Bonus Page Updates Apr 28 and 29, 09

Apr 29, 09
TAP Portugal Victoria

Apr 28, 09
Brussels Airlines Privilege | Continental OnePass | Delta SkyMiles | Emirates Skywards | Jet Airways JetPrivilege | Korean Air SkyPass

Overview
- Earn Triple Victoria miles for Avis Car rentals worldwide
- Double SkyMiles for Starwood stays in Australia
- Earn up to 7,500 Skywards Miles for United Flights between the U.S. and Sydney or London
- Earn up to Triple SkyPass miles for Accor Hotel stays Worldwide

Delta adds $50 2nd Checked Bag Fee on International Flights

Citing big losses, Delta announced they will be adding a $50 fee for checking in a second bag on International flights to try and generate more revenue. They are the first large U.S. airline to impose such a fee, most including Delta have had checked bag fees for Canada/U.S. Domestic flights but none on International flights.

The fee went into effect for tickets purchased after April 22 for travel on or after July 1.

The following passengers will be exempt from the fees:

* First and Business Class passengers
* SkyMiles and WorldPerks Elite members (Executive/Platinum/Gold and Silver, including Flying Colonels)
* Active duty military members traveling on orders
* Passengers who purchased tickets prior to April 22, 2009
* Passengers who are confirmed on a Full Y class Economy ticket.

Continental, Delta, Northwest all follow with bonus miles offers to the U.K.

If you are flying on Continental, Delta or Northwest and connecting to one of their flights that go to London, Manchester or Edinburgh you may be able to earn up to 50,000 bonus miles in their respective frequent flyer programs. All bonus offers until June 30 and require free registration

Continental earns:
* 50,000 Bonus Miles on BusinessFirst round-trip tickets purchased and flown in J, D and Z classes
* 25,000 Bonus Miles on select BusinessFirst or Economy Class round-trip tickets purchased in A, Y or B classes of service.
See the full details and link to the registration page here

Delta earns:
* 50,000 Bonus Miles for paid BusinessElite/Business Class (fare classes J/C/D/S/I on Delta-coded flights and J/C/I/Z on Northwest-coded flights)
* 25,000 Bonus Miles for paid Premium Economy Class (fare classes Y/B/M on Delta-coded flights and Northwest-coded flights)
See the full details and link to the registration page here

Northwest earns:
NW World Business Class (J/C/I/Z) DL Business Elite (J/C/D/S/I) and earn 50,000 bonus miles
F NW Coach (Y/B/M) DL Economy (Y/B/M) and earn 25,000 bonus miles
See the full details and link to the registration page here

Bonus Page Updates Apr 23 & 24

Apr 24 Pages with new and/or updated bonus offers
Accor A|Club | Delta SkyMiles | Hilton HHonors | Miles & More| Northwest WorldPerks| Priority Club |

Apr 23 Pages with new and/or updated bonus offers
Air Berlin Top Bonus | Air Jamaica 7th Heaven | Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Continental OnePass | United Mileage Plus

Overview
- Earn up to 6,000 Bonus A|Club points for booking Accor stays online
- Earn up to 25,000 Bonus SkyMiles for non-flight partner activity
- Earn 10,000 bonus HHonors points for Conrad stays of 3 nights or more
- Earn Double Miles and More miles between Munich and Tel Aviv,
- Earn up to 25,000 Bonus WorldPerks miles for non-flight partner activity
- Get free Callaway golf equipment and up to 25,000 bonus Priority Club points for Crowne Plaza stays
- Earn Triple Flying Club miles for Hilton stays Worldwide
- Earn double Top Bonus miles for Best Western stays in Germany or Luxembourg
- Earn 500 7th Heaven Rewards miles for joining the program
- Complete update of the Asia Miles page
- Earn up to 50,000 Bonus OnePass miles for flying to the U.K.
- Earn Quadruple Mileage Plus miles for Shangri-La and Traders Hotels stays

TAM - New Aeroplan partner

Effective today, April 28, TAM Airlines of Brazil becomes an earning partner of Aeroplan. This means Aeroplan members can earn or redeem miles on all of TAM's flights.

This is one of the first steps for TAM's intergration into the Star Alliance which Air Canada was a founding member of.

