Our members tell us that they’ve often struggled to find things they really want to redeem their loyalty points for. When one parent found out about HigherEdPoints they wrote to us and said: “Flights and merchandise go on sale—but education never goes on sale. This is the best possible use for my points—because it puts money back into my pocket!”
Friends and family would probably be happy to help fund an education while saving their cash! HigherEdPoints allows you to take loyalty points from our participating loyalty programs, Aeroplan, TD Travel Rewards, and CIBC Aventura, and turn them into money for school. Each loyalty program offers many opportunities to maximize the amount of points you can earn. They all have several associated credit cards, and there is a good chance you (or someone you know) already collects those points! Our partner list is expanding, visit our Loyalty Program page for the latest.
Loyalty-affiliated credit cards let you accumulate points with every purchase. Avid members know how to maximize their collection of points—and there are plenty of opportunities in each program to earn extra points. Most cards offer sign-up bonuses, special deals, and ‘accelerator’ offers, where bonus points are given for specific categories.
Here are some examples from two of our participating programs:
Aeroplan: “Double Dipping” makes all the difference
Aeroplan’s free membership card allows anyone to collect Miles through hundreds of Partners which include Air Canada, Home Hardware, the UPS Store, and retailers at Aeroplan’s eStore. For a complete list of the places to collect Miles, check out Aeroplan’s Ways to Earn Miles.
If you’re in the market for a credit card, lots of sign-up bonuses can be found on the broad range of Aeroplan credit cards. Keep an eye out for Bonus Mile promotions—they can be very lucrative.
Double-dipping comes in when you show your Aeroplan membership card at a Partner and also use your Aeroplan credit card to pay. For example, when you fly Air Canada and put the flight on your Aeroplan credit card, you can earn points twice for the same purchase!
Aeroplan has a Member Tips and Tricks page for more insights into maximizing your Miles collection.
Get everyone in your family to join Aeroplan and start collecting—because as of November 2020, Aeroplan is introducing “Family Sharing“, so up to 8 members of a family can pool their miles, making it easier than ever to get to that HigherEdPoints Education Credit in the Aeroplan reward catalogue!
TD Rewards: Better redemption value than cash!
The TD Rewards program also has a nice selection of credit cards to choose from with sign-up bonuses, including a no-fee card which is great for students.
Each card has point accelerators for spend on the card in different categories. For example, earning 2 points for each $1 of spend increases to 9 points per $1 spent on travel through Expedia on the Business Visa card.
The really awesome part for HigherEdPoints members is TD Reward’s redemption rate for the HigherEdPoints reward is better than cash! TD “walks the walk” on their corporate commitment to helping students and families fund their education.
Check out Anthony’s story about his aunt and uncle switching to this card, and putting their business spend on it in order to help him repay his student loans!
Ways to maximize your loyalty plan participation
By doing a little research before you decide which program to focus your efforts on, you can dramatically increase the return on your efforts. Track your spending habits – what stores do you regularly use? How much do you spend? Then pick a loyalty program that will allow you to get the most out of the places you shop most often.
Before you make an online purchase, check to see if your loyalty program has an online mall. Aeroplan does—so when you buy something from Amazon.ca, Sephora or Apple, go through the Aeroplan eStore and collect miles. Pay with your point collecting card and double-dip some more!
If you ensure that your monthly bills, subscriptions (like Netflix), and travel are all being paid for with one of our loyalty program’s associated credit cards, you can collect loyalty points without having to change your spending habits. Members have told us they pay for their phone, hydro, and other household bills with their credit card, then pay that off right afterward—bill paid, points earned!
Redeem points for education—it never goes on sale!
One thing you can be sure that will never go on sale is education—so redeeming your points (and your family’s, friends’ and boss’) for a HigherEdPoints education credit will always be a great option for all the points you’re going to accumulate.
It’s easy, fast, and secure. Click here to find out more about How it Works.