IHG Canada Road Trip Gas and Go - Receive a $25 gas card or evoucher for stays at select IHG Hotels in Canada

 

Similar in vain to Best Western's promotion that is actually ending today, IHG is offering a $25 gas card or evoucher when you stay at select IHG hotels in Canada. For those of you who are unfamiliar IHG is the parent company's name of hotels like Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn Express, Candlewood Suites and more:

This offer is good for stays until December 31 but unlike Best Western's offer you don't have to register for it. You simply book the associated rate for the offer at the hotel (To find the “Canada Road Trip Gas and Go” offer, review hotel packages section at select participating hotels) and you'll receive the $25 gas card at check-in. This means that in most cases you can stack this offer with other IHG promotions like the current up to 4x points offer (although that ends September 8 but most likely there will be a new offer for fall) or anyone of the other numerous offers IHG has. Good thing is we compile them all on our IHG Rewards Club Bonus Points page so you don't have to go searching far and wide to find them.

NOTE! You will want to compare the IHG Rewards Club member rate versus this Gas and Go offer to see if it is worth booking it. For example I looked at the Holiday Inn Express Toronto Downtown and it was $156 for the member rate and $179 for Gas and Go. So you are paying $23 more to get a $25 Gas Card - figure in the extra taxes you pay for a higher rate and you are paying $1.32 more to get this card so in this case it's not worth it. While an Edmonton hotel that I looked at ended up being a couple of bucks cheaper with the gas card.

Click here to learn more about and book the IHG Canada Road Trip Gas and Go offer.

British Airways Executive Club: 50% bonus when you buy or gift Avios

British Airways is once again offering a bonus for buying or gifting Avios. This time it is a flat 50% bonus which tends to be the highest public offer from the program although some people were targeted for a 75% bonus during the last bonus period a few months ago. You can buy anywhere from 1,000 to 200,000 Avios in one transaction and there is a 200,000 Avios annual limit to which the bonus does not count towards. Here’s an example of what it would cost to buy the maximum amount of Avios:

 

Offer details:
50% Bonus Avios when you buy or gift Avios. Buy Avios here. Until Sep 30, 20

Here are some other BA Executive Club offers to check out:

• New American Express® Gold Rewards Cardmembers can earn a Welcome Bonus of 25,000 Membership Rewards® points when you charge $1,500 in purchases to your Card in your first 3 months of Cardmembership. Those 25,000 points can be converted to 25,000 Avios. Full details.
• Earn Double Avios on all British Airways flights 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) Book by Aug 31 for travel Until Dec 31, 20
  Bonus will be awarded for up to 10 flights (one way sectors, round trip counts as two)

 

Marriott Bonvoy status match is back! Match your Accor, Hilton, Hyatt or IHG status to Marriott

 

Marriott let us know today that they have brought back their elite status match offer. For a limited time elite members of Hilton Honors, World of Hyatt, ALL Accor Live Limitless and IHG Rewards Club can have their status matched in the Marriott Bonvoy program for 90 days. Then if you complete a set number of nights within those 90 days you'll get to keep your Marriott Bonvoy status until February 2022.

Here are the details of the offer as provided to RC by Marriott:

Eligible members of these four competitor programs will receive either reciprocating Gold or Platinum elite status in Marriott Bonvoy. In order to maintain their Marriott Bonvoy status through February of 2022, those eligible for Gold elite status will have stay at least five nights at any of the more than 7,400 hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy within 90 days. Those eligible for the higher Platinum elite status will have to stay at least 15 nights within the 90-day period.   

 

What is in it for Hilton Honors members?

• If you currently have Gold or Diamond elite status in Hilton Honors, the reciprocating status challenge offer is Platinum elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.

 

What is in it for Hyatt members?

• If you currently have Explorist elite status in World of Hyatt, the reciprocating status challenge offer is Gold elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.
• If you currently have Globalist elite status in World of Hyatt, the reciprocating status challenge offer is Platinum elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.

 

What is in it for Accor Live Limitless members?

• If you currently have Gold elite status in Accor Live Limitless, the reciprocating status challenge offer is Gold elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.
• If you currently have Platinum or Diamond elite status in Accor Live Limitless, the reciprocating status challenge offer is Platinum elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.

 

What is in it for IHG Rewards Club members?

• If you currently have Platinum or Spire elite status in IHG Rewards Club, the reciprocating status challenge offer is Platinum elite status in Marriott Bonvoy.

 

What is in it for Marriott Bonvoy Base and Silver elite members?

• If they qualify based on their status in any of the other four programs, they may take advantage of the Marriott Bonvoy status challenge.

