Rewards Canada: Your premier points, miles & credit cards resource: February 2021

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Podcast Episode 77 - BMO, what are you doing?

In this episode we discuss all the changes BMO Bank of Montreal is making to more than a half dozen cards they issue. One change is the bright light shining through an opening in an otherwise overcast sky. We discuss all the changes the good, the bad and the ugly. We delve into how their new eclipse Visa cards are being devalued less than six months after being introduced and how all the other BMO cards are affected. We quickly jump into what it means for our market and now promise to have future podcasts with a happier news!

AIR MILES to lose LCBO as a partner as of March 31st

A tip of the hat to Anshul at Points, Miles & Bling for alerting us on Twitter to this latest development for the AIR MILES program. One of their longest standing partnerships is coming to an end on March 31 as LCBO will be leaving the program. For 23 years members in Ontario have been able to rack up miles and sometimes tons of miles for the liquor purchases at LCBO locations.

February 26 Update: One bright spot in the Cineplex SCENE changes and earn 1,000 bonus points per night at the new Hilton Vancouver Downtown (old Westin Grand)

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.

A quick update to our SCENE devaluation post from yesterday - As Phil M on Twitter noted to us the change in earn rates at physical theatres is both a devaluation but also a potential enhancement. The reason being currently Cineplex awards 125 points only on the first ticket and 65 points for up to two children. However if you have any further adult or child tickets no points would be awarded on them. In the update as of April 30 it will be 5 points per dollar on all tickets so if you are buying for two adults you'll come out even or ahead if you are buying for more adults and children than that.

Images via SCENE

Clash of the Credit Cards! American Express Cobalt Card vs. BMO eclipse Visa Infinite Card

Welcome to another Rewards Canada Clash!

If you listened to our podcast from June 2020 entitled Clash of the Credit Cards - you'll know that we've changed our Showdown features to Clashes. The reason why is that lots of sites and blogs are using Showdown now, some are using battle so we wanted to continue to be unique so our comparisons are now Clashes!

This time we have another Clash of the Credit Cards that pits two 5x points cards against each other! Those cards are the American Express Cobalt™ Card and the BMO eclipse Visa Infinite* Card

Continue on to the main Rewards Canada site to read the Clash in its entirety!

Major devaluation coming to the SCENE program for Cineplex & Playdium purchases

We have another devaluation on our hands people. After bringing devaluation news from BMO and Scotia earlier this year we hate to bring you this news from Canada's beloved SCENE program. Over the next few weeks and months the amount of SCENE points you earn with Cineplex will be changing and it's not for the better. Points earning at Cineplex theatres, the online Cineplex store and at Playdium are all changing. I would have to think the current economic situation caused by the pandemic is the reason behind this change. At least for the time being they haven't changed to redemption process so points you have already earned will retain their value.

February 25 Update: AIR MILES Shops refer a friend bonus offer, Alaska Airlines status match offer & 50,000 PC Optimum points for online shopping

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.

AIR MILES now has a limited time Refer a Friend offer available for their online shopping portal AIR MILES Shops. Simply register your AIR MILES numbers to receive a referral link and when your friend(s) or family make their first purchase via the portal you'll receive 200 bonus miles and they'll receive 50 bonus miles. The offer does seem to be targeted based on the terms & conditions as it says it is only open to those members who have been invited. I received the invite in my email and submitted my collector number to receive the referral link. If you didn't get the email you can try to submit your number here and see if it works for you. If you are not targeted and have not shopped via AIR MILES shops and want to earn those 50 bonus miles feel free to use our referral link (Thank you in advance if you do choose to do so!) and/or any posted in our comments. If you are targeted, feel free to post your referral link in the comments below to start a chain of referrals.

Here's a post for readers in Rewards Canada's home province of Alberta! The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge has launched a flash sale that offers 50% off the best flexible rate (aka daily rate) for residents of Alberta. Typically the ongoing Alberta resident's rate offer provides 20 to 30% off at the three Canadian Rockies locations (Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise) This offer is available on all room types including the Luxury Signature Cabins. Simply book by March 7 for stays until April 30, 2021.

New enhanced offer for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard - up to 450 WestJet dollars and a $0 companion voucher

WestJet just sweetened the pot on their WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard by taking a direct line of attack on Air Canada. Now WestJet is offering a limited time promotional voucher that is just like the Buddy Pass that is being offered on several Air Canada Aeroplan co-brand credit cards. And to make things even better their keeping the current welcome bonus of 450 WestJet Dollars as part of the deal!

