Best Ever Bonus for the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card: Earn up to 55,000 RBC Rewards Points!

This is something we like to see!  RBC has decided to bring their flagship card into the game of bigger and better bonuses. So many other issuers have been steadily increasing the offers on their cards - many with their best ever bonuses - and even RBC has done so on their British Airways, Cathay Pacific and WestJet cards. Now, it's the RBC Avion Visa Infinite card's turn. As of today the card has a new welcome bonus of up to 55,000 RBC Rewards points which just happens to be the best ever bonus ever provided for this card.

UPDATE: The Offer page has now been updated! 

March 1 Update: Amex Offer for St. Louis Bar & Grill, Cobalt Card 30,000 point welcome bonus & American AAdvantage does away with 500 mile upgrades

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your near daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more. This update is brought to you by the HSBC World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

One new Amex Offers offer came out this week. For us this time we got it on the Cobalt Card which is great since this is a dining offer however there are no St. Louis Bar & Grill locations in Calgary but maybe if I make up to Edmonton I could utilize it.

Spend at least $50 in qualifying purchases using your registered Card at participating St. Louis Bar & Grill location(s) or at www.stlouiswings.com by 28/05/2022 and earn a one-time $10 statement credit. Registration cap applies. Terms apply.

November 8 Update: Best Western extending status for those who hit a new elite level in 2021, Emirates Vacations launches in Canada & another online shopping bonus

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 World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

 Best Western Rewards is the next hotel chain to offer extensions to their elite status members albeit a modified one. This extension is only for those who have reached a new elite level during 2021. The program has also announced they will be keeping lower requirements to achieve status in the new year. Click here to learn more.

American AAdvantage simplifies and changes how elite status is earned

 
Big changes from American Airlines today in regards to their AAdvantage frequent flyer program. The changes revolve around earning elite status and AA has gone away from the model most airlines have adopted over the past decade or so. Gone are elite qualifying miles, elite qualifying segments and elite qualifying dollars, to be replaced by Loyalty Points. One simple elite qualifier, Loyalty Points are earned on a one to one basis for most AAdvantage miles earned by a member through flying, credit card spend and earning with partners.

World of Hyatt and American AAdvantage fast track to elite tier status in both programs

 World of Hyatt and American AAdvantage have had a long standing partnership that goes beyond your standard hotel-airline earning partnership seen with most programs and today they launched additional opportunities for elite members in both programs to fast track to elite status in the reciprocal program.

June 10 Update: American Airlines extending pause on AAdvantage miles expiry & save 20% on Shangri-La Hotel stays in Toronto and Vancouver

 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 World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 bonus points and no annual fee in the first year! 

American Airlines has further extended their pause for expiring AAdvantage miles. Miles will now be current until December 31, 2021. Learn more here. 

"If your miles are scheduled to expire on or before December 31, 2021, they will now expire in January 2022, if there’s no additional activity in your account before then. You can find the expiration date of your miles in the Wallet section of your AAdvantage® account."

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.

Last chance for buy miles & points bonuses from Air France KLM Flying Blue, American AAdvantage, Hilton Honors & World of Hyatt

 

In just over a day there will be four buy miles and points bonus offers coming to an end. All four of these offers have end dates of December 31 however the Air France KLM Flying Blue offer will end sooner on December 31 since it is based on Central European Time which means you only have until 5:59pm ET to buy those miles if your like. The two that definitely stand out in this list are Hilton's and Hyatt's offers. The Hilton 100% bonus matches a frequent offer from them and is the best offer that comes from them while Hyatt's is close the being their best offer but not quite as good as the 40% bonus we do see from them on occasion. 

December 17 Update: 50,000 bonus PC Optimum points for online purchases, Amex Offer for Casper & American AAdvantage members to receive preferred boarding

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 World Elite Mastercard.

 A day late with this one but it is still good for a few more hours. You can earn 50,000 PC Optimu bonus point (worth $50)s when you spend $150 or more on almost anything online with Shoppers Drug Mart. Find out more here.

