More than 350 eye care partner locations set to offer Aeroplan Miles

MONTREAL, Nov. 17, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - Aeroplan today announced it has entered into a multi-year agreement with VEDI, a group of eye care industry veterans that develop marketing programs and solutions exclusively for the independent eye care practitioner.  This agreement will allow Aeroplan Members to earn Aeroplan Miles through qualifying activities at more than 350 select independent eye care practitioners across Canada.

Starting today, Aeroplan Members will be able to earn 1 Aeroplan Mile for every $1 spent on eye exams, contact lenses, frames, lenses, sunglasses and other supplies. Visit: www.vedi.ca for full details.

"The addition of VEDI to our growing roster of partners is an important relationship for Aeroplan as it further aligns our mileage accumulation offers to the wants and needs of our members and further extends into the health care category," said Kevin O'Brien, Chief Commercial Officer, Aeroplan.  "We're excited to broaden the reach of the Aeroplan program into the eye care category so that our members can earn miles faster in their local communities across Canada."

Aimia, Aeroplan's parent company, through its Proprietary Loyalty Services group in Canada is VEDI's current supplier and has led the development of the Vedi Patient Loyalty System, a website (www.vedi.ca) for use by Aeroplan Members and VEDI partner locations as well as the development of the backend infrastructure required to support the Mile crediting for qualifying purchases made at participating locations.  The site allows optometrists to sign up for the program, practice staff to create patient profiles and submit qualifying transaction details for mile crediting and will feature promotions, updates and contact information. Aeroplan Members can also search for a participating location by province and city to find a location near them.

A great way for Aeroplan Members to earn miles faster is to look out for special promotions throughout the year.  Right now, Aeroplan Members can earn 100 Bonus miles for their first eye exam at any participating location and 250 Bonus miles if they are a new patient at a participating practice. In addition, members have a chance to win 50,000 Aeroplan Miles when they book an eye appointment and visit by January 31, 2012.

For more information or a list of participating eye care practitioners, please visit: www.vedi.ca.

About Aeroplan
Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program, is owned by Groupe Aeroplan Inc., doing business as Aimia, a global leader in loyalty management.

Aeroplan's millions of members earn Aeroplan Miles with its growing network of over 75 world-class partners, representing more than 150 brands in the financial, retail, and travel sectors.

In 2010, over 2 million rewards were issued to members including more than 1.4 million flights on Air Canada and Star Alliance carriers which offer travel to more than 1,000 destinations worldwide. In addition to flights, members also have access to over 800 exciting specialty, merchandise, hotel, car rental and experiential rewards. 

For more information about Aeroplan, please visit www.aeroplan.com or www.aimia.com.