Air Canada Aeroplan's Status Pass benefit is officially here

 
Air Canada Aeroplan has formally rolled out the Status Pass feature that was announced last year as part of the new Aeroplan program. This feature allows Aeroplan 50K Elite Status and higher members to share some elite benefits with friends and family who are not travelling with them.

Aeroplan Elite Status to be wound down in 2020

Word is out now that Aeroplan's Elite Status program will be winding down in 2020 and as of January 2020 you'll no longer be able to qualify for Aeroplan status. That gives you one and half months to rack up as many qualifying miles as possible if you had intentions of hitting anyone of the Aeroplan status levels of Silver, Black or Diamond.

If you have already, or will qualify for one of the status levels by December 31 you will continue to enjoy the benefits of those levels until mid-2020 when the newly revamped Air Canada program launches. At that time several of the benefits will no longer be available, specifically:

• Market Fare Flight Reward Discounts
• Preferential Rates on Flight Reward Fees

Here are all the benefits associated with the Aeroplan Status program:

This change should have been anticipated with Aeroplan being brought back in house to Air Canada. In reality why would you want to run two separate elite status programs? Air Canada has Altitude, the main elite status program for the airline and Mark Nasr has already alluded to potentially offering some sort of elite status benefits with their credit cards in the future so the best guess is that will be the road to elite status for the frequent spender who is a non-frequent flyer.

Sources: Aeroplan / Reddit
 

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Great new offer for the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card - Up to 30,000 bonus miles & first year free

 

TD has just released one of the richest offers to date for their TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card! The new offer that is available here and only some other select digital channels (it will go live with TD in March) provides an awesome welcome bonus of up to 30,000 Aeroplan Miles and a first year annual fee rebate for the primary card.

The 30,000 Aeroplan Miles welcome bonus is split as 15,000 miles upon your first purchase and another 15,000 miles when you spend $1,000 on the card within the first 90 days of opening your account. For most people this shouldn't be too hard as that will equate to $333.33 in spending per month.

Here is just a small example what 30,000 Aeroplan Miles can get you:

• 2 round trip economy class short haul flights in Canada & Continental USA
• 1 round trip or 2 one way economy class long haul flights in Canada & Continental USA 
• 1 one way economy class ticket from Canada to Hawaii, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, South America or Europe
• 1 round trip business class short haul flight in Canada & Continental USA
• 1 one way business class long haul flights in Canada & Continental USA, or to Mexico, Caribbean or Central America

If you meet the minimum income requirements for this card I would most definitely recommend getting it as it 30,000 Aeroplan Miles for no cost other than $1,000 in spending is an amazing deal. On average we value Aeroplan miles at a minimum of 1.8 cents each which would make the 30,000 miles worth no less than $540. This is now one of the richest card offers out there! You have until June 2 to jump on this card as that is posted end date for the offer.

Finally here are all the details of the current offer and the card itself:



Disclaimer: 
Our goal at RewardsCanada.ca is to present readers with reliable financial advice and product choices that will help you achieve your financial goals. Rewards Canada receives compensation from some companies issuing financial products, like credit cards and bank accounts, that appear on this site. Unless a post is clearly marked “Sponsored”, however, products mentioned in editorial articles and reviews are based on the author’s subjective assessment of their value to readers, not compensation. For full details and current product information click the Apply now link / learn more link. 

Sponsored advertising. The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on any TD product, please visit the TD site.

Air Canada completes acquisition of Aeroplan - miles will transfer 1:1 and Amex remains in the mix

As we mentioned yesterday, Aimia shareholders approved the purchase of their Canadian division by Air Canada and we now have confirmation that the transaction is complete. Air Canada officially owns Aeroplan once again and they give us some but not many details of what can be expected:

• Aeroplan Miles will convert 1:1 to the new Air Canada program
• Altitude Status and privileges remain unchanged for customers
• Credit card loyalty program and network agreements finalized with TD, CIBC and Visa Canada for future participation in Air Canada's loyalty program
• Agreement in principle entered into with American Express for its continued participation in Air Canada's loyalty program post 2020.

