The new Air Canada Aeroplan program revealed - it all goes live on November 8!

 

It’s hard to believe it has been three years now since Air Canada announced they weren’t going to renew their partnership with Aeroplan, which at the time was owned by Aimia and were set to create their own brand new frequent flyer program. Without going into all the nitty gritty of what transpired (if you are interested in the complete background check out The Air Canada Aeroplan Saga - All the resources you need) over the span of a many months  after that Air Canada along with TD, CIBC and Visa ended up buying Aeroplan from Aimia but they still promised a new program by July 2020. Now with three years of behind the scenes work the program is here. The majority of the details of the program have been revealed today and it will officially launch on November 8. It’s still called Aeroplan but with a new logo to better match its ownership by Air Canada and it really is, for the most part, a new loyalty program. As an Aeroplan employee told us, “this isn’t putting lipstick on a pig.” They really wanted to revamp the program in almost all respects and they have lived up to that promise.

For some more info here are further articles on the new Aeroplan program:

• American Express reveals the details for their new suite of Aeroplan cards 
• A closer look at the new Air Canada Aeroplan credit cards
• The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of the new Air Canada Aeroplan program

It starts with a new logo and look for Aeroplan. You can see the logo at the top of this post and you’ll notice the ‘E’ is made up of the three stylized boxes which are taken from Air Canada’s new livery where they have the cockpit of each airplane painted in that same black shape. And of course the famous Air Canada Roundel has been added to provide the direct link to Air Canada.

 

Here's what the new Aeroplan membership cards will look like:

 

You'll also notice in the new program that the primary Aeroplan currency are no longer called miles - they will be called Aeroplan points. Your current Aeroplan miles will convert to the new Aeroplan points on a 1 to 1 basis. For Elite Status they will still call them Elite Qualifying Miles in terms of those miles required to achieve status.

 There is a lot to read in this post and if you aren't up for reading the entire thing here are the main take away points of the new program:

• No more carrier/fuel surcharges - the most you'll pay is a $39 booking fee for travel on partner airlines. Fly on Air Canada and there are none of those dreaded airline surcharges.
  
• Family Sharing - you will be able to create a group of 8 people to pool points from to make it easier to reach those reward goals
• An enhanced elite program - New benefits like Priority Rewards, Status Pass (share status benefits), additional elite qualifying miles and dollars earning options and more.
• Points earned on flights based on spend -  When you fly on Air Canada the points you earn will be based on what you spend on your base airfare. It will no longer be distanced based
• Dynamic Reward pricing on Air Canada - No more set reward pricing for flights on Air Canada and while overall reward flights should be cheaper some may not like the fact that some rewards may be more expensive
• You now have to pay for stopovers - if you want to have a stopover on your Aeroplan reward flight it will cost you 5,000 points per stopover
• Credit Card Enhancements - From first bag free to earning elite status miles and dollars, companion vouchers to rollover EQMs, the suite of Air Canada Aeroplan co-brand cards get some major boosts.
  

And now what everyone is waiting for here are all the details of the new program:

Flight Rewards

This is the part of the program most members have been concerned about. All across the internet and social media a major devaluation was expected on this front. In fact, that hasn’t happened. Air Canada wanted members to still get a lot of value out of the program and for the most part, members will get more value now. How so? They got rid of the biggest thorn in everyone’s sides. Those dreaded carrier surcharges when flying on Air Canada and even partner airlines. Yes that’s right, no longer will a 60,000 mile round trip reward ticket on Air Canada to Europe come with $600 to $800 in fees. If that flight is on Air Canada it will have no carrier surcharges and if it is on a partner airline there is simply a $39 booking fee. Yes those Lufthansa awards will now only have a $39 fee instead of three to four figure surcharges! This even brings more savings in as those fees had GST/HST charged on them and now since there are no fees on Air Canada flights they are reported as a true $0 flight to other authorities like the U.S., so there are actually less taxes paid from the U.S. side.

Now you are probably asking that there must be some sort of trade off. And there is. If you are redeeming points for flight on Air Canada there will no longer be a published reward chart. No more Classic Flight and Market Fare Rewards. Now it’s just a dynamic range of pricing for reward flights on Air Canada. Flight rewards will become distance based within and to/from various travel zones as follows (click on the images to see them bigger):

All points amounts are for one way travel

When you go to book a flight online for Air Canada only travel you’ll be presented with a realistic range of points required for a flight reward. Most will be at or near what we were accustomed to with Classic Flight rewards. Some will be cheaper, some will be more expensive but 80% of the flight rewards should fall into the range that Air Canada presents above. Just like the old Market Fare rewards you can book every seat available on Air Canada in any cabins with points and thanks to their new back end system flight rewards can be booked right on aircanada.com or the Air Canada app. No more having to go to two separate websites to compare flight rewards and cash flights. 

Overall most reward flights on Air Canada are now cheaper in the new program when you take into account an increase in points combined with a decrease in the extra fees you used to pay for. Executives from Aeroplan showed me a few examples where you may be redeeming $200 more in points for a flight but were saving $800 in fees. There were also other examples where both the points redeemed and fees paid were lower than they are in the current program. 

I wanted to take a quick look for myself and based on the new reward charts a one way economy class ticket between Toronto and London will run 35,000 to 60,000 points (so 70,000 to 120,000 roundtrip) versus 30,000 right now for Classic Flight rewards (60,000 round trip) and sometimes a heck of a lot more for Market Fare Rewards. If we take that round trip classic flight between Toronto and London right now you it would run you 60,000 Aeroplan Miles and $735.33 in fees. The same flight new program would likely be 70,000 points and about $204 in taxes. So you would be spending 10,000 more points (worth a minimum of 1.2 cents or $120 but could be higher depending on what you personally value each point at) but saving over $530 in fees.

So while it is dynamic in most cases when you look at the big picture rewards should actually come out cheaper. And to see what you may have to spend dynamically Aeroplan has a point predictor tool to help out that will show you the range of points you could expect to redeem for a flight.

Aeroplan will retain a flight reward chart for rewards on partner airlines and the good news is they are going to bring in even more airline partners both domestically and internationally! And we’ve already mentioned the best news, no longer will there be fuel or carrier surcharges You will only pay that $39 booking fee!

Stopovers
One benefit that Aeroplan has been greatly heralded for over the years was the category of stopovers. That is, the ability to stop over in a city on an award ticket to your final destination - and Aeroplan used to allow you to do it twice each direction or by having one stopover and one open jaw until they changed their back end systems and had to limit it to one of either as of September 2019.  In the new program you can book one stop over per direction, that is for every one way/single bound itinerary you can have one stop over. So if you book a simple round trip you can have two stopovers. Book three one way trips and you can have three stopovers and so on! It is however limited by the maximum number of segments you can book on a PNR and that 12 for any reward that includes Air Canada or a combination of Air Canada and a partner airlines.

But here's the catch to the new program's stopover rules - you have to pay 5,000 points for each stopover. Hypothetically speaking, if you redeem 120,000 points for a round trip flight but choose to add in one stop over that reward will cost you 125,000 points, two stopovers and you're paying 130,000 points. 

Finally one more change to stopover rules - you can no longer book stopovers on reward flights within the Canada or U.S.. That is if you are flying from Toronto to Los Angeles you can't have a stopover in Denver. However you can stopover in Canada or the U.S. if you end destination is outside of Canada and the U.S. For example going from Calgary to Hong Kong via Los Angeles will allow for a stopover in Los Angeles.

Award pricing discounts
The dynamic flight reward pricing for travel on Air Canada has discounted pricing available. How so? By having Aeroplan Elite Status and/or an Aeroplan credit card you can get preferred pricing. The points required for flight rewards may be discounted by a certain amount if you have one or the other. Have both and your discount is even bigger as you can avail of the discount from both!