This week’s Marriott Bonvoy Escapes features the over 1,800 locations in the Americas but more importantly as most of us aren't leaving our borders, 60 locations in Canada! With Marriott Bonvoy Escapes members can save up to 25% on last minute stays until March 28, 2021.

Less than a week left to get the increased welcome bonuses on the BMO Rewards World Elite Mastercard and BMO Rewards Mastercard

Yesterday we let you know that the increased welcome offer for the BMO Rewards^® Business Mastercard^® is coming to a close in just under a week. Well we also received notice from BMO that two of their other BMO Rewards cards will also be seeing decreased welcome offers. Both are the consumer Mastercards - the BMO World Elite™* MasterCard®* and the BMO Rewards® MasterCard will be seeing their current offers of 40,000 points and 15,000 points being decreased as of March 2nd.

IHG Hotels & Resorts' New Hotel Openings in Canada for 2021 - 5 hotels in the works including the Holiday Inn Gatineau - Ottawa

We continue our new hotel openings in Canada series with this latest post where we take a look at what IHG Hotels & Resorts has planned for 2021.

IHG Hotels & Resorts (nee InterContinental Hotels Group) is one of the largest hotel chains in the world best known for their Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands. IHG however comprises of 16 brands in total and well over 5,900 hotels Worldwide. They have a significant presence here in Canada with nearly 200 hotels from coast to coast.

February 23 Update: FedEx is back with Amex Offers with up to $270 in credits and an easy offer to earn 5,000 free Petro-Points

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.

We see the return of an Amex Offers credit for utilizing FedEx. Simply make a qualifying purchase of at least $45 using your registered Card at www.fedex.ca or at a participating FedEx location by 23/05/2021 and earn a $45 statement credit. Limit of 6 credits for a total value of up to $270. Here at Rewards Canada we received it on the Platinum Card. Find this offer and more in our Guide to American Express Canada 'Amex Offers'

If you have had your eye on the BMO Rewards^® Business Mastercard^® you'll want to make sure you apply for it between now and March 1. After that date the welcome bonus will drop by a significant amount although retain a first year free offer. Currently the card is offering 50,000 BMO Rewards Points when you spend $5,000 on the card in the first three months along with no annual fee in the first year.

Great news for World of Hyatt members - there isn't going to be any gap in being able to potentially earn bonus points for your Hyatt stays. The current World of Hyatt Bonus Journeys will be wrapping up on February 28 and right away on March 1st the new spring variation of Bonus Journeys will be in play. You can register for the promotion right now and then all your qualifying stays from March 1st to June 15th will count towards the bonuses. Those bonuses are 2,000 points for every 2 nights you complete (they don't have to be consecutive), an additional 500 points each 2 nights if you are World of Hyatt Credit Cardmember (I know some of our readers do have the U.S. card) and then if you complete at least 10 nights during the promotional period you'll receive a Category 1-4 Free Night Award. This is a pretty sweet bonus offer from Hyatt!

February 22 Update: More hotels added to Canada's authorized list of quarantine hotels, Rewards Canada Podcast now on vurbl & American Airlines will not resume several Canadian flights

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.

Last week we let you know about the list of authorized hotels for the new mandatory hotel stopover requirement when travelers return to Canada. At that time there were 11 approved hotels in the four Canadian cities accepting international flights. That list has now grown to 18 hotels as it seems like more locations are coming online each day. This mandatory requirement of a 3 night starts at 11:59pm ET is now in effect. Remember this requirement is over and above the other requirements already in place of having a negative COVID-19 molecular test within 3 days of your departure and the mandatory 14 day quarantine (the 3 day hotel stay counts as part of those 14 days) Learn more here.

Today we released an update to our Ultimate Cash Back Credit Card Portfolio on Rewards Canada!

In this feature of Rewards Canada' Ultimate Credit Card Portfolios we look at the ultimate one for earning cash back. We have always recommended that you should carry a Visa, a Mastercard and an American Express card in your wallet and that's what these portfolios encompass. Here we outline one card from each brand that will help you build up those cash back returns faster than ever. Ultimately there are various options that could be utilized for a cash back portfolio but we feel this trio of cards can earn you the most cash back across the board. Read the complete feature here to learn more!

Find all our Ultimate Card Portfolios here!

