The familiar blue card that has occupied wallet space for millions of Canadians for decades has become a source of unexpected financial loss for one Calgary resident. Martin Drescher discovered that his meticulously accumulated Air Miles points—worth nearly $8,000—had vanished without warning, raising serious questions about consumer protection in loyalty programs across the country.
“I’ve been collecting these points since 1994,” Drescher told CO24 in an exclusive interview. “To log in and find three decades of careful saving simply gone was devastating.” The 58-year-old Calgary resident had amassed over 25,000 points, which he had been reserving for his retirement travels—a plan now thrown into disarray.
According to documentation reviewed by CO24, Drescher’s account was flagged as “inactive” despite his continued use of linked credit cards for everyday purchases. When he contacted Air Miles customer service, representatives cited a rarely enforced policy allowing the company to retire points after 24 months of what they deemed inactivity.
Air Miles Canada, now owned by BMO following the program’s financial restructuring in 2022, has faced mounting criticism from consumer advocacy groups for what many describe as deliberately opaque terms and conditions. The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada reports that approximately 35% of loyalty program members are unaware of their points’ expiration policies.
“This represents a concerning trend in loyalty programs,” explains Dr. Monica Sharma, consumer rights specialist at the University of Toronto. “Companies benefit from the ‘breakage’—points that go unredeemed—while maintaining technical compliance with terms that few consumers fully comprehend.”
The case has drawn attention from Canadian politicians as well. MP James Donovan, who sits on the Parliamentary Committee for Consumer Protection, has called for greater transparency. “When Canadians invest years into these programs, they deserve clear communication before any significant changes affect their accumulated value,” Donovan stated during committee proceedings last week.
BMO, which acquired the troubled Air Miles program after its previous parent company sought creditor protection, has issued a statement indicating they are “reviewing Mr. Drescher’s situation” but maintained that terms of service allow for point expiration under certain conditions.
Industry data reveals that loyalty programs operate with the expectation that between 20-30% of points will never be redeemed—a form of deferred liability that improves their balance sheets. For major programs like Air Miles, this represents hundreds of millions in potential consumer value that companies may never need to honor.
Drescher’s case has prompted the Consumers’ Association of Canada to renew calls for federal legislation mandating that loyalty points cannot expire solely due to account inactivity. Quebec already prohibits such practices under its consumer protection laws, but residents in other provinces remain vulnerable.
“I feel like the rules changed without proper notification,” Drescher said. “These weren’t just points—they represented thousands of dollars I’d effectively paid in higher prices at participating retailers over decades.”
As this story develops across Canada, consumers are being advised to regularly check their loyalty accounts and familiarize themselves with program terms. But the question remains: in an era when consumer data is so meticulously tracked for marketing purposes, should companies bear greater responsibility to protect the value their customers have earned through years of loyal patronage?
