Rewards Canada: Your premier points, miles & credit cards resource: April 2018

Monday, April 30, 2018

NOW LIVE: IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - 170+ Hotels for only 5,000 to 15,000 points per night

The full list is now up and the Canadian selection is the smallest we've seen in a long time! Only 2 hotels included this time in Lethbridge and Ottawa.

We gave you the preview last week and are happy to tell you that the latest IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks hotel are now available for booking! This set has 170 hotels that can now be booked for 5,000 points to 15,000 points per award night for stays until July 31, 2018. Remember the PointBreaks rules are that a member can only book up to 2 reward reservations per hotel participating in the individual offer (ie 2 at PointBreaks hotels and 2 at Last Minute Reward Night hotels). My tip to get around this would be to book 2 reservations with one IHG Rewards Club account and then have your spouse book 2 more etc. Of course this is dependent on both accounts having enough points to redeem for these awards. Also be sure to book these ASAP as soon as the list comes out as once the allotted nights are booked at certain locations those hotels will fall off the list.

Why are IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks such a great deal? Because they offer reward nights at participating IHG hotels Worldwide for as little as 5,000 Rewards Club points. For those of you not to familiar with IHG Rewards Club , normal redemption rates for Rewards Club reward nights run from as low as 10,000 points for some Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express locations to 70,000 points for ultra-luxurious InterContinental locations and even these locations can participate in Pointbreaks.

Of course this is the second set of PointBreaks that now have multiple redemption levels where all hotels are not 5,000 points like they used to be, some are now at that level but there are also hotels at 10,000 and 15,000 points. IHG states this allows them to provide more hotels for the promotion and so far that is holding true with over 200 hotels in the last round and over 170 this time compared to about 100 or so when the list used to only be 5,000 points.

If you don't have enough points, even 0, you can buy points right now with a 80% bonus if you buy 30,000 or more points which works out to 0.56 cents per point. That means you can get each of the PointBreaks hotels for as little as US$28 per night if you buy at least 30,000 points. You can buy points with the bonus here until May 31, 18.

An example of a good deal on this list the IC Muscat. This hotel normally starts at 35,000 points for standard room so the 15,000 point rate is more than 50% off. Something to look at if you are heading to Oman between now and July 31!

IC Muscat for only 15,000 points

Click here to view and book any of the current PointBreaks offers.

5,000 Point Hotels

ILLINOIS
Candlewood Suites Peoria at Grand Prairie
Holiday Inn Express Chicago-Schaumburg

LOUISIANA
Staybridge Suites Lafayette-Airport

MINNESOTA
Candlewood Suites Minneapolis-Richfield

MISSISSIPPI
Candlewood Suites Pearl

NEW YORK
Candlewood Suites East Syracuse - Carrier Circle
Candlewood Suites Syracuse-Airport

OHIO
Candlewood Suites Cleveland-N. Olmsted

TEXAS
Candlewood Suites San Antonio Downtown

VIRGINIA
Holiday Inn Express Winchester South Stephens City

BRAZIL
Holiday Inn Express Maceio Ponta Verde

KAZAKHSTAN
Holiday Inn Almaty

POLAND
Holiday Inn Dabrowa Gornicza

TURKEY
Holiday Inn Istanbul - Kadikoy

CHONGQING, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Holiday Inn Express Chongqing Jinxiucheng

GUANGDONG, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Holiday Inn Guangzhou Airport Zone

HEBEI, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Holiday Inn Express Langfang Park View

HENAN, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Holiday Inn Express Luoyang Yichuan
Crowne Plaza Zhengzhou

INNER MONGOLIA, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Holiday Inn Hohhot

JIANGSU, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Holiday Inn Suzhou Huirong Plaza

JIANGXI, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Crowne Plaza Nanchang Riverside

SHAANXI, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Holiday Inn Express Baoji City Centre

SHANDONG, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Holiday Inn Qingdao Parkview

SICHUAN, CHINA (PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC)
Crowne Plaza Yibin

JAPAN
ANA Crowne Plaza Ube

10,000 point hotels

Candlewood Suites® San Antonio Downtown (US)

Friday, April 27, 2018

April 27 Update: Credit Cards that earn the most points, 3rd Party Hotel Booking site bonuses, Aeroplan makes commitments to members

Today saw us release another feature on the main Rewards Canada website. This feature looks at the credit cards that earn the most points and miles on everyday spend and nothing else. Read the feature here: The Top 5 Credit Cards for Earning Points and Miles (This feature will be updated as frequently as needed if and when cards change)

Are you someone who likes to earn miles or points for booking your hotel via third party sites? You'll want to check out our summary of Current Bonus Mile & Point Offers for hotel stays booked via 3rd Party sites - Agoda, Kaligo, PointsHound, Rocketmiles that was posted on our global site!

