A Year In

I haven't used my Aeroplan points to book travel since my trip to South Korea, three years ago. And the only reason why I flew on points was because the taxes (which aren't covered by points) made it so that the flight only cost me about $150, round-trip.

Before Korea, I hadn't used points for a flight since 2010, when I flew to Scotland. I prefer to not use points to fly, as doing so often caused lengthy transit times, with a few connections that cost me unnecessary hours of waiting and going through various security points.

I like to fly direct, taking as little time and making as few connections as possible.

At the start of the pandemic, I had accrued a lot of Aeroplan points, enough to fly in business class, anywhere in the world. But because I knew that it would be some time before I flew again, and I didn't know whether my trove of points would evaporate from lack of use, DW and I decided to go to the Aeroplan site and redeem points for merchandise.

We redeemed points for a kick-ass humidifier, a charger stand that allows DW to recharge her iPhone, Apple watch, and ear buds at the same time. We also got her ear buds with points.

For myself, I redeemed points for my Garmin smart watch. A year in to using it, I have to say it's been one of the best purchases through Aeroplan points that I've ever made.

First, I can't believe how long the battery lasts. I typically go about five days between charges. For example, last February, when DW and I went to Mexico, I charged my watch a few hours before we left for the airport, early on a Sunday morning.

That Friday evening, as I was readying myself for bed, I had to plug in my watch. "Is that the first recharge since we left?" asked DW as I pulled out my charge cable.

"Yup."

DW has to charge her iWatch every other day.

One of the things that made me change my old Samsung Fit Gear watch was that it had difficulties in accurately tracking the number of flights of stairs, and it wouldn't count small footsteps if I was performing chores in the kitchen.

My Garmin Venu has never failed me and is always able to accurately sync with the Connect app on my phone.

I know that I haven't taken advantage of nearly all that this watch has to offer. I've added no apps, no widgets, and I don't use Garmin Pay nor do I play music through my watch. But because I always keep my smartphone close by, I haven't had a need to use these features with my watch.

I love how, with a minimal amount of buttons or tapping, I can start a workout, such as a bike ride or a kayaking trip, or a hike. I wish that there was a dedicated kayaking activity, rather than a generic rowing one, but it works nonetheless.

I get warned when my stress levels are too high and need to settle down. This feature has pleased DW as well as me.

An added bonus is how the watch synchronizes my activities with my Conqueror virtual challenges. As soon as I stop an activity, that activity and the distance travelled through that activity are recorded in The Conqueror app and I'm sent a notification.

One less thing I have to worry about at the end of the day.

So yeah, I'm really happy with my Garmin watch, one year later. It's the best purchase that I've made with my Aeroplan points (though, I may look into seeing if I can use them to fly again—maybe, to Iceland next year?).