The Top 5 Mastercard Cards to use at Costco Canada

 We've updated our feature on the Top Mastercard cards to use at Costco due to the recent changes to the BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard. The BMO card saw its earn rate at Costco drop from 1.5% to 1% which meant it dropped off this list of the best five cards to use at Costco Canada stores. That card has been replaced with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard and we've also added an honorable mention Mastercard to the list as well. The Top 5 Cards are as follows:

Capital One ending its relationship with Costco and Hudson's Bay

 

While perusing Twitter last night I came across this tweet from Andrew Clarke (who used to do PR at Capital One Canada) announcing the changes coming to the American bank's Canadian operations:

 

The cards Rewards Canada recommends to replace the devalued Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard

Last week news broke that one of the best long running travel rewards cards in Canada was being devalued. That card is the Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard and although it hasn't been available to new customers for nearly three years now, those who did have the card were able to keep it and continue earning and burning on it like before with it's 2% return on all spending and the 10,000 point anniversary bonus being grandfathered in. That 2% and 10,000 points made it worthwhile for the majority of cardholders to keep the card in their wallets but that has changed now.

As reported last week the card will be devalued as of August 5. The earn rate will drop to 1.5% which is still respectable however in the grand scheme of looking at the whole picture of what cards provide and how the competitors ramp up against the card it makes the card weaker. Then by taking away the 10,000 point anniversary bonus cardholders are losing out on a $100 value - which many competitors offer in another form. Whether its the first bag free on the WestJet RBC Mastercard, to the $100 in travel credits on the HSBC World Elite Mastercard or Priority Pass lounge visit passes on the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite card, the market is ripe with better options than the Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard.

Here are the top travel cards Rewards Canada recommends as replacement options for the Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard:

HSBC World Elite Mastercard
This card also earns 1.5% back on spending that can be redeemed towards any travel however that gets boosted to 3% on travel purchases which puts it ahead of the Aspire card. On top of that the card has no foreign transaction fees - which means purchases in US$ or other currencies will be 2.5% cheaper than the Aspire card plus the card provides an annual $100 travel enhancement credit that can be used towards things like seat selection, baggage fees and more. Finally the other big bonus this card has over the Aspire card is the ability to convert the points earned to British Airways Executive Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles or Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer. Learn more about and apply for the HSBC World Elite Mastercard here.



MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard
The MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard is the closest replacement to the Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard in terms of earn rate. The card earns 2 points per dollar spent and those points can be redeemed for any travel booked via MBNA Rewards at a rate of 5,000 points to $50 which means it is a full 2% return. For cash back redemptions it drops a little to 1.67% but we're more concerned with the travel redemption rate and that is equal to the old Cap One rate. Learn more about and apply for the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard here.



WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard
This card provides a 1.5% return on all spending except for purchases with WestJet which will earn 2%. So on the earn side it is pretty equal with Capital One however if you are someone who flies WestJet the extra benefits this card provides over Capital One are what you need to look at such as the first checked bag fee being covered for you and up to 8 people on the same reservation and then the coveted annual companion voucher where someone can travel with you for only $119 to $399 depending on where you are flying to. Both those benefits provide a ton of value when compared to the Aspire card. Learn more about and apply for the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard here.

American Express Cobalt Card
This is the number one travel rewards credit card in Canada and if you are good to go with Amex then this is the card to get. It has super strong earn rates ranging from 1 to 5 points per dollar spent which translates to a 1% to 5% return towards any travel you book by yourself. Redeem those points via Amex's Fixed Travel Points program and that return can be as high as 10%! You also have the option to convert points to Marriott Bonvoy which can then be converted to over 40+ airline frequent flyer programs. Learn more about and apply for the American Express Cobalt Card here.


Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
Another big earner like the Cobalt Card, the Scotiabank Gold American Express card provides returns of 1% to 5% when you redeem your points towards travel that you book from any travel provider. It will also save you 2.5% on foreign currency transactions since the card has No Foreign transaction fee.  Learn more about and apply for the Scotiabank Gold American Express card here.