Image via Shoppers Drug Mart

December 11 Update: Alaska Airlines reveals oneworld benefits for Mileage Plan elite members, American Airlines to offer Elite Choice Rewards & changes to Avianca's LifeMiles program

 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 World Elite Mastercard.

 
Earlier this week Alaska Airlines revealed what their Elite Mileage Plan members will receive as oneworld tier status in the global alliance. The airline officially joins oneworld on March 31, 2021 and the matching oneworld tier status happens automatically at that time. Here is how the status will line up:

American AAdvantage gifting free miles or upgrades plus offering bonuses on flights

 

Calling all American AAdvantage members! Be sure to log in to your account today and take part in their "It's a Gift! From American, to: AAdvantage Members" promotion. The promotion is giving all members who register for it some free miles, not a lot, 100 to 250 miles or upgrades (but hey it's something and it should keep your account active longer) and also the opportunity to earn double AAdvantage miles on American Airlines flights in January and February. I know the latter promotion will not appeal to many but maybe you are snowbird planning on heading down to the U.S. and are an American Airlines flyer so in that case it may work for you if you haven't booked your flights yet.

October 14 Update: WestJet cuts majority of Atlantic Canada flights, American AAdvantage lowers elite qualifying requirements & Air Canada's U.S. flight schedule for November

 

Some unwelcome news from WestJet today as they have announced that they pulling the majority of their flights from Atlantic Canada. Granted this should have been expected with the Maritimes bubble that prevented most Canadians from travelling to the region. The only city that WestJet will operate to now is Halifax. (Source WestJet)

WestJet announced it will be indefinitely suspending operations to Moncton, Fredericton, Sydney and Charlottetown while significantly reducing service to Halifax and St. John's. The suspension eliminates more than 100 flights weekly or almost 80 percent of seat capacity from the Atlantic region starting November 2.

• Elimination of more than 100 weekly flights or almost 80 percent of seat capacity from the Atlantic region.
• Temporary closure and service to four Atlantic stations (Charlottetown, Moncton, Fredericton and Sydney).
• Halifax seat capacity will be reduced by 70 per cent year over year.
• The Atlantic provinces will retain three routes Halifax-Toronto, Halifax-Calgary and St. John's-Halifax.
• Service between Halifax and Toronto will operate with 14 weekly flights.
• Service between Halifax and St. John's will remain with 11 weekly flights.
• Service between Halifax and Calgary will remain with nine weekly flights.

 American AAdvantage unveiled some welcome news for their members today by offering extra status qualifying time, lowering of miles and spend requirements to earn status, additional reward for Platinum members and more. (Source American Airlines)

• AAdvantage® members will get a head start on earning elite status for 2021 with an extra three months to earn towards elite qualification.

• Members who use AAdvantage credit cards have an additional path to status.

• Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members rewarded for their loyalty with a new rewards menu.

• Elite members now enjoy benefits when traveling on a Basic Economy fare.

Here are the AAdvantage 2021 Tier Requirements:

 

Images via American Airlines

 

 You can earn 40,000 bonus PC Optimum points when you spend $125 or more online with Shoppers Drug Mart until Oct 15. Those 40,000 points are worth $40. Learn more about this offer here.

Airline Schedule Updates
A summary 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!

Air Canada has updated their planned Canada-US flight schedule for November. Service is still limited to three Canadian cities (Source RoutesOnline)
Montreal – Boston 5 weekly Embraer E175
Montreal – Chicago O’Hare 1 daily Embraer E175
Montreal – Newark 2 daily Embraer E175
Montreal – New York LaGuardia 1 daily Embraer E175
Montreal – Orlando 1 daily A320
Toronto – Boston 1 daily Embraer E175
Toronto – Chicago O’Hare 2 daily Embraer E175
Toronto – Fort Lauderdale 2 daily A319/320/321 (including rouge aircraft)
Toronto – Fort Myers 5 weekly A321
Toronto – Las Vegas 2 weekly A320/321
Toronto – Los Angeles 3 weekly 787-8
Toronto – Miami 3 weekly A321
Toronto – Newark 3 daily Embraer E175
Toronto – New York LaGuardia 2 daily Embraer E175
Toronto – Orlando 1 daily rouge A319/321
Toronto – Phoenix 2 weekly A319/320
Toronto – Tampa 2 weekly A321
Toronto – Washington Dulles 1 daily Embraer E175
Toronto – Washington Reagan 1 daily CRJ200
Vancouver – Las Vegas 3 weekly A320
Vancouver – Los Angeles 1 daily A321
Vancouver – Portland OR 1 daily Dash8-Q400
Vancouver – Phoenix 1 daily CRJ900
Vancouver – San Francisco 1 daily A320
Vancouver – Seattle 1 daily Dash8-Q400

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.