Friday, February 19, 2021

February 19 Update: List of authorized hotels for Canada's mandatory hotel stopover requirement, Amex mobile payment bonus points posting & another 100K offer for PC Financial Mastercards

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your daily dose (or near daily dose) of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more. This update is brought to you by the HSBC +Rewards Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 30,000 bonus points, no annual fee in the first year and a low 11.9% interest rate!

The Government of Canada released their list of authorized hotels for the new mandatory hotel stopover requirement when travelers return to Canada. This mandatory requirement of a 3 night starts at 11:59pm ET on Sunday February 21. Remember this requirement is over and above the other requirements already in place of having a negative COVID-19 molecular test within 3 days of your departure and the mandatory 14 day quarantine (the 3 day hotel stay counts as part of those 14 days) Learn more here.

A little late to the party with this offer as it has been out for sometime now but just in case you missed it here it is. For 2021 Hilton has brought out this member acquisition bonus for joining the Honors program and then completing some hotel stays. If you are not a member yet simply join via the link below and then complete one stay to earn 2,000 bonus Honors points. Complete one more stay after that and they’ll give you 3,000 more points for 5,000 bonus points in total. Now you will want to time it right for joining the program to ensure you can complete the one or two stays within 6 months of joining as is required by the promotion.

Targeted Offer: Earn double elite qualifying spend on WestJet flights until December 16 (book by Feb 28)

WestJet has just launched their first major frequent flyer promotion of the year with this new offer that doubles elite qualifying spend. WestJet Rewards members who are targeted for the offer will receive a 100% bonus on all eligible flight spending for travel within Canada. The flights must be booked between February18 and 28 meaning bookings made prior to this will not count. The flights themselves need to be completed by December 16, 2021.

Continuing on with our new hotel openings in Canada series we now take a look at what Hyatt has planned for 2021.

Out of the major hotel chains, Hyatt Hotels are one of the smallest globally and their presence in Canada reflects that with less than a dozen hotels operating here. This number has been changing relatively fast, it was only a couple of years ago when they only had four hotels across our country and over the next few year they are looking to expand that number.

February 18 Update: CIBC Aventura NEXUS credit upped to $100?, WestJet cuts four more Canadian cities and an update to the Marriott buy points bonus

I'm not entirely sure when this happened but I noticed yesterday that CIBC may have bumped up their NEXUS benefit on their Aventura cards to C$100 from the previous $50. Even our last update direct from CIBC at the start of February had it listed as $50 so if this is really the case it is nice welcome change to the Aventura cards. I will check with CIBC however as there is some confusing wording on CIBC's website as some pages state a $50 credit in their messaging while others don't and then the terms and conditions state $50 and/or $100. If it has been bumped up I'm guessing it was done in response to TD offering a $100 NEXUS credit on their Aeroplan cards as those are the only other cards in our market that offer this benefit.

One of the most popular travel rewards credit cards in Canada, the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card was first reviewed by Rewards Canada in 2014 when it was introduced. For the better part of six years the card didn't change very much but then we saw the entire Air Canada Aeroplan saga transpire for numerous years which culminated in Air Canada buying Aeroplan back from Aimia and launching a whole new Aeroplan in November of 2020 along with refreshed credit card offerings. This mainstay Aeroplan card from TD underwent many changes for the new program and thus the need for this updated review.

If you want to see what the old card was like you can read our TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Review (Old 2014 version)

The TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card hit the market on January 1st, 2014 when TD took over as the primary issuer of Aeroplan co-brand cards in Canada from CIBC. The current version of the card was revealed on November 8, 2020 to coincide with the launch of the new Aeroplan program. The new card saw quite a few changes take place that ultimately made the card even better than version 1.0. Also with the launch of the new Aeroplan program we decided to re-classify its co-brand cards as airline cards once again in our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings as we dissolved the coalition program category. Hence this card returned to top spot in the Airline category, a position it held from 2014 to 2017 and yes it continues to be the best airline credit card in Canada.

Continue reading the entire review here.

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Receive a 40% bonus when you buy Marriott Bonvoy Points until March 22

A buy points bonus for Marriott Bonvoy has returned and it is noticeably lower than the past few offers. We saw a 60% bonus in November, a 50% bonus in December and now for the next month and a bit they have brought in a 40% bonus. The 40% bonus is awarded on purchases from 2,000 to 100,000 points and that 100,000 is a doubling of the typical 50,000 point annual limit for buying points. This is also lower than the 150K we saw with the 60% bonus in November. Ultimately knowing that Marriott has offered 50 and 60% bonuses I most likely wouldn’t purchase with this 40% bonus unless I knew I needed to top off my account for an upcoming stay.

