September 28 Update: 100 Bonus AIR MILES at Rexall, KLM Business Class sale + a targetted WestJet Rewards bonus offer

You can earn 100 Bonus AIR MILES at Rexall on Sunday when you spend $50 or more on cosmetics and related items.

 
Aeroplan has an update on mileage accumulation when you fly on Brussels Airlines:

As of October 3, 2018 please note the following accrual structure change for Brussels Airlines;

Effective for travel October 3, 2018, booking class G will no longer be eligible for accumulation. For travel until October 2, 2018, earn 50%.

Effective for travel October 3, 2018, earn 50% in new booking class O.

Posts since our last update:

• Earn 5x Miles & More Miles when you fly Lufthansa Economy Class from Canada to Europe
  Offer details: 5x Bonus Miles & More Miles when you fly in Economy Class on Lufthansa from Montreal, Toronto…
• Flight Risk - New study confirms frequent business travel can impact health
  Today we welcome Rewards Canada's newest guest contributor Dr. Elaine Chin. Dr. Chin is a seasoned medical doctor, health coach,…

Travel Deals

KLM is once again offering some really good business class fares out of Canada. Some examples are Toronto-Bucharest for $3195 and Edmonton to Barcelona for $3692. Book by Oct 5, travel between October 1, 2018 and June 18, 2019. Book online 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
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Elite Status Match - Alaska Airlines will match your status earned from flying with select North American airlines. More... For residents of the U.S. and Canada only

Miles & More
- 5x Bonus Miles & More Miles when you fly in Economy Class on Lufthansa between Canada and Europe. More... Register and book by Oct 15 for travel Jan 1 - Mar 31, 19

WestJet Rewards
- Earn up to 300 Bonus WestJet Dollars when you double your 2017 qualifying spend each month you fly with WestJet from October to December. Targeted Offer - May Not work for everyone. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Harvest Inn & Suites Grand Forks. More... Until Oct 31, 18
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Baraboo Inn West Baraboo. More... Until May 20, 19

TAP Portugal Victoria
- Quadruple Victoria Miles the first time you rent with Sixt Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 18

Follow Rewards Canada:

Earn 5x Miles & More Miles when you fly Lufthansa Economy Class from Canada to Europe

Offer details:
5x Bonus Miles & More Miles when you fly in Economy Class on Lufthansa from Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver to select cities in  Europe via Frankfurt or Munich. Register online (Registration is required) then book online at Lufthansa. Register and book by Oct 15 for travel Jan 1 - Mar 31, 19

Fly from/to Amsterdam, Dublin, Edinburgh, Madrid, Milan, Copenhagen, London, Oslo, Paris, Rome or Stockholm via Frankfurt or Munich to/from Vancouver, Seattle/Tacoma, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Denver, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Orlando or Miami

Flight Risk - New study confirms frequent business travel can impact health

Today we welcome Rewards Canada's newest guest contributor Dr. Elaine Chin. Dr. Chin is a seasoned medical doctor, health coach, and bestselling author. She’s also passionate about helping people live longer, more rewarding, and disease/disability-free lives. To learn more about her check out her blog at https://drelainechin.com

In the 2009 movie Up in the Air, George Clooney’s character Ryan Bingham dreams about attaining super-elite status and all the perks and privileges that come with his frequent flyer program. Many of the executive clients that visit my clinic agree that when you travel frequently for business the upgrades and perks really matter.

But I’ve always believed that it’s a two-edged sword.  The perks don’t outweigh the risks of ‘chronic flying’. In one of the first studies of its kind published this July the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, cited the effects of business travel as a non-infectious disease health risk.

The study found that extensive business travel beyond 1 to 6 nights per month is similar to the risk of chronic diseases associated with lifestyle factors. As the number of nights away from home for business travel reasons increased, poor behavioural and health outcomes significantly increased.