Points plus Cash
When you go to redeem points for a flight reward you'll be presented with several options. You can choose to pay for the entire reward of base points plus taxes and fees with miles (they have this option now but they have made the points for taxes part much more affordable) you can pay the old school way of points for the base flight and cash for taxes and fees but now they will also provide several options where you can redeem less points and some cash to cover the base fare. This is similar to what we have seen with many hotel programs and even some airline programs that give you this option. This is a good method to use if you don't have enough points for a reward but still want to use them to bring down the cash portion of a flight.

Other rewards
You'll continue to be able to redeem Aeroplan points for non-flight rewards including hotels, car rentals, Air Canada Vacations packages, gift cards (soon to be electronic only so you'll get them right away!), merchandise (the catalog is being expanded greatly thanks to partnerships with new retailers) and more.

Earning Aeroplan Points

The one thing many Aeroplan members were predicting is that Aeroplan would move to earning points on flights based on spend rather than distance flown. And this seems to be the case come later in 2021. While Aeroplan right now is kind of a hybrid revenue earn model whereby the lowest fare classes earn less or no points and higher classes earn more, it is still based as a percentage of the mileage flown. This appears to be going away sometime next year and likely we'll be earning a set amount of miles per dollar spend on base airfare:

• Basic fares will earn 2x the base dollar amount spent as points
• All other fares will earn 3x the base dollar amount spent as points

Although you will begin to earn points on all fare classes the amount you earn will really depend on your spend and your elite status. Buy a cheap flight to Europe or Asia with no status and I forsee lower points earning but buy an expensive ticket with status and you'll likely earn more points. This is truly indicative of revenue based earn system where those who can spend more earn more.

All other earn methods remain such as credit card partners, hotels, car rentals, online shopping etc. Aeroplan has also stated they will be adding even more non-flight partners but do not consider themselves a coalition program anymore like their competitor AIR MILES

Aeroplan Family Sharing

Several frequent flyer programs around the world have a family option for their programs where members of the same family or household can share and combine points for awards. That’s where Air Canada Aeroplan’s Family Sharing comes in. Each family sharing account can have up 8 members and all the points earned can be shared (pooled) so that it is easier to reach potential rewards sooner. Members can redeem for rewards from their shared balance and if one of the members of the Family Sharing Account has status and/or an Aeroplan co-brand credit cards all members in the the group will benefit from the preferred pricing when redeeming for rewards. All members in the Family Sharing group will retain their own Aeroplan number and keep the miles they earn under that number. It’s only at redemption time when miles may be pulled from various accounts. This allows for family members to leave a group should they want and take their miles with them. Personally that will probably be the case in my family in the near future as the Rewards Canada kids are almost adults and if and when they go out on their own they may not want to pool anymore.

Points Expiration

As was already announced in July Aeroplan Points will now expire after 18 months of inactivity instead of 12 months. That additional 6 months should be enough for most to make sure they earn or redeem at least 1 mile to keep their account going. Plus if your account does become inactive you can have your lost point reinstated if you fly with Air Canada within 6 months or get yourself an Aeroplan credit card.

Change and cancellations

Now that Aeroplan is owned by Air Canada there aren’t problems of integration between two companies like before which means Aeroplan award tickets now follow Air Canada revenue tickets more closely. For example if you cancel an Aeroplan flight within 24 hours of booking you can do so with no charge which is the same as an Air Canada revenue ticket. After 24 hours and up to 2 hours prior to departure you can cancel or change any flight reward albeit a fee will apply. Good news you’ll get a full refund of all your points and all taxes, fees and surcharges.




Elite Status

Prior to Aeroplan being taken back by Air Canada there were two elite programs. Air Canada Alititude and Aeroplan Elite Status. Now there will just be one elite program, Aeroplan Elite which retains most of what Altitude was. Gone is the name Prestige, it will now be Elite 25K, 35K, 50K, 75K and Super Elite . Status members will get some new benefits, the ability to retain status easier and be able to share many benefits with friends and family. The first new benefit is Priority Rewards. These are a voucher that provide a 50% discount on the base points required for a flight rewards and members can earn up to 11 of these vouchers each year.

Each Priority Reward Voucher is earned based on the elite member's Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD) and their elite status each time they reach an SQD level. Vouchers are earned when members reach the 4,000, 7,000, 10,000 and 15,000 SQD thresholds and then for every 5,000 SQD after that up to 50,000 SQD. Vouchers are valid for one year after issue and can be used as follows based on your elite level:

• 25K - Voucher can be used for Canada / US Economy
• 35K - Voucher can be used for Canada / US Economy
• 50K - Voucher can be used for North America up to Premium Economy
• 75K - Voucher can be used Worldwide up to Premium Economy
• Super Elite - Voucher can be used Worldwide up to Signature/Business Class

Members who are 35K or higher as of November 8 will automatically receive Priority Rewards.

The next new elite benefit is Status Pass. Any member who is 50K or higher will have the option to select Status Pass as one of their Select Benefits as of March 2021. What is Status Pass? It's essentially a sharing of elite status benefits to family, friends and colleagues and they don't even have to be travelling with you.

Here is what those travelling on a Status Pass will receive:

• Priority Check-In
• 3 Complimentary Checked Bags, with Priority Baggage Handling
• Priority Security Clearance
• Maple Leaf Lounge Access
• Priority Airport Standby
• Priority Boarding
  

Looking to qualify for Elite Status? It can now be done without even flying! This is Air Canada's olive branch to those members who got elite status in the old Aeroplan program (not Air Canada Altitude) by shopping lots, using credit cards a lot etc.  If you earn 100,000 points through eligible transactions in a qualifying year you'll receive Aeroplan 25K status that is valid through the following year. Note that transfer from hotel programs and programs like American Express' Membership Rewards do not count towards those eligible points.

Aeroplan co-brand credit cards will also help you to achieve status as you can earn status qualifying miles and status qualifying dollars just by spending on eligible cards. Some eligible cards will also allow you to rollover unused SQM (whatever is left over your highest qualification level) and eUpgrades to the next year. Finally if you have an eligible card you'll get higher priority at the airport. What this means is that if you are waiting for an upgrade and it comes down to two 50K elites for that last business class seat and only one of them have an Aeroplan credit card, it will be that cardholder who gets that last upgrade!

Credit Cards


As we already mentioned one of the big new benefits of having an Aeroplan credit card is lower pricing on the number of points required for flight rewards on Air Canada. On top of that any flight benefits the cards have will now apply to all Air Canada flights whether you book with points or cash. Prior to this most were only available on Aeroplan award flights.  And watch out WestJet, the Aeroplan cards now carry similar benefits to your credit card. Cards like the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card and American Express Aeroplan Card (and higher cards) will give you your first bag free on Air Canada flights for you and up to 8 people on the same reservation! 

Then if you get yourself a Visa Infinite Privilege Card or top end American Express Reserve card they will offer a companion fare as well, albeit you need to hit a spend level of $25,000 and not just have the card like WestJet’s. However the Air Canada companion fare is good for anywhere Air Canada flies globally so it does give you a lot more destinations to choose from. The voucher will operate similar to WestJet's with where the companion will pay $99 and up (plus taxes, fees, charges, and surcharges) depending on where the flight is to. The benefits don't stop there, Infinite Privilege and Reserve cardholders( both Primary and Additional) will now receive complimentary access to Maple Leaf Lounges and Air Canada Cafés in North America and they can each bring one guest.

TD has also added Hotel/Motel Burglary Insurance and Mobile Device Insurance on all their Aeroplan cards  and NEXUS+ application fee reimbursement of up to $100 for the Primary Cardholder and Additional Cardholders for the Infinite and Infinite Privilege cards.

