Four confirmed Cobalt Card multiplier locations in Halifax & Condor to launch Edmonton to Frankfurt flights in 2023

Here's your Rewards Canada update! Your near daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more.

An update to our American Express Cobalt Card Confirmed Multiplier Locations with some new places from Halifax. Thanks to CedricT for providing details on the following locations:

• 5x: Cows, Beavertails, King of Donairs
• 2x: Bob’s Taxi

Miles & More Mileage Bargains - Big mileage discounts on flights to Europe out of Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto & Vancouver

As we do each month we bring you the latest set Miles & More "Meilenschnaeppchen" or Mileage Bargain discounted mileage awards. This month the offers sees many more cities than usual - and an airlines that we haven't seen on the list in ages! Those airlines are Condor and you can get in on their flights out of Calgary and Vancouver and also SWISS' flight out of Vancouver is in there as well. The other cities included are Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. All of these last four have direct service with Lufthansa - the Ottawa route being the newest which actually launches on May 16 (see our post here).

This month's offers:

Calgary to Germany
Condor Economy Class
Book by February 29  for travel between March 1 - June 1, 2020

Montreal to Europe
Lufthansa Premium Economy and Business Class
Austrian Airlines Business Class
Book by February 29  for travel between May 15 - June 30, 2020

Ottawa to Europe
Lufthansa Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class
Book by February 29  for travel between May 15 - June 30, 2020

Toronto to Warsaw
LOT Economy Class
Book by February 29  for travel until February 29, 2020

Vancouver to Germany/Switzerland
Condor Economy Class
Book by February 29  for travel between March 1 - June 1, 2020
SWISS Economy and Business Class
Book by February 29  for travel between May 15 - June 30, 2020

With this month's offer you can redeem Miles & More miles for round trip business class tickets on the routes listed above for only 55,000 miles. This is just over a 50% discount off the normal Business Class award ticket price of 112,000 miles. For premium economy class it is a straight 50% discount from 80,000 miles down to 40,000 miles as is economy at 30,000 miles instead of 60,000 miles.

Normally at this point we go into our discussion on how you can get more Miles & More miles by converting Marriott Bonvoy points to the program. However as we reported previously all hotel points transfers to Miles & More have been suspended. That means if you want to take advantage of the offers this month you'll have to just make sure you have all the miles in your account.

Click here for full details on this Miles & More offer  

December 4 Update: Condor Airlines adds Edmonton-Frankfurt flights, Tangerine World added to comparison chart & new Amex Offers added

Condor Airlines, the German leisure airline that serves several cities in Canada has announced a new destination, Edmonton! The airline will fly twice a week between Edmonton and Frankfurt starting on June 1, 2020. The airline participates in the Miles & More frequent flyer program (Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines etc.) so you can earn and burn your M&M miles on these flights should you wish however I think for most Edmontonians the better option is utilizing proprietary credit card loyalty programs for these flights. Find out more about the new route here.

Rewards Canada is a guest on the North Report podcast which focuses on all avenues of running a technology business in Toronto and beyond. In episode 5 of their 2nd second season we discuss the back end of loyalty programs and what sort of shifts we have seen in the industry. Check it out here!

We have added the recently released Tangerine Bank World Mastercard to Cash Back Comparison Chart. Visit the chart here and see how this card stacks up against the rest of the cash back cards in Canada!

Several new Amex Offers are now available! The offers are for Clear Clinical (spend $250 get $50 credit) and Busy Bee Tools (spend $100 get $20 credit). I don't think I'll use either of these ones but maybe you can! Simply login to your online account or the app to see if you these offers are available to you. I received both of these offers on my American Express Gold Rewards Card.

And speaking of Amex Offers I recently took advantage of the Wayfair offer (spend $125 get $25 credit). The credit showed up 2 days after the Wayfair purchase posted. Always nice to get some money back on something you have to buy!

Posts since our last update:

• Aeroplan's 12 Days of Gifting launched today with 10x Miles for online purchases with Indigo
  Aeroplan's 12 Days of Gifting has returned for 2019! The campaign kicks off today and will feature a different…
• Give A Mile 2019 Flight Hero Christmas Campaign - Help Rewards Canada raise 50,000 miles for flights of compassion
  Rewards Canada's charity partner Give A Mile has launched their annual Flight Hero Christmas Campaign. We have covered Give…
• Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for December - These cards provide some of the best value out of their welcome bonuses
  Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of December! This is not…
• Fly Edmonton to Europe in business class for as little as 58,000 miles, Calgary & Toronto from 79,500 miles
  On Saturday I brought you the details of the Air France KLM Flying Blue Promo Rewards for December. As…
• December 3 Update: Rewards Canada Podcast on Stitcher, Aer Lingus Cyber Sale extended & save 750 points on Coast Hotels Free Night Rewards
  We continue to expand the service providers that you can listen to the Rewards Canada Podcast on! As of…

Travel Deals

Ethiopian Airlines is offering 20% off their flights out of Toronto with promo code EUA01. Book by Dec 26 for travel to any Ethiopian Airlines destination in the New Year! Find out more here.