 

Here is useful information

• You must be a member of Marriott Bonvoy to register for the status challenge
• The 90-day period begins when the member is officially upgraded
• It is recommended to register soon because the number of registrations will determine how long the status challenge will be available
• To determine eligibility and register for the status challenge, click here
• It may take a few days to determine eligibility
• Eligibility requires uploading proof of corresponding elite status in one of the four competitor programs and at least one stay in the prior 12 months from the registration date at a participating property in that program
• If members complete the challenge, it counts toward Lifetime status

Some key points to take note of with this promotion:

1.  You will want to time it right so that you can complete the 5 nights for Gold or 15 for Platinum to keep your status until February 2022 unless you know you'll only have one stay in the next three months and won't be staying at Marriott Hotels more than this one time  in the next year and half then you can just match for the heck of it for that one stay. 
2. Also note they are stating the offer could be capped so they are recommending you register sooner than later. 
3. To be eligible you can't just have status in one of the other four programs (ie free status from a credit card). You have to have status and at least one stay with that chain in the past 12 months.
   

It must be a status match kind of day here on Rewards Canada seeing how we posted about the Delta offer just before we got this email from Marriott! If you don't hold status with Marriott right now (or want to boost your status) and have status with one of these other chains you should see if you can take advantage of this offer - even if it simply by completing some staycations! Seeing that hotel prices are depressed right now it may not cost a lot to complete the challenge to have status until 2022. Perhaps you are sick of working from home so you could make a local Marriott Hotel an office for those 5 to 15 days and earn the status and so on! Not to mention you could write off the stay if you are self employed or maybe you could have your employer pay for it! There are lots of ways to get creative with this so if you are going to accept the challenge let us know in the comments below on how you plan on achieving your nights in 90 days!

Learn more about and register for the Marriott Bonvoy Status Match offer here.

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August 27 Update: Ultimate No Strings Attached Travel Credit Card Portfolio refreshed, InterContinental Toronto Yorkville to become a Sonesta Hotel, Business Platinum sees Dollarama offer as well

 

Rewards Canada's Ultimate No Strings Attached Travel Credit Card Portfolio received a much needed update yesterday after a couple years of no updates. This portfolio looks at one American Express, one Mastercard and one Visa card that provide the utmost in travel points fleixibilty and when you combine them all create the Ultimate No Strings Attached Travel Credit Card Portfolio. We see the HSBC World Elite Mastercard replace the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard and the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card replace the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card in the portfolio. Check out the portfolio here.

 
The InterContinental Toronto Yorkville is set to become a Sonesta Hotel as the hotel's owner Service Properties Trust is ending their relationship with IHG which will mean 103 hotels in the Americas including the IC Toronto Yorkville are being transitioned away for IHG. This switch will mean the IC Canada will see their first Sonesta Hotels as that brand has no locations here yet. Most likely the Staybridge Suites Markham will move as well since it is also owned by the same company. FYI Sonesta Hotels has their loyalty program entitled Travel Pass and we've covered their bonus points offers and their elite status match since 2015 on Rewards Canada. In fact the Status Match offer has played an integral part of our feature How to maximize the elite status benefits from The Platinum Card from American Express for nearly four years now. And now as the hotel chain will have a Canadian location you can expect even more coverage of Sonesta and the Travel Pass program on RC. Check out our Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass Bonus Points page here. (Source One Mile at a Time)

 

Thanks to long time Rewards Canada follower Len for letting us know that there is also an Amex Offers Dollarama offer the Business Platinum Card from American Express. Holders of this card earn a $30 statement credit when they spend $150+. Learn more here.

A reminder that you can match your Air Canada Altitude Status to Delta SkyMiles Medallion Status

 

This post is a reminder to our readers that Delta's SkyMiles Status Match Challenge has been open to Air Canada Altitude members and some other international airlines for nearly a year now. Prior to that it was only available to a handful of U.S. airlines. The challenge will grant you status with Delta for three months that is comparable to the status you have with another airline, in this case we're mainly concerned with Air Canada and here is how they match up:

To learn more about each of Delta's elite tiers I recommend checking out this page on Delta's website.

If you want to extend your status past three months you'll need to meet the following requirements (Note The qualifying dollar component is not required for Canadians)

You do have be aware however that your Air Canada Altitude status had to be earned by flying - so if you are thinking hey I just got my 25K status a few months ago thanks to the Travel at Home promotion and now I can get Delta status think again as they won't match status earned from promotions like that. 

Delta is part of the SkyTeam alliance which means you'll get some perks flying on any those airlines. Outside of Star Alliance, SkyTeam is the next biggest alliance serving Canada with multiple airline partners like Air France, KLM, Korean Air, AeroMexico and others all flying here. This means there are many more potential opportunities to enhance your travels from this status match especially if you happen to get Delta Medallion Gold or higher status as you'll be a SkyTeam Elite Plus member which provides lounge access and more.

