Thursday, November 12, 2020

November 12 Update: Take heed if you are planning travel to Hawaii, Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer extends elite status & points expiry, Bonus More Rewards points at Panago

 

Travel to Hawaii - will it happen for Canadians any time soon? Long time Rewards Canada reader Peter K emailed us about traveling to Hawaii and the requirements to enter. Peter did some behind the scenes legwork and here is what the sent me:

While Canadians "technically" can visit Hawaii again without a 14 day quarantine,   The state of Hawaii visitor site makes it quite clear that a negative Covid test is required to avoid the quarantine, and the only recognized tests are from a short list of testing centers in the US and Japan.  Here is the link:  https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners/

I emailed the state of Hawaii to ask them when they will have Canadian tests permitted, and the State office replied with a "cookie cutter" long email outlining the plan and policy in place now.  They did not answer my question.

Even if Hawaii did accept the Canadian tests,  if you live in BC or AB the testing turn-around time is not sufficient to meet Hawaii's 72 window anyway.

Meanwhile--AC and WJ are selling flights to Hawaii starting Dec 9th with two flights per day!!    Their respective websites give NO indication of this testing problem or information on their advisory page.  I suspect that later in November when the December schedule is REALLY revealed, they will cancel all those December/January Hawaii flights, irritating many customers.  I find this practice by AC and WJ to be VERY deceptive.

I want to thank Peter for bringing this to light and sure enough when you look at the requirements of entering Hawaii there are no Canadian tests or test suppliers on the list for approved testing. This means as of right now as a Canadian flying to Hawaii you will have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. I am not sure if there is process whereby you can be tested in Hawaii after arrival to shorten that quarantine. Perhaps one of our readers has researched it and could let us know if that is an option. I know here in Alberta some people are getting test results back within a day however there are no guarantees that would happen for you for a flight that you have booked on (and that would only be if Hawaii accepted them)

My thoughts on Air Canada and WestJet both starting to sell flights to Hawaii are for those Canadians who do have long term winter residences/rentals in Hawaii where quarantining for the first 14 days is a possibility. I am also thinking that both airlines may be working on something behind the scenes with the State of Hawaii that will see some sort of approval out of Canada, most likely private pre-departure testing like we have seen in the U.S. for flights to Hawaii. In the mean time if you are thinking about Hawaii please take into account that 14 day quarantine or consider flying through a U.S. gateway where you can get a test (for a fee of course) prior to flying to the islands which ultimately may require you to spend a day or two in that gateway. I am also going to reach out to Air Canada and WestJet to see if they can provide us with some details on their Hawaii flights - especially seeing that Air Canada's Buddy Pass is heavily promoted for Hawaii flights!

Image via State of Hawaii

--- 

 

Preferred Hotels Group is the latest hotel chain to provide further extensions of points and elite status. Learn more here. Here are the updates for their iPrefer program
  • Points that were scheduled to expire in 2020 have been extended through June 30, 2021
  • All Elite members will keep their current status through June 30, 2022, including members who were scheduled to downgrade in 2020 or 2021

Previously points were extended to August 30, 2020 so this is almost a year extension from their previous announcement while the elite status extension is a full year from the first go round of June 30, 2021. 

Image via Preferred Hotels

---

 More Rewards members can earn 1,500 bonus points when they spend $30 or more with Panago. Just remember to show your More Rewards card upon pick up or delivery to collect your bonus points. This offer is good until November 30. Find out more here.

Image via More Rewards

---

Don't forget to enter to win one of three prizes of 25,000 Points as Rewards Canada celebrates the launch of the new Air Canada Aeroplan program!


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:

Deals:

This week's Marriott Bonvoy Escapes feature 38 hotels in Canada where you can book last minute deals for stays over the next four weekends. Bookings must be made by Sunday. Find out more here.

Agoda - 8% off all booking made via Agoda when you book via the Malaysia Airlines Enrich PointsMAX page. Book by Dec 31 for stays until Jan 31, 21 Find out more here.

HSBC Premier Chequing Account Get up to $1,000* in cash back and rewards when you switch over to us by November 30, 2020 Find out more here.

Earn $300 cash when you open a new Scotiabank Ultimate Package! Plus earn Scotia Rewards or SCENE Rewards points. Find out more here.

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

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

Air France KLM Flying Blue
- November Promo Rewards – Save 25% to 35% on the Award Miles usually required for an award ticket. Destinations vary by each promotional period. More... Book by Nov 30 for travel until Apr 30, 21

American AAdvantage
- 1,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles per qualifying night at Hyatt Ziva or Hyatt Zilara resorts. More... Until Apr 4, 21
- Earn up to 4,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you shop online via the AAdvantage Shopping portal. More... Until Nov 22, 20

British Airways Executive Club
- 30% Bonus Avios on your first transaction when shop online via the British Airways eStore. More... Unknown end date
- 800 Bonus Avios when you join e-Rewards and complete your first survey. More... Until Dec 15, 20

JAL Mileage Bank
- 13,000 Mileage Bank Miles rebate when you redeem for an upgrade award from Economy Class to Business on JL407/408 between Tokyo and Frankfurt. More... Until Dec 31, 20

Jumeirah One
- Double Elite Tier Points on all new bookings at an eligible Rate at any Jumeirah hotel or resort Worldwide More... Book by Dec 15 for stays until Sep 30, 21

Marriott Bonvoy
- 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine. More... Unknown end date

United MileagePlus
- Up to an 85% bonus when you buy MileagePlus miles. More... Until Nov 19, 20


Follow Rewards Canada:

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram RSS Newsletter

No comments:

Post a Comment