I love being on the forefront of all things new with travel and loyalty. There are a few new apps on my phone that I find very valuable in earning more miles and points.

PayTM

PayTM Canada is a mobile app that lets you pay bills with your credit cards only on your phone. It has been one of the most helpful apps out there, as the app lets you pay bills like income tax, property tax, and tuition. For new users, use PTM9462620 to get $10 after paying $25 towards a bill.

PayTM – Pay Bills with your Credit Card

Since many merchants are aware of this app, I don’t recommend overpaying bills unless you know what you’re doing. I’ve paid actual bills like my property tax and tuition, and have earned many miles by doing that. The best part is that they are currently waiving credit card fees.

I use the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express on these transactions, as the card has the best return for non-bonused everyday purchases. Before that, I used PayTM with my American Express Business Platinum Card to meet minimum spend, allowing me to earn the whopping 75,000 point signup bonus.

You need a Canadian billing address for the app to accept your card. If you don’t have one, this is a similar concept to obtaining a US billing address to avoid HST/GST when purchasing miles. Even if they do implement fees on large transactions, I’ll definitely be using them to pay my utility bills which don’t accept credit cards. See my original post for a walkthrough with PayTM.

Additional Reading: PayTM Canada – Pay Bills with your Credit Card and Earn Points!

Drop Rewards

Drop allows you to earn points on top of your credit card spending. This model exists in the US to an extent, with promotions like Amex Offers encouraging purchases at certain merchants. However, in Canada, no such system exists.

Drop Rewards

Drop lets you earn additional points on everyday purchases at large retailers like Walmart, Uber, Starbucks, and more. They parse through your transaction history and reward you for transactions with their partners. You can redeem Drop points for gift cards starting at just 2,000 points for a $2 Amazon Gift Card, while you can earn up to 100 points per dollar at certain merchants. This translates into a 10% rebate.

There are also bonuses for one-time offers that are targeted, like 20,000 points for getting the AC Conversion Card. Drop will be reducing earnings on merchants after October 15th, so sign up before then to lock in your rates, and use g463v for bonus points when signing up.

Additional Reading: Drop Rewards – Earn Points On Top of your Credit Cards!

Conclusion

One other app I’d like to highlight is Carrot Rewards, which lets you earn rewards for being “healthy”. You get points for meeting step goals and answering health surveys. For first-time users, use code jeffreyk0909 during the signup process to 75 bonus Aeroplan Miles.

Carrot Rewards

This app is only available to BC, ON, and NL residents, but it will accept any postal code without verification. The amount of points you earn aren’t substantial, but every little bit counts. This also is the easiest way to prevent your Aeroplan from expiring. They picked up a 1.5 million round of funding back in July, so they’ll be around for a while. I highly recommend downloading these apps because these let you earn additional rewards on top of whatever else you do to get points.

Download here: PayTM / Drop / Carrot Rewards