Recommended reading: SkyTeam Lounge opens in Vancouver - their first lounge in the Americas and Priority Pass members are welcome!

I wouldn't recommend signing up for the challenge right now unless you know you will be flying Delta over the next three months so that you can enjoy the elite benefits. Plus you'll want to time it right so that you can reach the requirements to have that status extended to full blown status that will run until January 31, 2022. On the other hand if you are only planning on flying Delta as a one off and will never fly them again it wouldn't hurt to sign up for the challenge so you get those perks for that one flight! 😜

Basically I just wanted to let you know about this offer again at this time so it doesn't go forgotten by our Air Canada Altitude readers and that you have in the back of your mind for the future if and when the opportunity may arise that you can get the most value out of this challenge.

Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles Medallion Status Match Challenge here.

August 26 Update: Save up to 25% at 209 Marriott Hotels in Canada, earn 62,500 Be Well Bonus Points at Rexall tomorrow + much more

 

Marriott's latest Bonvoy Escapes offer were released today and it is their biggest one ever with more than 4,900 hotels throughout the US, Canada, and Caribbean and Latin America being included. Here in Canada we see 209 of their hotels participating which is the most I've seen by far. Marriott Bonvoy members save 25% and non-members save 20% on stays. Marriott Bonvoy members always earn points, receive best rates guaranteed, flexible cancellation policy, free Wi-Fi, and mobile check-in. Stays must be booked by Sunday. Find out more here.

 

Rexall's Be Well program is offering 62,500 bonus points tomorrow for purchases of $75 or more on beauty products. No coupon is required.

Airline Schedule Updates
A summary Canadian operations based on data from RoutesOnline and other sources. Remember that many of these route plans are subject to change and right now they are changing frequently!

Air Canada is planning a new flight between Ottawa and Cayo Coco once per week from February to April 2021. (Source RoutesOnline)

Sichuan Airlines will be continuing to offer 1flight per week between Vancouver and Chengdu in September and October. (Source RoutesOnline)

Remember to visit and bookmark our COVID-19 resource page where we are keeping you up to date with all the latest airline, hotel, lounges and loyalty program news, policies, closures and more.

 

Posts since our last update:

• Rewards Canada Special Offer: Free Club 1 Hotels Silver Membership with savings of up to 60% at 1.5 million+ hotels + an additional 10% off 2021 bookings made by Sep 7
    You may recall that several times over the past few years we have run special offers with Club1…
• You can now register for Hilton’s fall promo of Double Honors Points + Double Night Credits
    Yesterday we let you know that Hilton’s next systemwide promotion was revealed but you couldn’t register for it…
• American Express reveals the details for their new suite of Aeroplan cards
  Air Canada's Aeroplan is somewhat unique in that they have three credit card partners offering co-brand payment cards for…
• Hilton Honors next systemwide promotion has been revealed – Double Points & Elite Nights
    Loyalty Lobby broke the news just over a day ago that the details for Hilton Honor’s next systemwide…
• WestJet RBC Mastercard offer of 2x rewards on grocery and restaurant purchases extended to September 30
  WestJet's accelerator offer for their two credit cards issued by RBC has now been extended to September 30. Initially…
• The Top Cash Back Credit Cards for 2020
    Rewards Canada's fourth annual Top Cash back Credit Card rankings are now up on the main Rewards Canada…
• India's Vistara Airlines added as a new Air Canada Aeroplan partner
    Aeroplan added a third new airline partner is just as many months that members can earn and redeem…
• New Amex Offers for Dollarama - $5 statement credits or 500 bonus Membership Rewards Points
  Thanks to an early morning email from Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W. we have a  new Amex Offers offer…
• August 21 Update: Aeroplan now lets you book award tickets on Cathay Pacific and GOL online, even more Cobalt multipliers & Virgin Atlantic becomes first airline to provide elite tier earn on award tickets
    Aeroplan came out with news yesterday that you can now book flight rewards with Cathay Pacific, Cathay Dragon…

Deals:

Air Transat Here Comes the Sun Promotion. Early bird perks and extra flexibility for travel between August 5, 2020, and April 30, 2021 Book by September 11, 2020. Find out more here.
Book a South package and benefit from Option Flex* which allows you to: Change your travel dates Transfer your vacation package Cancel your trip Our Price Drop Guarantee† A reduced deposit of only $100​ Final payment 25 days before departure

If you aren't using the Ampli Cash Back app yet you can get $5 when you download the app and join today with promo code AMPLI5 Find out more here

Fairmont Hotels Stay Close - Buy Night 1 Get 1 Night free at select hotels in Canada, U.S. and Mexico. Find out more here

SkipTheDishes - Sign up with this link to get $5 off your first order over $15. Find out more here

WealthSimple Trade:  Receive $5 when you deposit and trade at least $100 worth of stock with WealthSimple Trade. Find out more here (We will also receive $5 when you receive $5)

Rewards Canada receives a small commission when you use any of the above offers. You don't have to chose to use our links but we thank you in advance if you do.

Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

ALL Accor Live Limitless
- 4x ALL Rewards Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Thailand.  More... Book by Sep 15 for stays Sep 1 - Dec 15, 20

Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points or Airline Miles for stays of 2+ nights Sunday to Wednesday at the Best Western Windsor Inn Ashland. More... Until Sep 30, 20
- Double Rewards Points or Airline Miles for stays of 3+ nights at the Best Western Grove City Inn. More... Until Dec 31, 20
- Double Rewards Points or Airline Miles for stays of 2+ nights at the Best Western Plus Sunset Suites-Riverwalk San Antonio. More... Until Dec 31, 20
- Double Rewards Points or Airline Miles for stays at the Best Western Fairfax. More... Until Sep 30, 20

Hilton Honors
- Double Honors Points & Double Elite Night Credits per stay at Hilton Hotels worldwide. More... Sep 8 - Dec 31, 20

Iberia Plus
- 50% Avios discount on Iberia, Iberia Regional Air Nostrum and Iberia Express award tickets More... Book by Aug 30 for travel Sep 1, 20 – Mar 15, 21

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for each stay at participating Marriott Hotels in Japan. More... Until Mar 31, 21

World of Hyatt
- Earn up to 150,000 Bonus World of Hyatt Bonus Points when you host a qualifying event at participating Park Hyatt, Andaz, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Joie de Vivre, Alila, Thompson Hotels, Destination Hotels, Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara hotels, worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 22


Follow Rewards Canada:

Rewards Canada Special Offer: Free Club 1 Hotels Silver Membership with savings of up to 60% at 1.5 million+ hotels

 

You may recall that several times over the past few years we have run special offers with Club1 Hotels and it is that time of year again to bring you another one! You may ask what is Club1 Hotels? Club1 Hotels are a global luxury hotel travel club that offers its members Guaranteed Savings of up to 60% off at over 1.5 million hotels and resorts worldwide. On top of this they also provide exclusive discounts on flights, private charter jets, golf, car rentals, luxury villas and more.  

Via this special Rewards Canada offer our readers will get their Silver Rewards membership for free,  not just for one year this time but for as long as you are a member. The Silver Rewards membership provides up to 60% Off and 2 ClubONE Points for every $1 USD spent on every hotel, resort, vacation rental home, car rental and activity bookings made on the Club 1 Hotels website and/or mobile app.

Since this offer waives your entire membership fees there is no harm to join and try Club 1 Hotels. They don't take your credit card number and memberships do not auto renew so you don't have to worry about a 'subscription' style service. By joining you'll have one more tool under your belt to try to find the best deals when you shop around for hotels. Remember too that Club 1 is not just for hotels - they also offer discounts with numerous cruise lines, car rental companies and more. 

Here's a head up though - booking major chain hotels via Club 1 will in most cases mean you won't earn points or elite status credit or you may not receive your status benefits on a stay but the savings can be worth it. You just need to shop around to see if Club 1's pricing is that much better. For non-chain hotels or hotels that don't have loyalty programs, or maybe they do but it is one  you don't frequent then you'll definitely want to try Club 1 in your comparison shopping.

Click here to learn more and take advantage of Rewards Canada's special offer with Club 1 Hotels!

Have you used Club 1 Hotels and/or a member? Let us know what your experience has been with them!  

You can now register for Hilton’s fall promo of Double Honors Points + Double Night Credits

 

Yesterday we let you know that Hilton’s next systemwide promotion was revealed but you couldn’t register for it just yet. That all changed today as the registration page is now live and you can and should register for the offer right away!

Offer details:
Double Honors Points & Double Elite Night Credits per stay at Hilton Hotels worldwide. Full details, online registration & booking   Sep 8 – Dec 31, 20

Check out these other Honors promotions as well:

• Earn 2,000 Bonus Honors points per stay at Hilton Hotels worldwide plus 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required)
• 100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more Hilton Honors points online. Buy points here
• Find our complete list of Hilton Honors bonus points offers here 
  

American Express reveals the details for their new suite of Aeroplan cards

Air Canada's Aeroplan is somewhat unique in that they have three credit card partners offering co-brand payment cards for their program and when the new program was revealed earlier this month we two of the three issuers, TD and CIBC gave us the details of their new card offerings right away while American Express chose to wait until today. We now have all the details of American Express' new Aeroplan co-brand cards and are pleased to pass them along to you. 