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

Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

Aeroflot Bonus
- 5,000 Bonus Bonus Miles when you book a Maldives package from Maldiviana. More... Book by Dec 31 for stays until Jan 15, 20

British Airways Executive Club
- OFFER EXTENDED Double Avios on every hotel booking made with Kaligo. More... Book by Dec 31, 19 for stays until Jun 30, 20

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles for stays at The Fullerton Hotel Sydney More... Book by Jan 17 for stays until Mar 17, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus  Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Moxy Minneapolis Uptown. More... Until Jan 23, 20

SriLankan FlySmiles
- Double FlySmiles when you fly on SriLankan in business class from Trivandrum to Colombo. More... Book by Dec 10 for travel until Jan 31, 20


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January 8 Update: Earn Double QMiles & Elite QPoints on all Qatar flights, Mastercard drops Mastercard from logo, Condor increasing YYC & YYZ flights

Qatar Airways is offering not only Double Qmiles on their flights but also Double Elite Qualifting QPoints. Be sure to register and book if your are planning on flying Qatar out of Montreal (or anywhere else for that matter). Bookings must be completed by February 28 and you have until March 5th to register for flights until the end of August! Find out more here.

Mastercard has updated their branding to drop the actual "Mastercard" name from their logo. The brand and logo will simply be the interlocking red and yellow circles that have become synonymous with the brand. I wouldn't expect replacement cards from MC issuers to be automatically sent out, rather you'll probably see it when you get replacement cards sent in the future or when you apply for a new card. (Source Mastercard)

 For next summer Condor Airlines (a Lufthansa subsidiary) will be increasing flights from Calgary and Toronto to Frankfur. Calgary moves to 4x weekly while Toronto jumps to 5x weekly. You can earn and redeem Miles & More miles or earn Alaska Mileage Plan miles for Condor flights but I figure most Canadians if they are choosing to travel on Condor would look at using proprietary credit card points for these flights. Condor is a Rewards Canada partner and you can book flights with them directly to help support RC. (Source Routesonline)

Posts since our last update:

• Save up to 50% on Economy and Business Class award tickets for spring travel between Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver and Europe
  As we do each month we bring you the latest set Miles & More "Meilenschnaeppchen" or Mileage Bargain discounted…

Travel Deals
Hilton APAC Year End sale - Save up to 25% when you book by Feb 2 for stays until Sep 30, 2019!

Hilton Winter Sale - Save up to 25% on weekend stays in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa

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


Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- Quadruple AAdvantage Miles on all rentals of three days or longer at any Dollar location Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 19
- Earn up to 50,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you buy American AAdvantage Miles. More... Until Jan 31, 19

Avianca LifeMiles
- Earn up to 6x LifeMiles when you rent with Thrifty in the Americas or Europe. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles for stays at participating Anantara Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Feb 29, 20

Iberia Plus
- 25% Avios Discount when you redeem for award flights between Madrid and Copenhagen, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Santa Cruz de la Palma, Stuttgart, Berlin or Dublin. More... Book by Feb 28, for travel until Mar 31, 19
- Double Avios for stays at NH Hotels in Rome, Buenos Aires, Frankfurt, Mexico City, Rotterdam, Cologne, Marseille, Santiago (Chile), and any city in Andalusia. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn up to Double QMiles and Double Elite QPoints when you book and fly with Qatar Airways. More... Book by Feb 28, register by Mar 5, for travel until Aug 31, 19

Saudia Alfursan
- 1,000 Alfursan Miles for Sixt car rentals Worldwide. More... Until Jan 31, 19

Voila Hotel Rewards
- 30% VHR Points discount when you redeem points for an award night at any participating Voila Hotel Rewards Hotel. More... Until Mar 31, 19



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March 20 Update: Increased spend requirement for The Platinum Card from Amex, Alaska adds Condor as a partner & more!

