5 things to know about the Air Miles lawsuit + MORE Sep 17th

Having trouble redeeming your Air Miles, or feel like there are rewards being kept from you? Well, you’re not alone. This week, JSS Barristers, a Calgary law firm, filed a class action lawsuit against LoyaltyOne, the company that owns and operates the Air Miles rewards program in Canada. We spoke with Andrew Wilson, lead counsel for the lawsuit, and learned some things you need to now if you’re one of the 10 million households in Canada that has an Air Miles card.
1. You don’t have to do anything to join
A class action lawsuit is filed collectively by a large number of people who express the same legal complaint against the same defendant (in this case, Air Miles). The lawsuit was filed at at the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta on behalf of all Canadian Air Miles members who had “Dream” reward miles on or after Dec. 28, 2011. In Alberta (where the action is being brought forward), all Air Miles holders are automatically in the suit. “You’d have to opt out if you didn’t want to be included,” says Wilson…

WASHINGTON – After five years as the chief promoter of the false idea that President Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States, Donald Trump admitted on Friday that the president was _ and claimed credit for putting the issue to rest.
“President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period,” Trump said in brief televised remarks. “Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again.”
But as Trump sought to put that false conspiracy theory to rest, he stoked another, claiming that the “birther movement” was started by rival Hillary Clinton. There is no evidence that is true.
“Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy. I finished it,” Trump said. “I finished it, you know what I mean.”
Trump spoke against a backdrop of veterans in a sprawling ballroom at his new Washington hotel. His statement of a few seconds came only after a lengthy campaign event featuring military officers and award winners who have endorsed him…

Looking to earn cash back on your daily expenditures? Don’t want to pay an annual fee? Enter the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card, which was introduced in early 2016 following a successful trial run involving 32,000 existing Tangerine clients. The card, which brings a new level of choice to consumers, has created quite a buzz for its unique and flexible rewards structure. Is it right for you? Let’s take a look at the fine print.
Card Details

The no-fee card gives cardholders the ability to choose where they earn the most rewards. Unlike similar cash back options which offer top earnings on gas and groceries only, Tangerine cardholders select their two favourite spending categories to max their Money-Back Rewards, including:

Restaurants
Grocery
Gas
Entertainment
Home Improvement
Furniture
Hotel-Motel
Recurring Bills
Drug Store
Public Transport and Parking

Purchases made within the selected categories will earn 4% on the dollar for the first three months (2% after that), with 1% earned on all other spending…

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Americans take on more mortgage debt as housing recovers
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Fed’s quarterly report on household wealth showed that Americans’ net worth climbed 1.2 per cent during the April-June quarter, to $89.1 trillion.
Stock and mutual fund portfolios increased 2.3 per cent to $21.2 trillion. Housing wealth rose 1.9 per cent to $25.6 trillion. The value of checking and savings accounts, as well as pension entitlements, also climbed. Mortgage debt rose 2.5 per cent in the second quarter at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, the biggest quarterly gain in more than eight years.
Household wealth, or net worth, reflects the value of homes, stocks and other assets minus mortgages, credit card debt and other borrowing.
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Sit-down chains suffer as diners opt for convenience
NEW YORK (AP) — Customers have been walking away from sit-down chains as convenience and affordability take precedence.
Ruby Tuesday said this week that its CEO is resigning, and the chain forecast another quarter of lower sales as it closes locations…

CALGARY – The company that runs the Air Miles loyalty rewards program is the target of a proposed class-action lawsuit.
A statement of claim filed with the Court of Queen’s Bench this week alleges LoyaltyOne Co. made “unfair and unilateral” changes to the program’s terms and conditions, including that miles racked up before December 31, 2011 expire at the end of this year and miles collected after that are to expire five years after they are earned.
The proposed suit, which has not been certified, claims users were not given adequate notice of the changes and that the company has made it difficult for miles to be redeemed before their expiry.
“The net result is that Air Miles’ conduct will result in a large number of the class members’ miles expiring, resulting in a significant loss to the class, and a corresponding large windfall for Air Miles,” the claim states.
Air Miles are earned by shopping at participating retailers and are meant to be exchanged for flights and other rewards…