The big question remains is what value will the new Air Canada program bring. Will they devalue the Aeroplan program as we know or will they keep it the same. This sooner Air Canada reveals this the better, that is if the program will remain relatively the same or better. Of course if they are going to make it worse don't expect them to announce anything until well into Q4 or even into 2020. That being said I don't think there will be major changes on the redemption side. People are worried about the redemption side but the new Air Canada program still has a huge amount of competition, primarily on the economy class front and that is where most people redeem there miles in the current Aeroplan program. You have AIR MILES, RBC Avion, CIBC Aventura, BMO Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, More Rewards, and the list goes on for companies and programs that compete for the biggest chunk of the pie of collectors. If the Air Canada program devalued economy class redemptions they would stand to lose out to all those proprietary credit card programs, coalition programs and even WestJet Rewards. Where Air Canada will probably look to recoup some of the money they are spending will be on premium redemptions like business and first class flights. They have less competition here albeit WestJet is up and coming in that department. If any devaluations were to happen I would guess it would be on these premium redemption options but even if that happens it can't be major or even happen for the first couple of years. Air Canada doesn't want to anger their elite members who are their biggest revenue generators. AC already angered them with the announcement of the new program, hence AC reaching out to 30,000 members and learning the following:

"Air Canada has undertaken extensive consultations with more than 30,000 customers to identify key program attributes. Customers expressed their strong preference to use their Aeroplan Miles in the new Air Canada loyalty program"

They realized they needed to buy Aeroplan to appease those high end customers.  These members have huge Aeroplan balances and they were not happy they would have to start from zero in the new program and have a lot miles in a program that potentially wouldn't let them redeem for the flights they wanted. So why would Air Canada anger them all over again by jumping into a big devaluation on the redemption side.

They do say in their press release that they will still have the best reward value for Air Canada flights, but they don't say for what fare class and in reality most of its competitors that do offer access to Air Canada will primarily only do so for economy class. Let's see if that will be the case!

With all this being said I predict the biggest change in the new program will be Air Canada going to true revenue based earning when flying on paid tickets. That is, you earn a certain amount of miles per dollar spent on a ticket just like we have seen from United, American, Delta, and countless other programs - even WestJet is revenue based. Base members will earn something like 5 miles per dollar spent and the various elite members earning 7 to 11 miles per dollar. This is where the main devaluation can happen in the program.

For more details and continued updates we recommend reading and bookmarking Air Canada's dedicated site for the new loyalty program.

For more details and a complete timeline on the story visit "The Air Canada Aeroplan Saga - All the resources you need"

30% Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you convert hotel loyalty program points until August 20

We see the return of another Aeroplan conversion bonus! Last seen in Spring, the hotel only transfer bonus is back and this time it's back up to the 30% level which is still lower than the flat 35% seen in July 2017. You have the make sure that you transfer enough hotel points to earn 5,000 Aeroplan Miles to get the 30% bonus. You'll have until August 20 to make any transfers and the 5,000 miles can be cumulative from multiple hotel programs - this is a good way to use up some of those orphaned hotel points you may never use if you are a frequent Aeroplan redeemer.

Most of Aeroplan's hotel partners are participating in the promotion so you can convert from any of the following to add to your final tally.

You'll notice IHG Rewards Club returns as a conversion partner. Many moons ago you could convert IHG Rewards Club points to Aeroplan but that was nixed when the IHG Rewards Club Mastercards were launched by Capital One here in Canada. Now that those cards are longer around, Aeroplan has renegotiated a new contract with IHG and the conversion option has returned!

You'll also notice that the best transfer option from past promotions, Marriott & SPG are not included this time so this promotion really only makes sense if you have points sitting in other hotel programs that you may never use or are about to expire so that you actually get some value out of them!

Offer details
30% Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you convert Hotel loyalty programs points to Aeroplan Miles.  Click here for full details Until Aug 20, 18

Hotel partner loyalty programs eligible for this promotion are: IHG Rewards Club, Best Western Rewards, Choice Privileges, Coast Rewards, Radisson Rewards, Hilton Honors, Le Club Accorhotels (Accor hotels), Golden Circle Award (Shangri‑La), Wyndham Rewards.

The total amount of miles received from the conversion of hotel loyalty program points into Aeroplan miles must be greater than or equal to 5,000 Aeroplan Miles in order to be eligible to receive the 30% bonus. 