Aeroplan sent out a press release yesterday to detail their commitment to members for the present and the future in 2020 when they split from Air Canada. The press release doens't give specific details but as many of us have assumed it appears that you will be able to use Aeroplan miles to book flights on lots of airlines and at anytime - so in all likelihood a partnership with an OTA like Expedia, Orbitz etc. or at least they'll white label an OTA back end and run it is as their own booking engine. Here are the key highlights from the press release:

The freedom to choose any seat on more of your favourite airlines: Starting in July 2020, you won't be limited to seat inventory from one airline or one network when you want to redeem valued miles. Instead, you'll be able to choose any available seat from more airlines to more destinations than today.
The power to reach your travel plans faster: With the ability to earn miles faster and redeem for flights on more of your favourite airlines starting in July 2020, including with future preferred partners, we're committed to helping our members travel sooner than with other travel reward programs in Canada, just as we do today.
A complete travel offering in one place: Today, you can browse more car rental options than ever before. Tomorrow, an intuitive planning and booking engine will offer you a greater selection of accommodations, destination activities, vacation packages and inspiring content directly through our website and mobile app.
Unmatched convenience & flexibility: When you earn fast and often, you can get to your travel plans sooner. The convenience of earning on thousands of everyday items in-store and online at over 150 partner brands, flexible payment options plus the ability to earn miles on all cash bookings made with Aeroplan means realizing your plans is easier than ever.
A more personalized journey: Enjoy a unique travel experience that is more rewarding and tailored to your needs as we proactively serve up suggestions, content and offers based on the things you like.
An altogether transformed user experience: Staying at the forefront of technological trends, we will reinvent your user experience at every level from mobile to online right up to the Aeroplan Contact Centre.

What are your thoughts?

Posts since our last update:

IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks Preview - Live on Monday with 170+ hotels
IHG is giving us a sneak peak at some of the hotels that will be on the newest PointBreaks…
The Top 5 Credit Cards for Earning Points and Miles
For some points and miles aficionados it’s all about earning as many points and miles as possible. In reality that's…

Travel Deals
Accor Hotels Private Sale - Save up to 40% on stays at Accor Hotels around the world! Book by May 3. Find out more here

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings
- Fast track to elite status - fly one flight on Hainan Airlines in Business Class from Calgary or Toronto, the U.S. Europe, Oceania, and the Middle East to China and receive Fortune Wings Elite status. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Other Bonus Offers
MEA Cedar Miles
- Double Cedar Miles when you stay at the Pearl Rotana, Abu Dhabi. More... Until Jun 20, 18
- Triple Cedar Miles when you stay at the Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas, Abu Dhabi. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Miles & More
- Earn up to 5,000 Miles & More Miles at participating Enterprise, Alamo and National locations in Europe and North America. More... Book by Jun 30 for rentals until Jul 31, 18

Radisson Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Gold Points for stays on the Park Plaza Plus package at the Park Plaza London Park Royal. More... Until ?

TAP Portugal Victoria
- Double Victoria Miles for stays at Anantara Hotels Worldwide. More... Until May 31, 18

IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks Preview - Live on Monday with 170+ hotels

IHG is giving us a sneak peak at some of the hotels that will be on the newest PointBreaks list that will go live on Monday April 30th at 12:00pm ET. This will be the second PointBreaks list that runs under the new multi point level format of hotels at 5,000, 10,000 and 15,000 point levels. Once live you can book the hotels on IHG Rewards Club's official PointBreaks page. Remember the PointBreaks rules are that a member can only book up to 2 reward reservations per hotel participating in the individual offer (ie 2 at PointBreaks hotels and 2 at Last Minute Reward Night hotels). My tip to get around this would be to book 2 reservations with one IHG Rewards Club account and then have your spouse book 2 more etc. Of course this is dependent on both accounts having enough points to redeem for these awards. Also be sure to book these ASAP as soon as the list comes out as once the allotted nights are booked at certain locations those hotels will fall off the list.

If you don't have enough points, even 0, you can buy points right now with a 80% bonus if you buy 30,000 or more points which works out to 0.56 cents per point. That means you can get each of the PointBreaks hotels for as little as US$28 per night if you buy at least 30,000 points. You can buy points with the bonus here until May 31, 18.

