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I've been thinking recently that I should start a small "Points Programs" database or something to see what Points Programs are worth the hassle of having another card (or two) in your wallet, and which ones you shouldn't go without. There are some really simple ones that I've found, and some really complex systems.
Esso, for example, pays out 1 point per dollar of gas, and 100 points equals a dollar (based on bottled water - 299 points for $2.99), so the points equation equals $100 for a dollar.
When I was in a Petro Canada recently, I was thinking of buying some free Lotto 6/49 tickets as the Jackpot was $42million. Now, I use Esso primarily and I've got a few Petro Points, but obviously not a lot - I had around 4000 points (a dollar of gas equals 10 points) and 3200 would get me a free $2 ticket. O_o So, with that estimate, $160=$1.
Now, obviously, this is all rough estimates, as the points systems are different depending on the items purchased initially and what the points are spent on, so I'm thinking I should check something unified - like a gift card. HBC has a $25 gift card for 229,000 points (or 210,000 points if you have "Gold Status", meaning you have accumulated 75,000 points in the previous year). Obviously, compared to the simplicity of Esso's "$100=$1" design, HBC is insane, since they offer thousands of points for signing up and give occasional offers of 10,000 bonus points with a purchase of $40 or more (as I just got in the mail recently).
In my research on items like this, I've discovered Points.com, which states that you can excange your points from one program into another program. This sounds like they are subverting the system, but let me do a little digging...
Well, it appears to be an interesting proposition. I have to note, however, that certain points programs such as Air Miles are not on their list, although Aeroplan is. Agan, Esso and HBC are on the list but Petro-Canada isn't, so it's a bit of a crapshoot if you have a slew of cards and want to consolidate them.
Now, it would be awesome if someone would come out with their own unified card, so that I would only have to carry around one card instead of eight in my wallet. Didn't this happen on a very limited basis in, like, Newfoundland or Nova Scotia a year or two ago?
Esso, for example, pays out 1 point per dollar of gas, and 100 points equals a dollar (based on bottled water - 299 points for $2.99), so the points equation equals $100 for a dollar.
When I was in a Petro Canada recently, I was thinking of buying some free Lotto 6/49 tickets as the Jackpot was $42million. Now, I use Esso primarily and I've got a few Petro Points, but obviously not a lot - I had around 4000 points (a dollar of gas equals 10 points) and 3200 would get me a free $2 ticket. O_o So, with that estimate, $160=$1.
Now, obviously, this is all rough estimates, as the points systems are different depending on the items purchased initially and what the points are spent on, so I'm thinking I should check something unified - like a gift card. HBC has a $25 gift card for 229,000 points (or 210,000 points if you have "Gold Status", meaning you have accumulated 75,000 points in the previous year). Obviously, compared to the simplicity of Esso's "$100=$1" design, HBC is insane, since they offer thousands of points for signing up and give occasional offers of 10,000 bonus points with a purchase of $40 or more (as I just got in the mail recently).
In my research on items like this, I've discovered Points.com, which states that you can excange your points from one program into another program. This sounds like they are subverting the system, but let me do a little digging...
Well, it appears to be an interesting proposition. I have to note, however, that certain points programs such as Air Miles are not on their list, although Aeroplan is. Agan, Esso and HBC are on the list but Petro-Canada isn't, so it's a bit of a crapshoot if you have a slew of cards and want to consolidate them.
Now, it would be awesome if someone would come out with their own unified card, so that I would only have to carry around one card instead of eight in my wallet. Didn't this happen on a very limited basis in, like, Newfoundland or Nova Scotia a year or two ago?