There are many different loyalty programs for consumers. One of the most popular in Canada is Aeroplan with more than 5 million members. You collect Aeroplan miles when you take flights or make purchases and once you get them you may think they are yours for good – but as a CTV viewer found out, there are restrictions.
Debbie Bauer contacted Â鶹´«Ã½ when her mother Adele passed away. Her Mom had accumulated more than 41,000 aeroplan miles, many of them while they were travelling together.
Debbie told us: "My Mother's passing was very sudden so she didn't have the opportunity to use the points which I know she planned to do.'"
When Bauer was settling her Mother's affairs she called Aeroplan to have the miles transferred to her account, but it was not as simple as she thought it would be.
Aeroplan told her to be able to use her mother's miles -- she would have to buy them. The charge: one cent per mile, plus a $30 administration fee plus taxes for a total of $469.99.
Bauer was shocked by the additional charges.
"My mother already spent so much money as it is so to have to spend almost $500 more is not something I'm happy with."
When CTV contacted Aeroplan it told us as a public company it must balance the needs of all stakeholders. Joanne Hayes said "Aeroplan miles or rewards are personal and cannot be assigned, traded, willed or otherwise transferred. Unfortunately, Aeroplan doesn't make any exceptions to the policy."
That was not welcome news for Debbie who says her mother spent thousands of dollars to accumulate the Aeroplan miles. She feels it's unfair to make her pay again. she told Â鶹´«Ã½ "I feel if more people were to call in - they might change this policy."
Key Points:
- The charge to transfer Aeroplan rewards miles is 1 cent per mile in addition to a $30 administration fee plus taxes
- In order to keep your Aeroplan account active, you must make a transaction on the account every 12 months.
- As of January 2007, all Aeroplan miles also expire seven years after they are earned
- The Aeroplan program was created in 1984 by Air Canada as an incentive program for its frequent flyer customers
- Most people collect Aeroplan miles on flights or through affiliated credit cards. They can also collect points through certain gas or retail outlets
- Air Miles, a competing loyalty program, will merge accounts free of charge with proof of death. Rewards miles also do not expire
