How you can easily get a free flight between Toronto and Dublin, Ireland (pre taxes/fees) or 4 flights for $240+fees

Late in 2016 Aer Lingus the national airline of Ireland replaced their Gold Circle program with AerClub and it became part of the Avios family. Avios is the main currency of the British airways Executive Club program and other programs that all fall under BAs parent company IAG like the UK's Avios coalition program (formerly Air Miles) Iberia Plus and Meridiana Club.

With this change also came some changes to British Airways award chart that enraged some U.S. Executive Club members as previously you could redeem Avios for travel on Aer Lingus between Boston and Dublin at a very low rate (Zone 4) but BA decided to move Boston a few miles further to move it into a higher redemption category. This didn't really affect us Canucks very much unless you redeemed for that route but the next change in the program does affect us and does so in a really good way!

Aer Lingus flies direct between Toronto and Dublin and one of the new changes was the inclusion of Aer Lingus into BA Executive Club's off peak award pricing. In the off season, which is actually most of the year, you can fly round trip on Aer Lingus' Toronto-Dublin flight for only 26,000 Avios (13,000 one way) Toronto to Dublin is 3,279 miles which falls into Category 5 redemption which is 20,000 each way during peak season and 13,000 in off peak:

An example of availability at this new rate:

How do you get this flight for free other than your typically taxes and fees? You get yourself Canada's Top Overall Travel Rewards card, the American Express Gold Rewards Card and this new redemption possibility makes the card even better! The card comes with a 25,000 Membership Rewards Points sign up bonus when you spend $1,500 on the card in the first three months and it has no annual fee in the first year. At a minimum that gives you 26,500 Membership Rewards points for nothing other than your every day spend. Those points can then be transferred to British Airways Executive Club at a 1:1 rate easily getting you the 26,000 Avios required for the round trip. Of course you have to pay the taxes and fees but you can also use your Gold Rewards Card to pay for those and then redeem the points against the charge once it posts to your account.

Aer Lingus award flights cannot be booked online via BA Executive Club but you can check availability on the Avios website or via United MileagePlus then call up British Airways to book. Do not book via the Avios.com website as the taxes/fees are higher then booking via British Airway call center.

You can get this redemption for even less as  during certain times of the year American Express offers a bonus for converting MR points to BAEC. That bonus is typically 25% so you could redeem 21,000 Membership Rewards points to get enough Avios for the round trip. We don't take that into account in our look at this option right now but just know it can be there to make these flights even cheaper.

Here is a calendar of the 2017 Off Peak pricing for Aer Lingus:

As you can see most of the year can be had at the lower redemption rate!

If you want to get even more tickets to get your family of four to Ireland you can jump on more credit cards. Have your significant other or spouse also sign up for the Gold Rewards Card. Just like above, spend the $1,500 and your spouse now has enough for one round trip flight. Then have one of you grab the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express. The card will net 20,000 Starpoints when you spend $1,500 on the card in three months. Then refer your significant other/spouse to the card as well. You'll get 10,000 Starpoints for referring and then your spouse should get to 21,500 Starpoints as well after hitting the spend requirement. Each of you converts 21,000 Starpoints to British Airways and Starwood will kick in an additional 5,000 Avios. There you have it, 2 more sets of 26,000 Avios tickets at your disposal. Four in total and your whole family flies to Ireland. The SPG cards do not have a first year free offer so the cards will cost you $240 ($120 per person) but that is still a really good deal to essentially get each ticket for $120. Plus the SPG referrer will have 10,000 Starpoints to use on hotel stays as well. The Sheraton Athlone in Ireland is only 3,000 to 4,000 points per night!

We have to tip our hat to The Points Guy who brought this new option to our attention.

---

American Express Gold Rewards Card

• New American Express® Gold Rewards* Cardmembers can earn a Welcome Bonus of 25,000 Membership Rewards® points just by making $1,500 in purchases in the first three months of Cardmembership. • No Annual Fee for the first year; $150 Annual Fee thereafter* • That’s enough to redeem for a round-trip Fixed Mileage Flight Reward TM* to almost anywhere in North America.
• Transfer your points to frequent flyer programs, or 1:1 to Aeroplan®* and Avios
• Earn 2 points for every $1 on eligible travel and everyday purchases
• Charge any travel to your Card then pay for it with points
• 1 Free Supplementary Gold Rewards Card (a $50 value*) to help you earn points faster
• You can use Apple Pay on your eligible device to pay for goods and services at participating American Express contactless merchants
• American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information click the Apply now  link.
• *As a Charge Card, the balance must always be paid in full each month. 30% annual interest rate applies to balances not paid in full.
Conditions apply
Apply Now
* Canadian Residents Only 

August 1 Update: Aeroplan accumulation changes for Singapore Airlines flights, Aer Lingus introduces a new Business Class

Final day of updates for this week!