Cards will also have an elite status component whereby there will be improved status benefits with select co-brand credit cards as mentioned above from rollover SQM to additional SQM and SQD based on spend. The top end cards will let you rollover any unused SQM to the next year as well as give you 1,000 SQM and 1 SQS for every $5,000 in card spending. While the cards lower on the tier (Visa Infinite and Amex Platinum) will earn 1,000 SQM and 1 SQS for every $10,000 in card spending.

And there you have it! A very long and broad overview of the new Aeroplan program! Overall I'm very impressed with what they have done. In my virtual meeting with their executives last week you could hear the excitement from all of them as they feel this isn't a devaluation to the program being glossed over by several enhancements like we typically see. It is a definitely a rebirth of the program and you can tell they really wanted to keep the program valuable, relevant and rewarding to full gamut of Aeroplan members from Super Elite members to the member who only earns a few hundred miles here and there. I truly believe they have achieved this. Yes there are some drawbacks, that's a given and was to be expected but for the most part the program will be better for the entire membership base of 5+ million members whether you are frequent flyer, a frequent buyer or a seldom user - there is something for everyone. 

Click here to learn more about the program on Air Canada's site!

What do you the Rewards Canada community think about today's news? Let us know in the comment section below!

Increased welcome bonus for the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite card - up to 20,000 Aeroplan Miles + a $120 Air Canada Gift Card

It's been sometime since we've seen CIBC come out with an offer outside their standard one for the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite card! The new offer for this card sees the welcome bonus miles boosted by 5,000 miles to 20,000 miles. That's broken down into 15,000 miles upon first purchase and 5,000 more miles when you spend at least $1,000 on the card within 4 billing cycles. On top that, CIBC is also giving a $120 Air Canada eGift Card as an additional bonus on top of the miles. You could almost consider this eGift card as the annual fee waiver for the first year since it does equal the $120 you have to pay for this card. It's nice to see CIBC finally come out with an offer on their Aerogold card.

Visa Infinite Privilege changing to Priority Pass as lounge access provider from October 15

Current and new holders of Visa Infinite Privilege cards in Canada (TD Aeroplan, RBC Avion, CIBC Aerogold) should be receiving notice that as of October 15th your airport lounge access provided is changing. Currently access is provided via the Airport Angel program but as of October 15th that is changing to the larger and most popular global program Priority Pass.

Visa Infinite Privilege cardholders will have the $99 annual fee of the basic Priority Pass membership covered and will also receive 6 free lounge access visits per year. Those visits are typically valued at US$27 each, so you are looking at over $250 in value per year from the Priority Pass benefit.

Overall its not a huge change but I believe this adds a touch more value to Visa Infinite Privilege cards in Canada as Priority Pass does have a larger lounge base than Airport Angel.

May 15 Update: CIBC Aerogold Infinite Privilege added to our comparison charts, British Airways India sale, 30 new bonuses

Final day of updates for this week!

News, Tips & Tricks
We've finally got to adding the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Privilege Card to our credit card comparison charts. You'll find it on our Airline Chart and All Credit Card Chart.

Travel Deals
British Airways has flights between Canada and India on sale. Fares start at $1220 all in for travel this fall. Full details

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- 2,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you test drive a Volvo S60, V60 or XC60 vehicle. More... Until Jun 30, 14

American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. More... Until Aug 31, 14

Best Western Rewards
- Receive a Free Night Voucher when you complete 3 separate stays at Best Western Hotels Worldwide. More... Register by Aug 10 for stays May 19 - Sep 1, 14
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Royal Sun Inn & Suites Tucson. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Plus Fresno Airport Hotel Fresno. More... Until Jun 30, 14
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Charleston Plaza Hotel. More... Until Oct 11, 15

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to Quadruple Asia Miles for stays at any Shangri-La hotels, Kerry hotels or Traders hotels Worldwide. More... Jun 1 - Aug 31, 14

Frontier Airlines Early Returns (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Cleveland and Las Vegas. More... Sep 4 - Oct 4, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Cleveland and Dallas. More... Aug 15 - Sep 15, 14

Gulf Air FalconFlyer (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Falconflyer Miles when you fly on Gulf Air between Bahrain and Athens. More... Jun 16 - Jul 16, 14

Marriott Rewards
- 2,000 Bonus Points for Sunday or Monday night stays at the SpringHill Suites Old Montreal. More... Aug 18 - Nov 3, 14
- 500 Bonus Points when you stay any night Sunday through Thursday at the Courtyard St. John's Newfoundland. More... Jul 1 - Sep 20, 14
- 7,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square More... Until Jun 30, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Courtyard Washington, DC/Dupont Circle. More... May 22 - Jun 30, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night for Sunday-Thursday stays at the Residence Inn Orlando Convention Center Disneyland. More... Jul 1 - Sep 22, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night for Sunday-Thursday stays at the SpringHill Suites Orlando Convention Center/International Drive Area. More... Jul 1 - Sep 22, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay Thursday - Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Atlanta Vinings. More... Jul 24 - Sep 28, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay Thursday - Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Atlanta Vinings. More... Oct 1 - Dec 31, 14
- 500 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the TownePlace Suites Rochester. More... Aug 17 - Oct 31, 14
- 500 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the TownePlace Suites Rochester. More... Nov 1 - Dec 30, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay on Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the Courtyard Myrtle Beach Barefoot Landing. More... Until Jun 30, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay two consecutive nights at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Nashville at Opryland. More... Jul 6 - Sep 28, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay two or more nights at the TownePlace Suites Dallas Bedford. More... Until Jun 30, 14
- 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay when you stay any night Sunday through Thursday at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Virginia Beach Oceanfrontr. More... Aug 17 - Oct 31, 14

Philippine Airlines Mabuhay
- Double Mabuhay Miles for Getaways by Dusit stays at participating Dusit Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Double Royal Orchid Plus Miles for stays of 3 or more nights at the at Rixos The Palm Dubai. More... Jul 1 - Sep 30, 14

United MileagePlus
- Save up to 35% when buy MileagePlus miles. More... Until May 19, 14
- 15,000 Bonus MileagePlus when you apply for the mbna MileagePlus® Credit Card and spend a minimum of £1,500 on card purchases within 90 days of account opening. More... Until Jun 30, 14 Valid for residents of the UK only
- 30,000 Bonus MileagePlus when you get DIRECTV service. More... Until Jul 23, 14 Valid for residents of the US only

US Airways Dividend Miles
- 3,000 Bonus Dividend Miles on your very first Rocketmiles booking More... Book by Aug 1, 14

May 2 Update: IHG Rewards Club Stay X Get Y bonuses return, CIBC introduces Aerogold Visa Infinite Privilege, Triple Aeroplan Miles with Delta & Coast Hotels

The week comes to a close with the return of the famous IHG Stay X Get Y bonus offers!

News, Tips & Tricks
You can earn up to 10x the Air Miles at Rona until May 7th with this coupon. The offer is for 4x the Air Miles is you just use your Air Miles Card, 10x if you pay with a Rona card.

The IHG Rewards Club 'Stay X Get Y' bonuses have returned for the Summer! Although they are not called "Stay X Get Y" as that was a moniker given to them by the frequent traveller community, the "Reel Summer" promotion as it is called is just that. Technically these are targeted promotion codes but IHG keeps them very loosely targeted as most if not all members should be able to register for one of the offers. The list was compiled from the Flyer Talk thread discussing these promo codes. Definitely partake in these offers if you can!