For some background here are our past articles on the new Aeroplan program:

• The new Air Canada Aeroplan program revealed - it all goes live on November 8!  
• A closer look at the new Air Canada Aeroplan credit cards
• The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of the new Air Canada Aeroplan program

Now, back to the new American Express Aeroplan cards. Unlike the other two issuers American Express  will only be offering two personal card options versus three along with one small business card option. Amex will also be offering a corporate card for larger organizations of which the details haven't been fully revealed yet. These new cards will open up for new applications on November 8th while the current suite of AeroplanPlus cards are no longer available for new applications as of today. Existing cardholders will continue to be able to use their cards and will be able to transition to the new cards in November.

American Express has taken a new approach to generate some early buzz on the new cards and that is by creating a waitlist option that will give extra points over and above whatever the new welcome bonus offer will be on the cards. The Waitlist Offer is simple, you provide your email address and then you will be sent a special code once the cards are available.  The offer you'll receive will be as follows (remember this is over and above whatever the new welcome bonus will be)

The Waitlist Offer is valid for eligible applications received by American Express by December 31, 2020 through the link and RSVP code provided in the waitlist email.

• To qualify for 10,000 Waitlist Bonus Aeroplan points, prospect must apply and be approved for the American Express® Aeroplan®* Reserve Card or the American Express® Aeroplan®* Business Reserve Card

• To qualify for the 5,000 Waitlist Bonus Aeroplan points, prospect must apply and be approved for the American Express® Aeroplan®* Card 

Amex's Email sign up page

 

On top of this, if you do currently hold an AeroplanPlus Platinum or Reserve Card American Express and get yourself the new Reserve Card they have an exclusive offer for you in the first year of 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan points for every $1,000 in purchases, up to 10,000 points,2X the points on eligible grocery purchases, up to $5,000 and a $100 credit towards the annual fee for the Card.

Now to the details of the new suite of American Express Aeroplan cards:

 The NEW American Express^® Aeroplan^®* Reserve Card, made from precision-cut and engraved 13 g metal, will offer:

• 3X the points on eligible Air Canada^® and Air Canada Vacations^® purchases
• 2X the points on eligible dining and food delivery in Canada
• 1X the points on everything else
• In addition to the above-mentioned accelerators, for the first year, existing American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum and Reserve Cardmembers will receive an exclusive offer as a thank you for their continued Cardmembership:
• 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan points for every $1,000 in purchases, up to 10,000 points
• 2X the points on eligible grocery purchases, up to $5,000
• $100 credit towards the annual fee for the Card
• Air Canada Travel Benefits: including Free First Checked Bag, Maple Leaf Lounge^TM* Access and Air Canada Café access within North America, Annual Worldwide Companion Pass, Priority Airport Services, Status Qualification Boost and Preferred Pricing on flight rewards
• Air Canada Elite Member Benefits: including Rollover Status Qualifying Miles, Rollover eUpgrade Credits and Priority Airport Upgrades
• Toronto Pearson International Airport Benefits: an elevated airport experience with a range of benefits
• Access to American Express Entertainment & Experiences: Access to presale and reserved tickets through Front of the Line^®, insider access to events through Amex^® Experiences, and tailored perks and discounts through Amex Offers*
• Insurance Benefits: An array of insurances that can provide coverage on eligible travel or shopping close to home
• $599 Annual fee and two options for additional cards $199 annual fee card with full benefits or $0 annual fee card to earn points only

The NEW American Express^® Aeroplan^®* Business Reserve Card, also made from precision-cut and engraved 13 g metal will offer business Cardmembers access to:

• 3X the points on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations purchases
• 2X the points on eligible hotel and car rentals
• 1X the points on everything else
• Air Canada Travel Benefits: including eligible Free First Checked Bag, Maple Leaf Lounge Access and Air Canada Café access within North America, Annual Worldwide Companion Pass, Priority Airport Services, Status Qualification Boost and Preferred Pricing on flight rewards
• Air Canada Elite Member Benefits: including Rollover Status Qualifying Miles, Rollover eUpgrade Credits and Priority Airport Upgrades
• Toronto Pearson International Airport Benefits: an elevated airport experience with a range of benefits
• Access to American Express Entertainment & Experiences: Access to presale and reserved tickets through Front of the Line^®, insider access to events through Amex^® Experiences, and tailored perks and discounts through Amex Offers
• Insurance Benefits: An array of insurance coverages to provide protection on business spending, business travel and employee misuse
• $599 Annual fee and two options for additional cards $199 annual fee card with full benefits or $0 annual fee card to earn points only
  

 The NEW American Express^® Aeroplan^®* Card, created using 70% reclaimed plastic as part of American Express' commitment to sustainability, will offer: 

