Rewards Canada reviews the Neo Mastercard, redeem for Amex prepaid cards with a discount & 40% off AeroMexico award flights out of Montreal

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your near daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more. Today's update is brought to you by the HSBC High Rate Savings Account with which you can enjoy a total annual interest rate of up to 2.65% on new deposits± Click here to learn more about this offer

 
We have a new credit card review on the main Rewards Canada site! This time we review the Neo Mastercard® which entered the Canadian market in mid 2020. The Neo Mastercard is a cash back rewards card that has been continually evolving since its launch in 2020. The focus is on earning higher cash back earn rates with specific Neo partners from coast to coast. You can earn upwards of 15% back on your first purchase with many partners and then earn an average of 5% cash back after that. Click here to read the entire review

Huge bonus for a few days only! 20,000 bonus AeroMexico Club Premier Points with just one Choice Hotels stay

 
Over the course of this year AeroMexico and Choice Hotels have run some very lucrative stay promotions. First it was up to 10,000 points for one stay in March and April then they had up to 15,000 points for one stay in June/July, a 10,000 bonus point offer for start of September (and the end of September). Now we know why there is a break in the 10,000 point offer for this month and that’s because they are offering 20,000 points until September 19! So you really only have 5 days to get in on this offer but it can super worth it as that’s a huge bonus to get! If you can get yourself to even a cheap Sleep Inn or something like that over the next few days do it!

Earn 10,000 bonus AeroMexico Club Premier Points with just one Choice Hotels stay

Over the course of this year AeroMexico and Choice Hotels have run some very lucrative stay promotions. First it was up to 10,000 points for one stay in March and April then they had up to 15,000 points for one stay in June/July and now they have returned with a flat 10,000 bonus point offer for September. This latest offer has small stay windows – Sep 1 to 11 and Sep 20 to 30 so there isn’t a lot of time to take advantage of it. I do want to advise everyone on one potential issue with this promotion and that is having it post to your account. One of our long time readers Davidd418 has had a heck of a time getting the 10,000 points from the first promotion for a stay in Mexico but did eventually get them after many months and many emails. Click here to read the comments to learn more on his efforts. He is also going to let us know how things went for the summer 15K offer as he was going to have a stay here in Canada for that one!

August 26 Update: Aeroplan extends generous refund & rebooking policy, save 15% on AeroMexico award tickets out of Canada & a reminder to complete your Best Western stay surveys

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 Canada Aeroplan has once again updated their refund and re-booking policy by extending it to September 30:

Aeroplan flight rewards booked through September 30, 2021, can be changed or cancelled free of charge, at any time.  Members can cancel free of charge and receive all of their points back in their account, plus a full refund of any associated taxes, fees and charges on the unused value of travel. For changes, members will pay only the difference in points, or receive a partial refund if their new itinerary requires fewer points. In addition, a difference in taxes, fees and charges may apply when changing an itinerary.

Earn up to 10,000 bonus AeroMexico Club Premier Points with just one Choice Hotels stay

 

Here’s an offer that has the potential to provide a lot of value – AeroMexico’s Club Premier is offering bonus points for stays at Choice Hotels. I should rephrase that – for a single stay and if you have never stayed at a Choice Hotel before you’ll get the big bonus of 10,000 Club Premier points. That’s right 10,000 points for a simple one night stay and with Choice Hotels having a lot of budget locations you could complete a very cheap stay to earn those points. Now, 10,000 points isn’t enough for a flight on its own but it gets close – when we just check one way flights within Mexico were going for as low as 12,000 points  and one way flights within North America (we checked Toronto to New York City) were available at 22,000 points. Ideally then this offer is for adding extra points or topping off your Club Premier account. If you don’t utilize Club Premier and don’t think you’ll earn any more points beyond a stay like this then no need to bother.

Receive a 40% discount on AeroMexico Club Premier business class award tickets out of Canada for travel until the end of June (Book by Jan 8)

 

The following would be a speculative booking in my mind but for the next two days AeroMexico is offering its Club Premier members 40% off business class award tickets from the three Canadian cities they serve. Those cities are Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. If you have enough Club Premier points for the redemption and feel like you would want to travel to Mexico City by June this may be an offer to check out. Beware aof ny travel regulations that you need to follow and also beware those regulations may change by the time of your actual flights. 