Earn up to 15,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for a certain amount of nights or completing a certain amount of stays at participating InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo™, Holiday Inn®, Express by Holiday Inn™ and Holiday Inn Express® hotels worldwide, . Use the following codes to register online (use the smallest amount first or the one that matches your projected travel patterns and then go on to the next if you do not qualify, however once you do qualify for one you cannot sign up for any others):
Stay 3 Nights, Get 5,000 - Code 7093
Stay 3 Nights, Get 5,000 - Code 7057
Stay 4 Nights, Get 2,000 - Code 4988
Stay 7 Nights, Get 2,000 - Code 7048
Stay 7 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 4989
Stay 7 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 5989
Stay 8 Nights, Get 2,000 - Code 6339
Stay 8 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 7052
Stay 8 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 5155
Stay 10 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 4985
Stay 10 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 7055
Stay 12 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 5156
Stay 12 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 4987
Stay 15 Nights, Get 15,000 - Code 2113
Stay 18 Nights, Get 15,000 - Code 1029
Stay 18 Nights, Get 15,000 - Code 5153
Stay 18 Nights, Get 15,000 - Code 5163
Stay 18 Nights, Get 15,000 - Code 6340
Register online

CIBC let me know that the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite card has had it's insurance benefits updated (finally after many years of being weaker in that category!) to match many of its competitors and of course it's brethren card from TD. The card will now include purchase protection and extended warranty benefits (although this does not show on the CIBC website yet)

Also from CIBC is the second Visa Infinite Privilege card in the market, the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Privilege card which matches the TD version of the card. Same sign up bonus, same benefits on Air Canada (Priority Boarding, Priority Check In - which if you fly certain routes will be a lot of people, I swear on my latest YYZ-YYC flight more than half the plane had priority boariding!) Find out more here. The card will be added to our comparison charts over the next few days. (Thanks to loyal RC reader Bernard for the heads up!)

Travel Deals
Porter Airlines is offering up to 60% off their regular fares. This seems to be the new norm from Porter as almost all their seat sales were 50% off up until a few weeks ago. Book online by midnight tonight!

KLM has launched an extreme early bird sale for travel this fall and winter! Fares start as low as $895 all in for travel between Canada and Europe. Book online at KLM by May 7th.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Triple Aeroplan Miles for stays at any one of 12 participating Delta Hotels in Canada. More... Until May 26, 14
- Earn up to Triple Aeroplan Mileson all Coast Hotels stays in Canada and the U.S.. More... Until Jun 30, 14

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- Triple Gold Points on Eligible Stays of two or more nights between at Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM hotels in the United States, Canada or Latin America. More... Jun 1 - Sep 1, 14
- 5,000 Bonus Gold Points for stays on the Park, Stay and Fly Offer at a participating Radisson Blu® or Park Inn® by Radisson hotel in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. More... Until Aug 31, 14
- Instant Club Carlson Gold Elite Status when you join the program. More... Until May 31, 14 Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone
- 10,000 Bonus Gold Points per night for stays at the Radisson Hotel Baton Rouge More... Until Dec 31, 14
- 10,000 Bonus Gold Points per night for stays at the Radisson Hotel Bloomington By Mall of America. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- 10,000 Bonus Gold Points per night for stays at the Radisson Hotel Roseville. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Delta SkyMiles
- 500 Bonus SkyMiles on any flight within Japan on any airline including JAL, ANA and Skymark. Eligible flights: Any and all regularly scheduled commercial flights within Japan, on any fare, in any class. More... Until Mar 31, 15

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Double Infinity MileageLands Miles on Avis rentals of 3 or more days in the US (excluding Alaska), Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Guam or 4 days in New Zealand. More... Until Jun 30, 14

Executive Hotels Executive Rewards
- Double Executive Rewards Points for stays at the: Executive Royal Hotel Regina. More... Until May 31, 14

IHG Rewards Club
- Earn up to 15,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for a certain amount of nights or completing a certain amount of stays at participating InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo™, Holiday Inn®, Express by Holiday Inn™ and Holiday Inn Express® hotels worldwide. More... May 15 - Sep 2, 14 Targeted Offers - May not work for everyone
- 10,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for stays of 2+ nights at the Hotel Indigo Rome – St. George.  More... Until Jul 31, 14
- 5,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you book a Reward Night using a combination of your IHG® Rewards Club points and cash. More... Until Jul 15, 14 Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone.

Scandic Hotels Friends
- 1,000 Bonus Scandic Friends Points per nights for stays at the Scandic Sundsvall Nord. More... Until Jun 19, 14

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Receive up to 50% GC Award Points Discount when you redeem for award night weekend stays with your GC Award Points at participating hotels. 30% off for Standard and Club rooms, and 50% off for Suites. More... Until Jul 27, 14

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 50% Bonus Miles&Smiles Miles when you purchase Miles&Smiles Miles. More... Until Jun 30, 14
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus Miles&Smiles Miles when you children aged 2-12 years join Miles&Smiles Heroes.More... Ongoing
- Double Miles&Smiles Miles for all at Altinbas stores. More... Until Nov 1, 14

CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Sign Up Bonus increased to 20,000 Aeroplan Miles + First Year Free

This came as a bit of a surprise, but CIBC has upped the sign up bonus on their CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Card to 20,000 Aeroplan Miles (15,000 upon approval and 5,000 more when you spend $500 in the first three months) and are waiving the first year annual fee.

Why is it a surprise? Well this essentially beats out the new TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card by 5,000 miles and $120 and it appears that anyone can sign up for the CIBC card (not just CIBC customers or people walking into the branch) If the competition between CIBC and TD stays like this one has to wonder if TD is going to actually gain anything from the Aeroplan relationship because of all the money they have to fork over to CIBC, to Aimia and of course the 15% more per Aeroplan mile than CIBC.

Honestly, if I had to choose between the TD Infinite and the CIBC Infinite and wasn't an All Inclusive plan holder at TD I would go for the CIBC offer for the extra miles and no annual fee in the first year.

Update: My mistake, the First year free being offered by TD for applying in branch or over the phone is not specific to the all inclusive plan.

For more details on the offer visit https://www.cibc.com/ca/visa/aerogold-visa-infinite-card.html#aerogoldVisaInfinite

TD Aeroplan Visa Card details revealed? (Rumour Only at this time!)

The first hints of the new TD Aeroplan Visa's are out on the Aeroplan website but there are very little details about it. When I started writing this post I had not seen that the details of the cards that seemed to have been leaked on Redflagdeals.com. I am awaiting confirmation back from Aeroplan whether the details on RFD are correct.

Here is the gist of my post before coming across the RFD thread:

Essentially the interim TD Card will offer the same 1.5x Aeroplan Miles bonus multiplier as the current the CIBC Aerogold cards for Gas, Grocery and Drug Store purchases. As well it is limited to $80,000 per year for those categories. We had a meeting with Aeroplan a few weeks and believe this may not be the actual offering from the card once it is officially launched. Why is this? The cards that are being issued as of January 1st will have TD branding but will still be managed by CIBC (which means the statement will actually read CIBC even though the card will have a TD logo) and this will be the case until CIBC and TD determine which cardholders move to each respective bank.

The card will also offer special benefits from Air Canada including priority check-in, boarding and access to the Maple Leaf Lounge with Aeroplan flight rewards (these kick in on January 16 and appear that they will also available on the CIBC cards)

They will also have Enhanced insurance coverage with a full suite of comprehensive travel, purchase protection and auto rental insurances all of which will be detailed on January 1st.