VIA Preference members can now redeem for SNCF trip

VIA Preference members can now redeem their points for travel on the French rail system SNCF. All it takes is 2,500 points for a one-way second class ticket or 4,000 points for a first class ticket with one en-roue transfer allowable.

Source: Colloquy

Best Western Rewards Spring/Summer Offers

Best Western recently launched two new offers for its members rewarding them for stays this spring or summer:

The first offer will net Rewards members 1,000 bonus Gold Crown points when you purchase a USD/CAD$100 BW Travel Card and then use it on a BW stay between June 1 and August 31. If you know you will have some BW stays this summer, this is a no brainer as you buy the travel card with your credit card (Earning miles/points on that), then earning points for the actual stay amount and of course. the 1000 point bonus. Travel cards must be purchased by May 31

The second offer which can be combined with the above offer gives members a $50 Travel Card when the complete 2 qualified nights Worldwide. The nights do not have to be consecutive. Plus if you book on Bestwestern.com you will earn an additional 250 bonus points. This offer runs until Jun 14, 09

Full details and registration links can be found on our Best Western Rewards page

Martinair to join Flying Blue program

Martinair, the Dutch Charter/Holiday airline that serves the Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver will be joining Air France KLM's Flying Blue frequent flyer program.

As of May 1, 2009 you will be able to earn and redeem Flying Blue miles for Martinair flights and if you have at least Flying Blue Gold Status you will be able to access KLM Lounges when flying on Martinair flights.

Martinair Press Release

Edmonton raises AIF to $20

As of September 1st flying out of Edmonton will cost you $5 more as the Airport Improvement Fee will increase to $20. The increase is to be used to fund the ongoing $1 billion expansion that is set to be completed by 2012.

At the $20 level YEG comes in line with many other Canadian AIF such as Calgary's at $21 and Montreal's at $20 and still reasonable compared to Bathurst NB's $40 fee....... 40 bucks? Wow!

EIA Press Release

Bonus Page Updates: Apr 21, 09

Apr 21 Pages with new and/or updated bonus offers:
Air Canada Aeroplan | American AAdvantage | Czech Airlines OK Plus | JAL Mileage Bank | Marriott Rewards| Northwest WorldPerks | Starwood Preferred Guest | Travelodge Guest Rewards | US Airways Dividend Miles | United Mileage Plus | Wyndham Rewards

Overview:
- Double Aeroplan miles when you park at Park N Jet in Calgary
- Earn up to 1,500 bonus AAdvantage miles for stays at Radisson Hotels in North and South America
- Earn double OK Plus miles for Hilton Hotel stays worldwide
- Earn triple Mileage Bank miles for Marriott stays worldwide
- Receive up to $50 in Amazon Gift Cards for select weekend Marriott stays
- Earn 350 bonus WorldPerks miles for Thrifty car rentals Worldwide
- Earn a free weekend night with every 2 Starwood stays worldwide
- Earn up to 25,000 bonus Dividend Miles when you travel 5 or more times with US Airways
- Earn up to 1,500 bonus Mileage Plus miles for stays at Radisson Hotels in North and South America
- Earn 500 bonus Wyndham Rewards points when you rent from Avis or Budget

Air Canada not code sharing on TAP Trans Atlantic Flights

Apparently Air Canada has not placed their code on the TAP Trans-Atlantic flights as was originally planned

http://airlineroute.blogspot.com/2009/04/air-canada-cancel-codeshare-on-tap.html

Earn double Asia Miles on Mexicana flights between Vancouver and Mexico City

Asia Miles members can earn double miles for flying on select Mexicana and Mexicana Click flights including Mexicana's Vancouver to Mexico City route. This offer is good until May 31, 2009 and registration is required. For more detail and registration link see our Asia Miles bonus offer page.

