Over 70 retail partners on new air rewards website
Air Canada’s loyalty programme Aeroplan has launched a website that connects its cardholders with over 70 retailers. The retail partners are mostly unconnected to the travel industry and include Apple, Sephora, Toys “R” Us, TigerDirect.ca, Chapters.
Indigo. and Dell. Cardholders collect one point for every dollar they spend buying from the retailers on the Aeroplan website. Aeroplan says that increasingly the points earned are being redeemed in goods and services rather than flights or travel rewards.
Aeroplan has has four million cardholders, 500,000 of whom live outside Canada. It is remodelling its loyalty offering to go well beyond redeeming points for flights and offers over 600 non-flight rewards.
The company says non-flight rewards is an increasing category with about 20% of its cardholders redeeming their points for thes and 80% opting for free flights. The company’s website is part of this process, offering its website (www.aeroplan.com/estore) to cardholders when they want to shop for a range of goods and services, including apparel, electronics, health and beauty.
Aeroplan has also launched an online music store – and points earned on the new website will be able to be redeemed to buy music downloads there as well as for flights.