Here is the preview provided by IHG:

5,000 Points

KAZAKHSTAN: Holiday Inn Almaty
MAINLAND CHINA: Holiday Inn Suzhou Huirong Plaza
MAINLAND CHINA: Holiday Inn Express Langfang Park View
MAINLAND CHINA: Holiday Inn Hohhot
TURKEY: Holiday Inn Istanbul – Kadikoy
UNITED STATES: Candlewood Suites Minneapolis-Richfield
UNITED STATES: Staybridge Suites Lafayette-Airport

10,000 Points

INDIA: Holiday Inn Chennai OMR IT Expressway
LITHUANIA: Crowne Plaza Vilnius
MEXICO: Holiday Inn Express Villahermosa Tabasco 2000
PANAMA: Crowne Plaza Panama Airport
THAILAND: Holiday Inn Express Krabi Ao Nang Beach
UNITED STATES: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Baltimore – BWI Airport North
UNITED STATES: Holiday Inn Express & Suites San Antonio NW near SeaWorld

15,000 points

AUSTRALIA: Crowne Plaza Perth
GERMANY: Hotel Indigo Dusseldorf – Victoriaplatz
OMAN: InterContinental Muscat
PUERTO RICO: Holiday Inn Express San Juan Condado
UNITED STATES: Crowne Plaza Charlotte Executive Park
UNITED STATES: Holiday Inn Express Miami Airport Doral Area
UNITED STATES: Crowne Plaza Phoenix Airport – PHX

We see know the redemption rate at one of the InterContinental Hotels on the list, the IC Muscat. This hotel normally starts at 35,000 points for standard room so the 15,000 point rate is more than 50% off. Something to look at if you are heading to Oman between April 30 and July 31!

We also know of the following hotels that will also be on the list from a preview yesterday:

The Top 5 Credit Cards for Earning Points and Miles

For some points and miles aficionados it’s all about earning as many points and miles as possible. In reality that's the case for most of us but for some they really want to only focus on the earn. All they care about is how they are rewarded for their day to day spending on cards and all the other benefits like insurance, business class lounge access, price protection don’t really matter.

The question then that needs to be asked is "What are the credit cards to look at to strictly maximize the amount of points and miles you earn on your spending?" We have the answer to that!

LINK HAS BEEN FIXED!

Continue reading the entire article here to find out which cards earn you the most points and miles!

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

April 25 Update: Air Canada adding Montreal-London & Windsor routes, Save up to 40% for Accor Hotel stays and more

Air Canada is adding new year round daily flights between Montreal-London, ON and Montreal-Windsor. (Source Air Canada)

Flights are timed to offer convenient connections to/from Atlantic Canada including Saint John, Fredericton, Moncton Halifax and St. John's; to Europe including Brussels, Rome, Geneva, Barcelona, Lisbon, Paris, Lyon, Frankfurt, as well as Casablanca, Morocco.

Don't forget to enter our Aeroplan Amazon.ca contest! You could win a $100 Amazon.ca gift card! Be sure to enter the contest here.

Are you a Royals fan (not baseball but English royalty) and have the Platinum Card from American Express? Check your email for a personal invite to watch the Royal Wedding at Bar Reyna in Toronto.

Posts since our last update:

5 Days left to grab the RBC Visa Infinite Avion with a 25,000 point sign up bonus and first year free
Just a reminder that this excellent offer comes to an end on April 30th! The RBC Visa Infinite Avion card…

Travel Deals
Accor Hotels Private Sale - Save up to 40% on stays at Accor Hotels around the world! Book by May 3. Find out more here

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
Avianca LifeMiles
- 30% Bonus LifeMiles on all hotel stays booked via Rocketmiles. This offer is good for new and existing members. More... Book by May 31 for stays until Dec 31, 18

British Airways Executive Club
- 50% Bonus Avios when you buy or gift Avios online. More... Until May 8, 18

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Triple Asia Miles for stays on the Rise & Shine package (bed & breakfast) at participating Raffles Hotels Worldwide. More... Until May 31, 18

Hyatt World of Hyatt
- Earn up to 40% Bonus World of Hyatt Points when you buy points online. More... Until May 23, 18

IHG Rewards Club
- 5,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club points on Avis rentals of 4 or more days in the U.S., Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. More... Book by May 15 for rentals until Dec 31, 18

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay 2+ nights at over 40 participating Marriott Hotels in California. More... Until May 31, 18
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the HOTEL PASEO, Autograph Collection. More... Until Jun 1, 18
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Courtyard By Marriott Denver Airport. More... Until Jun 6, 18
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Dublin. More... Until Jun 11, 18

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points for stays at the Sule Shangri-La, Yangon. More... Until May 31, 18

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Triple KrisFlyer Miles for PPS members who stay at participating InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo®, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express® hotels. in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. More... Until Jun 30, 18