May 4 Update: Today only earn 10% or more cash back with Rakuten, Air Canada launches CleanCare+, AeroMexico extends elite status

Today only you can earn 10% or more cash back with 26 retailers via the Rakuten portal (eBates.ca). Find out more here. (This is our referral link - if you are not a member yet you'll get $5 when you spend $25 or more using this link) Here are just some of the retailers available:

Images via Rakuten

Air Canada announced the launch of CleanCare+ today that Air Canada describes as " a comprehensive program for personal safety and enhanced aircraft grooming to provide customers greater peace of mind during all stages of travel." Here are the main points of this program:

• Mandatory pre-flight customer temperature checks, the first in the Americas
• More personal space in Economy Class at least until June 30, 2020
• Personal care kits containing disinfectant and safety items
• Electrostatic cabin spraying to reinforce aircraft grooming protocols 
• Revised food product minimizing crew and passenger contact
• Customer face-coverings and employee Personal Protective Equipment now mandatory

Learn more about CleanCare+ here.  Source Air Canada

Images via Air Canada

 

For the second month in a row the Miles & More program is not offering any Mileage Bargain offers for flights out of Canada but they do have some out of the U.S. for travel in late August and through September. Find out more here.

Hotel occupancy rates in Canada for the week of April 19-25 was around 15%. This is a slight increase from the 12 or so percent we saw over the few weeks prior. However compare this to 2019 where the week has occupancy rates of 76.9%. (Source HNN)

AeroMexico is extending status for elite members in their Club Premier programs. All members who achieved status via flying in 2019 will have their 2020 status extended by 12 months. Find out more here.

Image via AeroMexico

Airline Schedule Updates
This will now be a standard feature for the foreseeable future in our daily update posts as we summarize 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!

AeroMexico wants to restart service between Vancouver and Mexico City later this week with 2x weekly service. (Source RoutesOnline)

Air India has set May 18 as the date to relaunch their Toronto-Delhi daily service (Source RoutesOnline)

Copa Airlines looks to be planning to restart service between Toronto and Panama City on July 3 with 2x weekly service (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.
Other resources on Rewards Canada to help you make the most of your points and miles right now:

• Shifting your loyalty program strategy to help during these trying and tough financial times
  
• In light of what's going on in the world should you shift to a cash back credit card instead of a travel card? Why not a card that has both?
  
• Use Instacart to circumvent Loblaw stores non-acceptance of Amex and to earn 5x points with the Cobalt Card

Posts since our last update:

• Offer extended on the Scotia Momentum VISA Infinite card - 10% back for first three months & first year free
  The popular limited time offer of 10% cash back for the  Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card has been extended…
• May 1 Update: 50,000 Bonus PC Optimum purchases for Beauty Boutique purchases of $150+, new Wayfair Amex Offer and Amex increases contactless payment limit to $250
  Another PC Optimum bonus is available for shopping online this weekend. Spend $150 or more online with Shopper's Beauty…

Deals:

Travelzoo and Cape Mudge Resort on B.C.'s Quadra Island are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers for 2 night stays starting at $179 each for May 2021 or $229 each for summer stays in 2020 or 2021. Find out more here. 

Hello Fresh: save $65 in total, including free shipping on the first box! Find out more here.

Missfresh: Simplify your life with 45% off your first 2 consecutive orders with code SIMPLIFY45. Find out more here.

Enjoy up to 25% off for stays at Radisson Hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. Find out more here Book by May 10 for stays June 10 – August 31, 20

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

Avianca LifeMiles
- 2,500 Bonus LifeMiles when you rent with Thrifty for 1 or more days in the Americas or Europe. More... Until Dec 31, 20

TAP Air Portugal Victoria
- Earn up to 4x Miles&Go miles when you buy miles online. More... Until May 31, 20

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Triple ROP Miles for stays at participating Anantara Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21
- Triple ROP Miles for stays at participating Avani Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21



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May 29 Update: 30% discount on AeroMexico award tickets out of Calgary, MBNA news & Where is Ampli?