• 2X the points on eligible Air Canada and Air Canada Vacations purchases
• 1.5X the points on eligible dining and food delivery in Canada
• 1X the points on everything else
• Air Canada Travel Benefits: including Free First Checked Bag, Status Qualification Boost and Preferred Pricing on flight rewards
• Access to American Express Entertainment & Experiences: presale and reserved tickets through Front of the Line, insider access to events through Amex Experiences, and tailored perks and discounts through Amex Offers
• A suite of travel related insurance coverages: including Flight and Baggage Delay Insurance and Lost or Stolen Baggage Insurance so Cardmembers have more confidence knowing you can be covered on eligible travels abroad
• $120 annual fee on the primary card and two options for additional cards $50 annual fee card with full benefits or $0 annual fee card to earn points only

For the most part you can see that the base Aeroplan Card and the Aeroplan Reserve card are very similar to their counterparts from TD and CIBC. Some key differences are:

• Lower primary card annual fee for the base Aeroplan card from American Express of $120 versus $139 fee as well as the no fee additional card options. 
• Higher earn rates for Air Canada purchases for the American Express card options.
  
• Additional earning accelerator on the Amex cards are for dining and food delivery only whereas TD and CIBC are Gas and Grocery on their mainstay cards and Gas, Grocery, Travel and Dining on their premium cards
• To me this shows Air Canada is almost pushing the more frequent Air Canada traveller to the Amex cards while having the TD and CIBC cards geared more to the frequent spender based on the accelerators. Don't get me wrong, overall all the cards are more focused towards driving more traffic to Air Canada but the Amex Aeroplan Reserve now has the highest earn rate for Air Canada purchases out of any card in Canada and the base Aeroplan card at 2 points per dollar is matches cards like the Platinum Card from American Express and the American Express Gold Rewards card. Ideally those frequent Air Canada travellers will be carrying multiple Aeroplan cards, one from Amex and one from TD or CIBC.
  
• It also appears that the Amex cards will not have the Nexus credit nor mobile device insurance as seen on the TD and CIBC cards. 
• The American Express Aeroplan card is a charge card - that is the balance you owe on the card must be paid in full every month while the Reserve is a credit card and you can hold a balance (while paying interest of course)
  

 Now we just have to wait to see what the welcome offers will be on these and the TD and CIBC cards when they come out on November 8. With so much similarity between the cards from the trio of issuers it will come down to the welcome bonus for many of you. Will any of them offer first year free on their mainstay or base cards? Will there be some elite qualifying bonuses? These are all questions that we don't have the answers to just yet but there have been hints from Aeroplan that something awesome will be in store. Only time will tell if that will be the case!

Learn more about the new American Express Aeroplan cards here.

Hilton Honors next systemwide promotion has been revealed – Double Points & Elite Nights

 

Loyalty Lobby broke the news just over a day ago that the details for Hilton Honor’s next systemwide promo had been revealed. There isn’t a registration landing page available yet but the FAQ page is what went out on the web which astute searchers have found. The new promotion called Double Rewards will net Honors members who register for it double Honors Points and Double Elite night credits for each stay at a Hilton family hotel from September 8 through to December 31, 2020. When you have a ‘double’ offer versus say the current flat rate bonus of 2,000 bonus Honors points you have a promotion that is more valuable for those more expensive stays – whether its one night at a high end expensive location or a multiple night stay at less expensive locations. It’s those one night $80 rates that will be earning less of a bonus for the fall but when you think about it this type of promotion makes sense from the hotel chain’s perspective. Many hotel rates are grossly discounted right now due to a severe lack of travel happening so in terms of preserving revenues it makes more sense for Hilton to offer this double points and double elite night credit promotion. In most cases the double points costs them less than the flat rate bonus and in all likelihood the double elite night credit will go unused by the majority of members who already hold status or won’t even come close to earning status. However it is very enticing and rewarding for those who are already travelling frequently as the bonus elite credit counts towards milestone bonuses, fast tracks and even rollover nights – something Hilton is properly counting on!

Offer details:
Double Honors Points & Double Elite Night Credits per stay at Hilton Hotels worldwide. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required – Link is not live yet, please keep checking back!)  Sep 8 – Dec 31, 20

Check out these other Honors promotions as well:

• Earn 2,000 Bonus Honors points per stay at Hilton Hotels worldwide plus 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required )
• Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Honors Points when you join Hilton Honors and complete Hilton hotel stays within 6 months of joining. Full details & online booking (No registration is required)

Image via Hilton

WestJet RBC Mastercard offer of 2x rewards on grocery and restaurant purchases extended to September 30

WestJet's accelerator offer for their two credit cards issued by RBC has now been extended to September 30. Initially slated to end on August 31 the 2x rewards on grocery and restaurant purchases can now be enjoyed by cardholders (both existing and new) for another month. If you missed our initial post from the end of June about this promotion you'll want to read on to how this offer differs from some of the others in the market right now. The main difference is that WestJet and RBC are giving you three options to choose from on how you want to receive your double rewards.  Those options are double your WestJet dollars (the regular type of earn for these cards), a statement credit (cash back) or a donate those rewards to help support your community.