Now back to the start of my post and the supposed details of the cards as pulled from the thread on RFD:

TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum
Enrolment Bonus: 10,000 miles
Miles Earned: 1 Aeroplan Mile/$1.50
Bonus #1: 1 mile/$1 on gas, grocery and drugstore purchases
Bonus #2: Aeroplan Card and TD Visa can be used together at Aeroplan partner locations
Insurance: Delayed/Lost Baggage, Flight Delay, Collision Loss and Damage Insurance, Common Carrier, Purchase Security & Extended Warranty, Emergency Travel Assistance
Annual Fee: $89 Primary User, $35 Authorized User
Income Requirement: None
Interest Rate: 19.99%
Minimum Credit Limit: $1,500
Exclusive Privileges: None
Air Canada Benefits: None

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite
Enrolment Bonus: 15,000 miles
Miles Earned: 1 Aeroplan Mile/$1.00
Bonus #1: 1.5 mile/$1 on gas, grocery and drugstore purchases
Bonus #2: Aeroplan Card and TD Visa can be used together at Aeroplan partner locations
Insurance: 15 Day Travel & Medical Insurance, Trip Cancel/Trip Interrupt, Delayed/Lost Baggage, Flight Delay, Collision Loss and Damage Insurance, Common Carrier (incl. Auto Rental), Purchase Security & Extended Warranty, Emergency Travel Assistance
Annual Fee: $120 Primary User, $50 Authorized User
Income Requirement: $60,000 or $100,000 household
Interest Rate: 19.99%
Minimum Credit Limit: $5,000
Exclusive Privileges: Concierge
Air Canada Benefits: When travelling on Reward flights: One annual one-time use Maple Leaf Lounge access pass, First checked bag free, Priority check-in, Priority boarding

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege
Enrolment Bonus: 25,000 miles
Miles Earned: 1.25 Aeroplan Mile/$1.00
Bonus #1: 1.5 mile/$1 on gas, grocery and drugstore, and Air Canada purchases
Bonus #2: Aeroplan Card and TD Visa can be used together at Aeroplan partner locations
Insurance: 22 Day Travel & Medical Insurance, Trip Cancel/Trip Interrupt, Delayed/Lost Baggage, Flight Delay, Collision Loss and Damage Insurance, Common Carrier (incl. Auto Rental) - (expanded vs. Infinite coverage), Purchase Security & Extended Warranty (expanded vs. Infinite Coverage), Emergency Travel Assistance
Annual Fee: $399 Primary User, $99 Authorized User
Income Requirement: $200,000 household
Interest Rate: 19.99%
Minimum Credit Limit: $10,000
Exclusive Privileges: Privilege Concierge, Global Lounge Service, Security VIP Fast Lane (Selected Airports), Golf Program, Sports packages (Olympics; FIFA), Music, food and wine experiences
Air Canada Benefits: First checked bag free on Air Canada flights, Priority check-in on Air Canada flights, Priority boarding on Air Canada flights, Four annual one-time use Maple Leaf Lounge
access passes (when travelling on Reward flights), 50% discount on companion tickets for eligible Executive Class fares on Air Canada Flights available once per calendar year

If these details are correct then the cards aren't living up to the hype that seems to have been surrounding the new TD cards. The Platinum version is a slightly better card than the current CIBC AeroClassic card with more insurance and higher mileage earning but also with a higher annual fee. The Infinite is essentially the same as the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite Card except for the Air Canada benefits when traveling on an Aeroplan award ticket (based on the Aeroplan wesbite wording the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite will also offer this but we'll have to confirm this) and then there is theTD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege with more base mileage earning at 1.25 miles and a host of decent Air Canada benefits as seen above. However a minimum household income of $200,000 seems high and the annual fee is pretty high as well for the benefits. Honestly the American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum card is a better bet even with an even higher annual fee and you only need a household personal income of $40,000.

Of course until these details are either confirmed or refuted by Aeroplan and/or TD I can only stress that these details are strictly a rumour at this time! Please don't make any credit card decisions yet based on this post!

Finally I'd love to hear your thoughts on these "potential" cards from TD!

Mon 12:47pm MST UPDATE: Here is the response from my contact at Aeroplan neither confirming nor denying the details:

"We look forward to sharing details once the deal is officially closed, and, when the TD product is available as of January 1, 2014."

Come to think of it, perhaps this potential leak of information was done on purpose to see the reaction from people and it gives them time to further tweek the cards based on "once the deal is officially closed" statement from Aeroplan? That's just me thinking out loud.....

Tangerine Saturday extended to Dec 7 and 14 - Double Aeroplan Miles for CIBC cardholders

Looks like last Saturday's Tangerine Saturday was a huge success as it returns for the next two Saturday!

What is Tangerine Saturday? It is quite simple really. Essentially CIBC Aerogold cardholders were earn Double Aeroplan Miles on all eligible retail purchases made on December 7th or 14th only, in store or online.

You can find the complete details here

Eligible merchants include grocery stores, drug stores, department stores, specialty retailers and most online retailers but exclude (among others) travel, entertainment, dining, or telcom service providers. Bonus miles are awarded based on the sum total of purchases (including taxes but excluding any returns or disputed charges). Bonus miles are available for domestic transactions only. Bonus miles will be earned on top of applicable grocery and drug multipliers, as illustrated: All CIBC Aerogold Visa cards (other than CIBC Aero Classic Visa): 2X the Miles promotion = 1 Base Mile + 1 Bonus Mile = 2 miles (or 2.5 miles if applicable grocery/drug multipliers apply) per dollar spent. CIBC Aero Classic Visa: 2X the Miles promotion = 1 Base Mile + 1 Bonus Mile = 2 miles (2.5 miles, if applicable grocery/drug multipliers apply) / $2 spent.

Tangerine Saturday returns on November 30 - Double Aeroplan Miles for CIBC cardholders

Another last hurrah for CIBC Aerogold Visa cardholders comes this Saturday with the return of Tangerine Saturday.

What is Tangerine Saturday? It is quite simple really. Essentially CIBC Aerogold cardholders were earn Double Aeroplan Miles on all eligible retail purchases made on November 30th only, in store or online.

You can find the complete details here

Eligible merchants include grocery stores, drug stores, department stores, specialty retailers and most online retailers but exclude (among others) travel, entertainment, dining, or telcom service providers. Bonus miles are awarded based on the sum total of purchases (including taxes but excluding any returns or disputed charges). Bonus miles are available for domestic transactions only. Bonus miles will be earned on top of applicable grocery and drug multipliers, as illustrated: All CIBC Aerogold Visa cards (other than CIBC Aero Classic Visa): 2X the Miles promotion = 1 Base Mile + 1 Bonus Mile = 2 miles (or 2.5 miles if applicable grocery/drug multipliers apply) per dollar spent. CIBC Aero Classic Visa: 2X the Miles promotion = 1 Base Mile + 1 Bonus Mile = 2 miles (2.5 miles, if applicable grocery/drug multipliers apply) / $2 spent.

CIBC Aerogold Cardholders can earn 3x Aeroplan Miles for Air Canada bookings

In what may be a last hurrah for the CIBC and Aeroplan partnership is this promotion which was just released for holders of the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite or CIBC Aerogold Visa cards. The offer is triple Aeroplan miles when purchasing your Air Canada flights and paying with your CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite or CIBC Aerogold Visa cards. Flights must be booked by November 26. Full details can be found here.

Part of me thinks this is a plan by CIBC to garner a few new clients before they can't promote themselves to the Canadian public as an Aeroplan partner and hopefully keep these new customers in their portfolio! What do you think?

CIBC updates the Aventura program - better redemption rates, limited time increased card sign up bonus and more!