If you meet the profile of a classic ‘Road Warrior’ it’s important to be aware of some of the following behavioural and health risks associated with frequent business travel:

Behavioural Risks 
Those who traveled 21 or more nights per month were more likely to have unhealthy lifestyle behaviours including:

1. Smoking and/or alcohol dependency
2. Trouble sleeping
3. Sedentary

Health Risks
Those who spent 14 or more nights away from home per month had:

1. higher body mass index (obesity)
2. poor self-rated health
3. higher diastolic blood pressure
4. lower high density lipoprotein (HDL- the good cholesterol).
5. clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression and alcoholism
6. higher exposure to radiation

Of course there are things that you can do immediately to reduce the health risk of frequent business travel including the following five tips.

1. Avoid the ‘Red Eye’.  Overnight flights may save money and be less disruptive on your business schedule but the impact on your body’s natural sleep cycle isn’t worth the risk.

2. Early to Bed, Early to Rise. When travelling in the morning, get to bed with the goal of getting at least 7 hours of sleep. And when you awake, grab a ‘pre-flight’ protein smoothie for breakfast. They’re easy to digest and will quickly get you fueled.

3. Hotel Fitness. One of the best ways to combat the affects of jet lag is moderate exercise. Find a hotel that has a gym and schedule this into your itinerary. Take 30 minutes either before or at the end of your day to help you wind down.

4. Practice Moderation.  Avoid the ‘meal deals’ and carefully manage portion sizes when ordering off a menu. The same goes for coffee and alcohol consumption—no more than 2 medium size coffees or alcoholic drinks/day.

5. Stay Connected.  Frequent travel can have an impact on relationships with friends and family.  Skip the late night socializing with colleagues and instead schedule time for staying connected on the home front.  A quick Skype or Face Time session can go along way to keeping you and your loved ones grounded and reassured.

September 27 Update: October teaser dates, Amex online/app purchase offers, fly Aer Lingus to Dublin from C$529

Some key dates to watch for news in October are the 2nd and the 10th of the month so far. We can't reveal details yet but we thought we'd put it on your radar.

 

American Express Cardmembers check your email for a special offer for spending online or via select merchant apps! There are various offers out such as earn a $5 credit for each vendor you spend at with a maximum of $25 of statement credits awarded (looks to be Gold Rewards Cards) or one that offers 500 bonus Membership Rewards points (Cobalt cards) per vendor. The offers are limited to 50,000 cardholders so you'll want to open those emails and register right away!

American Airlines is dropping their one and only direct flight per day between Toronto and Los Angeles as of December 18. (Source Routesonline)

Posts since our last update:

• On this week's Podcast - The return episode! We play catch up on the big news of the summer
  Episode 45 - September 27, 2018 -- The return episode! We play catch up on the big news of the…
• British Airways Executive Club: Double Avios on all BA flights out of Canada (and globally!)
  The British Airways Executive Club Double Avios on all flights offer is back! Launching a few weeks earlier than…
• Earn Double Miles or Points in the program of your choice on all Kaligo hotel bookings made by September 28
  Kaligo, one of a handful of third party hotel booking sites that offers miles for booking via their site…

Travel Deals
Aer Lingus has some great fares for their flights out Toronto. You can fly to Europe for as little $529 round trip. Book online 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
AIR MILES (Canada)
- 40 Bonus AIR MILES Reward Miles for each stay you complete at Best Western Hotels in Canada, the U.S. or Caribbean.  More... Until Nov 3, 18

British Airways Executive Club
- Earn Double Avios on every British Airways flight Worldwide including flights from Canada as well as British Airways flights operated by American Airlines, Iberia and Finnair when travelling between Europe and North America. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Petro-Points
5x Petro-Points when you book a vacation package with itravel2000. More... Book by Oct 4, 18

Other Bonus Offers
JAL Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles when you fly on JAL between Tokyo and Seattle. Valid on flights JL067/068.  More... Register and book now for travel Mar 31 - May 31, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- 4x Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Oct 10 for stays until Jan 13, 19

Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- 40% Safar Flyer Miles Discount for award tickets on all Royal Air Maroc flights. More... Book by Oct 4 for travel until Mar 31, 19

United MIleagePlus
- Earn up to 70% Bonus MiileagePlus miles when you buy miles. More... Until Oct 16, 18


Follow Rewards Canada:

On this week's Podcast - The return episode! We play catch up on the big news of the summer

Episode 45 - September 27, 2018 -- The return episode! We play catch up on the big news of the summer from Air Canada, Aeroplan, Marriott, Starwood and more.