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card
The Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card provides a 1% to 2% return on spending when you redeem for travel booked via any travel provider so on average you may come out at about the same earn rate as the newly devalued rate on the Cap One card. Like the HSBC card this card has no foreign transaction fees meaning it will save you 2.5% on any non-C$ purchases then add in the fact the card provides 6 free airport lounge visits per year and you should be pulling more value out of this card than the Cap One card. Learn more about and apply for the Scotia Passport Visa Infinite Card here.

TD First Class Visa Infinite Card
This card also allows you to use your points for booking travel via any provider at a minimum return of 1.2 to 1.5% - so not as good as the Cap One Aspire card however that rate gets boosted if you make purchases or end up redeeming your points to book travel via ExpediaForTd. That's the key to this card is utilizing TD's partnership with Expedia to extract the most value out of the points.  For example booking travel via ExpediaForTD online earns you 9 points per dollar and those points when redeemed on ExpediaForTD would net you a 4.5% return. Learn more about and apply for the TD First Class Visa Infinite Card here.



Now these aren't the only options to replace the Capital One Aspire World Elite Travel Mastercard - you have a whole slew of other travel rewards cards, cash back cards from the big banks, little banks and credit unions but the above list does represent the best overall options for anyone reading this post from coast to coast to coast. As always we do recommend that you do your research and find the card that will work best for you.

Grandfathered Capital One Aspire World Elite Mastercard will be devalued this August

Once upon a time there was a credit card that ruled the land. The Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard was king. There was almost no matching it, it ranked as the number one travel points card in our annual rankings for years on end (even its predecessor the Miles Plus card won our rankings in 2009!) as it offered a nice simple 2% back towards travel, had an amazing insurance package and provided an annual anniversary bonus worth $100 towards travel. In the end the card aspired to be too much (no pun intended) and proved to be too expensive for Capital One to maintain. They stopped issuing the card several years ago but original cardholders were grandfathered the anniversary bonus and all cardholders were able to keep earning that 2%.

Thanks to our Twitter follower Dan Donovan we now know that all changes on August 5th. Grandfather Capital One Aspire World Elite Mastercard holders will no longer get the anniversary bonus but even worse the earn rate is dropping to 1.5% from that trend setting 2%.  Why Capital One is doing this. I believe it is still an expensive card for them to offer as Capital One has shifted their focus in the market to new credit (Students, newcomers to Canada, etc) and secured credit. Those type of card offerings bring down the average interchange rate fees they are collecting and would eat away at what is earned on the World Elite card. We know the card wasn't making the company money when it was an active card in the market so one has to assume it's not making it any money now. By making these changes the reward rate of 1.5% will closely match what Capital One is earning but not only that I'm pretty sure they know that by making this change people will cancel the card which means the company will have less cardmembers carrying a card that doesn't make them any money.

Recommended reading: The cards Rewards Canada recommends to replace the devalued Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard

So that brings us to the question for those of you who still have the card - should you keep it or switch to another card? For the most part, I'd say switch, I mean 1.5% isn't a bad earn rate but there are a lot of cards that also earn that much but also have accelerated rates in certain spend categories where you can earn more. For example, if you want to keep earning and redeeming for travel at 2% the MBNA Rewards World Elite Mastercard is a good alternative option since it provides that straight 2% towards travel booked via MBNA and 1.67% towards cash back rewards (which can be used to book any travel from any provider). Both of those rates are higher than the Capital One card but know that the MBNA card doesn't have as strong of an insurance package. You have the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard which earns 1.5% on all spending, so the same as the new Cap One earn rates but then it earns 2% on WestJet purchases, has the first bag free benefit and of course the companion vouchers. Another really good card to consider would be the HSBC World Elite Mastercard. It earns 1.5% on all spending except travel which is 3% but then the card also has No Foreign Transaction fees, annual travel credits and you can choose to convert those points to several airlines including British Airways and Cathay Pacific. The list goes on from there with cards like the BMO Rewards World Elite Mastercard, the Rogers World Elite Mastercard and so on. There are lots of options out there and in my mind the front runners are the first three I mentioned.