When you go to the offer registration page you will be asked which reward you want and you'll need to  input your 16 digit card number as well as your WestJet Rewards ID.

This was a smart move by WestJet and RBC to offer the various reward options due to the uncertainty of travel for many Canadians right now and have been holding back on using their WestJet cards for purchases. By providing the additional reward options outside of just earning WestJet dollars it will definitely encourage cardholders to shift their spend back to these cards. I feel a lot of those cardholders have or will choose the statement credit option to help keep finances in check. The good news about the  statement credits is that they will post within 3-5 days after each transaction, you don't actually have to wait until your statement date to receive them. Then there will be some who are planning for future travel who will obviously be choosing to earn the extra WestJet dollars while a smaller percentage will say "I don't need more WestJet dollars, I don't need statement credits, I'm going to donate those double rewards" which by the way will be going to Food Banks Canada.

The double rewards will be awarded on all eligible grocery, restaurant and fast food purchases until September 30 with Mastercard's Merchant Category Codes: 5411, 5812 and 5814. Popular food delivery services likes UberEats and DoorDash are included in those. However some like Costco are not but I do recall some readers of ours letting us know that Walmart Supercentres do code as grocery so it should count towards double rewards.

The double rewards will be offered on all eligible purchases up to $10,000 per primary and secondary card. That means if you have one WestJet card and have a supplementary user on your account you can each earn the double rewards for $10,000 spend on each card ($20,000 in total). For example in our household both of our kids are supplementary cardholders on my wife's account which means each cardholder gets that $10,000 cap or the potential to earn double rewards on up to $30,000 in spending. Add in my separate WestJet card (my wife and I each have our own accounts: Why my wife and I each grabbed our own WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercards) and we have $40,000 total in our household that we can earn double rewards on. I know we won't hit $40,000  in those categories but it's nice to know we're not capped like some other issuers who have done so at amounts as low as $1,000.

Click here to learn more and to register your card to take part in the 2x rewards on grocery and restaurant purchases on WestJet Mastercards

If you don't have a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard or WestJet RBC Mastercard the great news is that you can also get in on this offer. As soon as you apply and are approved for the cards be sure to register for the offer and you'll start earning those double rewards. I would recommend applying sooner than later so that you can maximize the time period you have for earning the double rewards. Ideally you'd want to go for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard as it has a boosted welcome bonus of 350 WestJet dollars (which has now been extended until October 31) and the ever famous companion flight vouchers and first bag free benefits for when you are ready to travel again but if you don't need those extra benefits or don't meet the eligibility criteria for it the WestJet RBC Mastercard is also a great option.

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The Top Cash Back Credit Cards for 2020

 

Rewards Canada's fourth annual Top Cash back Credit Card rankings are now up on the main Rewards Canada site! They are out later than usual when compared to the past and this due to the fact that I changed the way we rank the cards and also how we'll update it. No longer will the rankings be a once a year set list not to be touched until the following year. They are now dynamic and will be updated as required based on the various cards welcome offers, earn rates and benefits. If one of the top card changes and say comes out with a super strong welcome bonus chances are it will move up the list and vice versa. The other big change is how we rank the cards as based on feedback we put a heavy focus on the actual cash back earned, especially in the first and second years. This really changed the rankings as there are cards right now that are being offered as first year free and have a 10% welcome earn rate. Those cards all do well in the rankings thanks to those offers but as I already mentioned once those offers disappear or another great offer comes out the rankings can and will change. I'll be sure to provide an updated post here on the Rewards Canada blog each time the rankings do change.

The rankings are also somewhat subjective as I took a set breakdown of spending and spend levels to compare how much cash back is earned on each card. That spending breakdown will totally vary for each and every person. I would love to hear from our readers on what you think about the spending breakdown percentage and what it actually looks for you. The more feedback I can get from a wide variety of readers with a different spending habits I feel the more accurate I can make that breakdown for the majority of the population. This is the spending breakdown I used for this version of the Top Cash Back Credit Card rankings:

• 30% Groceries
• 5% Dining
• 10% Gas
• 10% Travel
• 5% recurring bills
• 40% other

Click here to check out the current Top Cash Back Credit Cards for 2020!

 

India's Vistara Airlines added as a new Air Canada Aeroplan partner

 

Aeroplan added a third new airline partner is just as many months that members can earn and redeem miles with. That airline is Vistara which is based in New Delhi India and it flies mostly to  destinations within India but does have service to Bangkok, Colombo, Dubai, Kathmandu, and Singapore. They are also launching flights between London and Delhi later this week that will run for only a month as part of a special travel bubble but hopefully that opens up the option for the airline to serve London on a full time basis sometime in the near future.