February 17 Update: Double Points for stays at the Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel Toronto, new Centurion Lounge to open at Washington's DCA airport & this week's PC Optimum offer is 50,000 points

Late last year the InterContinental Hotel Yorkville Toronto converted over to Sonesta Hotels and was rebranded the Yorkville Royal Sonesta Hotel Toronto. The celebrate they had a bonus points offer that ran until the end of January and now once again the hotel chain's loyalty program called Travel Pass is offering bonus points for stays at this location. The offer this time is for Double Travel Pass Points on all stays. The end date of the promotion has not been published but in my experience of covering Sonesta's promotions for years on end the offer should be available for quite some time. Learn more here.

Here is a nice little offer if you are looking at getting away from home for a little staycation in Western Canada and at the same time want to boost your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan balance. For the months of March and April you will be able to earn double Mileage Plan Miles for stays at any Coast Hotel in Canada or the U.S.. In Canada they have locations in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Yukon with many being in ski towns like Canmore, Sun Peaks Resort and Revelstoke, so it is a prime offer for some spring skiing!

Three days only - Earn 10x AIR MILES Reward Miles for online purchases with Apple

For three days only you can earn 10x AIR MILES Reward Miles when you shop online with Apple via AIR MILES Shops. The offer runs from today to February 18 and with the standard earn rate being 1 mile for every $20 spent you'll end up earning 10 miles for every $20.

Here is your monthly update of all the global hotel bonus points promotions that are available. One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of these systemwide bonuses that come from many of the big chain programs and also from the lesser known programs. In fact, right now it should be rare for you NOT to earn a bonus. Unless you are staying at a boutique hotel or perhaps an independent hotel most other hotels out there have a bonus. So take advantage of it! These systemwide bonuses simply require you to register beforehand and they do not affect hotel pricing as long as you book a point eligible rate which are most rates out there. Of course booking through a third party site like Expedia or Rocketmiles does not count as most chains only award points on bookings that are made directly with them. Here are all the current promotions that are available to everyone this month:

Best Western Rewards' Spring promotion kicked off yesterday and it's a two parter this time. After you register for this offer you will receive a $25 Best Western Gift Card for each night you stay up to four nights. That's right, you are getting $25 back not per stay but per night. The nights do not have to be consecutive either, they can be spread out across multiple stays.

February 12 Update: Canada's new entry requirements to start on February 22 and the Government of Canada approves Air Canada's takeover of Air Transat

Canada's new travel restrictions that require a mandatory hotel stay and quarantine upon returning to Canada will take effect February 22. This is the requirement where you may have to spend $2,000 to stay at specified hotel and to get your COVID-19 tests done. (Source Global News)

Back in October we provided you with details about Neo Financial and their rewards credit card offering. At that time they were only a few months past their beta stage and now less than half a year later they changing things up. When Neo first launched they wanted to be a different type of credit card and reward program but the approach they were taking at the time limited their market to select cities namely Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg with more cities coming down the line. That's very limiting when you want to grow your company and clientele base, so what does Neo do? They go down the traditional line of offerings that we see from most other card issuers by expanding their credit card portfolio to have cards that have a traditional cash back rewards component. And now that they have that all encompassing cash back reward option they have opened up applications to all Canadians including Quebec.

Top 5 Small Business Credit Card Sign Up offers for February - These cards provide the best value out of their welcome bonuses

Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Small Business Credit Card Sign Up offers for this month! This is not a 'best' credit card list like our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings but instead a look at cards for small businesses that have very good acquisition (welcome/sign up) offers. As always when choosing a card you should always take other factors into account other than the just sign up bonus, but when some of these cards are first year free, they can and do pay off even when you grab them strictly for the sign up rewards. This month we see four first year free cards on the list! And remember this list is based on minimum value towards travel which we calculate as the minimum value of the welcome bonus less the annual fee. It is entirely possible to receive more value out of the welcome bonuses on some the cards below namely those like Aeroplan and Marriott.

February 11 Update: Earn 8x miles sitewide on AIR MILES Shops, Flair Airlines announces major route expansion and more

To celebrate the Lunar New Years AIR MILES Shops are offering 8x miles sitewide on all purchases made via any of their online retailers. This offer is available until February 15 and don't forget to also earn points/miles/etc. in the retailer's loyalty program if they have one! Find out more here.

Welcome to another Rewards Canada Clash!

