What are loyalty points in Canada?

Loyalty points are rewards you earn through credit cards, shopping at partner stores, or flying with airlines. You accumulate them over time and redeem for travel, merchandise, or other rewards. Programs like Aeroplan, Scene+, and More Rewards are among the most popular in Canada.

What is the difference between fixed-value and variable-value loyalty programs?

Fixed-value programs give every point a set cash value — usually 1 cent per point — regardless of how you redeem. Variable-value programs like Aeroplan let you get more or less value depending on how you redeem, with the potential for 2 to 4+ cents per point on the right flight booking.

What are transferable points and why do they matter?

Transferable points, like Amex Membership Rewards, can be moved to multiple airline and hotel loyalty programs. This flexibility lets you chase the best available redemption value across many partners rather than being locked into one program's inventory and pricing.

How do I start earning loyalty points in Canada?

The fastest way to start is with a travel rewards credit card matched to where you already spend most. BC grocery shoppers do well with the More Rewards RBC Visa Infinite at Save-On-Foods. Frequent Air Canada flyers should look at Aeroplan co-brand cards. The goal is earning points on spending you were going to do anyway.

How Loyalty Points Work in Canada — A Beginner's Guide

What loyalty points actually are

A loyalty point is a unit of currency issued by a company, not a government. Air Canada issues Aeroplan points. Scotiabank issues Scene+ points. American Express issues Membership Rewards points. Each program sets its own rules for how you earn them and what you can do with them.

That distinction matters. Unlike cash, points have no guaranteed value. A company can change what its points are worth overnight. Aeroplan did exactly that on June 1, 2026, when it raised the cost of certain award redemptions by roughly 20%.

Points are not cashback. Cashback is straightforward: 2% back means you get $2 for every $100 spent. Points require you to know what you're going to redeem them for before you can calculate the return. That sounds annoying, but it's also where the upside lives.

Three ways to earn

1. Credit cards

This is the biggest lever. A good travel credit card earns between 1 and 8 points per dollar spent, depending on the card and the spending category. The Amex Cobalt, for example, earns 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar at grocery stores and restaurants. The More Rewards RBC Visa Infinite earns 8 points per dollar at Save-On-Foods, Buy-Low Foods, and Quality Foods in BC and Alberta.

For most people, credit card spending is where 90% or more of their points will come from. If you're not earning on everyday purchases, you're leaving significant value on the table.

2. Shopping and retail partners

Most loyalty programs have retail partners where you can earn points without a credit card, or on top of what a credit card earns. Scene+ works this way at Sobeys, Safeway, and Cineplex. More Rewards works this way at Save-On-Foods. Aeroplan has hundreds of partners across grocery, dining, and travel.

Stacking your loyalty card with a partner credit card at the same store is called layering. At a Save-On-Foods checkout, swiping both your More Rewards loyalty card and your More Rewards RBC Visa Infinite earns points on both, simultaneously.

3. Flying

The original earn method. Book a flight with Air Canada and you earn Aeroplan points. Book WestJet and you earn WestJet Dollars. The earn rate depends on your fare class and how much you paid. For most Canadians, flying earns fewer points than everyday spending, but it adds up on longer trips.

Fixed-value versus variable-value programs

This is one of the most important concepts to understand, and most people don't know it exists.

A fixed-value program has a set redemption rate. WestJet Dollars are worth exactly $0.01 per point, always. 10,000 points = $100. Scene+ points are worth $0.01 each when redeemed for travel, groceries, or Cineplex tickets. You always know what you're getting.

A variable-value program works differently. Aeroplan points can be worth 1.1 cents per point on a short domestic flight, or 2.6 cents per point on a business class redemption to Europe. The same points are worth very different amounts depending on what you redeem them for.

Variable programs have a higher ceiling. They also require more knowledge to use well. This is the core trade-off in Canadian loyalty travel.

Fixed-value programs are simpler and more predictable. Variable-value programs offer higher potential but require more planning. Neither is wrong, they serve different types of travellers.

What redemption means, and what CPP is

Redeeming points means using them to pay for something. You can redeem Aeroplan points for a flight. You can redeem Scene+ points for a hotel booking. You can (but often shouldn't) redeem points for a statement credit.

CPP stands for cents per point. It's the single number that tells you how much value you're getting from any redemption. The formula is simple:

CPP = (cash value of what you're getting ÷ points required) × 100

If a flight costs $400 in cash or 35,000 Aeroplan points, that redemption gives you $400 ÷ 35,000 × 100 = 1.14 CPP. That's a solid return for Aeroplan.

CPP is how you compare any two redemption options, and how you decide whether a redemption is worth making at all. The CPP guide goes much deeper into this, with tables of what each Canadian program's typical range looks like.

Why transferable points are more powerful

Some programs let you transfer points to other programs. Amex Membership Rewards transfers 1:1 to Aeroplan, 1:1 to Air France KLM Flying Blue, 1:1 to British Airways Avios, and to several others.

This flexibility is worth a lot. Instead of being locked into redeeming Aeroplan points only on Air Canada and Star Alliance partners, you can earn Amex MR points from everyday spending and then deploy them wherever the best value exists at the time you're ready to book.

Programs that offer this kind of flexibility are sometimes called transferable currencies. Amex MR is the main one in Canada. The transferable points guide explains how the full transfer chain works.

Common misconceptions

"More points per dollar always means a better card"

Not necessarily. 8 More Rewards points per dollar is excellent at 0.43 CPP = 3.44% return on travel. But 10 points per dollar in a program with 0.1 CPP is worth only 1% back. The earn rate and the redemption value both matter.

"I don't spend enough to earn anything meaningful"

The average Canadian household spends around $1,000 to $1,200 per month on groceries. At 8 points per dollar and 0.43 CPP, that's a 3.44% return. Over a year, $12,000 in grocery spending generates roughly 96,000 points, enough for a couple of domestic flights or a return BC Ferries sailing. Most households are leaving hundreds of dollars per year unclaimed.

"Points expire before I use them"

They can, but it's easy to prevent. Aeroplan expires after 18 months of inactivity, Scene+ after 24 months. A single small transaction, buying anything with your card or logging into the app, resets the clock. The guide on points expiry covers the rules for every major Canadian program.

"I need to fly frequently to accumulate enough points for anything worthwhile"

Flying earns points, but it's not the primary earn mechanism anymore. Credit card spending at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants drives far more points for most Canadians than flying does. You don't need to travel to earn enough to travel.

The best way to use loyalty points is to pick a destination first, then work backward to figure out which program and which card gets you there most efficiently. That process is exactly what Unravel Travel helps with.