 

Posts since our last update:

• Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Calgary reopening on October 15
  Tomorrow will mark the day that Air Canada will re-open their third Maple Leaf Lounge in Canada. Following earlier…
• October 13 Update: The first Radisson Blu Hotel in Canada has opened in Toronto, Air India launching Vancouver-Delhi flights & five new bonus offers
    The first Radisson Blu Hotel in Canada has officially opened its doors. The Radisson Blu Toronto Downtown. This…

Deals:

Air Canada has launched a sun sale for those of you who are ready to escape winter! The offer provides 20% off on all base fares to select sun destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and the U.S.. Book by Oct 16 for travel until Apr 30. Find out more here.

Earn $300 cash when you open a new Scotiabank Ultimate Package! Plus earn Scotia Rewards or SCENE Rewards points. Find out more here.

If you aren't using the Ampli Cash Back app yet you can get $5 when you download the app and join today with promo code AMPLI5 Find out more here

SkipTheDishes - Sign up with this link to get $5 off your first order over $15. Find out more here

WealthSimple Trade:  Receive $5 when you deposit and trade at least $100 worth of stock with WealthSimple Trade. Find out more here (We will also receive $5 when you receive $5)

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

Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Up to 20% off when you buy or gift MilleMiglia miles online. More... Until Dec 31, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per stay at any one of 5 Marriott Hotels in Taipei. More... Until Nov 15, 20

Miles & More
- 1,000 Bonus Miles & More Miles when you make a hotel or car booking with a value of 200EUR or more via Hotels & Cars by Points. More... Book by Oct 31, 20
- 1,000 Bonus Miles & More Miles for every 5 nights you stay at hotels booked via Hotels & Cars by Points. More... Until Mar 31, 21

Red Lion Hello Rewards
- 10 bonus Hello Bucks when you complete stays at participating Red Lion hotels across the US and Canada. More... Book by Oct 22 for stays until Nov 15, 20

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Triple KrisFlyer Miles when you rent a car with Hertz for 5 or more days in in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand or Asia More... Until Dec 31, 20

World of Hyatt
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the UrCove Shanghai Jing'an More... Until Jan 30, 21
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points per night for stays at the Hyatt House Carlsbad More... Until Dec 30, 20

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U.S. airlines eliminate some ticket change fees permanently - find out which airlines have done so and which of them included Canada

 

At the start of this week news broke from United Airlines that they were permanently removing some of those dreaded fees that airlines charge when making changes to tickets. It didn't take long for other U.S. based airlines to follow suit as American and Delta removed fees next and then followed by Alaska Airlines. There is no word yet here in Canada whether our airlines will follow suit and do away with at least some of those pesky fees but I don't hold my hopes up. In fact WestJet just increased some fees on domestic flights citing increased fees from Nav Canada. That being said, most Canadian airlines do offer at least one change to tickets for free based on the current COVID-19 circumstances and that is also what the U.S. airlines have been doing but with this weeks news have gone on to not just consider COVID but make those changes permanent.

United Airlines

As United was first out of the gate with the news here is what they are changing in regards to these fees. They are permanently removing change fees for most economy and premium class tickets for travel within the U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands) This change doesn't help us Canadians very much unless you are booking a purely U.S. itinerary. United's COVID policy will cover flights out of Canada until the end of the year however after that it is entirely possible those flights will once again incur change fees. This same policy is in effect for Basic Economy fares and other international flights on United.

Image courtesy of United

 United also added free same day standby for any flights in their network.

Learn more about United's changes here.