This is our return episode from our summer hiatus (or as JC on Big Brother calls it 'yatus' ;-) ) and we recap all the big news from Air Canada and Aeroplan, Starwood and Marriott, talk about hotel bonuses and what we can look forward to in the coming months. Enjoy!

Click Here to download the podcast

Or download/subscribe via:

Links relating to this week's topic:

• The Air Canada Aeroplan Saga - All the resources you need
  Our summary page covering all the news around this news!.…
• The Marriott Rewards Starwood Preferred Guest Merger - All the resources you need
  The programs are now combined into one…
• Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - September Edition
  One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of the systemwide bonuses…

British Airways Executive Club: Double Avios on all BA flights out of Canada (and globally!)

The British Airways Executive Club Double Avios on all flights offer is back! Launching a few weeks earlier than last year and also getting rid of some the residence restrictions (which included Canada) this is now one of the best systemwide global flight promotions on the market right now. I would say this one falls in right after the Miles & More 25 miles per euro bonus but ahead of the current Air Canada systemwide bonuses.

BA serves Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver regularly and is serving Calgary until late October.

Offer details
Earn Double Avios on every British Airways flight Worldwide as well as British Airways flights operated by American Airlines, Iberia and Finnair when travelling between Europe and North America. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required) Until Dec 31, 18
Bonus will be awarded for up to 10 flights (one way sectors, round trip counts as two)

Find many more bonus Avios offers here

Earn Double Miles or Points in the program of your choice on all Kaligo hotel bookings made by September 28

Kaligo, one of a handful of third party hotel booking sites that offers miles for booking via their site in numerous programs has a new flash offer to celebrate World Tourism Day! From today through to the 28th you can earn double miles and points on all bookings in almost all of their partner programs. The only programs not participating are bank credit card programs and Uber.

Offer details
Double Points/Miles in the program of your choice on all hotel stays booked via Kaligo. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Book by Sep 28 for stays until Dec 31, 18

Kaligo earning partners:

September 25 Update: 12 Free Inflight Wi-Fi passes for select Visa cardholders, 20% off WestJet flights and six new bonuses

Thanks to Rewards Canada reader and Meet the Collector honoree Charles Tam for alerting us to the return of the free GoGo inflight Wi-Fi passes for Visa Infinite Privilege cardholders. Find out more about this offer here

Posts since our last update:

• Amex Membership Rewards: 30% Bonus Avios when transferring to British Airways Executive Club
  Showing up only a few weeks later than last year we see the return of a transfer bonus from…
• AIR MILES: Earn 40 Bonus Reward Miles for Best Western stays until November 3
  If the current Best Western Rewards Double Points offer doesn't make sense for you then perhaps this an offer…

Travel Deals

WestJet Rewards members were sent out a 48hr Flash Sale code for 20% of Econo and Plus (Lowest) fares. Book by tomorrow for travel Oct 10 - Dec 19 (Of course I'm looking at fares for the week before this offer is valid so I guess that may mean I'll use my 15% Amex code for Air Canada flights) Book online here

Royal Air Maroc has put their Montreal to Casablanca flights on sale! Fares start as low as $650. 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
National Emerald Club
- Earn a Free Rental day when you earn 600 points or complete two qualifying rentals in Canada, the U.S. Caribbean, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand. More... Until Feb 28, 19 Valid for residents of Canada only