Find many more Aeroplan bonus offers here

January 26 Update: SkyTeam Alliance Travel Hack, Avis bonus for Aeroplan Distinction members, Hilton introduces new hotel brand

Relatively quiet day compared to yesterday...

News, Tips & Tricks
Check out our potentially lucrative travel hack for flights on SkyTeam Alliance airlines. If it works and on paper (well websites) it does, it could be huge...  Find out more here.

Hilton Hotels has announced a new mid-scale hotel brand that will be launching later this year in the U.S. but will eventually come to Canada as well. The new brand is called Tru by Hilton. The brand already has 102 hotels signed on and 30 more in the works. Find out more here.

Tru by Hilton's innovative features include:

• The Hive, a first floor experience that's more than a lobby - 2,770 square-feet of open space with unique ways for guests to engage with others or spend time alone - in one of four distinct zones for lounging, working, eating or playing.
• The Play Zone, filled with table games, a large-screen TV (featuring DIRECTV), and tiered, stadium-inspired seating.
• A centrally located Command Center - a re-envisioned front desk - featuring a social media wall with real-time content to foster engagement among guests, and a 24/7 market offering fun snacks and refreshments, single-serve wine and beer*, healthy light meal options and sundries for purchase.
• A complimentary "Build Your Own" breakfast consisting of a toppings bar with 30 sweet and savory items allowing guests to customize bagels, donuts, Greek yogurt and oatmeal to satisfy their taste buds and cravings.
• Smart and efficiently designed guest rooms full of the things that matter most - all-white comfortable platform beds, 55" TVs, eight-foot wide windows, access to power everywhere, and surprisingly spacious bathrooms.
• A fitness center that defines wellness trends, rather than follows them, with a concept focused on cardio, strength and flexibility.
• A technology-forward mentality featuring segment-leading complimentary Wi-Fi bandwidth allowing guests to download and stream content on their devices, plentiful power sources, and mobile check-in, room selection and Digital Key available through the Hilton HHonors mobile app.
• A collaboration with DIRECTV, offering guests more than 150 channels, like they have at home.
• Rooms and linens cleaned by P&G Professional's (NYSE: PG) top hospitality brands, including Tide® Professional^TM, Swiffer® Professional^TM and Febreze® Professional^TM to help enhance the guest experience and drive operational efficiencies.
• A brand personality that's full of life with a spirited culture grounded in a thoughtful, reliable and unflappable approach to guest service.

Posts since our last update:

• Potential to get a short haul SkyTeam flight for three cheap car rentals. Who's up for trying?
  Alright, full disclosure upfront. We have not tried this ourselves but while updating Garuda Indonesia bonuses for our GarudaMiles page…
• China Airlines Dynasty Flyer: 3,747 Bonus Miles when flying in premium economy between Vancouver and Taipei
  China Airlines has launched a new bonus for its Dynasty Flyer members flying between Taipei and Vancouver. If you…

Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Quadruple Aeroplan Miles for Avis rentals of 3 or more days in Canada and the U.S. More... Valid for Aeroplan Silver, Black or Diamond Distinction status only. Until Mar 31, 16

Delta SkyMiles (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus SkyMiles when you join the SkyMiles Dining program. More... Until Mar 31, 16

Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to 100% Bonus GarudaMiles when you fly on Garuda Indonesia between Balikpapan or Medan and Jeddah; Denpasar and Shanghai as well as select domestic routes. More... Jan 29 - Feb 28, 16
- Earn up to 100% Bonus GarudaMiles when you fly on Garuda Indonesia during the Lunar New Year. More... Feb 5 - 8, 16
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus GarudaMiles when you book hotels via Kaligo. More... Until Feb 29, 16
- 5,000 Bonus GarudaMiles when you rent a car via Rentalcars.com. More... Until Mar 31, 16

IHG Rewards Club
- Up to 75% bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you buy points online. Targeted offer - may not work for everyone. More... Until Feb 15, 16

Le Club accorhotels
- Earn up to Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in France. More... Book by Feb 29 for stays until Mar 31, 16

Stash Hotel Rewards
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays at the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. More... Until Mar 31, 16
- Triple Stash Rewards Points for stays on the Winter Escape Package at the Caribe Royale Orlando. More... Until Mar 20, 16
- Triple Stash Rewards Points for stays on the Newport Family Adventure package at the Hotel Viking Newport. More... Until Mar 31, 16
- Triple Stash Rewards Points for stays at the Cooper Hotel Conference Center & Spa Dallas. More... Until May 31, 16
- Triple Stash Rewards Points and $25 dining credit for stays at The Resort at Port Ludlow. More... Feb 1 - 29, 16