American Airlines

American Airlines took what United did, copied it and went one step further - they included Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico for destination where the ticket change fees were removed from.  Ticket types are the same as United's in that it covers all types except Basic Economy. However AA will waive fees on Basic Economy and other International flights until the end of the year as part of their pandemic policy.

Image courtesy of AA

 

American will also offer free same day standby as of October 1st. They are also allowing those who buy Basic Economy fares to buy extras like upgrades, priority boarding and others as of October 1.

Learn more about AA's changes here.

Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines copied United to a tee and didn't expand it like AA did. This means Delta has eliminatied change fees for travel within the domestic U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. It covers pretty much all fare classes except Basic Economy tickets.And just like AA and United, Delta is waiving fees on all fares and flights until the end of December.

Learn more about Delta's changes here.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska was the last out of these four to announce the elimination of ticket changes fees and they chose to be like American Airlines and expand on what is offered beyond what United first set out. Alaska went beyond by eliminating ticket change fees for their entire network which means the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Just like all the other airlines this elimination covers all fares except their lowest saver fare. Where Alaska went one step further is that they have also eliminated the change and cancellatoin fees on Mileage Plus award tickets that for travel on Alaska Airlines.

Learn more about Alaska'a change here.

What about Canada?

As you can see, American and Alaska have included us Canadians in their policies so it is possibly something the two big Canadian airlines may be eyeing. However given the current travel situation, both Alaska and American have very flights from Canada and not many Canadians are even traveling to the U.S.. If history is any indication Canadian airlines tend not to follow U.S. or other international carries with removing revenue sources (they do like to copy policies that increase revenue) so I don't suspect our carriers will follow suit just yet. Given that the airlines have pandemic policies in place already granting some change fee waivers it is entirely possible they'll just keep extending that policy until travel levels return to a somewhat normal level and then start charging everyone again. 

Title image via AA

June 1 Update: Earn double AAdvantage Miles on all American Airlines flights and Amex Offers spend $10 at Panago get a $5 statement credit

American Airlines has brought our their second systemwide bonus AAdvantage Miles to try to stimulate travel during this pandemic. The offer will be better for most than the last 500 bonus miles per flight offer as it is a straight double miles on all eligible mileage earning tickets flown on American Airlines. The bonus does max out at 10,000 miles however and you do need to register for it beforehand. Not sure how it will play out for many of us Canadians as you do need to book by June 30 for travel until September 30 and we still don't know if our border with the U.S. will open up later this month. If anything just register for the offer no matter what - if you don't travel no harm no foul. Learn more about and register for the offer here

Another new Amex Offer came out today. This one is for Panago Pizza and it provides a $5 statement credit when you spend $10 by July 31. In our household we received it on one Platinum Card from American Express and one American Express Cobalt Card. The offer has been added to our Guide to American Express Canada 'Amex Offers'.

And speaking of Amex offers here is one in action - the $20 credit when you spend $80 with Instacart (read about it here). We received it on two cards in our household and have hit that mark on one card. In fact the second card we have spent it as well but the charge is still pending so we haven't seen that $20 yet. I also recommend reading the following article: Use Instacart to circumvent Loblaw stores non-acceptance of Amex and to earn 5x points with the Cobalt Card

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!

No new route news today

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.

Posts since our last update:

• Alaska Airlines extends 50% bonus elite qualifying miles on flights to the end of 2020
  Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan was one of the first airlines to begin offering elite status miles for flying with…
• TD Cash Back Visa Infinite* Card now offering 10% cash back on all purchases with first year no annual fee for new cardholders
  The cash back market is heating up as many Canadians are considering a shift in their loyalty rewards strategies…
• Podcast Episode 67 - The return of the Rewards Canada Podcast - A look back at the past few months
   Episode 67 - June 1, 2020 The return of the Rewards Canada Podcast - A look back at the…
• Today is the last day to grab the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card with up to 30,000 Aeroplan Miles
  The current welcome bonus offer for the TD® Aeroplan® Visa Infinite* Card has been one of the better ones…
• American Express Experiences presents a virtual concert with The Black Crowes and The Trews on May 30
  As soon as I posted about the AIR MILES Facebook Live event that you can tune into on Sunday…
• AIR MILES Facebook Live Event on Sunday will feature an all-star cast to support Kids Help Phone Never Dance Alone-a-thon
  Another great at home initiative from AIR MILES sees the loyalty program teaming up with Kids Help Phone for…
• May 29 Update: More American Express Business Edge Confirmed Multiplier Locations, the recipe for Cathay Pacific's Cathay Delight drink, Disney World set to reopen in July
  Big thanks to American Express who saw our American Express Business Edge Confirmed Multiplier Locations feature from last week…