April 9 Update: Air Canada & WestJet to hire back laid off employees, even discontinued grandfathered Mastercards get new benefits & Air Canada's May flight schedule

Air Canada and WestJet will re-hire over 16,000 and 6,000 employees respectively thanks to the Government of Canada's Emergency Wage Subsidy. Here is a statement from WestJet's CEO Ed Sims:

“We are pleased to announce, after discussions with the federal government, that we will bring almost 6,400 employees back on the WestJet payroll, once the government has approved the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program.” 

“This does not automatically mean that they will be coming back to work as there may not be work there for them. But it does help them make ends meet and I am grateful for the hard work by the Government of Canada and of all governments across Canada to provide businesses with the tools to continue operating in these challenging times. We will be communicating with those WestJetters who are affected by this decision as soon as we can.” 

and from Air Canada's CEO Calin Rovinescu:

"The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy is an extremely important program to help employees and employers during this time of crisis, and as one of Canada's largest employers most affected by COVID-19, we want to acknowledge the leadership of the Government of Canada in introducing it," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada. 

"While our seat capacity and operations have decreased by more than 90 per cent overnight, we are trying to keep as many of our employees as possible during the crisis and this measure will certainly help. Depending on wage levels, many furloughed employees will get a somewhat higher amount under CEWS than they would otherwise receive from Employment Insurance payments plus they will maintain their health insurance and other benefits and stay more connected to our company during the Program Period. Once the crisis passes and passenger demand increases, we look forward to returning as many employees as possible to active status as we resume normal operations," concluded Mr. Rovinescu.

Great news for those of you who have the grandfathered version of what used to be Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Card from years ago - the Capital One Aspire Travel World Elite Mastercard. Rewards Canada reader Leo T. asked if we knew if the card would also receive all the new World and World Elite Mastercard benefits we announced last week. He contacted Capital One who told him to contact Mastercard. Well he decided to just try it out on the Boingo site and Leo has confirmed that his card was eligible.

This should hopefully mean it also gets all the other new benefits that come with premium Canadian Mastercards. Read more about the new benefits here.

Top image via Mastercard

Air Canada has released their intended flight schedules for May and it sees international flights tripling from 30 per week to 90 as the airline slowly prepares for a hopeful early return to travel. Their page shows a significant increase in flights within Canada although it is still not even close to what it was before the pandemic. Flights to the U.S. are also being increased but are once again being limited to departures from Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. You can find all their scheduled flights for May here. (List below is sourced from  RoutesOnline).

Here are Air Canada's planned international operations for May:

Montreal – Brussels 4 weekly A330-300 (service resumption)
Montreal – Fort-de-France 1 weekly A319 (service resumption)
Montreal – Frankfurt 1 daily 787-9
Montreal – London Heathrow 5 weekly A330-300
Montreal – Paris CDG 1 daily 777-300ER (400-seater)
Montreal – Pointe-a-Pitre 1 weekly A319 (service resumption)
Toronto – Bogota 3 weekly 787-8 (service resumption; Mainline replacing rouge)
Toronto – Bridgetown 1 weekly A319 (resumes on 16MAY20)
Toronto – Cancun 2 weekly A320 (service resumption; Mainline replacing rouge)
Toronto – Frankfurt 1 daily 777-300ER (400-seater)
Toronto – London Heathrow 2 daily 777-300ER (400-seater)/787-9
Toronto – Mexico City 1 daily A319
Toronto – Montego Bay 2 weekly A319 (service resumption; Mainline replacing rouge)
Toronto – Punta Cana 2 weekly A320 (service resumption; Mainline replacing rouge)
Toronto – Tokyo Haneda 4 weekly 787-9 (service resumption)
Toronto – Zurich 4 weekly 787-9 (service resumption)
Vancouver – Hong Kong 5 weekly 787-9
Vancouver – London Heathrow 5 weekly 787-8
Vancouver – Seoul Incheon 4 weekly 787-9 (service resumption)
Vancouver – Tokyo Narita 5 weekly 787-9

Image via Air Canada

 

Throwback Thursday - Here's a throwback to 2012 when Rewards Canada was featured as the Travel Website of the Week on Canada.com. Of note that's when the WestJet RBC World Mastercard became a World Elite Mastercard. Read the old article 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:

• Calgary Hotel Association stepping up with member hotels to provide accommodations for front line workers, self-isolation and vulnerable Calgarians
  I'm sure this is prevalent across Canada with various city, town and province hotel and tourism associations but seeing…
• AIR MILES will match collector donations made to Food Banks Canada and Kids Help Phone
  AIR MILES revealed a new campaign that starts today whereby they will match donations made by their members to…
• Select BCAA members may receive a $25 Best Western Travel Card for joining Best Western Rewards
  In my everyday search for new bonus offers to add to the bonus offers sections on Rewards Canada Frequent…
• April 8 Update: Alaska Airlines extending paid lounge access memberships, 500 free iPrefer points in your email, update to our COVID-19 page
  Yesterday we brought you the news about Alaska Airlines providing elite status extending elite status and voucher and wanted…
   

Deals:

Ready to plan some travel for 2021? Contiki has released their 2021 trips and are allowing you lock in at this years prices. Find out more here.

Indigo plum PLUS members enjoy 2x plum points on all purchases* (Until April 30)



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

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

Best Western Rewards
- Receive a $25 Best Western Travel Card when you join the Best Western Rewards program. Valid for select BCAA (British Columbia Automobile Association) members. More... Targeted offer - may not work for everyone Unknown end dates

Other Bonus Offers

Etihad Guest
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Guest Miles when you were due to travel between 1 March and 30 June 2020, and when you cancel your booking for Etihad Credit. More... Until Jun 30, 20

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Triple Infinity MileageLands Miles when you rent with Avis for 3 or more days in North America (exclude Alaska), Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. More... Book by Apr 30 for rentals until May 31, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 2+ nights at the Four Points by Sheraton St. Louis - Fairview Heights. More... Until Jun 6, 20

Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer
- Double iPrefer Points for stays at the Huntington Hotel San Francisco More... Until Dec 31, 20

Singapore Airines KrisFlyer
- Earn up to Triple KrisFlyer Miles when you rent a car for 3 or more days with Budget in North America (excluding Alaska), Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. More... Book by May 31 for rentals until Jun 30, 20




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July 30 Update: Capital One security breach affects up to 6 millions Canadians

Capital One is the latest company to be hacked and it affected a lot of Canadians according to their press release. The security breach affected about 6 million Canadians and of those approximately 1 million Social Insurance numbers were comprised. If you are or have been a Capital One cardholder you will be contacted by Capital One to let you know if you were one of those who had their data comprised. In the mean time Capital One recommends doing the following:

We are also encouraging customers to enroll in account alerts to help them keep track of activity on their accounts. Customers can sign in to online banking and set up text or email alerts, based on their preferences.

We also encourage customers to monitor their credit card accounts for unusual or suspicious activity that they do not recognize, and to call the phone number on the back of their Capital One card or on their statement as soon as possible, if they see unusual activity.

We do not call customers asking for personal information and customers should be mindful of the possibility of phishing emails and calls due to this incident. Tips on how to spot fraudulent emails / messages are on the Capital One website at https://www.capitalone.ca/help/fraud-protection/

Phishing is an attempt to acquire personal information, sometimes to compromise online banking accounts by posing as a legitimate company in an electronic communication. These emails are not from Capital One. If you believe you have received a fraudulent email that claims to be from Capital One:

• Do not reply to the email.
• Do not click on any of the links embedded in the email.
• Forward the email to abuse@capitalone.com.
• After forwarding the email to Capital One for investigation, delete it.
• Be sure to monitor your account and call us if you notice any unusual activity.

You can learn more about this incident here

Posts since our last update:

• A look at how the current TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card sign up offer of up to 25,000 miles can provide huge value!
  Back in June TD revised the offer for the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card. The offer provides an awesome welcome…
• Reminder: Increased sign up bonuses for the MBNA Rewards World Elite & Platinum Plus Mastercards
  This is a reminder post about the not so well publicized limited time offers for MBNA's proprietary rewards cards. …
• July 25 Update: Canada's Top Cash Back Credit Cards for 2019, join EIA Rewards for a chance to win a trip to Zagreb & more!
  The big news for today is the release of our Top Cash Back Credit Card rankings for 2019! Check…

Travel Deals

Hilton Asia Pacific 100th Anniversary Sale – Save up to 20% for stays through to February 2020

