Safeway's Sweet AirMiles Deals

[operabob]

P. 1 is now updated but the site is acting strange:

a. Wouldn't let me change the date in the title

b. resized one coupon majorly

c. changed some of the formatting

Considering the recent changes at AirMiles I'll be reducing some of my Safeway shopping I'm sure.

[Anthony123]

Yeah, Safeway gets knocked for high prices but if you pick your moments and cherry pick...

So true, especially with air miles deals. And many of the things I buy go on sale 2 for 1 (or 40-50% off) quite regulary, sometimes on 10% off Tuesday and I alwyas save 5 cents a litre on gas. For someone who never buys anything unless it is on sale (and even better if you use coupons too), I find the majority of my best stockpiling deals by shopping regularly at Safeway. I do shop at Sobeys, Walmart, Superstore, and a privately owned grocery store within walking distance for occasional awesome deals to stock up on but have managed to maintain a decent stockpile at the best prices available by using Safeway as my main source for shopping.
With that said, I realize the air miles program undergoes changes from time to time, often for the worse (but only by a little bit) but if you can save hundreds of dollars per year buy simply handing over a card to be scanned by the cashier, is this really so bad? I kept about $50 in my wallet in the month of December just by using the air miles program. And then I see 'woe unto me' posts in this thread and others, and on other sites and on the air miles forums about how terrible the program is. As I said on another thread here, if it's so bad, throw the card away. Forget about it, find something better to complain about than how horrible it is to save hundreds of dollars per year by carrying a card in your wallet and pulling it out to be scanned.
Yea, the changes suck, so I'll save only $500 this year instead of $550 by using it. Ya see, I look at the $500 savings while other seems to look at only the $50 loss as if they are getting ripped off by using the air miles program. Well if you feel that way, don't use the program. Then we won't have to hear your complaints about one of the easiest ways going to save money on your shopping. And I won't have to rant about it.
While I am responding to Opera Bobs post here, my criticisms are in no way directed towards him. they are against those who put forth so many criticisms, essentially missing the 'still always there' silver lining in the dark cloud of changes to the airmiles program.
Kudos to Opera Bob for maintaining such a close watch on everything airmiles and helping out other people with getting the most bang for your buck. so maybe not so much bang as their use to be but still enough to consider the program to be well worth carrying the card and having to pull it out of my wallet when needed to save money........maybe not as much as before....but savings indeed...still in the hundreds per year. How could anyone ever complain about that?

[operabob]

Yea, the changes suck, so I'll save only $500 this year instead of $550 by using it. Ya see, I look at the $500 savings while other seems to look at only the $50 loss as if they are getting ripped off by using the air miles program. Well if you feel that way, don't use the program. Then we won't have to hear your complaints about one of the easiest ways going to save money on your shopping. And I won't have to rant about it.

Anthony,

A well reasoned post.

I look at it a bit differently.


You're seeing the $550 savings drop to $500 but over the last year that savings has dropped from $550 to $375 and as Safeway now seems to be cutting back on Airmiles offered the price advantage is eroding further on many products.

I think people need to complain or else they'll be run over. Now, as someone who invests in stocks I certainly see the rationale from the company's POV. What's happening now is after getting people addicted to Airmiles consumers are being squeezed from both sides, Safeway to reduce the expense of offering and Airmiles.ca with the change in redemption rates. Even Shell has changed from one AM on the first $20 and one AM per $10 after to one per $30 after now. Most people wouldn't notice this but that amounts to a 50% increase to the consumer. If the fuel certificate disappears in favour of the new cash back offering that's another 10% loss.

[emax]

A well reasoned post.

I look at it a bit differently.

I agree some people seem to complain excessively (eg: free services not good enough), but the complaints about Airmiles are legit for one important reason -- the value of an airmile is essentially a promise of savings, or a future benefit, by both airmiles and the merchant. It takes time to earn towards a reward, and if you are trying to work towards a particular reward (a flight say) and airmiles.ca changes the rules on you halfway (eg: it takes more airmiles now for the same reward, or they add extra fees, or they offer fewer flight seats, etc.) they are in effect betraying the promise they made when you made the purchase decision.

