November 19 Update: Air Canada/Aeroplan systems back up and running, more confirmed American Express multipliers & save up to 20% at Delta Hotels in Canada

Air Canada and Aeroplan's websites are back up and running after their reservation system migration that started yesterday and ran into today. 

A couple more additions have been made to our Confirmed Cobalt Multipliers page. Of note, Bar Burrito which is growing quickly across Canada is now on the list under the 5x multiplier rate. Remember as well this list is perfect for those who have The Platinum Card from American Express or the American Express AIR MILES Platinum Card for their multipliers. Visit the page here.

Air North is adding a twice weekly peak winter seasonal service between Vancouver and Yellowknife. The flights run from late January to early March. Perfect for those wanting to view the northern lights! They don't have their own frequent flyer program so your best bet is a proprietary credit card program for earning and burning on these flights. (Source Routesonline)

Posts since our last update:

• Amex Offers: Spend $10 at McDonald's, receive a $5 statement credit!
  Yes you read that right - spend only $10 at McDonald's and you can get a $5 statement credit…
• WestJet Rewards status match is back - Match to Silver or Gold from Air Canada, Porter, Alaska, American, British Airways or United
  WestJet Rewards has become well known for offering various status match offers during the year and the latest one…
• What you actually have to spend to get some of the best credit card welcome bonus offers
  You may recall earlier in the month we had a blog post entitled "What you actually have to spend…
• November 18 Update: Reminder that Air Canada/Aeroplan will be unavailable starting at 8pm tonight, earn up 3x Aeroplan Miles at the UPS Store, new Amex offers for Esso & Wayfair
  Just a reminder that as of 8pm Eastern time tonight the Air Canada and Aeroplan websites and call centres…

Travel Deals

Save up up to 20 percent when you book stays at Delta Hotels by Marriott™ locations across Canada. Valid for stays until Dec 30, 19. Find out more here.

IHG Cyber Sale – Save up to 30% on stays around the globe

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

WestJet Rewards
- WestJet Rewards status match - Match to Silver or Gold with proof of status from Altitude, VIPorter, AAdvantage, United MileagePlus, Alaska Mileage Plan or British Airways Executive Club More... Submit details by Dec 15, 19

Other Bonus Offers

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Receive up to 50% Bonus Mileage Plan Miles when you buy miles online. More... Until Dec 23, 19

Finnair Plus
- Earn up to 50% Bonus Plus Points when you buy points 5,000 or more points. More... Until Dec 9, 19

JAL Mileage Bank
- Earn up to 500 Bonus Mileage Bank Miles for stays at participating Tokyu Hotels in Japan. More... Until Mar 31, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 4,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per stay at the Leeds Marriott Hotel. More... Until Jan 12, 20
- 500 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT at Courtyard Camarillo More... Dec 1 - 31, 19



Follow Rewards Canada:

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October 17 Update: Targeted Aeroplan bonus offer for Auckland flights, 1,000 bonus points at Delta Toronto extended and fly Avianca to Latin America from $629

Check your email for a targeted Aeroplan bonus mile offer to fly on Air Canada's new route to Auckland, New Zealand! What's interesting this time is the bonus counts on both revenue or Aeroplan award tickets! In fact the bonus is bigger on award tickets! There is no landing page for this offer as we now see with targeted Aeroplan offers. You need to see if you have it in your email and click the link in that email to register for it.

Book your flight on aircanada.com and earn:

• 5,000 bonus miles on selected Economy Fares
• 10,000 bonus miles on Premium Economy Fares
• 15,000 bonus miles on Business Class Fares

OR

For each Air Canada Fixed Mileage Flight Reward or Market Fare Flight Reward redeemed on aeroplan.com, get miles back:

• 10,000 miles back on Economy Class
• 15,000 miles back on Premium Economy Class
• 20,000 miles back on Business Class

We see the 1,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points offer for stays at the Delta Hotel Toronto extended to Marriott offer extended to December 1st. Learn more here.

Air Transat has made their winter seasonal route to New Orleans year round! The flights will continue into next summer operating twice weekly. (Source Routesonline)

Posts since our last update:

• Reminder: Two weeks left to grab the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card with 4% cash back
  The limited time increased sign up bonus for the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card will be come to an end…
• Turkish Airlines to launch Vancouver - Istanbul flights in 2020
  As first reported by Aeronews  and now confirmed by Turkish Airlines, the airline is set to start flights between…
• October 16 Update: Air Transat adding Montreal-San Diego flights and Scotia's new premium banking plans include annual fee waivers on their best credit cards
  Air Transat will be adding a new route between Montreal and San Diego for the Summer 2020 season .…

Travel Deals

Avianca has a new seat sale from Toronto to Latin America. Book by Oct 22 and fly for as little $629 round trip. Find out more here.