Win 2 Tickets to the Aeroplan dExclusives "An Evening with Rod Stewart" in Toronto - Courtesy of Aeroplan & Rewards Canada

We're proud to team up once again with Aeroplan to offer our readers another contest! Aeroplan wants to give one lucky Rewards Canada reader two tickets to their "An Evening with Rod Stewart" in Toronto on November 16th. This evening with Rod Stewart is not a full on concert but rather a 45 minute Q&A session with Rod and him performing two songs.  See this auction page for complete details!

If you don't enter or win, you can still redeem Aeroplan miles for this event that is limited to 350 people via the Aeroplan dExclusives benefit for Aeroplan Distinction members. You can redeem 40,000 Aeroplan miles for the same two tickets we are giving away or 80,000 to include a meet & greet with Rod! (the latter only has 2 remaining tickets)

What are dExclusives?

• Last year Aeroplan introduced the dExclusives benefit of its new tiered recognition program ‘Distinction’ that rewards its top accumulating members based on total Aeroplan Miles earned across all coalition partners including airline, travel, retail and financial card partners.
•  Aeroplan Distinction members can bid, using their Aeroplan Miles, on a wide variety of one-of-a-kind rewards specially designed around member’s interests. The dExclusives rewards are offered exclusively online at www.aeroplan.com/dExclusives.
• A Canadian loyalty first, dExclusives offer everything from access to professional sporting events, tickets to sold out concerts and once–in-a-lifetime trips that are curated to offer some of the highest quality products and some of the most in demand experiences from around the world. dExclusives rewards include:

• Escapes – Once-in-a-lifetime trips such as a trip to the World soccer championships in Brazil, and weekend getaways, such as a trip to the PGA Championship or a wine-tasting weekend in Napa Valley.
• In the City – Amazing tickets to some of the best events in town such as: Sold-out concerts or exclusive access to sporting events.
•  Money Can’t Buy – Building on Aeroplan’s Money Can’t Buy reward category, members can bid on a variety of truly priceless, highly coveted items such as a customized guitar signed by a musical artist

Now on to the fun part! The contest portion! To enter the contest for a chance to win 2 tickets to  Aeroplan dExclusives "An Evening with Rod Stewart" in Toronto you must do the following:

Comment below on what your ultimate bucket list Aeroplan redemption would be or has been? It could something as simple as that iPad you want to grab for your child this Christmas or business class flights to Asia or one of the one-of-a-kind dExclusives rewards!

Please note Flights and/or hotel are NOT included - only the two tickets to the actual event on November 16, 2015
The contest closes on Wednesday November 4th, 2015 at 11:59pm MST! Limit 1 entry per person Winner will be determined by random draw from all eligible entries received. Void where prohibited.  No purchase necessary. 

July 15 Update: Amex AeroplanPlus cards Distinction eligible, PointsHound 1st Booking Bonus, Best Western AAA/CAA bonus

Lots of great deals to bring your way today!

News, Tips & Tricks

American Express® AeroplanPlus®* Platinum Card / American Express® AeroplanPlus®*Gold Card is no longer available as of August 26th, 2020. For more information, please visithttps://www.americanexpress.com/ca/en/credit-cards/aeroplan-cards/

Over on our global site, FrequentFlyerBonuses.com we have an exclusive Flash Offer with PointsHound.com where you can earn 1,000 bonus points/miles on your first in the PointsHound partner program of your choice! Stays must be booked by July 17. Find out more here.

In the bonus offers section check out the new AAA/CAA offer from Best Western Rewards. Definitely a decent offer to take advantage of for your BW stays during the remainder of the summer.