Same goes for the merchant -- often the only reason you bought from them is because you valued the airmiles at $X as a discount from their price. If you knew the discount was going to be less you might not have bought in the first place. The current value of airmiles rewards is the only way we can estimate this discount so when the value changes (typically downwards) it's natural to feel betrayed by the merchant and/or airmiles. This is very much the case with Safeway -- the only way their price drops below their competition is when you apply the airmiles discount, but only if you are confident about that discount.

If the airmiles benefit was instantaneous then Anthony's point would be valid. But because we have to wait for some time before redeeming our airmiles, and in the interim the value decreases, you can understand why people feel ripped off.

[operabob]

Hey Verizon caved today on added fees as did Bank of America a month or so back. Had people not complained they'd be paying more.

[operabob]

Pile on everyone:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy...18834491564801

OB

[Giving-Small]

Joined the "occupy" protest OperaBob

[hiwaygirl]

Best Western Cards and Starwood Hotels are both no longer available for Airmiles
(they were there on Dec 31 but gone on Jan 1) I know there is other stuff that has disappeared too. I'm thinking I should cash out all my miles for whatever is left, but there is not much selection as even the Shell gas cards are gone.

[operabob]

hiway,

According to some of the Mods on the AirMiles forum it might be that demand has been so huge they've run out temporarily. I know they said that about the Shell Certificate. Email them and ask.

I cashed in another $450 worth of BW cards earlier in December but still waiting for delivery. Leaves me with about $1,700 worth to use over the next few years and I'll pick up some free ones from BW's own points program.

I earned 11,000 last year but cashed out around 20,000.

All I have left at AirMiles now is enough to buy a return flight to TO for my wife and a couple of one ways to Frisco. ;-)

[newfbc]

Best Western Cards and Starwood Hotels are both no longer available for Airmiles
(they were there on Dec 31 but gone on Jan 1) I know there is other stuff that has disappeared too. I'm thinking I should cash out all my miles for whatever is left, but there is not much selection as even the Shell gas cards are gone.

The National Car and Alamo Car rental certificates are gone as well. As Bob mentioned, maybe they're just out of stock - a lot of people are redeeming right now because of what's happening.

Or maybe not!

Ron.

[hiwaygirl]

From the Air Miles website : "gift cards and gift certificates will be phased out and replaced by the new program called AirMiles Cash"
Sounds like gift cards are gone for good.

[harbie]

Not impressed with AM's

[coley3]

Oh dear. I have been saving dilligently for the Best Western Giftcards. We are going to Disneyland this year and I wanted to have a bunch in hand to lower my OOP cost for this trip. I had planned on getting the GC's closer to the date we were leaving . I hope they bring the GC's back. I have been saving for 2 years now. Feel disappointed.

[a_1_a]

Are these Mods Safeway employees?

hiway,

According to some of the Mods on the AirMiles forum it might be that demand has been so huge they've run out temporarily. I know they said that about the Shell Certificate. Email them and ask.

I cashed in another $450 worth of BW cards earlier in December but still waiting for delivery. Leaves me with about $1,700 worth to use over the next few years and I'll pick up some free ones from BW's own points program.

I earned 11,000 last year but cashed out around 20,000.

All I have left at AirMiles now is enough to buy a return flight to TO for my wife and a couple of one ways to Frisco. ;-)

[operabob]

Are these Mods Safeway employees?

No, Airmiles employees (or shills if you prefer). They have the worst Community Forums I've ever come across. Ask a controversial question or complain about the changes and they ignore you. They only seem to comment on the "Rah! Rah! Airmiles cr@p.

Lisa Bass is one of the worst:

http://community.airmiles.ca/en/forums/