As we all know there has been a lot of talk of the whole CIBC-Aeroplan-TD dealings around the Aeroplan credit card portfolio. And as we know CIBC's Aeroplan portfolio will be split between them and TD but of course since CIBC cannot market to new Aeroplan cardholders they needed another strong product offering. In comes the CIBC Aventura program which has been around for a few years now but with little changes over those years (much like its Aerogold counterpart). In that period of time have come new competitors which provided a better offering than the Aventura program and CIBC obviously saw this and coupled with their loss of the primary Aeroplan portfolio they knew they had to revamp the Aventura program. There had been news that CIBC was planning on developing a new program and earmarking $50MM towards it which we assume is for the revamped Aventura program. (I sure hope these changes to Aventura didn't cost that much because if they did the consultants on this job got really rich for almost nothing, but I assume much of that $50MM will go towards marketing the product)

Well hallelujah, today they announced the new program that will take effect on January 1st of 2014. The changes aren't overly huge but they do make the Aventura branded cards much stronger. Here are highlights of the changes:
- New Reward Flight Chart which allows for up to a 2.28% return (on long haul Canada/US flights) on your Aventura card spending (not including category bonuses)
- More airlines available via that reward chart. Previously it was around 100 airlines but now it is being market as any airline, any flight, any seat etc.
- The addition of trip cancellation insurance on the Visa branded cards (the World Elite MasterCard version already provided this)
- The addition of purchase protection on the Visa branded cards (the World Elite MasterCard version already provided this)
- A new limited time sign up bonus of 30,000 Aventura Points when you complete three transactions on your new card. Apply by Dec 31 and complete the purchases by Jan 31, 14

Other than that the Aventura card pretty much remains the same. The best news in the changes is the reward chart. Here is the new chart that comes in affect on Jan 1, 2014:

and here is the current chart that is valid until Dec 31, 2013:

As you can see the new chart is much more rewarding on the lower end (short haul and long haul flights in Canada and the U.S.) with the Long Haul portion maxing out at 35,000 points for tickets up to $800 before taxes and fees. This is the redemption that offers the 2.28% rate of return. Of course if availability can be met you can get a 4% return on your short haul redemptions but that is a big if.

Taxes and fees can also be paid for with points and exactly like the RBC Avion reward chart will cost you 100 points per dollar so only a 1% return. This is where cards like the American Express Gold Rewards Card, BMO Rewards World Elite, TD Visas and Diners Club Club Rewards cards are stronger as the rate of return is not diminished on the taxes and fees portion.

That's about it for the new Aventura program! The changes are definitely positive and chances are it will help keep some customers with CIBC instead of them moving to TD.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the changes! Leave us a comment below.

Aeroplan Visa Credit Cards to be issued by TD Canada Trust AND CIBC!

Wow, I can say that we did not see this one coming! I'm mean we all knew that some agreement had to be reached between Aimia (Aeroplan's parent company), CIBC and TD Canada Trust. We knew that CIBC wanted to keep half of the credit card portfolio, primarily those people that have other banking products with CIBC but it was assumed those people would be moved to another CIBC credit card product. But it looks like CIBC must have pushed Aimia and TD hard because as I had stated in numerous interviews, what is going to keep those people staying at CIBC from getting a TD Aeroplan credit card anyway? Well by issuing an Aeroplan credit card is what is going to keep those people! Here is a snippet of the press release that came out this morning from Aimia:
Aimia Secures Strong Future Positioning of Aeroplan under 10-year Agreements with TD and CIBC

Montreal, Quebec, September 16, 2013 – Aimia confirmed today ten-year financial credit card agreements with each of TD Bank Group (TD) and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC), effective from January 1, 2014.  TD will become Aeroplan’s primary financial services partner and credit card issuer, under an amended version of the agreement announced previously, while CIBC will also continue to be an issuer of Aeroplan credit cards.  Aimia also announced entering into a purchase agreement with TD and CIBC, under which TD will acquire approximately half of the current Aeroplan card portfolio and CIBC will retain the balance, comprised of Aeroplan cardholders who have broader banking relationships with CIBC.

Both banks will offer members an enhanced suite of Aeroplan Visa credit cards to include more earning options and benefits than ever, including exclusive Air Canada benefits, in addition to the ground breaking changes to Aeroplan with Distinction benefits to be launched in January 2014 for all Aeroplan members.

“The agreements we are announcing today with TD and CIBC will put real momentum behind the transformed Aeroplan program we will launch in January and provide a strong and stable platform for growth in the Canadian business,” said Rupert Duchesne, Group Chief Executive, Aimia.  “Having these agreements in place will also preserve the financial flexibility to invest in the growth opportunities we might see for Aimia over the next few years.”

Terms of the New Financial Credit Card Agreements

The terms of both the new 10-year financial credit card agreements include:
·         a more than 15% increase in price per mile to align to market levels; and
·         more comprehensive collaboration around data and customer insight analytics.

As disclosed in June, the TD agreement specifically provides for:
·         a $100 million upfront contribution payable by TD to Aimia in 2014 to help fund program enhancements; and
·         a joint marketing spend commitment of around $140 million funded by TD and Aimia over 4 years to support new cards and new program features.

The TD minimum miles purchase commitment has been updated to a five-year volume commitment based on miles purchases by TD and CIBC. These payments, in aggregate, could be up to $95 million.

Features of the new credit card offerings to be introduced by the banks during 2014 were announced on June 27, 2013.  TD will market its cards through a wide range of TD, Aeroplan and mass market channels, with CIBC using its proprietary channels to market to CIBC customers.

“Partnering with two of Canada’s leading financial institutions will be a market changing outcome for Aeroplan which will strengthen our leadership position,” said Vince Timpano, President and CEO, Canada, Aimia. “As a result of these unique agreements, Aeroplan members have a lot to look forward to in 2014 - not only will we be offering an exciting new suite of credit cards, January also marks the launch of Distinction, our innovative recognition program, and Market Fare Flight Rewards will provide members with even more seats at great value. With these ground breaking changes, Aeroplan will continue to be able to deliver the fastest path to the flights and experiences most valued by premium Canadian consumers.”

Aimia, TD and CIBC are committed to ensuring that members stay informed throughout this process and that any transition will be easy. A tri-party marketing campaign will be launched shortly to provide Aeroplan members and cardholders with the information they need to know for the transition to new cards in 2014.

Regardless of whether members will transition to a new card, all Aeroplan Miles that members accumulate through the end of 2013 are deposited into their Aeroplan accounts and are not tied to their current credit card.
 
Terms of the Purchase Transaction

TD, CIBC and Aimia have also entered into an agreement in connection with the purchase by TD of approximately half of the Aeroplan credit card portfolio from CIBC.  Pursuant to this agreement, CIBC will retain the remaining 630,000 Aeroplan accounts held by its existing banking customers. At June 30, 2013, the portfolio to be acquired by TD represented approximately:  $20 billion of purchase volume, 550,000 accounts and $3 billion of credit card receivables outstanding.

An aggregate amount of $312.5 million (plus the par value of the related credit card receivables outstanding) will be paid to CIBC for the conveyance of approximately half of its Aeroplan cards portfolio to TD as well as other related arrangements.  Pursuant to these agreements, Aimia will fund $150 million of the payments payable to CIBC.

Cardholders in the CIBC portfolio may choose to migrate to TD and vice versa.  Depending on the net migration of Aeroplan-branded credit card accounts between CIBC and TD over the next five years, TD, Aimia, and CIBC have agreed to make additional payments of up to $400 million. Aimia will be responsible for – or entitled to receive – up to $100 million of these payments.

CIBC will also work with TD under an interim servicing agreement to effect a smooth transition of the customers moving to TD, allowing members to keep accumulating Aeroplan Miles.

Legal and Closing Conditions

In conjunction with the agreements being announced today, CIBC has also agreed that, upon closing of the transaction contemplated by the purchase agreement, CIBC will fully release Aimia and TD from any potential claims in connection with TD becoming Aeroplan’s primary financial credit card issuer.

The Aimia and CIBC financial credit card agreement includes an option for either party for an early termination after the third year of the agreement if certain conditions related to the migration of Aeroplan credit cards in CIBC’s retained portfolio to other CIBC credit cards are met.

The parties currently anticipate that the purchase transaction will close before the end of 2013, subject to obtaining certain regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature.