If you will be flying on Vistara in the future on a paid ticket and are crediting that flight to Aeroplan here is what you can expect to earn:

On the redemption side you can redeem miles to fly on Vistara according to Aeroplan's Fixed Mileage Reward Chart which you can find here. As of November 8 those mileage amounts will change when the new partner reward point requirements kick in. Aeroplan let us know that Fuel Surcharges do no apply to Vistara operated flights which will become standard on all Aeroplan partners as of November 8 as well. However if you redeem for award flights on Vistara on or after November 8 those will be subject to the new $39 partner airline booking fee. The good news is, just like other Air Canada partner airlines Vistara flights can be combined with flights operated by Air Canada and other international partners.

Learn more about the Aeroplan Vistara partnership here.

Image via Vistara

New Amex Offers for Dollarama - $5 statement credits or 500 bonus Membership Rewards Points

Thanks to an early morning email from Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W. we have a  new Amex Offers offer to pass along on to you. This one is for shopping at Dollarama and doesn't require a big spend so it should appeal to a lot of cardholders. There are two versions of the offer depending on the American Express card you have. If you have a Marriott Bonvoy American Express  like my wife and Jeff W have the offer is for a $5 statement credit when you spend $20 or more in one transaction. The credit can be earned twice per account. If you have a Membership Rewards earning card the offer is for 500 bonus Membership Rewards points when you spend $25 or more in one transaction. This points offer can also be earned twice. For me the points offer showed up in my account today for the American Express Cobalt Card and the  Platinum Card from American Express however did not see it on the American Express Gold Rewards card.

Per our reader Len who commented below there is also an offer for the Business Platinum Card from American Express of a $30 credit when you spend $150 at Dollarama.

The terms say it is limited to first 40,000 cards that register for the offer. I'm not sure if this is combined between the two separate offers or 40,000 for each.

If you are eligible you'll find both offers in your Amex account for you to register for. We also have them listed in our Guide to American Express Canada 'Amex Offers'

Here is our current list of offer pulled from our guide (which you will find this chart concept of Amex offers and which cards they apply to has been copied by another Canadian points blog for the past few months 😉 We do not work with that other blog just in case you were wondering about the similarity)

 

Merchant	Offer Details	Known cards to have this offer	Expires
	Earn up to $250 in statement credits when you shop in-store or online at participating locations of Sobeys, Metro, Longo’s (including Grocery Gateway), Save-On-Foods, and Uber Eats		Aug 27, 20
	Spend $80 or more with goodfood (doesn't have to be in one purchase) and receive a one-time $20 statement credit		Aug 31, 20
	Spend $80 or more with Hellofresh (doesn't have to be in one purchase) and receive a one-time $20 statement credit		Aug 31, 20
	Earn 1 bonus Membership Rewards point for every dollar in qualifying purchases using your registered Card at www.dell.ca/workdeals		Sep 30, 20
	Spend at least $100 in qualifying electricity and natural gas purchases and earn a $25 statement credit. Limit of 6 credits.		Sep 30, 20
	Spend at least $100 in qualifying purchases using your registered Card at participating Ivanhoé Cambridge Guest Services kiosks or at www.shopping.ca/amexoffer by 30/09/2020 and earn a $20 statement credit. Limit of 3 credits.		Sep 30, 20
	Spend at least $250 in qualifying purchases using your registered Card at participating ROBINSON location(s) or at www.robinsonco.ca by 30/09/2020 and earn a one-time $50 statement credit.		Sep 30, 20
	Spend at least $100 in qualifying purchases using your registered Card at www.wayfair.ca/amex and earn a one-time $15 statement credit		Sep 30, 20
	Spend $750 or more with Burberry (doesn't have to be in one purchase) and receive a one-time $150 statement credit		Oct 31, 20
	Spend $100 or more with Lululemon on the Lululemon mobile application or online only at shop.lululemon.com, (doesn't have to be in one purchase) and receive a one-time $20 statement credit		Oct 31, 20
The Chesterfield Shop	Spend at least $250 and earn a $50 credit. Register your card here.	Unknown at this time	Nov 1, 20
	Spend at least $20 and Earn a $5 credit. Credit can be earned up to 2 times. Must spend at least $20 in a single transaction (not cumulative)		Dec 6, 20
	Spend at least $25, Earn 500 bonus Membership Rewards® points. Credit can be earned up to 2 times. Must spend at least $25 in a single transaction (not cumulative)		Dec 6, 20
	Spend at least $150 and Earn a $30 credit. Must spend at least $30 in a single transaction (not cumulative)		Dec 6, 20

Key to the cards:

American Express Cobalt Card	American Express Gold Rewards Card	Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
The Platinum Card from American Express	Business Platinum Card® from American Express

 

For more details on or to apply for any of the American Express Cards listed above please visit Rewards Canada's American Express offers page.