News, Tips & Tricks
If you follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter you'll have seen our message alerting you to an upcoming change to The Platinum Card from American Express. Come this Thursday the card will require $3,000 in spending to receive the sign up bonus instead of the current $1,000. So if you have been considering the card we recommend applying for it by Wednesday so you only have to spend $1,000 over three months to get the sign up bonus. You can apply for the card here.

Also another card we recommend getting now if you have been eyeing it is the American Express Simply Cash Preferred Credit Card. It has changes coming to it in April that are for the most part good but if you get it now part of the card that will change for the worse will be grandfathered at the current rate.

Alaska Airlines announced a new frequent flyer partnership with Germany's Condor. Mileage Plan members will now be able to earn miles on Condor flights and soon enough will be able to redeem miles for their flights as well. This is really good news for Canadians as Condor has a decent presence here with seasonal flights out of Vancouver, Calgary, Whitehorse, Toronto and Halifax. You also continue to have the option to collect Miles & More miles with Condor but Mileage Plan definitely has a bigger presence here so if you are planning on flying this low cost German airline be sure to include your Mileage Plan number on the reservation. Of course we'll let you know once you'll be able to redeem miles for these flights as well. Find out more here.

Good news for Air France KLM Flying Blue members who fly semi-frequently with the airline. They have extended their expiry of their miles from 20 months to 24 months. Flying Blue is different than many of the other programs out there in that not all activity counts to keeping your account active. To keep the account active you have to have one qualifying flight on Air France, KLM and their airline affiliates or a SkyTeam airlines once in that 24 month period. This rule would not fall under the new Ontario legislation for expiring miles as it more so an inactivity rule than an expiry rule. Find out more here.

If you are Nexus member here in Canada you should have seen an email about custom forms being elimanted here in Canada! The email came out Friday as Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will be phasing out the paper CBSA Declaration Card (Form E311) for travellers arriving in Canada by air. Here is an excerpt from the email:

• What does this mean for NEXUS members?
  NEXUS kiosk display screens at all designated NEXUS airport locations in Canada are being updated to simplify the declaration process. Members will be prompted to respond to questions on the NEXUS kiosk screens that mirror the questions that were previously found on the paper CBSA Declaration Card.
• Why is this change being made?
  This change is being made to coincide with the upcoming launch of new Primary Inspection Kiosks that will expand self-service options to all international air travellers arriving in Canada. NEXUS members should continue to use their dedicated NEXUS kiosks, which are exclusively for their use and are designed to expedite their arrival to Canada.
• When and where will this change be made?
  Beginning late-March 2017, all travellers flying into the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport will no longer be required to fill out a paper CBSA Declaration Card. The elimination of the paper CBSA Declaration Card will continue to be rolled out at other major Canadian airports across Canada, over the course of 2017-2018. Visit the CBSA NEXUS website for the most up-to-date information regarding where this automated service will be available for NEXUS members. Airline staff will distribute the paper CBSA Declaration Cards to travellers only if the airport is not equipped with the Primary Inspection Kiosks. If you are given a CBSA Declaration Card en route, please continue to fill it out.

Ottawa gets it first and we wouldn't be surprised if that is quickly followed by Calgary (the new terminal has everything in place to do so) Vancouver and Toronto seeing that the last two see the most incoming passengers of any Canadian airports.

Posts since our last update:

• Hilton Honors: 100% Bonus Points when you buy 5,000 or more points
  The last time Hilton had a 100% bonus on buying their points it was part of a tiered bonus…

Travel Deals
TAP Portugal will be starting Toronto flights this June and have some decent fares for travel between Toronto and Lisbon. Fares start as low as $934 all in for Economy and under $3,000 for business class. Find out more here.

Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A


Other Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- 3,000 Bonus Club Premier Points on your 1st and 2nd qualified stay at any Wyndham Rewards hotel. More... Until Apr 30, 17

American AAdvantage
- Quadruple AAdvantage Miles for stays at over 5,500 Choice Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Apr 15, 17

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to Triple Asia Miles on all stays at participating Hilton hotels Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 17

Choice Privileges
- Earn up to 40% Bonus Privileges Points when you buy points. More... Until Apr 20, 17

Hilton Honors
- 100% Bonus Honors Points when you buy 5,000 or more points online. More... Until May 3, 17

JAL Mileage Bank
- 50% Bonus Fly On Points when you fly JAL between Nagoya (Chubu) and Bangkok. More... Until Apr 27, 17

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Earn up to Quadruple KrisFlyer Miles for stays at participating Hilton hotels in Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 17

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