Bonus Page Updates Apr 13, 09

Apr 13 Pages with new and/or updated bonus offers:
Aeroflot Bonus | Delta SkyMiles | El Al Matmid Club | Miles & More

Overview
- Earn up to 1,000 bonus Aeroflot miles between Moscow and Germany
- Receive 100% bonus SkyMiles when you transfer miles to friends or family
- Earn 25% Bonus Matmid points between Tel Aviv and London Luton
- Earn 1,000 bonus Miles and More miles whenyou stay 3 times at Best Western's in Germany

Bonus Page Updates Apr 8, 09

Apr 8 Pages with new and/or updated bonus offers:
bmi Diamond Club | British Airways Executive Club | Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Delta SkyMiles | Hilton HHonors | Miles & More | Northwest WorldPerks | Priority Club | Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer | US Airways Dividend Miles |


Overview
- Earn 5,000 bonus Destination Miles for joining bmi Diamond Club
- Earn Triple Executive Club miles for stays at Novotel Hotels Worldwide
- Earn 50,000 bonus SkyMiles on Delta flights to London, Manchester or Edinburgh
- Earn 1,000 bonus HHonors points on Hilton stays Worldwide
- Earn 40% bonus Miles and More miles between Germany and Osaka
- Earn up to Triple WorldPerks miles at MGallery and Pullman Hotels Worldwide
- Earn 5,000 bonus Priority Club points for two night weekend stays in France
- Earn double KrisFlyer miles for stays at Hilton's Worldwide
- Earn 1,000 bonus Dividend Club miles for select flights to Latin America purchased with a Mastercard

Nice plug for Rewards Canada in the Toronto Star

Freelance writer Paul Brent interviewed me a little while back for an article in the Toronto Star which was published on April 9. Rather then me rehashing the article, you can read it here, it is not long and offers some tips on making the most of your travel rewards programs.

I have to say thanks to Paul and to The Star as the newspaper has always been good for Rewards Canada with nice write ups once or twice a year going back to 2006.

Hyatt enhances the Gold Passport Program

As we stated last week when we launched our free night giveaway to help Hyatt promote the changes to their Gold Passport program, this is the post that covers those changes to the program. Oh and for once, the word enhance does actually mean enhanced. Many programs have used that term in the past to describe changes to them that were primarily changes for the worse. So thanks to Hyatt for making proper use of the term 'Enhance'

The majority of the enhancements are in Hyatt's elite levels with only one enhancement affecting basic Gold members. With everything else remaining the same, here are the new enhancements to the Hyatt Gold Passport program:

Gold Membership
Redeem points for free nights on any available standard room without blackout dates at any Hyatt worldwide

Platinum Membership
Enjoy the best room available within the category booked
Stay connected with complimentary Internet access
Expedited check-in at a dedicated area for elite members

Diamond Membership
Enjoy the best room available including Regency Club™ or Grand Club™ rooms
Treat yourself to a suite upgrade four times annually on paid room nights
Stay connected with complimentary Internet access
Expedite check-in at a dedicated area for elite members

For complete details and and terms and conditions for these changes see this page on Hyatt's website

And of course Hyatt is promoting this with the "The Big Welcome" sweepstakes and giveaway. See the details and enter the contests here.

Bonus Page Updates Apr 7, 09

Apr 7, 09 Pages with new and/or updated bonus offers:
Accor A|Club | American AAdvantage | Best Western Rewards | Cathay Pacific Asia Miles | Delta SkyMiles | Finnair Plus | Mexicana Go | Miles & More


Overview:
- Earn double A|Club points for stays in Latin America
- Complete update of the AAdvantage page with new car, hotel and other offers.
- Earn 1,000 BW Rewards points when you purchase a $100 Travel Card
- Earn double Asia Miles when you fly on Mexicana and Mexicana Click
- Targetted SkyMiles offer of 2,500 bonus SkyMiles for your next flight
- Earn 5,000 bonus Finnair Plus points when you fly on two OneWorld carriers
- Earn double Miles and More miles on Lufthansa's new flights from Dusseldorf to Venice and St. Petersburg

Air Canada suspends Edmonton - Las Vegas route

According to Airline Route Updates, Air Canada will not fly its Edmonton to Las Vegas route for the summer season (Jun 15 - Oct 31). Air Canada customers will have to route through Calgary or Vancouver.