Where is Ampli? It's been nearly a year since RBC and WestJet sent out a hyped press release about a joint loyalty platform they were making called Ampli. Per the release it was due to "debut later this year" which meant sometime in 2018. Well it appears it is almost here, apparently the app is being beta tested at this time and according to their website should be in full release this summer. It does appear they have gone away from being points based per the press release and have moved to a cash back reward. Now it really reminds me of Drop Rewards and app based loyalty programs out there. Find out more here.

AeroMexico is offering a 30% discount on Club Premier award tickets between Mexico City and Calgary. It is only on their Mexican site in Spanish but getting the terms and conditions translated I couldn't find any terms stating it is only for Mexican members or that travel must originate in Mexico City. Wouldn't hurt to try calling Club Premier if you are a memebr looking to redeem your points on their flights out of YYC to see if you can get the 30% discount. Find out more here (in Spanish)

Have you been considering getting the MBNA Rewards World Elite or Platinum Plus credit card? Wait until next week if you have been.

Rewards Canada is now on Flipboard https://flipboard.com/@RewardsCanada

Posts since our last update:

• Canadian American Express Cards will lose non-lounge benefits from their Priority Pass Memberships
  If you happen to read any non-Canadian based points and miles blogs you may have seen the news yesterday…
• NOW LIVE: IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks – 162 Hotels (6 in Canada) for only 5,000 to 15,000 points per night until August 31, 19
  The latest IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks hotels are now available for booking! We didn’t get any previews this time…
• Marriott Bonvoy American Express cards see welcome bonus drop to 50,000 points
  As of today both the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card see…

Travel Deals

IHG Global Sale! Book now and save up to 20% at thousands of IHG® Hotels & Resorts worldwide when you book between now and July 31st.! Full details

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points or Airline Miles for Sun-Thu stays at the Best Western Valley Plaza Inn Midland. More... Until Jul 31, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- 500 Bonus Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at Accor Hotels in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden or the United Kingdom. More... Book by Jun 14 for stays Jul 12 - Sep 1, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 5,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per stay including a Sunday night at the London Heathrow Marriott Hotel. More... Until Aug 4, 19

SriLankan FlySmiles
- Double FlySmiles when you fly in Business Class on SriLankan between Colombo and Bangkok More... Book by Jun 13 for travel until Jul 13, 19

Voila Hotel Rewards
- Triple VHR Points & Double Elite Status Credit for every stay completed at a participating VOILÀ hotel Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 19

Wyndham Rewards
- Double Wyndham Rewards Points on up to five qualifying stays at Wyndham Rewards Hotels. More... Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone Until Sep 5, 19




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February 26 Update: A WestJet kind of week, AeroMexico ending YYC service, 500 bonus Aeroplan Miles for Fairmont stays

I'm going to give you a warning - this is going to be a WestJet heavy week on Rewards Canada. As you may have already seen we launched a new exclusive offer with them for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard today, full details of which can be found here. There is some news coming from them tomorrow which we'll cover and then as we mentioned last week, there will be a big announcement from them on Wednesday. So yes this will be WestJet kind of week on Rewards Canada.

AeroMexico is ending their Calgary to Mexico City service this April. The flight has only lasted about a year however they are partnered with WestJet and WestJet is going to start flying that route. If you have tickets booked for after the end date there is the likelihood you'll be protected and AeroMexico will put you onto WestJet since they are partners. (Source RoutesOnline)

Posts since our last update:

• Rewards Canada Exclusive offer for the WestJet RBC® World Elite Mastercard‡
  We are excited to provide Rewards Canada readers with another exclusive offer for the RBC WestJet World Elite Mastercard!  You…
• Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - February Edition
  One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of the systemwide bonuses…

Travel Deals
Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- 500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for stays on the Fairmont Suite Moments package at participating Fairmont Hotels in the Americas. More... Book by Apr 30 for stays until Jun 30, 18

Other Bonus Offers
China Airlines Dynasty Flyer
- Triple Dynasty Flyer Miles for Avis rentals of 3 or more days in USA (exclude Alaska), Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. More... Book by Mar 31 for rentals until Apr 30, 18

Delta SkyMiles
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus SkyMiles with join and dine with SkyMiles dining. More... Until May 31, 18

Etihad Guest
- 500 Bonus Guest Miles for stays on the Fairmont Suite Moments package at participating Fairmont Hotels in the Americas. More... Book by Apr 30 for stays until Jun 30, 18

Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings
- 500 Bonus Fortune Wings Points when you join the Fortune Wings program. More... Ongoing

Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass
- 300 Bonus Travel Pass Points for stays of 2 or more nights Sun-Thu at the Royal Sonesta New Orleans. More... Until Dec 29, 18



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December 6 Update: Best Western promo update, 50% off British Airways award tickets out of Canada, double Club Premier points between Calgary & Mexico City

As a follow up to our post on Best Western's new systemwide promotion that provides a $10 Gift Card for each stay where we mentioned that we were unsure of the value of the card for currencies outside of the U.S.. We reached out to BW and they told us it would be the equivalent of US$10, so for Canadian BW Rewards members you will get a gift card of roughly C$13 for each stay.

British Airways launched a 50% discount offer for redeeming for select award flights to/from London Heathrow or Gatwick and their Canadian destinations are included. The 50% even works on their off-peak award rates that are see cities like Toronto and Montreal which are normally 26,000 Avios off-peak drop to 13,000 Avios round trip.

 While it may seem like a steal in most cases it isn't. We looked at some options and while it is only 13,000 Avios Round Trip between YYZ and LHR you also have to pay just over $600 in taxes and fees. To buy the same tickets out right ranged from $680 to $780 so the points are only saving you ~$50 to $150. Not a great value. Where it might come handy however is for one way flights - these are notoriously more expensive to buy with just cash and utilizing Avios plus some cash for taxes and fees can save you some money. Of course we just had the 25% transfer bonus from Amex to BA earlier this fall and right now you can transfer RBC Rewards Points to BA with a 30% bonus so these can definitely help bring out more value during this 50% off sale.

Here are the one way amounts for off-peak flights out of Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver

Toronto-London

Calgary-London

Montreal-London

Vancouver-London

Look at this way, a one-way flight in Economy from Toronto to London is only 6,500 Avios. That equates to as little as $2,600 ($3,250 without the transfer bonus) in spending on a card like the American Express Gold Rewards card or $5,000 ($6,500 without the transfer bonus) on the RBC Visa Infinite Avion card. It is almost unheard of to get a one way flight to the U.K. for that little amount of spending or points!


We're going to keep this reminder going in each update until Christmas:
Check out the Give A Mile Flight Hero campaign! The charity can really use donations of miles to help provide flights to those who otherwise would be unable to travel to visit terminally ill or critically sick family and friends. Rewards Canada has pledged to raise 100,000 miles and we are half way there! We are putting the call out to all of our fans, readers and even new visitors, if you can give please do so. It can be as little as 1,000 miles! You can find out more and donate here.




Posts since our last update:

• Delta and WestJet agree to form joint venture - to include reciprocal elite member benefits!
  WestJet and Delta have announced a plan to further enhance their partnership by forming a joint venture for trans-border…
• Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for December
  Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of December! This is not…

Travel Deals

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- Double Club Premier Points when you fly between Mexico City and Calgary More... Until Jan 31, 18

American AAdvantage
- 20% Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you convert Diners Club Club Rewards points to American AAdvantage More... Canadian Residents only Until Dec 31, 17

British Airways Executive Club
- 50% Avios Discount when you redeem for select award flights from Canada to London Heathrow or London Gatwick. More... Book by Dec 17 for travel Jan 4 - Jun 30, 18


Other Bonus Offers
Aegean Miles&Bonus
- 30% Miles&Bonus Discount on select award tickets within Greece and between Greece and Europe, the Middle East or Africa. More... Until Feb 28, 18

AeroMexico Club Premier
- Double Club Premier Points when you fly between Mexico City and Nuevo Laredo, San Luis Potosi, Reynosa, Calgary, Portland, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai or Tokyo; Monterrey and Chihuahua, Puebla, Queretaro or San Luis Potosi; Atlanta and Queretaro, Guadalajara, Merida or Monterrey More... Until Jan 31, 18
- Double Club Premier Points for stays at Best Western hotels in Mexico. More... Until Dec 31, 17
- Triple Club Premier Points for stays at participating NH hotels in Mexico. More... Until Dec 31, 17

American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 120,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you buy or gift 10,000 or more miles. More... Until Jan 4, 17

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Triple KrisFlyer Miles for stays at Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Jan 31 for stays until Feb 15, 18

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