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

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

Canadian Bonus Offers

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Other Bonus Offers

Aegean Miles+Bonus
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Miles+Bonus Miles when you stay at Marriott Hotels & Resorts in Europe. More... Book by Aug 31 for stays until Dec 31, 19

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Earn up to 1,500 Bonus Mileage Plan miles when you shop online via the Mileage Plan Shopping portal. More... Until Aug 11, 19

Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points or Airline Miles for stays at the Best Western Hotel Achim Bremen. More... Aug 1 - Dec 31, 19
- Double Rewards Points or Airline Miles for stays at the Best Western Huddersfield Pennine Manor Hotel. More... Until Sep 1, 19

Emirates Skywards
- Double Skywards Miles for stays of 2+ nights at any participating Shangri-La Hotel Worldwide. More... Book by Aug 31 for stays until Mar 31, 20

Iberia Plus
- Earn up to 18,000 Avios when you subscribe to The Economist. More... Until Sep 30, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- 300 Bonus Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Austria, Germany or Switzerland. More... Book by Sep 2 for stays Aug 15 - Nov 15, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel.  More... Until Aug 24, 19
- 10,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per stays at the Cotton House Hotel, Autograph Collection Barcelona. More... Until Aug 31, 19
- 10,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 3+ nights in a deluxe studio or 1, 2 or 3 bedroom villa at the Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu, Autograph Collection  More... Until Aug 24, 19

United MileagePlus
- Double MileagePlus Miles when you convert your Wyndham Rewards points to United MileagePlus miles. More... Until Aug 15, 19
- Earn up to 2,500 Bonus MileagePlus miles when you shop online via the MileagePlus Shopping portal. More... Until Aug 18, 19

World of Hyatt
- 2,000 Bonus World of Hyatt Points for stays at participating Hyatt Hotels Worldwide. More... Targeted for Google Employees but it may work for anyone Aug 1 - Nov 15, 19


Follow Rewards Canada:

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The Ultimate Foodie Credit Card portfolio

Yesterday we released the 14th Ultimate Credit Card Portfolio on Rewards Canada. This one is the Ultimate Foodie Credit Card portfolio!

In this feature of Rewards Canada's Ultimate Credit Card Portfolios we look at the ultimate one for those who like to enjoy food - whether it is cooking your own gourmet meals or going to three Michelin star restaurants. And when it comes to food - you buy it - no matter what so if you a major foodie you'll want to make sure you capitalize on those food purchases by maximizing the rewards you earn. So while this piece is focused on earn we also take into account what those points or cash back can get you. As we have always recommended and is standard with our Ultimate Wallets is that you should carry a Visa, a Mastercard and an American Express card in your wallet. The reason why is that there are benefits, promotions and earning potential unique to each brand of credit card regardless of the version of the card you have. We won't go into detail here as you can read all about it in our feature on how to Maximize your Miles and Points but here we outline one card from each brand that will help you as a foodie get the most bang for your buck. Ultimately there are various options that could be utilized for such a portfolio but we look at one card from each issuing family that we feel are the best fit for foodies. Find out what the ultimate portfolio is here!

Find all our Ultimate Card Portfolios here!

Yes it is official - say good bye to the Capital One® Aspire Travel™ World Elite Mastercard®

Amazon, Marriott and now this, the best Travel Points Credit Card with an annual fee and our 2nd place card overall in Canada is no longer available to new customers. You may have noticed that as of a few days ago we pulled all references of this card off our site and as of yesterday it was taken off the Capital One site as it has been officially discontinued!

Citing economics due to the change in interchange rates (see our 2015 death knell post) Capital One has decided to pull this card from the market.

What if I already have the card?
For now you are OK. Capital One has told us that all existing Aspire Travel World Elite card holders will continue to enjoy this amazing card!

It is just for anyone who has not got the card that you have now lost out if you were considering it. We asked Capital One if there is a replacement product in the works and unfortunately there is not.

All other Capital One products like the Capital One® Aspire Travel™ Platinum Mastercard® and the Capital One® Aspire Cash™ Platinum Mastercard® are still available.

Thoughts everyone?