Other Bonus Offers
Amtrak Guest Rewards
- Triple Guest Rewards Points per stay at La Quinta properties in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and Canada. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Miles & More
- 2,000 Bonus Miles & More Miles on your next stay at any Best Western hotels in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia. More... Until Oct 31, 18

Philippine Airlines Mabuhay
- Earn up to Quadruple Mabuhay Miles when you rent with Sixt worldwide. More... Until Dec 18, 18

Shangri-La Hotels Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points + up to 888 Bonus GC Award points for stays, dining or spa services at any Shangri-La hotel, resort, Kerry hotel, Traders hotel and Hotel Jen Worldwide. More... Until Jan 18, 19

Voila Hotel Rewards
- Double VHR Elite Status Credit when you stay 2 or more nights at participating VOILÀ network hotels Worldwide. More... Until Jan 31, 19

Follow Rewards Canada:

Amex Membership Rewards: 30% Bonus Avios when transferring to British Airways Executive Club

Showing up only a few weeks later than last year we see the return of a transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards to British Airways Executive Club. The good news this time is the bonus has been increased to 30% from 25%!

These transfer bonuses are the one thing many owners of hybrid credits cards look forward to. See hybrid cards offer points you can redeem via the credit card or give you the ability to transfer those points to frequent flyer and frequent guest programs and it is the transfer bonus to those programs that are anticipated. Of the bonuses, people always look forward to the RBC Avion transfer bonus to British Airways Executive Club and this bonus, the American Express Membership Rewards transfer offer to British Airways Executive Club!

The minimum transfer is 1,000 points with no stated maximum. 

British Airways Executive Club offers many excellent redemption options which is why the transfer bonuses to the program always get so much attention. We talk about the North American redemptions in our feature Utilizing British Airways' Executive Club for flights in North America which sees one way flights starting at only 7,500 Avios (15,000 round trip). That means a one way flight is only 5,770 Membership Rewards points!

Another redemption to look at is the Toronto-Dublin option we seem to always bring up as that is only 26,000 Avios, or 20,000 Membership Rewards points with this transfer bonus. If you have the American Express Gold Rewards card that means you would only have to spend as little as $10,000 on the card to get that latter flight. No other card could provide a flight to Ireland for that little amount of spending. Of course you then have the business class and first class redemption option on British Airways, Cathay Pacific and so many more of the oneworld Alliance airlines! Too many options to list here!

Now there is another new redemption that is actually pricing cheaper than Toronto-Dublin and that is Aer Lingus' new flight from Montreal to Dublin that will launch in August 2019. During to off-peak period that flight is only 10,000 Avios each way in economy class or just under 7,700 Membership Rewards points each way with this promotion. That is an unmatched redemption option! Flying to Dublin for just over 15,000 points round trip!

The good news is that if you travelling abroad British Airways still has the 4,500 Avios Short Haul option in Europe and Asia so you can utilize this bonus for those short hops overseas!

Find out more about the American Express 30% transfer bonus which runs until November 25 here.

Here are the best two cards for earning Membership Rewards Points and if you apply for them now and get your spending on them completed by the end of October  you should still be able to get in on the transfer bonus!

AIR MILES: Earn 40 Bonus Reward Miles for Best Western stays until November 3

If the current Best Western Rewards Double Points offer doesn't make sense for you then perhaps this an offer that might work for you if you have any Best Western stays to complete through early November.

Offer details
40 Bonus AIR MILES Reward Miles for each stay you complete at Best Western Hotels in Canada, the U.S. or Caribbean.  Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Until Nov 3, 18

---

BMO AIR MILES Mastercard
500 AIR MILES Bonus Miles after your first card purchase*
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Get a 1.99% introductory interest rate on Balance Transfers for 9 months* 1% fee applies to balance amounts transferred*
- and there’s No annual fee
- Get 2x the Miles for every $20 spent at participating AIR MILES Partners*
- Get 1 Mile for every $20 spent everywhere else*
- Earn more reward miles when you use your card at Shell, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car
- Extended Warranty
- Purchase Protection
- Interest Rate: Purchases 19.99% Cash Advances 22.99%