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Triple Miles&Smiles Miles for stays at Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 18

Follow Rewards Canada:

OFFER EXPIRED 5 Days left to grab the RBC Visa Infinite Avion with a 25,000 point sign up bonus and first year free

Just a reminder that this excellent offer comes to an end on April 30th!

http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/camp/iav/1802/?ASC=3C6002&utm_source=RewardsCanada&utm_medium=3PB&utm_campaign=cards_aggregator

This offer has expired but there is new one available at http://blog.rewardscanada.ca/2018/06/new-sign-up-offer-for-rbc-visa-infinite.html

The RBC Visa Infinite Avion card - long ranked as a really good card here on Rewards Canada but never at the top must be feeling the heat from the ever increasing competition as they have come out with this new offer! This is one of the best offers for this card in a while! Even though the previous offer was 30,000 points there was no first year free and the bonus was split between year 1 and year 2. This offer is 25,000 points on approval (awarded on the first statement) and first year free which we feel is a much better! Those 25,000 points equate to 25,000 British Airways Avios at no cost! Or 250 WestJet dollars at no cost and that doesn't even take into account the transfer bonuses they run occasionally throughout the year. And remember BA has household accounts so you and your spouse could each get the card then convert to BA and combine the Avios into one account for 50,000 or more Avios. There are just so many options here....

If you have been tossing around the idea of getting this card and haven't really been sure now is the time as it will cost you nothing and score you some decent rewards! This offer ends on April 30, 2018.

RBC Visa Infinite Avion

Start Avioning Today! Get 25,000 Welcome Points upon approval† + 1st year annual fee waived† - savings of $120.
Earn 25% more RBC Rewards points on travel related purchases1
Book flights, hotel stays, cruises, vacation packages, car rentals with RBC Rewards site, powered by Orbitz
Transfer your RBC Rewards points towards other eligible loyalty programs (WestJet Rewards, British Airways Executive Club, American AAdvantage, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles. Look for the transfer bonuses to the airlines several times per year!)
Premium suite of insurances including trip cancellation3, trip interruption3, travel medical4, car rental insurance5
Redeem your points toward your credit card balance using Payback with Points2
Instantly save 3₵ per litre on fuel▲ & earn 20% more Petro-Points§ and RBC Rewards points** when you link your Petro-Points card to any RBC Card online.
Up to a 2.3% return on your spending depending on which reward ticket you book
Unwritten ability to redeem for Business Class tickets although at a lower rate of return when compared to the Avion Reward chart

Note the following from the T&Cs:
Upon enrolment, 25,000 bonus RBC Rewards points will appear on your first monthly statement. Additional cardholder(s), as well as existing RBC Visa Infinite Avion or Visa Platinum Avion, Cathay Pacific‡ Visa Platinum, British Airways‡ Visa Infinite, RBC Rewards Visa Preferred, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege and RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking cardholders, applying for or transferring to an RBC Visa Infinite Avion card as of the offer eligibility period, are not eligible for this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer.

TRENDING
Scene+ is not just for movies anymore - it's become a versatile powerhouse for all types of rewards

Monday, April 30, 2018

NOW LIVE: IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - 170+ Hotels for only 5,000 to 15,000 points per night

Friday, April 27, 2018

April 27 Update: Credit Cards that earn the most points, 3rd Party Hotel Booking site bonuses, Aeroplan makes commitments to members

IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks Preview - Live on Monday with 170+ hotels

The Top 5 Credit Cards for Earning Points and Miles

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

April 25 Update: Air Canada adding Montreal-London & Windsor routes, Save up to 40% for Accor Hotel stays and more

OFFER EXPIRED 5 Days left to grab the RBC Visa Infinite Avion with a 25,000 point sign up bonus and first year free

Top 5 Travel Cards in Canada

TRENDINGScene+ is not just for movies anymore - it's become a versatile powerhouse for all types of rewards

Monday, April 30, 2018

NOW LIVE: IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - 170+ Hotels for only 5,000 to 15,000 points per night

Friday, April 27, 2018

April 27 Update: Credit Cards that earn the most points, 3rd Party Hotel Booking site bonuses, Aeroplan makes commitments to members

IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks Preview - Live on Monday with 170+ hotels

The Top 5 Credit Cards for Earning Points and Miles

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

April 25 Update: Air Canada adding Montreal-London & Windsor routes, Save up to 40% for Accor Hotel stays and more

OFFER EXPIRED 5 Days left to grab the RBC Visa Infinite Avion with a 25,000 point sign up bonus and first year free

TRENDING
Scene+ is not just for movies anymore - it's become a versatile powerhouse for all types of rewards