Air Miles has launched a national partnership with Uber, offering reward miles to consumers who use the app-based transportation service.
Until Nov. 15, new Uber riders will receive 100 miles when they take their first ride with Uber and use the AIRMILES promo code. Other offers to collectors will follow the one-month promotional period.
To kick off the partnership on Oct. 15, the companies held a one-day “Mystery Miles” contest. Special “Mystery Mile” cards were placed in cars across Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto and Edmonton. Riders who selected the Air Miles option when connecting with a driver and found one of the cards won a mystery amount of Air Miles. One grand-prize winner received 15,000 miles.
Air Miles has other transportation partners including Diamond Taxi in Montreal, Metro Bus in Saint John’s, Nfld. and Edmonton Transit System (ETS). The program has also partnered with Toronto’s TTC and Vancouver’s TransLink in the past.
“We’re always looking to partner with innovative brands—brands that add value to our collectors’ lives and help them in their everyday lives,” said Natasha Lasiuk, associate director of marketing at Air Miles Reward Program.
“We [want to connect] with brands that offer convenience and flexibility… Uber is definitely one of those forward-thinking, smart brands and it just made sense for us.”
Over the last two years, Air Miles has been aiming to attract and engage millennial consumers, with partners such as NBA and Live Nation. But, the partnership with Uber isn’t just a millennial play.
“Uber does skew a bit younger… people who are tech savvy who like to use their apps as a means to communicate and get around,” said Lasiuk. “But, I think there are people of all ages who use Uber.”
One of the goals is to attract new members to Air Miles. “We’d love it if there was a halo effect with Uber riders who aren’t yet Air Miles collectors,” said Lasiuk. “It’s a great fit for them to engage with Uber and engage with our program as well.”
Toronto-based North Strategic handles PR for Air Miles.