This time we have another Clash of the Credit Cards that pits two of the best No Foreign Transaction fee cards in Canada against each other! Those cards are the HSBC World Elite® Mastercard® and the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite* Card

Continue on to the main Rewards Canada site to read the Clash in its entirety!

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

1,000 free miles when you join Qatar Airways Privilege Club by April 30

Offer details:
1,000 Bonus Qmiles when you join the Privilege Club program using promo code JOINPC21. Click here to join (promo code automatically populates). Members will also earn 1,000 bonus Qmiles on their first online booking, or 500 bonus Qmiles for each subsequent online booking. Join by Apr 30, 21

February 10 Update: Best Western Rewards halves 2021 elite qualification requirements, Marriott to add 19 all inclusive resorts from Canada's Sunwing Travel & a 40,000 bonus PC Optimum point offer

Best Western Rewards is cutting its Elite Status eligibility qualifications in half for 2021. This means you can achieve Gold Elite Status with just five nights, three stays or 5,000 points. All other levels have also been halved, see the chart below for the qualification requirements. Learn more here. Remember you also get automatic Gold Status and a fast track to Diamond Status with the MBNA Best Western Mastercard or you can also take part in their super easy status match offer if you have status with another hotel program.

You can now exchange WestJet companion vouchers for lounge access and gift Gold Elite status with your milestone awards

Back in November of 2020 WestJet released the news that new benefits were set to come for WestJet Rewards members who have a WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and members who hold Gold or Platinum Elite status. One is the ability to convert the companion voucher earned on the Mastercard to lounge passes and the other for the elite members is the gifting of elite status. The good news is those two new benefits officially launched today on February 10th.

Fairmont Hotels here in Canada have been at the forefront of creating meaningful and safe experiences and offers for those wanting to escape from home with a staycation. For 2021 Fairmont is continuing down that path with the introduction renovations, dining experiences, special packages and more at many of their hotels. Below we list just some of the highlights for this year that Fairmont has passed along to us to share with our readers.

February 9 Update: HBC chooses Neo Financial to issue their new Mastercard, Guide to Credit Card Cash Back Liquidity & Air Canada announces more lay offs and route cuts

HBC (The Bay) has decided on who their credit card partner will be after news that their partnership with Capital One is ending. This one comes as a bit of a surprise and is a huge score for this newcomer. HBC will be partnering with Neo Financial to issue their new Mastercard! We detailed neo late last year (and have another update coming as they have released more card options) as they are a newcomer to the Canadian market, but they have a lot of backing thanks to being founded by some of the same people who launched and sold SkipTheDishers and they are looking to disrupt the current financial model in Canada (banking, credit cards, mortgages etc.). For them to score a co-brand deal this early on is huge for Neo and we pass along a big congratulations to them! Thanks to Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W. for passing along this news! (Source Business Wire)

Koho Premium Prepaid Visa Review

The Koho Premium Prepaid Visa is one of only a select few prepaid credit cards that offers rewards for your everyday spending on the card. This card is virtually open to anyone since there are no credit checks necessary as you have to fund it prior to using it. Technically what you are opening a savings account with Koho that comes with a reloadable prepaid Visa card. They also offer non-premium version called the Koho Reloadable Prepaid Visa.

At the start of this month CIBC brought back their excellent limited time welcome bonus offer for their premium cash back card the CIBC Dividend® Visa Infinite* Card. That offer is 10% cash back on all purchases up to $2,000 made during the first four monthly statement periods. The offer doesn’t end there however as new cardholders will also get their first year annual fee rebated which means you can try this card out at no cost to you other than your actual credit card spending. The other good news coming on February 1st was the launch of the card changes we announced back in October. The biggest drawback the card had, if you would consider it a drawback was only being able to cash out your rewards once per year. Well that's gone and now you can cash out anytime when your rewards balance hits $25 or more. On top of that there are some earning and annual fee changes to the card as well that are detailed below.

We've now had three months to start getting used to the new Air Canada Aeroplan program and to further celebrate the launch of the new program and to teach members more about it Air Canada revealed a new contest today. The Aeroplan Explore For More Contest is exactly that, they want you to explore more of the program, learn more about it and in return you'll have the chance to win Aeroplan points or flights with Air Canada:

Last week we covered changes coming to the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard and the BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard and now we have news BMO is changing redemption rates that affect their proprietary rewards cards. First we have to thank @joshnet on Twitter for alerting us to BMO's move to change the redemption rate for travel in the BMO Rewards program. Joshua let us know the bad news that as of May 5 the redemption rate for travel rewards will move to 150 points for $1 from the current 140 points.

