The fact that Dollarama, a chain founded on the principle of never overcomplicating anything, recently entered the loyalty point market seems almost fitting. It’s not ostentatious. Free trips to Cancun are not promised. It merely rewards consumers for purchasing birthday cards and dish soap that they would have purchased anyhow.
This week, the Bank of Montreal revealed that Dollarama has joined Blue Rewards, the loyalty program that took the place of Air Miles following BMO’s acquisition of it in 2023. As long as their purchase exceeds $20, customers with a linked BMO credit card can accrue points at more than 1,700 Dollarama locations nationwide under the new partnership. With each qualifying trip, cardholders with the Blue Rewards Mastercard receive an even better deal, earning ten times the standard points.
To be honest, it’s a low bar. Twenty dollars at Dollarama can be quickly spent on a phone charger that lasts roughly four months, a few storage bins, and some snacks for a child’s lunch. It appears that the low bar was deliberate. This is not a program designed for high-end purchases. It’s designed for the kind of everyday, nearly imperceptible purchases that comprise the real lives of most people.
BMO’s vice-president of strategic partnerships for Blue Rewards, Chris Wragg, described the action as a reaction to the current financial situation of Canadians. According to him, affordability is “top of mind for many,” and the collaboration aims to meet customers where they are rather than where a bank might prefer that they spend their money. Even though that framing is clearly a marketing line, it also has a practical honesty to it.
The timing is noteworthy. Only in January of last year did Blue Rewards fully launch, taking over Air Miles’ previous network of partners, including Pharmasave and Global Pet Foods, while incorporating more recent names like Porter Airlines and a few hotel and restaurant brands. The fact that Dollarama is joining now indicates that BMO is still actively influencing the direction of this program and is prioritizing accessibility over prestige. The majority of loyalty programs, which prioritize premium travel and dining partners, don’t follow this instinct.
Nicolas Hien, Dollarama’s chief information officer, used similar language in his own justification: the collaboration provides “a practical benefit that fits naturally into their daily lives.” It’s the kind of statement that might sound like corporate platitudes, but it coincidentally reflects how customers actually shop there: swiftly, frequently, and with little fanfare.
The true unanswered question is whether or not customers will take notice. The success of loyalty programs depends on consumers remembering to use them, and Dollarama’s appeal has always been based on speed and affordability rather than fostering a sense of brand loyalty. It might feel good to add points to that experience. Alternatively, it might be obscured by the fact that people enter, take what they need, and depart.
This is a more comprehensive pattern that is worth considering. Financial institutions and discount stores appear to be more interested in attracting the same client—someone who is trying to make routine spending feel a little less routine, watching every dollar, and stretching a paycheck. Even though no one is putting it quite that dramatically, Dollarama’s participation in that discussion says something about where consumer behavior is going in 2026.
As of right now, the rules are fairly straightforward: link a card, spend $20, and receive a few points. It’s not glitzy. Perhaps that is precisely the point, though.