News, Tips & Tricks
Aeroplan has announced some mileage accumulation changes for flying on Singapore Airlines:

As of September 1, 2014 please note the following accrual structure changes for Singapore Airlines.
- Earn 125% of the miles you fly in booking class U. For travel until August 31, 2014, earn 100%.
- Booking class K is no longer eligible for accumulation. Earn 100% until August 31, 2014.

As of January 1, 2015 please note the following accrual structure changes for Singapore Airlines.
- Earn 100% of the miles you fly in booking class T. For travel until December 31, 2014, earn 0%.
- Earn 100% of the miles you fly in booking class P. For travel until December 31, 2014, earn 150%.

Aer Lingus has revealed the details of their new business class product that will be rolled out in 2015. There is a good chance however we won't see this on their 757 route to Toronto but only on their A330's so if you want to experience it you may want to connect to their flights out of the U.S. (Source Aer Lingus)

The latest set of Air France KLM Flying Blue Promo Awards are out but unforunately no Canadian cities are included this time. For the full list see the link in the bonus offers section below.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Triple Aeroplan Miles on any purchase of $50 or more in store at Bentley. More... Until Sep 7, 14

Air France KLM Flying Blue
- Save up to 50% with Promo Awards Save 25% to 50% on the Award Miles usually required for award ticket. Destinations vary by each promotional period. More... Book by Aug 31 for travel between Oct 1 and Nov 30, 14

Azul TudoAzul (On FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 1,250 Bonus TudoAzul Points when you join the TudoAzul program via their Facebook page. More... Until ?

Belavia Leader (On FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Leader Points for stays at the Apart-hotel “Comfort” More... Until Sep 30, 14

Germanwings Boomerang Club (On FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Boomerang Miles when book a Germanwings Blind Booking flight where you don't know the destination until after you book! More... Valid for travel Sep 1 - 30, 14

Hilton HHonors
- 1,000 Bonus HHonors Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Hilton Qingdao Golden Beach. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus HHonors Points when you dine at the Hilton Qingdao Golden Beach. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- 1,000 Bonus HHonors Points PER NIGHT for stays at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hainan - Qixianling Hot Springs. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Miles & More
- Double Miles & More Miles on all Hertz rentals Worldwide. More... Book by Aug 31 for rentals until Sep 30, 14

S7 Airlines Priority (On FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Triple Priority Miles for Avis rentals in select European and Asian countries. More... Until Nov 30, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Feb 24 Update: WestJet selects IFE provider including inflight Wifi, Aer Lingus seat sale YYZ-DUB, Choice Privileges next bonus point promo

Welcome to another week here on Rewards Canada. Now that the Olympics are over (yay Canada! Way to go!) we can expect the travel providers and loyalty companies will bring their news reporting back up to speed and we'll have that all covered for you right here on the RC blog.

News, Tips & Tricks
WestJet announced a little over a week that they have selected Panasonic Avionics to supply their next generation inflight entertainment system which will include on-board Wifi (so no gogo as we and others were hypothesizing after gogo's announcement of coverage over Canada).  Source: WestJet

CALGARY, Feb. 14, 2014 /CNW/ - WestJet announced today it has signed a multi-year agreement with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to provide the airline with a new inflight entertainment system with the ability to feature wireless satellite internet connectivity, live streaming television, on-demand movies, magazines and more.

Guests will be able to use their own personal electronic device (PED) or laptop computer to receive live and stored content streamed wirelessly from a server on board each WestJet Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. Airtime packages will also be available to surf the internet, access email or plan a vacation on westjet.com. Tablets will be available for those guests not travelling with a device.

Also on the WestJet newsfront they are going to be moving some of their seasonal flights to year round service (YQR/YXE/YYJ-LAS; YEG-PHX; YVR-PSP) and many other routes will be receiving increased frequency. One route goes from year round service to seasonal and that is Toronto to Miami. (Source Airlineroute.net)

 

Some readers have asked whether the Aeroplan Star Challenge will return this year. All we can tell is yes it will but we do not have the time period yet.

