You’re standing at the Shell pump with your Air Miles card. Loyalty program changes are coming whether you’re ready or not. That 34-year partnership ends this year. Your grocery stores already switched to Scene Plus. Now your gas station follows. Air Miles becomes Blue Rewards by summer, the iconic flying boat logo retiring after serving Canadian wallets since 1992. Your point balance inflates, new restaurant partners appear, and Porter Airlines joins while Shell walks away.

Why does Shell abandon a program after more than three decades? Patrick Sojka points to the evidence: loyalty rewards bring in customers, so Shell’s moving to another program, not dropping loyalty entirely. Scene Plus wins the gas station wars. Meanwhile, Blue Rewards adds MTY restaurants like Thai Express and Mucho Burrito alongside hotel chains including Fairmont. Air Transat announced last week they’re launching their own program too. The competition for your shopping behavior just intensified.

Next time you earn points, ask yourself: which program actually gives you what you need? The answer matters more than the logo on your card.

Topics: Air Miles Blue Rewards, Shell Scene Plus, loyalty program competition, rewards points, consumer trust

GUEST: Patrick Sojka | http://rewardscanada.ca

Originally aired on2026-01-26