October 8 Update: 8 new airline/hotel bonuses

More great credit card news for you today!

News, Tips & Tricks

Remember to enter our $100 Gas Card giveaway! See more in this post.

Have you voted yet for your favourite travel rewards credit card?  If you haven't voted yet be sure you make your voice heard! Vote here!



Posts since our last update:

• N/A

Bonus Offers
airBaltic PINS (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double PINS when you fly airBaltic between Riga and Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt or between from Vilnius or Tallinn and Berlin. More... Until Nov 6, 15

Emirates Skywards
- Earn up to 16,000 Bonus Skywards Miles with Miles Accelerator which enables you to earn more Skywards Miles when you fly with Emirates, irrespective of the fare you pay or where you buy your ticket. More... Register and book by Oct 31 for travel Jan 1 - 31, 16

Icelandair Saga Club
- Double Saga Club Points on all Alaska Airlines flights. More... Until Dec 15, 15

Philippine Airlines Mabuhay
- Triple Mabuhay Miles for stays at participating Hilton hotels and resortsWorldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 15

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Triple KrisFlyer Miles when you stay three or more nights at participating Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, and Country Inns & Suites By Carlson hotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Double KrisFlyer miles and a host of other benefits when you stay for at least two consecutive nights on the Club Indulgence package at Concorde Hotel Singapore. More... Until Nov 30, 15
- Earn up to Quadruple KrisFlyer miles when you rent with Avis for three or more days in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. More... Until Nov 30, 15

Wyndham Rewards
- 750 Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points on qualifying rentals of 3 days or more at participating Budget locations worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 15

October 7 Update:Enter to win a $100 Gas Card!

A pretty busy Wednesday!

News, Tips & Tricks
Enter to win a $100 Gas Card! Did you see our post earlier today for your chance to win a $100 Gas Card? Simply talk to us about the new Scotia GM cards for a chance to win! Find out more here.

Have you voted yet for your favourite travel rewards credit card? 2,500 others have already done so! If you haven't voted yet be sure you make your voice heard! Vote here!

Thanks to Rewards Canada reader David for letting us know about the new Tangerine Money Back credit card that will be coming out soon. It provides you with 2% cash back on two categories of your choice (not sure if it is generic like travel and groceries or merchant specific) and then 1% on all other purchases. The card will have no annual fee and if you have a Tangerine Savings account and choose to bank your credit card cash back into that account you'll get a third category for the 2% back. Reminds us of the not-so-succesful American Express Choice cards that were out a few years ago. Learn more about the card here.

Posts since our last update:

• Talk to us about the Scotiabank GM VISA Suite of Credit Cards for a chance to win a $100 Gas Card!
  Rewards Canada is happy to offer one of our lucky readers a chance to win a $100 Gas Card! All…
• Miles & More Award Ticket Sale - Save up to 50% on award tickets to Europe from Montreal, Toronto & Vancouver
  Once again we bring you the latest set Miles & More "Meilenschnaeppchen" discounted mileage awards!  This month we see…
• Did you know? WestJet Rewards Deposit & Fly Targetted Offers
  Taking a page from Melia Rewards' playbook, WestJet Rewards has, for quite sometime now, been sending out emails with…

Travel Deals
SWISS Airlines has a great sale for flights between Montreal and Zurich. Fares are as low as $798 all in if booked by Oct 27 for travel Oct 16 - Dec 10. Find out more here!

Bonus Offers
Air China Phoenix Miles
- Double Phoenix Miles Kilometers for stays at the Cordis Hotel Hong Kong. More... Until Dec 30, 15

Air New Zealand Airpoints
- Earn up to Triple Airpoints Dollars for stays at participating Hilton hotels and resorts Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- 10 Bonus Airpoints when you join Snap Fitness. More... Ongoing

AirAsia BIG (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 10,000 Bonus BIG Points on your first Rocketmiles booking More... Book by Dec 31, 15

airBaltic PINS (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 1,000 Bonus PINS on your first hotel booking made with PointsHound. More... Book by Dec 31, 15 for stays until Dec 31, 16
- Triple PINS on Sixt rentals of 3 days or more in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. More... Book by Nov 6 for rentals until Dec 18, 15

Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Earn up to 60% Bonus MilleMiglia Miles when you buy miles. More... Until Oct 31, 15

British Airways Executive Club
- Double Avios 20% off the best available rate, a free upgrade upon availability for stays at Swissotel Hotels & Resorts in Europe. More... Dec 1 - Jan 31, 16
- 1,000 Bonus Avios on Avis rentals of 3 or more daysof a Group C car or higher Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 15

JetBlue TrueBlue (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double TrueBlue Points & save up to $20 or $5 per day on Hertz Prestige and Adrenaline Car Collections in the U.S.. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Double TrueBlue Points and a Free Upgrade on qualifying weekend and weekly rentals in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico.More... Until Dec 31, 15

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn up to 30,000 Bonus QMiles when you fly between Los Angeles and Doha. More... Jan 1 - Mar 31, 16
- Save up to 14,000 QMiles when you redeem for an award ticket to or from Los Angeles. More... Jan 1 - Feb 29, 16
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus QMiles when you fly between Doha and Durban. More... Dec 17 - Mar 31, 16
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus QMiles when you fly between Doha and Ras Al Khaimah. More... Feb 1 - Apr 30, 16
- Earn up to 4,000 Bonus QMiles when you fly between Doha and Abha. More... Until Nov 30, 15

Starwood Preferred Guest
- Bonus Starpoints, Free Nights or Elite Status when you complete stays at Starwood Hotels Worldwide. More... Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone Until Dec 31, 15
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Starpoints when you stay at Starwood's Tribute brand of hotels. More... Oct 12 - Dec 20, 15

Top No Fee Travel Cards to look at with the current economic downturn

This has been removed due to frequent changes to the cards that were originally listed here.

 

September 11 Update: Delta SkyMiles Credit Card officially done, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege added to charts, Scotiabank GM Cards

A light update to end the week for you!
 
News, Tips & Tricks
As you know a few months ago we let you know about the discontinuation of Delta SkyMiles® credit cards from Capital One® . At the time it was limited to no longer accepting new applications but now it is official that even existing cardholders will have their cards discontinued as of Oct 20. Several of our readers have forwarded the following to us:

"IT'S BEEN A GREAT RIDE. OUR CAPITAL ONE PARTNERSHIP IS ENDING. BUT YOU'LL KEEP YOUR MILES. If you are a current Delta SkyMiles MasterCard holder, we want you to know that we will be ending our agreement with Capital One. As of October 20, 2015, you will no longer be able to use your card. The good news is, all miles you have earned are safe and will never expire.
We appreciate your continued support as we actively look for new partnerships to best serve you. If you have any questions about your SkyMiles account, please call 1-800-323-2323 or visit www.delta.com/myskymiles."

We have finally got around to adding the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege card to our credit card comparison charts. You'll find it on the following charts:
Canadian Travel Credit Card Comparison: All Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Canadian Travel Credit Card Comparison: Hybrid Credit Cards

Over on our global website, FrequentFlyerBonuses.com we have launched the 4th contest of the #FFB10 The FrequentFlyerBonuses.com 10th Anniversary Celebration! In this contest you participate on Twitter for a chance to win 10,000 Starpoints! Find out more here.

Don't forget about our promotion where you can get a $250 Gift Card from Rewards Canada. Find out more here.




Posts since our last update:

• Introducing the Scotiabank GM VISA Suite of Credit Cards
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Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Earn 50,000 Aeroplan Miles with the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege. More... Apply by Oct 30, 15

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles for eligible stays at all participating Hilton hotels in Dubai. More... Until Nov 30, 15
- 1,000 Bonus Skywards Miles when you stay at participating Marriott Hotels in Orlando. More... Until Dec 25, 15
- 1,000 Bonus Skywards Miles on all Avis rentals Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 15

Etihad Guest
- Double Guest Miles and up to 25% off Hertz rentals of 3 or more days Worldwide. More... Book by Sep 30 for rentals until Mar 20, 16

Miles & More
- Double Miles & More Miles for stays at Jumeirah Hotels Worldwide. More... Oct 1 - Dec 15, 15
- Double Miles & More Miles on Sixt rentals of 3 or more days in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the USA. More... Until Nov 30, 15