Aimia Inc. to Issue C$125 Million of Cumulative Rate Reset Preferred Shares

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Jan. 6, 2014) -

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Aimia Inc. ("Aimia") (TSX:AIM) announced today that it has agreed to issue to a syndicate of underwriters led by CIBC, TD Securities Inc., RBC Capital Markets and BMO Capital Markets for distribution to the public, 5,000,000 Cumulative Rate Reset Preferred Shares, Series 3 (the "Series 3 Preferred Shares"). The Series 3 Preferred Shares will be issued at a price of C$25.00 per share, for aggregate gross proceeds of C$125 million. Holders of the Series 3 Preferred Shares will be entitled to receive a cumulative quarterly fixed dividend yielding 6.25% annually for the initial five-year period ending March 31, 2019. The dividend rate will be reset on March 31, 2019 and every five years thereafter at a rate equal to the 5-year Government of Canada bond yield plus 4.20%. The Series 3 Preferred Shares will be redeemable by Aimia on March 31, 2019, and every five years thereafter in accordance with their terms.

Holders of Series 3 Preferred Shares will have the right, at their option, to convert their shares into Cumulative Floating Rate Preferred Shares, Series 4 (the "Series 4 Preferred Shares"), subject to certain conditions, on March 31, 2019 and on March 31 every five years thereafter. Holders of the Series 4 Preferred Shares will be entitled to receive cumulative quarterly floating dividends at a rate equal to the three-month Government of Canada Treasury Bill yield plus 4.20%.

Aimia has granted the underwriters an option, exercisable in whole or in part anytime up to 48 hours prior to the closing of the offering, to purchase an additional 1,000,000 Series 3 Preferred Shares at the same offering price. Should the option be fully exercised, the total gross proceeds of the financing will be C$150 million.

The Series 3 Preferred Shares will be offered by way of a prospectus supplement to the short form base shelf prospectus dated April 12, 2013 filed with the securities regulatory authorities in all provinces and territories of Canada.

The net proceeds of the issue will be used by Aimia to supplement its financial resources and for general corporate purposes.

The offering is expected to close on or about January 15, 2014, subject to certain conditions, including conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement.

About Aimia

Aimia Inc. is a global leader in loyalty management. Employing more than 4,000 people in over 20 countries worldwide, Aimia offers clients, partners and members proven expertise in launching and managing coalition loyalty programs, delivering proprietary loyalty services, creating value through loyalty analytics and driving innovation in the emerging digital, mobile and social communications spaces. Aimia owns and operates Aeroplan, Canada's premier coalition loyalty program, Nectar, the United Kingdom's largest coalition loyalty program, Nectar Italia, and Smart Button, a leading provider of SaaS loyalty solutions. In addition, Aimia owns stakes in Air Miles Middle East, Mexico's leading coalition loyalty program Club Premier, Brazil's Prismah Fidelidade, China Rewards - the first coalition loyalty program in China that enables members to earn and redeem a common currency, and i2c, a joint venture with Sainsbury's offering insight and data analytics services in the UK to retailers and suppliers. Aimia also holds a minority position in Cardlytics, a US-based private company operating in card-linked marketing for electronic banking.

Aimia is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:AIM). For more information, visit us at www.aimia.com.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-looking statements are included in this news release. These forward-looking statements are identified by the use of terms and phrases such as "anticipate", "believe", "could", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "plan", "predict", "project", "will", "would", and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions. Such statements may involve but are not limited to comments with respect to strategies, expectations, planned operations or future actions.

Forward-looking statements, by their nature, are based on assumptions and are subject to important risks and uncertainties. Any forecasts, predictions or forward-looking statements cannot be relied upon due to, among other things, changing external events and general uncertainties of the business and its corporate structure. Results indicated in forward-looking statements may differ materially from actual results for a number of reasons, including without limitation, dependency on top accumulation partners and clients, changes to the Aeroplan Program, conflicts of interest, greater than expected redemptions for rewards, regulatory matters, retail market/economic conditions, industry competition, Air Canada liquidity issues, Air Canada or travel industry disruptions, airline industry changes and increased airline costs, supply and capacity costs, unfunded future redemption costs, failure to safeguard databases and consumer privacy, changes to coalition loyalty programs, seasonal nature of the business, other factors and prior performance, foreign operations, legal proceedings, reliance on key personnel, labour relations, pension liability, technological disruptions and inability to use third party software, failure to protect intellectual property rights, interest rate and currency fluctuations, leverage and restrictive covenants in current and future indebtedness, uncertainty of dividend payments, managing growth, credit ratings, as well as the other factors identified in this news release and throughout Aimia's public disclosure record on file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities.

The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Aimia's expectations as of January 6, 2014, and are subject to change after such date. However, Aimia disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

The Series 3 Preferred Shares have not been, nor will be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to U.S. persons absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirement of such Act and applicable state securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.