The really winner in this deal is Aimia/Aeroplan as they stand to retain all the members in the current CIBC Aeroplan credit card portfolio (approximately 1.18 million cardholders according to the numbers above) whether they stay with CIBC or move over to TD. TD is losing more case in the deal as they now have to pay CIBC $162.5 million but they should be able to make that up over the years from merchant fees, interest and annual fees.

Ultimately this is good news for the current CIBC Aeroplan cardholders as they now have the option to choose to migrate to TD and vice versa. It does appear from the press release that with TD being the primary issuer they will be the ones advertising the Aeroplan cards to masses while CIBC will only be able to advertise to own clients (proprietary channels) which means TD should get the majority of any new Aeroplan credit card applications.

The next question that needs to be answered, is what will the TD card offerings look like? Will they be stronger than CIBC's or will both banks issue cards that are equal to each other in order for CIBC to retain their 50% of the portfolio? Only time will tell.

What are you thoughts on this latest development? Will you stick with CIBC now that will continue to issue Aeroplan cards or will you move to TD if the card(s) have a stronger offering?

CIBC waiving the first year annual fee on their premium travel credit cards

Much like last year, CIBC is once again running a promotion waiving the first year's annual fee on their suite of premium travel credit cards. To qualify for the 'rebate' on your annual fee all you have to do is spend $500 on the card with the first three months of having it. The offer is good on the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite, CIBC Aerogold Visa, CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite and CIBC Aventura World Elite MasterCard. This offer runs until June 28, 2013.

Each card's sign up links can be found here:
Aerogold Visa Infinite
Aerogold Visa
Aventura Visa Infinite
Aventura World Elite MasterCard

Apparently you can get the same offer with no spend threshold, ie 100% rebate of the annual fee without spending a dime by either calling in your application and asking for the first year fee waived or walking into a CIBC branch and doing the same.

This is a nice offering to get 15,000 Aeroplan miles for nothing as you can always cancel your card before the first year is up.  If you want even more Aeroplan miles you can even add another 20,000 Aeroplan Miles by signing up for the American Express Gold Rewards Card which is also fee-free in the first year and awards 20,000 Membership Rewards points via this link. And for even more free miles read my post titled  Travel Hacking 101 - Earn 50,000+ Aeroplan Miles or British Airways Avios for free*which covers the Amex card mentioned above and some others. Technically speaking you could potentially earn 65,000 Aeroplan miles for free with these methods.

Jan 9 Update: Aeroplan/CIBC to offer exclusive reward flights again, SPG Power Up open for registration, Alitalia flight bonuses

News, Tips & Tricks
Aeroplan and CIBC are teaming up once again to offer exclusive flights for CIBC Aeroplan Cardholders. Here is the wording directly from the press release:

Aeroplan today announced it will reserve three flights for Aeroplan Members who are CIBC Aeroplan cardholders offering up an exclusive getaway from Toronto and from Montreal to Orlando, Florida during the 2013 Spring Break period.

Flight Details:
·         Depart Montreal to Orlando – March 5, 2013 – Flight AC7004
Depart Orlando to Montreal - March 12, 2013 – Flight AC7005

·         Depart Toronto to Orlando – March 12, 2013 – Flight AC7002
Depart Orlando to Toronto – March 19, 2013 – Flight AC7003

·         Depart Toronto to Orlando – March 13, 2013 – Flight AC7002
Depart Orlando to Toronto – March 20, 2013 – Flight AC7003

“Aeroplan is pleased to be working again with our partner CIBC to offer our members who hold a CIBC Aero credit card, a unique flight reward experience to Orlando, Florida during a peak travel period,” said David Klein, Vice President, Marketing & Innovation, Aeroplan.  “This is our third edition of the Welcome Aboard Event, and each time we’ve been able to create a flight reward with enhanced service levels and special in-flight extras for our members.”

On each specified Air Canada flight from Toronto and Montreal to and from Orlando, 100 percent of the seats are reserved for Aeroplan Members with a CIBC Aero credit card, along with their guests.  These special flights will include complimentary food and beverage service and complimentary baggage in Economy class. As part of the airport experience, there will be a dedicated, branded check-in counter and branded giveaways at the gate.

Aeroplan Members who are CIBC Aero cardholders can redeem 25,000 miles per flight reward for an Economy Class ticket and 50,000 miles per flight reward for an Executive Class ticket.

Registration is now open for Starwood Preferred Guest's Power Up promotion, please see all the details on Rewards Canada's SPG page.

Bonus Offers
Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Earn up to 650 Bonus MilleMiglia Miles when you fly Alitalia on discount economy classes fares between Rome and Milan Linate. More... Until Mar 31, 13
- Earn up to 400 Bonus MilleMiglia Miles when you fly Alitalia on discount economy classes fares systemwide. More... Until Mar 31, 13

American AAdvantage
- OFFER EXTENDED 2,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles for New Otani Club members who are also AAdvantage members per stay of two consecutive nights or more at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo or Hotel New Otani Osaka. More... Until Mar 31, 13
- OFFER EXTENDED Earn up to 10,000 AAdvantage Miles for stays at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo Executive House ZEN More... Until Mar 31, 13
- OFFER EXTENDED Earn up to 3,000 AAdvantage Miles per stay of two consecutive nights or more Hotel New Otani Makuhari Hotel New Otani Osaka The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel, Honolulu Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong, Beijing. More... Until Mar 31, 13

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to Triple Asia Miles when you rent a car at participating Avis locations Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 13

Delta SkyMiles
- OFFER EXTENDED 2,000 Bonus SkyMiles for New Otani Club members who are also SkyMiles members per stay of two consecutive nights or more at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo or Hotel New Otani Osaka. More... Until Mar 31, 13
- OFFER EXTENDED Earn up to 10,000 SkyMiles for stays at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo Executive House ZEN More... Until Mar 31, 13
- OFFER EXTENDED Earn up to 3,000 SkyMiles per stay of two consecutive nights or more Hotel New Otani Makuhari Hotel New Otani Osaka The New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel, Honolulu Hotel New Otani Chang Fu Gong, Beijing More... Until Mar 31, 13

Hilton HHonors
- Double HHonors Points for stays of 2 or more nights at tHilton Grand Vacations Club at Sunrise Lodge Park City. More... Until Apr 30, 13

Oman Air Sindbad (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Sindbad Miles when you stay for a minimum of two nights at any of the following Shangri-La or Traders Hotel in Dubai or Abu Dhabi; Shangri-La Hotels in New Delhi or Mumbai; Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Sultanate of Oman; or Shangri-La’s Villingilli Resort & Spa or Traders Hotel in Maldives. More... Until Mar 31, 13
- 1,000 Sindbad Miles and 5% off Budget rentals in Europe, Middle East and Africa. More...Until Feb 28, 13
- Double Sindbad Miles and save up to 33% of on all Hertz rentals Worldwide. More... Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Jun 30, 13
- Quadruple Sindbad Miles on all Sixt rentals of 5 or more days Worldwide. More... Until Jan 31, 13

Which Credit Card Earns the Most Aeroplan Miles?

UPDATED FOR 2014: See our new post here

Occasionally I get asked the question: "Which credit card can you earn the most Aeroplan miles with?" What better way to show to answer to that question than in Rewards Canada's first Infographic. This Infographic pulls data from the full Rewards Canada feature with 10 different spending scenarios which can be found here. As always feel free to leave your comments below.

You can find more spending scenarios on our site here. For more information on all of the cards please follow the links!

