Question: Aeroplan Star Challenge - How Much Incremental Spend Have They Got From You?
May 26, 2012, 6:59 pm
#46
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: LGA
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Marriott Plat Prem., Hilton Gold, National Exec Elite.
Posts: 2,533
May 26, 2012, 8:12 pm
#47
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
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May 26, 2012, 10:01 pm
#48
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: LGA
Programs: DL DM, UA Gold, Marriott Plat Prem., Hilton Gold, National Exec Elite.
Posts: 2,533
May 27, 2012, 6:14 pm
#50
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Join Date: Oct 2011
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(Price in YYC might be different)
May 27, 2012, 6:19 pm
#51
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: YVR
Programs: I'm a nobody everywhere
Posts: 424
Probably about $20-$30 worth.
This will include filling up for gas when prices weren't favourable at all.
Buying items on ebay that I didn't really need at all.
Bought Nestle products that I wouldn't have otherwise bought.
This will include filling up for gas when prices weren't favourable at all.
Buying items on ebay that I didn't really need at all.
Bought Nestle products that I wouldn't have otherwise bought.
May 27, 2012, 6:23 pm
#52
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
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Posts: 16,046
But, I like buying from other sources.
May 28, 2012, 7:04 am
#53
Join Date: May 2012
Location: YOW
Programs: UA*1K, Marriott Titanium (LTP), Hilton Gold, Hertz PC
Posts: 1,665
Probably about $40-50 in total - as the last two days I've been doing $3 Esso fills with Premium gas instead of regular, just to make those fill-ups go further before my tank fills 
May 28, 2012, 5:14 pm
#55
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Canada
Programs: AC*E, HH*G
Posts: 177
In both cases it was my first experience with the vendor and both visits were very effective in convincing me they don't deserve my business.
May 28, 2012, 6:00 pm
#56
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: YYJ
Programs: Aeroplan, Priority Club, National Exec Elite, Hertz #1 Gold, Avis First, Thrifty Bluechip
Posts: 1,924
Not much, really...
My shopping for the promo has been confined to Esso, Thrifty Foods, Rexall, and one trip to Home Hardware, where I bought a recycling bin I needed anyways.
Esso - Mostly bought lotto tickets as I no longer have a car. Figure that I would've bought a ticket for each draw anyways, and I didn't spend that much more. Maybe another $15-20 on extra 649s and scratch and wins. I did win $10 on one Extra play. When I had the one rental car I had this month, I refueled it in 4 instalments at different stations (just to be safe).
Thrifty Foods - Stuck to buying things I needed anyways, except for one Haagen Dazs purchase. I bought two of the bars in total when they went on sale, but one time I went in there planning to get ice cream anyways and bought the bars instead of a 500ml as they were the same price. Second ice cream purchase was mainly just for points, but also because I found out how damn good they are.
Rexall - The McGilll & Orme near my house was small, and thus other than chocolate bars had no cheap items I needed. I did manage to buy a greeting card on each of my two visits there that I would've bought elsewhere.
So it was more about aligning my shopping to maximize stars than it was about incremental spend. I guess had the promo not been on I'd have shopped more at Wal-Mart or Safeway as per usual, but I can't be bothered to get into costing every single star transaction...and I'm an accounting student!
I could've done better, like sticking to ~$1 purchases at the big Rexall downtown, or doing more than the one points.com transfer I did. But knowing my luck with these sorts of things, I didn't want to risk getting disqualified. If the bonus AP miles post in tiem I'll be using them for a hotel stay that would otherwise put me $100+ out of pocket, so the incremental spend - what little there was - will be wiped out entirely.
Esso - Mostly bought lotto tickets as I no longer have a car. Figure that I would've bought a ticket for each draw anyways, and I didn't spend that much more. Maybe another $15-20 on extra 649s and scratch and wins. I did win $10 on one Extra play. When I had the one rental car I had this month, I refueled it in 4 instalments at different stations (just to be safe).
