Save your money. Spend your miles: How to use your Aeroplan miles to stop financial drought this holiday season

Ask any financial planner the secret to a healthy financial lifestyle and they’ll quote the three S’s: Save, Spend, Share.

Your loyalty mile collections deserve the same treatment.

Over the next few weeks, as the craziness of the holiday season bares down on us, I’ll be sharing tips in all three categories from a traveler’s perspective.  Last month we talked about Saving. This is the second in the series. 

This week: Spend!

The holidays can be tough on a wallet. The amount of wear and tear you put on it – opening and closing, sliding cards in and out and searching for penny-less change – it’s a wonder you haven’t split it in two.

This year ease the pain on your wallet (and your gift recipients)  by spending money from your other account as well.

Whether you’re yearning for a trip for the family or a new toy for yourself,  a visit to the Aeroplan eStore can satisfy. Every dollar spent  at the Aeroplan eStore gets you at least 1 mile in your Aeroplan account.

And even better:  Until December 3 the Aeroplan eStore  is offering 5 to 10 times the miles for holiday purchases.

Planning on heading online for Cyber Monday? Might as well make this a stop. Retailers like The Bay and Roots are offering cyber deals and when you purchase through the Aeroplan eStore you’ll earn some miles while you’re at it. Your wallet will thank you.

Here is just a sampling of some of the ways you can make holiday spending easier on your sanity levels too:

1.    Skip out on the Holiday Spending altogether:  Flights are the most popular way to use points and the way they were originally intended.  You can plan your whole trip online and earn points while doing it.  Packages from Air Canada Vacations which can be purchased with a combination of points and miles mean you can get to that warm weather spot or winter wonderland faster. For every 2,000 points you spend you will save about $100 on your purchase. If you prefer to book flight only, you can round out your trip online with hotel offerings, rental car discounts and more.

2.    Resist the urge to get them everything: 

Sure you can buy your entire Disney holiday experience online (hotel, tickets and more) and use all your miles in one fell swoop or you can simply pick up a Harry Potter sword and save the purchase of an entire Universal Orlando experience for some other time. Can’t afford to buy her the diamond earrings from Birks online? Maybe just stick with the jewel encrusted earphones and call it a day. No one will ever know the thing you didn’t buy and the recipient will be grateful either way.

3.    Blow the Mile bank on items that are priceless:

There are times and items that demand action. If you’ve got the points to play with the “Money Can’t Buy” series of offerings at Aeroplan.com means never having to wonder if your gift is a duplicate. Perhaps a guitar signed by Keith Urban?  Or a Vawk Dress worn by Chantal Kreviazuk? There’s only one of each and the proceeds from your miles purchase benefits War Child Canada or another of Aeroplan’s Beyond Miles partners (depending on the reward you choose). Smaller items including CDs autographed by Imagine Dragons and Demi Lovato are also online and benefit We Day.  

The options are endless and as deep as your wallet.

The Aeroplan eStore features over 150 retailers including Apple Store Canada, Chapters.Indigo.ca, Dell Canada & Sears Canada as well car and hotel partners such as Avis, Holiday Inn, Sheraton and Marriott.  Members can find special offers on a weekly basis from over 12 different product categories including clothing, jewellery, books, music, electronics, activities, entertainment and even flowers. For more information on the Aeroplan eStore (or to start your spending) visit:  www.aeroplan.com/estore. 

This post was sponsored in part by Aeroplan. As usual all suggestions and opinions are my own.