Here are my thoughts on the Personal Shopper program. When I found out I could use it to obtain items not listed in Air Mile's rewards site, I fell in love with it. Shortly after we got back home and into the swing of things my husband & I decided to start saving all our miles again for a big trip in 3-5 years. That started a month long debate of cash vs dream miles in my head. I had a hard time deciding. I switched my husband's miles to cash and thought I would leave mine on dream. Chances are we will go on a cruise and I thought I would use dream miles to pay for most of the cost and my husband's cash miles for things like the taxes/port fees/deposit and other items.
Then I looked back at the items I purchased with dream miles over the past two years and made up a spreadsheet to see if I had been saving as cash miles and put the money aside to make the purchases myself, how much it would have cost for those items. Costs include taxes and converted into CAN if needed.
My card
A's computer = cost 14,560 miles (those miles worth $1,530 at $10 every 95 cash miles). Computer cost $1,467.87. Would have saved $62
My computer = 21,475 miles (worth $2,260 at $10 every 95 cash miles). Computer cost $1,807.87 - would have saved $452.13 (huge! enough to pay for the 2 hard drives I bought OOP)
Samsung S5E tablet = 6,064 miles (worth $630 at $10 every 95 cash miles). Tablet cost $621.49 - would have saved $8.51
2
MNSSHP tickets = 2,400 miles (worth $250 at 10 every 95 cash miles) ticket CAN cost $224.8 - would have saved 25.33
1 Gatorland AP = 700 miles (worth $70 at $10 every 95 cash miles) CAN cost $64 - would have saved $6
My husband's card
2 MNSSHP tickets = 2,400 miles (worth $250 at $10 every 95 cash miles) CAN cost $224.8 - would have saved 25.33
4 Universal Studio tickets = 20,550 miles (worth $2,160 at $10 every 95 cash miles) CAN cost $1,931.88 - would have saved $228.12
A's computer and the Samsung tablet were purchased on the rewards site, hence the low savings as Air Miles gets these in bulk and charge less miles.
Everything else was purchased through the Personal Shopper program. The Gatorland AP savings surprises me at being so low. The biggest difference was my computer and the Universal tickets. Unfortunately the Universal tickets were not on the reward site when I ordered them.
All together, if I had saved cash miles; put the money aside and purchased the items on my own, I would be ahead $807. Who would have thunk? While I still think the personal shopper program is good and love that Air Miles offers this program, I have decided for my next round of collecting that I will not use it. I switched my account to cash as well. I'll just keep "cashing out" and put the money in our vacation account.