Deals:

Fairmont's Stay Close - 6 Canadian and 3 U.S hotels offering every 2nd night or 2nd room free for the rest of 2020!

Travelzoo and Whistler's Summit Lodge Boutique Hotel are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers that provide up to a 40% savings and includes breakfast & parking. Stay in a Deluxe King Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for two $139 (one night, check in June 1 - July 2; Aug. 30 - Sept. 30) Stay in a spacious Executive Studio, with a king bed, balcony, fully equipped kitchenette and dining table for four $149 (one night, check in July 3-31) $299 two nights, (check in Aug. 1-28) Find out more here. 

Travelzoo and Brewster's Mountain Lodge in Banff are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers for starting at $179-$199 each for June, $199-$239 for July and $269-$319 for August & September. Based on these numbers looks like they are anticipating a decent return to travel in late Summer. We did a quick check for a mid-week stay in June and Brewster's wanted $339 for the same room and the cheapest 3rd party rate we could find was $209. Sot the $179 voucher definitely provides some savings. Find out more here. 

SkipTheDishes - Sign up with this link to get $5 off your first order over $15. Find out more here

WealthSimple Trade:  Receive $5 when you deposit and trade at least $100 worth of stock with WealthSimple Trade. Find out more here (We will also receive $5 when you receive $5)

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

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- 50% Bonus Elite Qualifying Mileage Plan miles when you fly on Alaska Airlines. More... Until Dec 31, 20

American AAdvantage
- Double AAdvantage Miles on all American Airlines flights (10,000 bonus miles maximum). More... Register and book by Jun 30 for travel until Sep 30, 20
- Earn up to 120,000 bonus miles when you buy AAdvantage Miles. More... Until Jun 30, 20

Asiana Club
- Double Club Miles for stays at all participating World Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21
- Triple Club Miles for stays at all participating World Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel More... Until Jun 30, 20


Follow Rewards Canada:

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Shopping online from the U.S.? Check out these bonus offers from Alaska Airlines, American & United

Online shopping portals are more popular than ever thanks to the huge shift in shopping habits due to the current global situation. With more people shopping online than ever it is a little surprising that we even see any bonus offers for going through these online shopping portals but we are! The three latest offers come from U.S. airlines but are very much accessible to Canadians for those retailers that do ship up to Canada or for even more retailers if you ship to a U.S. address and then forward to Canada. Remember though all these retailers charge in US$ so you may want to utilize a No Foreign Transaction fee card like the HSBC World Elite Mastercard or Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card to save on that 2.5% conversion fee that most other cards charge.

The offers are almost the same from all three - you can earn bonuses of 500 to 2,020 miles in each program and the only real differences are a higher spend requirement with Alaska while American's offer ends one day sooner than the other two.

NOTE: Before you complete any shopping via the portals you do have to register for the promotion(s) which can be done via the links below.

Here are the offers.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
Earn up to 2,020 Bonus Mileage Plan Miles when you shop online via the Mileage Plan Shopping portal.  Full details Until May 19, 20
Tier 1 bonus: 500 miles for 1 individual qualifying purchase of $75 or more;
Tier 2 bonus: 1,000 miles for 2 individual qualifying purchases of $75 or more;
Tier 3 bonus: 1,500 miles for 3 individual qualifying purchases of $75 or more;
Tier 4 bonus: 2,020 miles for 4 or more individual qualifying purchases of $75 or more.