Travel Deals
Aer Lingus is offering Toronto to Dublin flights for only $689 all in for travel between Apr 14 and May 6! Simply book by Feb 27 at Aerlingus.com.  These fares are eligible for mileage accrual so you can earn in Aer Lingus' own Gold Circle Club but I would assume most Rewards Canada readers would credit it to other oneworld airlines like American AAdvantage or British Airways Executive Club.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Double Aeroplan Miles when you fly Canadian North between Yellowknife and Iqaluit or Rankin Inlet; Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit. More... Mar 17 - May 31, 14

Choice Hotels Privileges
- Earn up to 8,000 Bonus Privileges Points when you complete two qualifying stays at any Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn hotel in the Choice Privileges program. More... Feb 27 - May 14, 14

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles on all stays at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. More... Book by May 31 for stays untll Dec 19, 14

Hyatt Gold Passport
- 3,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points for stays of 2 or more nights at the Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport. More... Until May 18, 14

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- 1,000 Bonus Mileage Bank Miles + 1,000 HHonors Points when you join the HHonors program and complete 2 stays at any participating hotel in the Hilton HHonors portfolio Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 14

Southwest Rapid Rewards (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Triple Rapid Rewards points for stays at participating Country Inns & Suites By Carlson hotels in the United States. More... Until Apr 30 , 14

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 1,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays at the The Westin Portland Harborview. More... Until Mar 31, 14

United MileagePlus
- Double MileagePlus Miles for every qualifying stay at any Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn hotel in the Choice Privileges program Worldwide. More... Until Apr 4, 14

July 4 Update: Aer Lingus to launch Toronto-Dublin (think Avios redemptions!), up to 4x Aeroplan Miles at Eaton Chelsea, topbonus sign up bonus

Thursday proves to be a little quieter then Monday or Tuesday but I still have some good news and lots of bonus offers to pass along

News, Tips & Tricks
Aer Lingus has announced that they will launch direct Toronto - Dublin service in April of 2014. Why is this significant? Well Aer Lingus is a oneworld airline and is a great way to redeem your British Airways Avios for Transatlantic travel. Aer Lingus has some of the lowest fuel surcharges out there which means you can redeem 40,000 Avios for a round trip economy class ticket or 80,000 Avios for Business Class and incur a lot less charges than similar flights on British Airways. As Lucky from One Mile at a Time points out you will probably only pay about $150 in fuel surcharges, taxes and fees for an Aer Lingus Business Class redemption whereas that same redemption for a BA flight would incur ~$1000 in fees and taxes. This is great news for all you American Express Gold Rewards and Platinum cardholders, RBC Avion and British Airways Visa cardholders! True Aer Lingus' cabin product is probably not up to par with British Airways but also according to Lucky it ain't half bad!

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn up to Quadruple Aeroplan Miles for stays at the Eaton Chelsea, Toronto. More... Until Dec 31, 13
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan miles when you you park for eight days or more steps away from the terminal at ProxiParc Montreal. More... Until Sep 15, 13

airBalitc BalticMiles (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double BalticMiles Points for stays at the Wyndham Berlin Excelsior .More... Until Aug 31, 13

airberlin topbonus
- Earn up to 3,000 topbonus Miles when you collect miles with topbonus partners. More... Register by Jul 31 for activity until Aug 31, 13
- Earn up to 1,500 topbonus Miles when you join the topbonus program. More... Until Jul 31, 13
- Triple topbonus Miles for stays at all participating Grand City Hotels in Europe. More... Until Sep 30, 13
- Double topbonus Miles for every Hotel Review you submit to HolidayCheck that is published. More... Until ?

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- 15,000 Bonus Asia Miles when you apply for and receive the RBC Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum. More... Until Jul 31, 13 Canadian Residents Only

China Airlines Dynasty Flyer
- Earn up to Quadruple Dynasty Flyer Miles when you rent a car with Hertz participating locations in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia or New Zealand. More... Until Oct 31, 13

Hyatt Gold Passport
- 1,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points per eligible stay at the Hyatt Regency Chongqing. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- 5,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points when you stay 3 consecutive nights at Hyatt Place Atlanta/Duluth/Gwinnett Mall. More...Until Aug 31, 13
- 1,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points for stays at the Hyatt Place Columbus/Dubling. More...Until Aug 31, 13
- Double Gold Passport Points when you stay with the Hyatt Regency Austin Downtown More... Until Aug 29, 13

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios for stays at participating abba Hotels in Europe. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- Double Avios for stays at participating Barcelo Hotels in Costa Rica, Nicaragua or Spain More... Until Aug 31, 13
- Triple Avios for stays at the hotels Urban and Villa Real in Madrid. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- Double Avios for stays at the hotels Claris, Granados 83, Gran Derby Suite, Derby, Balmes and Astoria in Barcelona, The Caesar in London and Banke in Paris. More... Until Aug 31, 13

Malaysia Airlines Enrich (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Triple Enrich Miles for stays at participating Hilton Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 13