Links to the cards
CIBC Aerogold / Aventura Cards
American Express Gold Rewards Card
Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express
The Platinum Card from American Express
MBNA Best Western Rewards MasterCard
Chase Marriott Rewards Visa

Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards for 2011

Today on RewardsCanada.ca we posted our third annual picks for Canada's top travel rewards credit cards. New for this year is Canada's Choice, where we asked Canadians to vote for their favorite travel rewards credit cards with the results to be posted along side our rankings. We have combed over 70 different credit cards offering travel rewards for Canadians and of those there are a few that really stand out. While it is practically impossible to give this question a perfect one card answer, we can breakdown the market of Canadian Travel Rewards credit cards into five major categories that these cards fall into. Without further ado, here are the top travel rewards credit cards for 2011 as picked by RewardsCanada.ca along with Canada's Choice for each category:

Top Travel Points Credit Card (with annual fee)
Rewards Canada's Pick: Capital One Aspire Travel™ World MasterCard®
Canada's Choice: American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card

Top Travel Points Credit Card (with no annual fee)
Rewards Canada's Pick: American Express Blue Sky Credit Card
Canada's Choice: American Express Air Miles Credit Card

Top Hybrid Travel Credit Card (with annual fee)
Rewards Canada's Pick: American Express Gold Rewards Card
Canada's Choice: American Express Gold Rewards Card

Top Airline Credit Card
Rewards Canada's Pick: CIBC AeroGold Visa Infinite
Canada's Choice: American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum Card

Top Hotel Points Credit Card
Rewards Canada's Pick: (tie) Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express and Priority Club® Platinum MasterCard® from Capital One
Canada's Choice: Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express

For the complete article, details on each card plus runners up in each category please visit the full Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Card for 2011 page on the Rewards Canada website

Care to comment on our choices? Want to voice your opinion on the good and the bad of all the Travel Rewards Credit Cards in Canada. Share you views and experiences by leaving a comment below.


“The interest rates, fees, rewards details, benefits and other details of the Capital One product(s) described in the article may have changed since the time of publication. Please consult the product information pages on the Capital One website for accurate product details. In the event of any conflict between the product details in this article and the Capital One website, the details on the Capital One website shall prevail.”

CIBC Aventura World MasterCard Review

This is the review in full as it appears on the main Rewards Canada site.

CIBC has become the second major bank in Canada to issue both Visa and MasterCard cards with the launch of their CIBC Aventura World MasterCard. Much like its Aventura Visa equivalent, the Aventura World MasterCard looks to attract customers who want the ability to redeem points for flights without blackout dates and have the option to convert those points to Aeroplan Miles. Where this card differs from its Visa equivalent is on the benefits side, the World MasterCard option provides more in terms of the benefits included then the Visa Infinite branding

Overview
Falling into our Hybrid Credit Card category the CIBC Aventura World MasterCard becomes the best travel rewards card offered by CIBC. The card offers the same earning ratio as all the CIBC Infinite Visas (Aerogold & Aventura) along with the same sign up bonuses. Where this card stands out against CIBC's Visa cards is in the benefits it provides. The card has a set reward chart for flights allowing for up to 4% return and has extra insurance coverage that the Aerogold or Aventura Infinite Visas do not have.

Costs
The CIBC Aventura World MasterCard comes with an industry standard $120 primary card annual fee. The card offers a decent 15,000 point welcome bonus which can get the cardholder a free short haul flight. Supplementary cards are $50 each which is on par with most of the high end cards although the emerging trend from this card's competitors has been to offer these for free. The interest rate on the card is 19.99% which is in the middle of the pack for these type of cards (most high end cards range from 18% to 21%).

Earning
The CIBC Aventura World MasterCard earns 1 Aventura Point for every dollar spent on the card for purchases with an increased earning of 1.5 points at gas stations, grocery stores and drug stores.(on your first $80,000 in total annual account spending) It also offers double points for travel purchased with the CIBC Aventura Rewards Centre and bonuses at participating CIBC Bonus Rewards restaurants, resorts and golf courses, spas and retailers across Canada. This earning ratio on the card is the same as the other CIBC Cards and when compared with the rest of the industry for high end travel cards like these it is average. The card's 15,000 point sign up bonus is equivalent to the other CIBC Visa's and is similar to most of its competition.

Redeeming
On the redemption side, the points earned with the CIBC Aventura World MasterCard can be redeemed for any flights via the CIBC Aventura Rewards Centre. The World MasterCard has a set reward chart for flights with a limited amount at the lowest level and more at the higher levels. If you are lucky enough to get a $400 short haul ticket at the 10,000 point level, congratulations you have received the maximum return on this card of 4%. The return diminishes as the tickets go up in price and availability becomes tighter, see the following:
- Canada and U.S. (Short Haul) 10,000 - 25,000 points (Max. $400 ticket value)
- Canada and U.S. (Long Haul) 20,000 - 40,000 points (Max. $650 ticket value)
- Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Central America, Caribbean 40,000 - 60,000 points (Max. $1,000 ticket value)
- Europe 50,000 - 70,000 points (Max. $1,200 ticket value)
- Rest of the World 75,000 - 125,000 points (Max. $2,000 ticket value)
Tickets at the lowest point redemption levels are limited and are not available for certain times, flights or destinations. The maximum ticket price is before taxes, fees and other surcharges. These must be paid by the cardholder at the time of booking with an Aventura card or with Aventura points at a rate of 100 points to $1. At the time of booking, you can also purchase up to 20% of the required points at $0.03 each to reach a specific redemption level is so desired.

The card also allows members to convert their Aventura points to Aeroplan Miles in 10,000 point increments at a ratio of 1 to 1.

Features and Benefits
The CIBC Aventura World MasterCard features the best insurance and benefits package out of all the CIBC Travel Cards and is comparable to some of the other top cards from other issuers. The card features your standard travel accident, baggage and car rental insurance that are found on almost all fee based rewards cards but it also includes some that are only found on a few select cards. These include, Trip cancellation which is only offered as a standard feature on a half dozen other travel rewards cards and Travel Medical insurance which only comes standard on about 50% of the cards in the market. In comparison to the Visa cards issued by CIBC this new MasterCard heavily outweighs them in this category not only because of the trip cancellation insurance but also by the fact it has purchase protection and extended warranty insurance.

What is good about this card
This card can relatively hold its own in the premium credit card market with its reward and benefits offering. The ability to book travel via CIBC's travel agency or convert the Aventura points to Aeroplan miles definitely helps this card out. The increase in insurance and benefits over CIBC's other cards makes this the best CIBC travel rewards card on the market. The potential to get high rate of return of up to 4% can make this card a really good value but one has to make sure they try to maximize their reward to see this.


What is not so good about this card
Most of what is not so good with this card is the redemption category. The emerging trend in the industry has been to let the cardholder book travel how they want and with whom they want and then redeeming points against the charge. Unfortunately, this card makes the cardholder book via the CIBC Aventura Reward center and while it is a full service travel agency, they may not be able to find the same deals you could online. Another redemption issue are the restrictions placed on the flight rewards, these are text book frequent flyer program rules with restrictions on the lowest redemption rates and the need to pay for the fees and taxes over and above the redemption rate.

Conclusion
The CIBC Aventura World MasterCard may not be the best travel rewards credit card in the Canadian market when compared to other Hybrid or even other travel card categories but it definitely does take the top spot from CIBC's credit card offerings for travel rewards. If I banked at CIBC and was loyal to them I would choose this card as it offers the flexibility of booking flights on almost any airline or converting the points to Aeroplan. Overall the card may not impact the travel rewards industry tremendously in Canada, but does allow for a good card option for those who want to stick with CIBC and have all the benefits that many competitors have been offering to their cardholders.

This card will be included in our next Canada's Top Travel Rewards Card feature which will be out this summer! Where will it end up? You will just have to wait and see.

We would like to hear your thoughts on the new CIBC Aventura World MasterCard by commenting below.

Related links
CIBC Aventura World MasterCard on CIBC.ca