The holiday season is about festive parties, ugly Christmas sweaters, cookie exchanges, spending time with family and friends and experiencing the joy of giving and receiving gifts. It really is a magical time of year.
This year, tighter purse strings mean many Canadians will be planning ahead and making their money work for them. Television personality and lifestyle expert Afiya Francisco used to wait until Christmas Eve to do her shopping but has since traded the rush of last-minute shopping for savvier cost-saving habits. And it has paid off.
Francisco’s top cost-saving technique is taking advantage of rewards programs. “I am a big fan of cash back and use reward cards to do everyday shopping such as groceries and gas”, she says. That extra cash goes a long way to putting a little money back in her pocket throughout the year.
The same technique can be applied during the holiday season – using rewards programs to make holiday purchases so you can get cash back or earn reward points will make your dollar go a little bit further for you.
Read more: Many Canadians doing holiday shopping sooner, searching for savings amid inflation
Programs like Avion Rewards make it easier to shop and save – you can earn cash back a at over 2,400 major stores from apparel, tech, health and beauty to everyday value and travel brands, including Petro-Canada, Marriott, Lyft, Sephora, RONA, Rexall, H&M, Indigo, Old Navy, DoorDash, and more.
“Earlier this year we opened the program up to all Canadians, regardless of where they bank. And now heading into the holiday season, that means anyone can join Avion Rewards for free and start saving with our offers while earning real cash back,” shares Avery Miller, Vice President, Shopping Experiences, RBC.
Aside from taking advantage of rewards programs, Francisco recommends paying attention to what family and friends say for potential gift ideas and writing them down – then scouting for deals throughout the year and at off-season sales like end-of-winter sales. She advises not to get swept up at these sale events, but to be intentional with your purchases and ask yourself if you would normally get the item if it weren’t for the discount.
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Lastly, Francisco likes to do her research. She sometimes enjoys looking at consignment, thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace for used items first and see if there could be a cost-savings and if the items are worth the buy. In fact – you may even be able to earn cash back when shopping second hard. Avion Rewards recently had an offer in place where members earned just for shopping at thrift and second hand merchants of any kind.
By taking advantage of rewards programs like Avion Rewards, planning ahead, being intentional about purchases and doing some initial research, you’ll be surprised at how much money you’ll be able to save – and earn back.
Want to learn more about the Avion Rewards program? Get details here.