Ontario is protecting consumers from losing reward points based only on the amount of time passed since they were earned. Beginning on January 1, 2018, consumers will be protected against losing reward points that they have been saving up for larger purchases, and the change will be retroactive to October 1, 2016.
Consumers who believe their points improperly expired will be able to request that businesses reimburse them, or may file a complaint with Consumer Protection Ontario.
Banning the expiration of reward points is one of a number of changes the province has proposed to increase protection for consumers, including:
- Adding new protections for new home warranties and condo owners
- Strengthening rules and professional standards in the real estate sector
- Increasing transparency in travel services pricing
- Preventing event ticket fraud and excessive markups in ticket re-sales.
Click here to read more from Ontario.ca in a new press release.
I wonder if any other provinces or states will be following up with this? It is nice to hear that Ontario is being pro-active with the ticket bots and scalpers and points expiry but we shall see how this gets implemented next year.