American AAdvantage
Earn up to 2,020 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you shop online via the AAdvantage Shopping portal.  Full details Until May 18, 20
Tier 1 bonus: 500 miles for 1 individual qualifying purchase of $50 or more;
Tier 2 bonus: 1,000 miles for 2 individual qualifying purchases of $50 or more;
Tier 3 bonus: 1,500 miles for 3 individual qualifying purchases of $50 or more;
Tier 4 bonus: 2,020 miles for 4 or more individual qualifying purchases of $50 or more.

United MileagePlus
Earn up to 2,020 Bonus MileagePlus Miles when you shop online via the MileagePlus Shopping portal. Full details Until May 19, 20
Tier 1 bonus: 500 miles for 1 individual qualifying purchase of $50 or more;
Tier 2 bonus: 1,000 miles for 2 individual qualifying purchases of $50 or more;
Tier 3 bonus: 1,500 miles for 3 individual qualifying purchases of $50 or more;
Tier 4 bonus: 2,020 miles for 4 or more individual qualifying purchases of $50 or more.

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May 11 Update: 25% more value for RBC Pay with Points, 500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles for future American Airlines flights, great Alaska Airlines car rental offer

RBC Rewards has a limited time offer providing 25% more value when you pay down your RBC Rewards credit card balance using Pay Credit Card with Points. The standard redemption rate is 4,300 points for $25 meaning that until May 19 you will get $31.25 per 4,300 points. With this bonus you are receiving 0.7 cents per point. I would only use this option if you need help with your finances right now - if you are financially stable save the points for future travel. Find out more here. 

Image via RBC

American Airlines has become one of the first airlines to provide an incentive for future travel. They are offering 500 bonus AAdvantage Miles per flight on American Airlines between July 1 and December 31. The catch is that you have to register and book those flights by May 18. Good news is they are allowing free changes on those flights. The bonus maxes out at 5,000 miles. Find out more here.

Image via American Airlines

Alaska Airlines has a potentially lucrative car rental deal out in the market right now. You can earn 10,000 Mileage Plan miles for rentals of a premium car for 5 or more days. I detail the offer more in a post on FrequentFlyerBonuses as there are opportunities to earn miles at a cost just above 2 cents US per mile which is in the same neighbourhood of buying miles. Unfortunately the better prices for rentals are in the U.S., I did some random searches for cities across Canada and couldn't find any cheap rentals like I did for places like Orlando. That being said if you do need to rent a car here or abroad be sure to check the offer out. Find out more here.

Image via Alaska Airlines

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!

Looks like Air Canada has decided to not re-start their Vancouver-Taipei service this fall as reservations are closed for flights until March 2021. (Source RoutesOnline)

WestJet provided details on their latest schedule update for flights between June 5 and July 4. We have a separate post about the news here.

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.

Posts since our last update:

• WestJet further extends Transborder & International flights suspension to June 25 plus provides domestic schedule updates
  In yesterday's WestJet media brief they provided details of their planned flight schedule  for travel between June 5 and…
• Receive 20% off Marriott Gift Cards until May 17
  With travel at a virtual standstill, travel providers are having a hard time bringing in much needed cash. We've…
• BA Executive Club Buy Avios Bonus only 50% for Canadian British Airways credit card holders
  Last Wednesday we posted about the latest British Airways Executive Club buy Avios bonus that runs until May 18.…
• AIR MILES launches Happy Everyday online community to entertain Canadians staying at home
  AIR MILES reached out to us to pass along the news of a new online community initiative they have…
• May 8 Update: New RBC Offers, up to 50,000 bonus Be Well points at Rexall and Hotels.com provides reward night & elite status extensions
  Our Guide to RBC Offers has been updated. There is a new offer for 25% off at Clinique.ca and…
   

Deals:

Great deal! Fairmont Chateau Whistler golf package offer - stay and play from $185pp per night in June. Find out more here.
 
Travelzoo and Huntingdon Manor Hotel in Victoria B.C. are selling discounted vouchers offering Breakfast & Parking, 35% Off for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers for stays starting at $95 per night each for stays between June and November. Find out more here.

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.

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

American AAdvantage
- 500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles per American Airlines flight for up to 10 flights (5,000 bonus miles maximum). More... Register and book by May 18 for travel Jul 1 – Dec 31, 20

IHG Rewards Club
- Triple IHG Rewards Club Points for stays at the Crowne Plaza Englewood Island More... Until Dec 31, 20



Follow Rewards Canada:

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American AAdvantage provides elite status extension, lowers qualification requirements and more

American Airlines is the last of the big 3 U.S. airlines to come out with details for the elite status portion of the AAdvantage program. Like most airline and hotel programs American is now offering extensions to those who currently hold elite status. On top of that they are providing a reduced qualifying structure to account for the lower demand in travel, extending the validity of upgrade vouchers and more.

Here are the details as provided by American:

• Extending elite status for AAdvantage members until Jan. 31, 2022.
• Reducing elite status qualifications for 2020.
• Extending Admirals Club® memberships purchased from American for 6 months.*
• Introducing up to $400 special credits for future travel on American Airlines Vacations packages for elite members.**
• Every dollar spent on an eligible AAdvantage co-branded credit card through the end of 2020 will count for one mile toward Million Miler℠ status.
• Award reinstatement fees waived for travel through September 2020.

Elite Status Extension
If your current elite status expires on January 31, 2021, we’ll automatically extend the expiration date until January 31, 2022.
You’ll continue to enjoy all the benefits that come with your status, and you can earn a higher status through lower elite qualification requirements this year.
Accounts will be updated by May 15, 2020.

Lowering elite qualification requirementsYou’ll be able to qualify for a higher elite status in 2020 with lower Elite Qualifying Dollar (EQD), Elite Qualifying Mile (EQM) and Elite Qualifying Segment (EQS) requirements.

Qualifying metric	Gold oneworld® Ruby	Platinum oneworld® Sapphire	Platinum Pro oneworld® Sapphire	Executive Platinum oneworld® Emerald
EQDs	$1,500	$4,000	$6,000	$9,000
EQMs	15,000	30,000	45,000	60,000
EQSs	15	30	45	60

Extending expiration of systemwide upgrades
Any unused systemwide upgrades with an expiration date of January 31, 2021, will be automatically extended through July 31, 2021.
While we’re not awarding new systemwide upgrades with the extension of Executive Platinum status, members who qualify or re-qualify for Executive Platinum status in 2020 will receive 4 systemwide upgrades valid through January 31, 2022.
Accounts will be updated by May 15, 2020.

Promotion to reach Million Miler status
We’re introducing a limited-time promotion to help you reach Million Miler℠ status and receive benefits like elite status. For all eligible Citi / AAdvantage^® and AAdvantage^® Aviator products, as well as select AAdvantage^® credit cards outside the U.S., every dollar spent on net purchases that post between May 1, 2020, – December 31, 2020, will count as 1 mile toward Million Miler℠ status.

Waiving award reinstatement and change fees for award bookings
Waived award reinstatement and change fees for awards booked by May 31, 2020, for travel through September 30, 2020. For award travel ticketed on or after June 1, 2020, we’ll waive change and reinstatement fees when the change is made at least 60 days before travel. A new fee structure will apply to changes made with fewer than 60 days before travel:

Elite status	Change made 60 days or more before travel	At least 7 days, but fewer than 60 days before travel	Fewer than 7 days before travel
Executive Platinum	$0	$0	$0
Platinum Pro	$0	$50	$75
Platinum	$0	$75	$100
Gold	$0	$100	$125
Regular member	$0	$125	$150

American Airlines Vacations credit
We’re giving AAdvantage^® elite members another reason to look forward to a vacation. On July 1, 2020, they’ll receive a special one-time credit of up to $400 to use toward an American Airlines Vacations package.

Elite status	Credit amount
Gold	$300
Platinum and Platinum Pro	$350
Executive Platinum	$400

Great news for the small amount of Canadians who do hold status with American AAdvantage as you now get to have it for one full year extra and have the possibility to boost that status higher with the lowered requirements if you get the chance to fly on American later this year. For the even smaller portion of our population, there may a select few of you who hold a U.S. based American AAdvantage credit card you have an amazing opportunity to boost your run for Million Miler status by having your credit card spend from May to December count towards that status.