September 24 Update: HigherEdPoints adds Federal Canada Student Loans repayment option, Hilton Honors status match offer + Expedia Flash Sale

HigherEdPoints, the Canadian company that allows you to use loyalty points (Aeroplan, CIBC Rewards and TD Rewards) towards paying your tuition made a big announcement today with the addition of Canada Student Loans to their portfolio. This means you can now redeem miles and points to pay off federal student loans. There are approximately 1.3 million Canadians who hodl federal student loans so this is big news for HigherEdPoints and is a great option for those who need help to pay off those loans! Here is an excerpt from today's press release:

Students can repay their Canada Student Loans by redeeming loyalty program points from Aeroplan, TD Rewards and the CIBC Aventura programs. Businesses, friends or family can also convert their loyalty points to repay a student or grad’s loans.

“Education is the most important investment a person can make but post-graduation debt can be a major hindrance upon graduation,” says Suzanne Tyson, Founder and CEO of HigherEdPoints.com.  “We are thrilled to have brought the Canada Student Loans program into HigherEdPoints to provide post-secondary students and their families a new opportunity to relieve some of the financial pressure upon graduation.”

According to Statistics Canada, college graduates average $14,900 in debt, bachelor and masters graduates are expected to average over $26,300 and doctorate graduates will have $41,100 in debt on average.

HigherEdPoints.com already offers students the opportunity to redeem loyalty points to pay their tuition at more than 100 Canadian colleges and universities and repay provincial loan program debts. Over the last four years, HighEdPoints.com has helped students and parents convert over 225,000,000 loyalty points into more than $1,350,000 worth of funds to help pay for tuition and repay provincial student loans. With the addition of the Canada Student Loan program, HigherEdPoints will now be able to help the 1.3 million graduates currently repaying their loans.  

Related: Using Points & Miles to pay for Tuition

In the bonus offers section we added a new status match and fast track to elite status offer for Hilton Honors. If you hold any other hotel program elite status you can register for this offer to get 90 days of automatic Honors elite status and then if you complete 4 stays in 90 days you'll get to keep Gold status. Complete 8 stays in those 90 days and you'll get Diamond status. Normally it takes 20 and 30 stays respectively to earn those status levels. Remember you also have to option of getting Honors Gold status with the Platinum Card from American Express. Find out more about this status match/fast track offer here.
 
Posts since our last update:

• CIBC Aventura Card enhancements coming on October 15 - Priority Pass with lounge visits, NEXUS credit and more
  CIBC has been a bank that has kind of sat on its laurels over the past few years with…
• NOW LIVE: IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - 163 Hotels for only 5,000 to 15,000 points per night
  The latest IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks hotels are now available for booking! We didn't get any previews this round…

Travel Deals
Expedia Flash Sale: Save 40% or more on top destinations for 48 hours only 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
IHG Rewards Club
- IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks Redeem only 5,000 to 15,000 points for stays at select hotels Worldwide. Offer and participating hotels are subject to change at any time.  There are 6 Canadian hotels included this time. More... Until Nov 30, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Amtrak Guest Rewards
- 750 Bonus Guest Rewards Points on qualifying rentals of 3 or more days at participating Budget locations in the U.S. and Canada. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Hilton Honors
- Elite Status Match and Fast Track to Elite Status Offer - Recieve Hilton Honors eite status for 90 days when you hold status with another hotel program and then stay 4 times in 90 days to keep Gold Status or 8 times to keep Diamond status. More... Until ?

Miles & More
- Double Miles & More Miles when you rent with Europcar for 3 or more days in Australia, Austria or the U.K. More... Book by Sep 30 for rentals until Oct 15, 18


Wyndham Rewards
- 700 Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points on qualifying rentals of 3 or more days at participating Budget locations worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Follow Rewards Canada: