groceries. AND they won't let you move the Air Miles to the "Cash" category when they remove the "Dream" reward that you are pursuing.

As soon as I get to 950, whenever it is, that will be the end of it for me.

I'm glad, though, that we were able to cash in all our Air Miles last year and get the cash out of them before they got rid of the reward or devalued them yet again.

BMO has had several deals with Air Miles in terms of rewards over the years. A long time ago it was mortgage payment credits. Perhaps they'll bring in something else - e.g. TFSA credits.

October 8, 2015
11:44 pm
Loonie
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The Costco card is great for restaurants - 3%.

One thing it's NOT good for though is shopping at Costco. This is counterintuitive, and some people might get caught on this one. Because you must first spend $3000 at .5% return, after which you get 1%, your return will always be less than 1% on everything except restaurants at 3% and gas at 2% (incl Costco gas, I believe).

Otherwise, take a look at the new Tangerine offering, which is also MC and FREE. You'll get 1% back at Costco and 2% in 2 or 3 other categories of your choosing. See thread on this.

October 9, 2015
1:40 am
Loonie
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I have just spent about 20 minutes crawling all over the Air Miles site and I couldn't find the BMO deal anywhere. It was always hard to find but now impossible. I guess I'm not one of their "valued" customers.

I am really angry about this, as their "Dream Rewards" are only pipedreams. There is no point in "dreaming" about getting anything because, by the time you get enough Miles, you won't be able to get it. The so-called Gift Card offers are not offers at all any more - - they just want to SELL you Gift Cards, not let you redeem for them.

I might have to settle for some towels, just to get rid of these cursed Air Miles as soon as I have enough to make my exit - and hope to Hades that I can still even get these stupid towels that I don't really want. If I wanted towels, I'd choose them myself from the wider marketplace. But there is nothing else worth bothering with.

I have been scr*wed once too often by this outfit. It's over.

October 9, 2015
8:30 am
kanaka
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Hmmmm. Interesting about Costco credit card. My original posting was the actual email from AirlMiles. I did not check if there were any links in it to order another voucher as I only have 364 AirlMiles and won't come close to having enough by December 31 so I deleted the note. I just checked AirMiles too and......no such thing....but I did not sign in.

Since I don't use restaurants all that much after our last visit to the overpriced Boathouse, a Landry's owned facility. To spend $120 for a party of two for grisly steaks, powdered mashed potatoes, $10 beer, 3 green beans and a real snippy waitress.....no thanks.......not even for a 3% cash back. (That is the Port Moody Boathouse)

What is Tangerines track record of good terms and then changing them later on?
Ps. Just looked at their offer....no thanks.

Ps. While, for some, AirMiles may be better than nothing. But when they offer to sell you AirMiles for the on sale price of 20 cents (regular price 30 cents) and you are lucky to receive 10 cents in value....it is just not something that AirMiles wants everyone to know. And for all the folks that topped up AirlMiles for a trip.......they would have paid 30 cents a mile.....not nice AirMiles!!!!!!!

October 9, 2015
4:20 pm
Loonie
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So, what will you do, kanaka?
What is it that you dislike about the Tang offer? I really thought that might appeal to you.

BTW, I did log in to Air Miles and so did my spouse, but we still did not find BMO vouchers, for what it's worth. I wonder if available by phone to selected customers.
I could, theoretically, still get to 950 in time. I have 783 now, can get another 50 fairly easily. But the slog for the remainder could be tough. Those towels are looking more attractive all the time, so that I can be done with this.

October 9, 2015
7:16 pm
kanaka
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You have to pick your category.
You receive the rebate monthly ...... I prefer annual
The foreign exchange fee is just a tease....just make it 0%

I know picky, picky.

I will wait for some thing better.

October 9, 2015
9:29 pm
Loonie
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You're entitled to be as picky as you want! And you'll need to stick with BMO AirMiles for a little while until you can cash out on something-or-other. (Towels, anyone?!)

I'm not trying to be critical, but I have done a fair bit of digging on these cards and I think you might have a long wait for a better offer, as I know you only want a no-fee card - unless you are willing to take a "first year free" offer or equivalent.

October 13, 2015
12:20 pm
kanaka
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I guess I was too presumptuous in cancelling the Simply Cash Amex card that was sent to me during the Costco drops Amex fiasco. While it is, apparently, the best no fee cash back card, both my wife and I already had Amex AirMiles cards in our own names and I am still ticked off as I should have to obtain a new card because of Costco's whim.

Thanks for pointing out the .5% only until you have charged $3000. I imagine some one did the math on that option!! So the Costco Capital one won't happen. I see now, Costco is still pushing the card and they even watch what card you are using when you are at the cashier.

I guess I could approach Amex to move my Amex AirMiles over to the Simply Cash and make it our primary card and use the BMO AirMiles as our secondary card.

It is unfortunate that so many businesses in Canada still don't accept Amex. In the US it seems to be always accepted....but I prefer to still use my lower exchange fee Sears MasterCard......of which appears I will still be able to use. I assume Chase will eventually re-issue the card minus the Sears name.

October 13, 2015
1:50 pm
Loonie
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That sounds like a good strategy re: Amex.

You could consider the MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus MasterCard for the future as a companion to Amex. It's got too many ifs ands and buts for me but it's free, and by judicious use you could do pretty well with it. I believe Peter moderator said somewhere that he uses it, so how bad can it be?

I think you would be able to move your Sears card to the Amazon option which is almost identical, if you asked Chase about it. Might require a new app, but they already know you.

What did you mean about Costco checking which card you are using? I haven't noticed that. Are they just checking to see that it is a MasterCard or is there something else going on? If they want to find out which mastercards people are using, that wouldn't be difficult to do electronically, I wouldn't think.

October 13, 2015
2:46 pm
kanaka
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Correct, I imagine that Costco can figure out what brands of MasterCards are being used. I assume the balance is less than what they had when it was Amex?

They still have people floating about asking if you have the "new" card. And I see most people approached don't seem too interested. Also they still have a sign up table close to the fast food area and mainly float on the other side of the cash registers. We were there a couple of days ago and the "floater" actually walked over to see what kind of MasterCard my wife was paying with.

Apparently Sears is still looking for a credit card company and the write up said perhaps they would look at running it in house again. Not unusual for a company to do......look at what they did in the past and try it again. Sears should have never sold the credit business as it was very beneficial to the success and bottom line of Sears Canada.

The wording from Chase was kind of weird...but I think what it said is that you can continue to use the Sears MasterCard if Sears does NOT obtain another credit card company. And I believe the Sears Card is dead for sure. I imagine Sears has an agreement with Chase to turn over all the customer data base to a new company.

October 13, 2015
10:03 pm
Loonie
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They seem very concerned about your business at Costco. And it is YOUR business, not really any of theirs! I wouldn't appreciate someone looking over my shoulder.

I haven't noticed anything special there, but I think they still have the sign-up desk.

Good luck with Chase/Sears!

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