15 x Aeroplan points + $25 off first purchase

This promotion came through my inbox today and is too good to pass on. If anyone is in need of something for the home or office now is the time to grab that product or item. Also, it is never to early to get started on your Christmas shopping. In return you will be getting a whack of Aeroplan miles that you can put towards your next trip. Here’s how:

What is Shop.ca

First off, a little about Shop.ca for those that are unfamiliar. This eCommerce site offers everything from fashion to electronics to food items. It’s essentially an online department store, and one of Canada’s fastest-growing to boot.

Why you Should Shop There

Aside from cashing in on this current Aeroplan promotion:

• Free shipping
• Easy returns (they even cover return shipping!)
• Future Aeroplan offers

The Fine Print

Before getting into how you can maximize this deal lets look at the fine print.

• This deal is open to 1st time shoppers only
• Gift cards are excluded
• Offer expires September 30th

 How to Make This Deal Better

At first look prices are comparable to other online retail sites which are generally slightly more expensive than places like Amazon. The key to maximizing this current promotion is to find items that exploit it. I looked a little deeper and if you return your purchase (at no cost to you) after 30 days Shop.ca gives you store credit instead of a cash refund. What that also means is you keep all your earned Aeroplan Miles including the bonus one!

Then what?

If you bought and returned a valid big ticket item (furniture, electronics etc..) after 30 days you will be given credit at Shop.ca. Now remember how the fine print says “excludes gift cards?” on that promotion? Now that you have credit you are free to buy gift cards!

How to Make This Deal EVEN Better

If you pay with an Aeroplan credit card such as the CIBC or TD Aeroplan Infinite Card you will be receiving 1x Aeroplan points on your purchase. If you are an Aeroplan Distinction member (all you have to do is accumulate 25K points min. in a year) you automatically get 2x Aeroplan points at Shop.ca.

So lets say you bought $1000 worth of merchandise through this promotion and paid with your Aeroplan credit card. You will get:

• 15,000 first time bonus offer points from Shop.ca (15x)
• 1,000 points for using your Aeroplan credit card (1x)
• 2,000 points for being a distinction member (2x although Shop.ca is saying 1x. Should be 2x as per Distinction website)

That is a total of 18,000 Aeroplan points which is pretty awesome! That is enough for a round trip short-haul flight or 7,000 from almost anywhere in North America!

Oh and if that isn’t sweet enough, use this PROMO CODE to receive $25 off your first purchase:

My First Purchase Example

So I obviously had to give this a go. I didn’t go the gift card route as the stores available did not immediately appeal to me. I did notice that Shop.ca is out of stock on gift cards to The Bay (Canada’s favorite department store) so there is a chance of these in the future. ie 30 days from now. There is of course the option of gifting those cards or selling them to those that might be interested although another loop-hole caught my eye:

Now $315 for this food processor is not the best deal out there ($279 at Bed Bath & Beyond) although after the mail in rebate it is. Add to it the $25 promo code and this guy (something I was looking at anyway) cost me $215 (after mail in rebate) with Aeroplan miles awarded to $290 of it (minus the $25 promo)

So:

• $290 out of pocket for item
• $215 after main in rebate
• 4,350 Aeroplan miles (15x promo)
• 580 Aeroplan miles (2x Distinction member)
• 290 Aeroplan miles (Aeroplan credit card)

That is a total of 5,220 Aeroplan points for $215…and I get a sweet food processor.

Give it a go

This is a great promotion, especially with Christmas coming up or if you are in the market for something in particular like me. If you are bold and looking to cash in big give the gift card route a go. Using this shop.ca promotional method can get you a whack of Aeroplan miles if you have the patience!

My fine print: Try this travel hack at your own risk! Be sure to read up on the promotion details from Shop.ca if you are unsure about anything!