Earn rate changes coming to the BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard - and these are for the better!

Yesterday we brought you the news that BMO will be changing its AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard come this May. Turns out that is not the only card they are changing, the BMO CashBack® World Elite®* MasterCard®* will also be going through a revision at that time. Compared to the AIR MILES changes these ones are really good. For most people this truly will be an enhancement.

Here is a rarity – Turkish Airlines is offering a bonus for buying their Miles&Smiles miles until February 19. The bonus is tiered and maxes out at 75% when you buy 50,000 to 99,999 miles. The cost of the miles are US$30 per 1,000 which means buying 50,000 miles will cost you US$1,500 but you’ll end up with 87,500 miles after the bonus. That ends up being US$ 1.71 cents per mile which is a great deal considering Turkish Miles&Smiles has some real gems for reward flight options. It only costs 10,000 miles to fly one way in economy class within North America but Turkish includes Honolulu, Mexico and Bermuda. So yes you can get a round trip economy class Star Alliance ticket on Air Canada or United from Canada to Hawaii for 20,000 miles. Even better is business class for only30,000 miles round trip! So if buy yourself 52,000 miles for US$1,560 to score 91,000 Miles&Smiles you’ll have three round trip flights in business class to Hawaii! To buy those three business class tickets will cost you a lot more than US$1,560. Four tickets would be US$2,070! And that’s only one example – the Miles&Smiles program has quite a few other great redemption options that you can check out here. The only major caveat we can see is the bonus miles on the purchased miles must be used by December 31, 2022.

Here are Rewards Canada's Top 5 Cash Back Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of February 2021. This is not a 'best' credit card list like our Top Cash Back Credit Card rankings but instead a look at cards that have very good acquisition (welcome/sign up) offers. As always when choosing a card you should always take other factors into account other than the just sign up bonus, but when some of these cards are first year free, they can and do pay off even when you grab them strictly for the sign up rewards.

Changes coming to the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard in May - earn rates, interest rates and airport lounge access are all affected

The BMO AIR MILES®† World Elite®* MasterCard®* will be the next card in our market to undergo some changes when it is modified in May. The changes affect the card's earn rates, the interest rates and the Mastercard Airport Experiences provided by LoungeKey. Of the earn rate changes, one is positive and the other is negative while both interest rate and airport lounge access changes both fall into the negative category.

February 4 Update: Air Canada Rouge to suspend all flights temporarily and IHG Hotels refreshes their logo and name

Air Canada announced they will be temporarily suspending all Air Canada Rouge flights as of February 8, This is primarily due to the Government of Canada requesting the suspension of flights to Mexico and the Caribbean. (Source Canadian Travel News)

Image via Air Canada

Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Travel Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of February 2021! This is not a 'best' credit card list like our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings but instead a look at cards that have very good acquisition (welcome/sign up) offers. As always when choosing a card you should always take other factors into account other than the just sign up bonus, but when some of these cards are first year free, they can and do pay off even when you grab them strictly for the sign up rewards. This month we see three first year free cards on the list

It's the time of year where we start getting news from all the hotel chains about their hotel category changes. That is, not changes to award charts or amounts but rather where individual hotels fall into those categories. Some hotels move up categories, that is become more expensive in terms of the number of points required to redeem for free night, while others go down in price and become cheaper to redeem for.

The highest ever publicly available bonus of 450 dollars on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard has been extended. Originally slated to end on January 31 the offer now has a new deadline of March 31, 2021.

The offer provides 250 WestJet dollars upon activation of the card and then an additional 200 WestJet dollars when you spend $5,000 within 3 months of account open date. That means you need to spend on average $1,667 per month.

National Bank of Canada has extended the welcome bonus for the premier card in their portfolio - the NBC World Elite Mastercard. The offer provides new cardholders with the opportunity to earn up to $300 in cash back when you spend at least $4,000 on the card within the first three months of having it. This spend requirement is $500 less than the offer that just ended on January 31. On top of that the $150 annual fee on the primary card will be refunded in the first year. This bonus is over and above the regular points earn and other benefits that come with the card. To take advantage of this particular offer you must apply for the card by April 30 2021 and activate it no later than May 15, 2021. The offer is also available on their Platinum and World Mastercards as well.

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

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

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Friday, February 26, 2021

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Monday, February 22, 2021

Friday, February 19, 2021

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Friday, February 12, 2021

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Monday, February 8, 2021

Friday, February 5, 2021

Thursday, February 4, 2021

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