January 9 Update: Throwback to 2007 reward flight comparisons, Air Canada rouge to offer summer seasonal Calgary-London, ON service, Aer Lingus spring seat sale

Throwback Thursday!
Earlier today we provided you with details on our feature about what airline and hotel programs you can earn miles and points with with Canadian credit cards. In the update post I provided a screen shot of what the chart looked like way back in 2005 and got me thinking I should do the occasional throwback Thursday here on the blog. The first thing I thought of was these charts I used to publish comparing what award tickets cost in miles for Canadians across a bunch of frequent flyer programs. These charts came out in 2006 and that was the time when many of the SkyTeam airlines were your best bet for getting from Canada to Hawaii for the least amount of miles possible! And guess what - you can still access the chart here (hasn't been updated since 2007 as the upkeep was intense due to constant changes in mileage amounts from so many programs)

Air Canada is finally bringing their Calgary to London Ontario summer seasonal service to fruition. The flights will operate daily with a Rouge A319 from June 24 to October 15. (Source RoutesOnline)

Posts since our last update:

• Fly round trip from Canada to Fiji for only 40,000 miles with Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan redemption special
  As soon as this offer came out yesterday it quickly made the rounds on the frequent flyer blogs and…
• Earn 500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on all Best Western stays until April 30
  We have been without an Aeroplan Best Western bonus offer for a whopping 22 days! Normally when one offer ends…
• January 6 Update: 10% Bonus Asia Miles when you convert credit card points from RBC, HSBC or Amex, More Cobalt multiplier locations, Air Transat partnership
  Cathay Pacific Asia Miles has released a 10% bonus offer for transferring credit cards points into Asia Miles. This…

Travel Deals

Aer Lingus has launched a spring seat sale for their flights out of Toronto. Fares start $544 all in for round trip flights to Dublin. Book by January 29 for travel April 6 - June 9, 2020.. Find out more here.

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
- 1,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you rent with Avis at participating locations in the U.S. and Canada. More... For U.S. and Canadian residents only Until Feb 29, 20

Other Bonus Offers

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Mileage Plan Miles when you rent for 2+ days on a weekly or weekend rental at participating Hertz locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico More... Until Mar 31, 20
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Mileage Plan Miles when you shop online via the Mileage Plan Shopping portal. More... Until Jan 14, 20

American AAdvantage
- Double AAdvantage Miles when you rent for 2+ days on a weekly or weekend rental at participating Hertz locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. More... Until Mar 31, 20

Hilton Honors
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Honors points for stays at participating Hilton Hotels Worldwide. More... Targeted offer - may not work for everyone Until Dec 31, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 5,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points when you stay 2+ nights over the weekend (Friday or Saturday required) a the Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. More... Until Mar 8, 20

Radisson Rewards
- 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points plus receive up to 25% off weekend stays at participating Radisson Hotels in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. More... Book by Jan 31 for stays until Dec 31, 20

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points when you book the new family room on the Flexible Rate at the Shangri-La Hotel, Qinhuangdao. More... Until Apr 30, 20


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May 30 Update: 100 Bonus AIR MILES at Rexall, More Rewards Points Extravaganza & $100 off Aer Lingus flights to Europe

Another AIR MILES bonus offer for those shopping at Rexall! 100 bonus miles for spending $50 or more this weekend. No coupon required.

Aeroplan is sending out targeted emails to members for bonus miles to shop at Home Hardware. If you haven't shopped at HH lately there is a good chance you'll get the offer.

More Rewards is having a More Points Extravaganza for shopping at Save On Foods! Lots of bonuses to be had including 5,000 bonus points when you spend $200 or more. Find out more here.

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

Posts since our last update:

• British Airways Executive Club's new Avios redemption rates for partner airlines
  Late in April we brought you the details of changes coming to the British Airways Executive Club program.  The…
• Etihad Airways Business Class sale from Toronto to India, Pakistan & UAE - fares start at C$2353
  Etihad Airways has launched a new business class sale for travel out of Toronto and the fares are quite…
• Hotel Review: Candlewood Suites West Edmonton - Mall Area
  Another Bill W  review for you! Bill is a true road warrior, his work has him driving and flying…

Travel Deals

Receive $100* off any round trip scheduled transatlantic flight from Aer Lingus' Toronto gateway to select European destinations! Book by Jun 11 for travel Aug 1 - Oct 31. Find out more here.

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

Copa ConnectMiles
- Double ConnectMiles when you rent a car at participating Alamo locations. More... Until Jul 31, 19
- Double ConnectMiles when you rent a car at participating National locations. More... Until Jul 31, 19

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles for stays of 3 or more nights at participating Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Full details & online booking Book by Jun 30 for stays until Sep 30, 19
- Receive up to a 25% Discount when you buy or gift Skywards Miles. More... Until Jun 10, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 5,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 3 or more nights at the W Costa Rica - Reserva Conchal. More... Until Jul 12 , 19
- 5,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 3 or more nights at the Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay. More... Until Jul 5 , 19
- 5,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 2+ nights at the at the Courtyard San Diego Mission Valley/Hotel Circle. More... Until Jun 23, 19

TAP Portugal Victoria
- Earn up to 3,000 Miles&Go Miles for stays at the Pestana Churchill Bay. More... Until Jul 31, 19

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- 50% ROP Miles Discount when you redeem for select award flights within Thailand. More... Until Sep 30, 19


Follow Rewards Canada:

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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.

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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