Thrifty Foods - Stuck to buying things I needed anyways, except for one Haagen Dazs purchase. I bought two of the bars in total when they went on sale, but one time I went in there planning to get ice cream anyways and bought the bars instead of a 500ml as they were the same price. Second ice cream purchase was mainly just for points, but also because I found out how damn good they are.
Rexall - The McGilll & Orme near my house was small, and thus other than chocolate bars had no cheap items I needed. I did manage to buy a greeting card on each of my two visits there that I would've bought elsewhere.
So it was more about aligning my shopping to maximize stars than it was about incremental spend. I guess had the promo not been on I'd have shopped more at Wal-Mart or Safeway as per usual, but I can't be bothered to get into costing every single star transaction...and I'm an accounting student!
I could've done better, like sticking to ~$1 purchases at the big Rexall downtown, or doing more than the one points.com transfer I did. But knowing my luck with these sorts of things, I didn't want to risk getting disqualified. If the bonus AP miles post in tiem I'll be using them for a hotel stay that would otherwise put me $100+ out of pocket, so the incremental spend - what little there was - will be wiped out entirely.
May 28, 2012, 9:55 pm
#57
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 491
- purchased gas solely at Esso
- shopped more at Sobeys
- indulged in a few Haagen Dazs bars
- purchased needed items such as yard bags from Home Hardware
So basically, I shifted my shopping to the Aeroplan partners and kept the incremental spend as low as possible. With the extra fees that are attached with redemptions, this promotion wouldn't be worthwhile if one had to spend a lot to gain the 70 stars.
- shopped more at Sobeys
- indulged in a few Haagen Dazs bars
- purchased needed items such as yard bags from Home Hardware
So basically, I shifted my shopping to the Aeroplan partners and kept the incremental spend as low as possible. With the extra fees that are attached with redemptions, this promotion wouldn't be worthwhile if one had to spend a lot to gain the 70 stars.
Jun 2, 2012, 5:29 pm
#58
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: YWG
Programs: Aeroplan, MileagePlus, Marriott Rewards
Posts: 2,159
Got the bonus for myself and the Mrs. The vast majority of stars came in the form of $3 Esso fills and points.com transfers - the only real expense was the additional time it took to fill up daily for a couple weeks.
The items I bought at Sobeys I would have bought anyway except for a couple bags of Nestle chocolate containing bonus codes.
I hit up Rexall a number of times - most of the purchases were clearance items. The clearance selection was actually pretty impressive - I bought several Oral B electric toothbrush replacement heads marked down from $25 to $1.75. Not bad!
The only thing I bought which I definitely would not have bought but for this promotion were a couple $2 ebooks from Kobo (which I don't think have even posted, a good month after the fact).
I think in all I spent maybe an extra $20 to get the 33,000 bonus points. I'd happily do it again.
The items I bought at Sobeys I would have bought anyway except for a couple bags of Nestle chocolate containing bonus codes.
I hit up Rexall a number of times - most of the purchases were clearance items. The clearance selection was actually pretty impressive - I bought several Oral B electric toothbrush replacement heads marked down from $25 to $1.75. Not bad!
The only thing I bought which I definitely would not have bought but for this promotion were a couple $2 ebooks from Kobo (which I don't think have even posted, a good month after the fact).
I think in all I spent maybe an extra $20 to get the 33,000 bonus points. I'd happily do it again.
Jun 3, 2012, 5:23 pm
#60
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: YVR
Programs: AC E75, SPG Plat, HH peon-by-choice (ex Gold)
Posts: 8,090
I went to Esso for the first time in years. All ~$3 fill-ups in premium, of course. That got me around 2L per transaction. Not sure that was incremental as I would fill up on the same level of gas somewhere else.
Where there were extra incremental charges is at Rexall. I never go to Rexall. I kept buying a package of mints each day. It's the same mints I buy in bulk so I figure each pack at Rexall was costing me $0.60 more.
Where there were extra incremental charges is at Rexall. I never go to Rexall. I kept buying a package of mints each day. It's the same mints I buy in bulk so I figure each pack at Rexall was costing me $0.60 more.