Bonus Page Updates Apr 3, 09

Apr 3, 09 Pages with new and/or updated bonus offers:
bmi Diamond Club | Miles & More | Priority Club | QANTAS Frequent Flyer | Starwood Preferred Guest | United Mileage Plus

Overview:
- Earn triple Diamond Club miles for stays at Hilton hotels Worldwide
- Earn triple Miles and More miles for stays at Hilton hotels Worldwide
- Earn 2,000 Priority Club Points for stays in Germany
- Earn triple QANTAS Frequent Flyer miles for stays at Hilton hotels Worldwide
- Complete update of the Starwood Preferred Guest page with tons of new offers
- Earn up to 50,000 bonus Mileage Plus miles on flights to London.

Earn bonus Aeroplan miles for buying I-Tunes gift cards at Sobeys

This week Club Sobeys if offering bonus points for buying I-Tunes Gift Cards of for 50 points for $15, 100 for 25 and 250 for $50 which translates to 25, 50 and 125 Aeroplan Miles respectively.

So if you spend money on I-Tunes or know someone who does why not earn some Aeroplan miles while your at it.

Bonus Page Updates Apr 1, 09

Apr 1, 09 Pages with new and/or updated bonus offers:
Air Canada Aeroplan | GoldpointsPlus | Northwest WorldPerks | Priority Club | Scandinavian EuroBonus | US Airways Dividend Miles

Overview
- Earn double Goldpoints and free breakfast or dinner for two at dozens of Carlson family of hotels in North America, South America and Asia
- Earn up to 15,000 bonus WorldPerks miles on the new Delta/Northwest flights to Sydney, Sao Paulo and Nairobi
- Earn 25,000 bonus Priority Club points for two night weekend stays at the InterContinental Park Lane London or the InterContinental Paris LeGrand.
- Earn up to triple EuroBonus miles on Blue1 flights Biarritz, Dubrovnik or Split
- Earn up to 5,000 bonus Dividend Miles on flights between Philadelphia and Birmingham UK

The Big Welcome: We're giving away 2 free nights at Hyatt to help celebrate the enhanced Hyatt Gold Passport program!

On April 2, 2009 Hyatt announced a global initiative that celebrates the introduction of an enhanced, more generously welcoming Hyatt Gold Passport guest loyalty program (we'll blog about the changes a little later). With "The Big Welcome" Hyatt will also launch a 10,000 Free Nights sweepstakes and a larger-than-life 365 night giveaway in three regions Worldwide for a total of 31,095 free Hyatt nights

On top of those sweepstakes, RewardsCanada.ca has teamed up with Hyatt to giveaway a free nights stay to two lucky subscribers of the "Rewards Canada News" Newsletter.

To be eligible to win a free night from RewardsCanada.ca and Hyatt you must be a confirmed subscriber of the 'Rewards Canada News' newsletter.
Subscribe Here.
(Be sure to activate your subscription from the confirmation email)

For full details and contest rules for the RewardsCanada.ca portion of this contest plesae visit here.

To win the 365 nights from Hyatt you have to submit a 250 word essay on how you would spend the points, so why not practice here and comment below to let our readers know how you would spend 365 nights at Hyatt to create an unforgettable experience!

Bonus Pages Updates Mar 31, 09

Mar 31, 09 Pages with new and/or updated bonus offers:
Air France KLM Flying Blue | Asiana Club | Best Western Rewards | JAL Mileage Bank | Marriott Rewards | Priority Club

Overview
- Complete update of the Air France KLM Flying Blue page with new flight, hotel and other offers
- Triple Asiana Club miles and a free upgrade for stays at the Kempinksi Hotel Dalian
- Many new Best Western Rewards offers in Asia including double points and double miles
- JAL has extended their 1,000 mile booking bonus for flights out of North America for another year
- Get a third night free at participating Marriott's outside of North America when you pay with a Visa Card
- Receive up to 275 Euros in benefits when you book the Spring Package at InterContinental Hotels in Europe

Finnair to launch Halifax to Helsinki service

Once again from Airline Route Updates, Finnair is slated to launch Helsinki - Halifax - Miami service on Nov 9, 09. The airline does not have local traffic rights on the Halifax-Miami leg which means they cannot sell tickets for that leg alone.

Schedule as follows:
AY2987 HEL0655 - 0905YHZ1005 - 1320MIA 757 1
AY2988 MIA1450 - 1930YHZ2030 - 0930+1HEL 757 1

Halifax will be Finnair's second Canadian destination after Toronto