Bonus Offers
Best Western Rewards
- 1,500 Bonus Rewards for AAA/CAA Best Western Rewards M embers who book the AAA/CAA qualified rate on bestwestern.com for stays at Best Western Hotels Worldwide. More...Until Sep 1, 14

Hyatt Gold Passport
- 5,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points for stays in a Grand Executive Suite at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok More... Until Sep 30, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points for stays at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok More... Until Sep 30, 14

La Quinta Returms
- Earn up to Triple Returns Points for stays at participating La Quinta locations in the U.S. More... Until Aug 7, 14

Le Club accorhotels
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Accor hotels in the Asia Pacific region. More... Until Nov 1, 14
- Earn up to Quadruple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Accor hotels in Austria. More... Until Aug 31, 14

Miles & More
- Double Miles & More Miles for stays at Best Western hotels in Germany and Luxembourg. More... Until Aug 31, 14
- Double Miles & More Miles for stays at Leonardo Hotels in Europe.More... Until Jul 31, 14
- Double Miles & More Miles on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. Bonus also awarded on 3rd and 4th stays. More... Until Sep 5, 14
- Double Miles & More Miles on all Hertz rentals Worldwide. More... Book by Jul 31 for rentals until Sep 30, 14

Philippine Airlines Mabuhay
- Double Mabuhay Miles on all eligible Etihad Airways Worldwide. More... Sep 1 - Oct 31, 14

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 7,500 bonus Flying Club miles when you fly round trip on Virgin Atlantic in Upper Class between the U.K and the Caribbean. More... Register by Sep 1 for travel Sep 1 - Dec 31, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Aeroplan introduces dExclusives rewards for Distinction members - tell us which one you like for a chance to win 5,000 Aeroplan Miles!

Yesterday Aeroplan announced and launched the latest benefit for its Distinction members, dExclusives. What is dExclusives? It is an new reward option that will allow Distinction members to bid on or redeem Aeroplan miles on a wide variety of one-of-a-kind rewards.  This new reward option reminds us of SPG's Moments where you bid Starpoints on similar money can't buy experiences and is the first to be offered by a Canadian based loyalty program. This definitely can be a good reward option for those members who have more miles than they know what to do with, especially on the high end items like the FIFA World Cup or Grand Slam Tennis final offers!

From yesterday's press release:

dExclusives will offer everything from access to professional sporting events, tickets to sold out concerts and once–in-a-lifetime trips that are curated to offer some of the highest quality products and  some of the most in demand experiences from around the world.  dExclusives rewards include:

Escapes – Once-in-a-lifetime trips such as a trip to the world soccer championships in Brazil, and weekend getaways, such as a trip to the PGA Championship or a wine-tasting weekend in Napa Valley.

In the City – Amazing tickets to some of the best events in town such as: Sold-out concerts or exclusive access to sporting events. 
Money Can’t Buy – Building on Aeroplan’s Money Can’t Buy reward category, members can bid on a variety of truly priceless, highly coveted items such as a customized guitar signed by musical artists such as Alanis Morissette or Nickelback, or signed sports memorabilia like PK Subban’s autographed Team Canada Olympic jersey from Sochi.
 
Here is how it works:
Browse – Distinction members can check out all the rewards currently available for auction at the dExclusives auction site: www.aeroplan.com/dExclusives.
Bid – Place an entry or maximum bid on the site.
Win – If you’re the highest bidder when the auction closes, you win.  Miles will be automatically debited from your account and you will be contacted by an Aeroplan dExclusives representative about the next steps.

In addition, Distinction members will also have a chance to bid on ‘Redeem Now’ opportunities whereby special rewards will be offered in limited quantities and at a fixed amount of miles, giving members the thrill of accessing their dExclusives reward instantly.

For more information, or to place a bid, please visit www.aeroplan.com/dExclusives


Contest portion!

Now we want to know what auction you would bid on from the current list and/or would items you would like to see in the future! Aeroplan and Rewards Canada have teamed up to see what Rewards Canada readers and subscribers would bid their miles on by having you comment here on the blog. What do you stand to win? One lucky entrant from all the entries on the Rewards Canada blog will be picked at random and awarded 5,000 Aeroplan Miles

Here is how you can enter the contest:
Leave a comment below on what auction you would bid on (you don't actually have to bid, just tell us about the one that interests you the most) and/or tell us what type of items you would like to see in future dExclusives auctions!


The contest closes on Tuesday June 3rd, 2014 at 12:00om NOON MST!  Winner will be determined by random draw from all eligible entries received. Open to Canadian residents over the age of majority. Void where prohibited.  No purchase necessary.  Winner will be required to answer a skill testing question.