I'm surprised at their reinstatement fee structure - having no fees for changing 60+ days out is the good part and sure you have no change fees at all for awards booked by May 31 for travel until September 30 but still with so much uncertainty around travel in the next 6 to 12 months to have fees that will be charged for travel changes within 60 days does seem a bit ridiculous.

We also see in the news release that people who have purchased Admirals Club memberships will have those extended for 6 months.

Overall this was expected from AA seeing that their competitors have already announced their elite status extensions and the such. And most of it is great news if you hold status or know that you can now qualify for it next year with the lowered requirements.

Learn more about this announcement here.

Title image via American Airlines

April 1 Update: Aeroplan extends cancellation policy to April 30, Tokyo Olympic games dates set for 2021, Alaska & American expand reciprocal mileage earning

Aeroplan announced last night an extension to their great refund and cancellation policy until April 30. This policy allows you to cancel Aeroplan tickets and receive all the miles back along with a complete refund of any taxes/fees paid. Learn more here.

The Tokyo Olympic games now have set dates for 2021. The games will take place from July 23 to August 8. With it being over a year away you can start setting your sights on attending and planning your travel. This goes for those who already have tickets or those who now see the opportunity of attending. Airlines don't have schedules yet for that time nor are hotels bookable yet but you can start researching what event or events you may want to attend and figure out which hotel etc. would be best for you. Most hotel chains let you book a year out so you can start looking this July and airlnes typically are just under a year so early August would be the time to start looking. Think JAL with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles! (Source IOC)

Speaking of Japan however - they have now put in restrictions that ban Canadians from entering the country if you have been in Canada or any one of another 70+ countries. This ban goes into effect on April 3 (well April 2 our time) Learn more here. (HT Running with Miles)

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and American Airlines AAdvantage expanded their reciprocal mileage earning as of today. Mileage Plan members can now earn miles (both redeemable & elite qualifying) on all American Airlines flights while AAdvantage members can earn redeemable miles on all Alaska Airlines flights. If you would like to learn more about this partnership I recommend you read our post from February. (Source One Mile at a Time)

Marriott has updated its Coronavirus policy by extending the date of which stays can be cancelled or changes with no fee until June 30. Learn more here.

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:

• 40% Discount for buying Etihad Guest miles - use to plan future travel like Prague-Seoul in business class for only US$312
  Etihad Guest is the latest airline loyalty program to launch a buy miles offer in attempt to boost some…
• OFFER EXTENDED: WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard - 350 bonus WestJet dollars on 1st purchase
  The limited time increased welcome bonus of 350 WestJet dollars on the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard that we…
• Rewards Canada's Guide to Credit Card Cash Back Liquidity
  For nearly a month now we have been looking at how you can use your loyalty programs and credit…
• March 31 Update: Earn up to 48,000 Avios for free, major schedule update from Air Canada, 20x PC Optimum points with Beauty Boutique & more
  With the new HSBC World Mastercard World Elite offer we updated our Travel Hacking 101 post. With this new…

Deals:

Doordash $5 Deals. Use Code: 5DEALS at checkout! Expires April 15. Find out more here

Enterprise: Student Travel Assistance – Waiving young renter fees and reducing the minimum age to 18 for rentals through May 31, 2020. Find out more here

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

Canadian Bonus Offers

AIR MILES
- Earn up to 100 Bonus AIR MILES Reward Miles when you book a hotel stay via AIR MILES Travel Hub. More... Until Jul 31, 20

Other Bonus Offers

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- 1,500 Bonus Mileage Plan miles on every bouquet ordered with Teleflora. More... Until Dec 30, 20

Etihad Guest
- 40% Discount when you buy 1,000 or more Etihad Guest Miles. More... Until Apr 7, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points when you stay 3+ nights at the Residence Inn Beaumont. More... Until May 15, 20

Millennium Hotels My Millennium
- 2,000 Bonus My Millennium Points + 10% off + complimentary upgrade for stays of 2 or more night at participating Millennium Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Dec 31, 20



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