TAP Air Portugal has flights from Toronto to Portugal and beyond on sale! Fly for as little $315 one way. 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

Marriott Bonvoy
- OFFER EXTENDED 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy points for stays of 2+ nights at the Delta Hotels Toronto. More... Until Dec 1, 19

Other Bonus Offers

Air France KLM Flying Blue
- Up to 75% Bonus Flying Blue Miles when you buy 4,000 or more miles online. More... Until Nov 7, 19
Avianca LifeMiles
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus LifeMiles for stays of 2+ nights at participating Marriott Hotels in Peru. More... Oct 30 - Dec 20, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points and up to a $75 F&B daily credit for stays at winter resorts in California, Colorado and Utah. More... Until Dec 31, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays of 2 or more nights at any of 18 Marriott locations in the Orlando area. More... Until Dec 24, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays on Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday night stay required) at The Park Central San Francisco. More... Until Nov 1, 19
- 2,500 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the HOTEL PASEO, Autograph Collection Palm Desert. More... Until Nov 12, 19
- 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays at the SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown. More... Until Dec 9, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays at the Fullerton Marriott at California State University. More... Until Dec 23, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 2+ nights at the Sheraton Grand Salzburg. More... Book by Nov 30 for stays until Dec 24, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays on Thursday-Saturday nights at the Marriott Memphis East. More... Until Nov 24, 19
- Earn up to 3, 000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays at the Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel. More... Until Nov 27, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Triple Qmiles for stays at the Bosmal Arjaan by Rotana Sarajevo. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points + Breakfast for 2 for stays at the Kerry Hotel Pudong, Pudong Shangri-La or the Jing An Shangri-La, Shanghai. More... Book by Dec 31 for stays until Feb 29, 20
- Double GC Award Points + Breakfast for 2 for stays at the Shangri-La Hotel, Jinan. More... Until Dec 31, 19
- Double GC Award Points 2 for stays at the Sule Shangri-La, Yangon. More... Book by Oct 31 for stays until Dec 31, 19

Stash Hotel Rewards
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays in Executive Rooms at the The Hotel at the University of Maryland College Park More... Until Dec 31, 19
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays at the Saratoga Casino Hotel Saratoga Springs More... Until Nov 26, 19

Follow Rewards Canada:

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Great New Marriott Bonus Points offers for stays in Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City or Toronto

Marriott has released some new bonus points offers for stays at some of their hotels in Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City and Toronto this spring!

Ottawa

Earn 1,500 Bonus Points per stay that includes a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night at the Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre. Full Details and online Booking Until Apr 19, 19

Montreal 

Earn up to 6,000 Bonus Points when you stay 3+ nights at the Montreal Marriott Chateau Champlain  Full Details and online Booking Until Apr 30, 19
- Earn 3,000 bonus points in standard rooms
- Earn 6,000 bonus points in junior suites

Quebec City

Earn 1,000 Bonus Points per night on Thursday-Sunday nights, up to a total of 3,000 bonus points per stay at the Delta Hotels Quebec. Full Details and online Booking Until Apr 26, 19

Toronto

Earn 3,000 Bonus Points per night*, up to 10,000 per stay, on Thursday - Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday night stay is required) at the Delta Hotels Toronto Full Details and online Booking Until Apr 21, 19
*Earn 4,000 points on Sunday nights.

Related:  Marriott New Hotel Openings in Canada for 2019 - 22 hotels in the works 

Remember to use your Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express when paying for these stays to earn 5 points per dollar!

Find many more Marriott Rewards bonus points offers here including two other Canadian stay offers

Earn 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night at the new Delta Hotels by Marriott Dartmouth

A week ago today the newest Delta Hotel opened up here in Canada in Dartmouth Nova Scotia. The Delta Hotels by Marriott Dartmouth with 174 rooms took used to be a Ramada but has been completed renovated to the latest Delta standards and is a Category 6 hotel in the Marriott Rewards program. To celebrate the opening of this new hotel Marriott Rewards members can earn 1,000 bonus points per night for up to three nights for stays from the middle of October right through to the end of the year.

Offer details
Earn 1,000 Bonus Marriott Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Dartmouth. Bonus awarded for up to three nights per stay.  Full Details and online Booking Oct 16 - Dec 31, 17

Find many more Marriott Rewards bonus points offers here!

June 1 Update: 1,000 Bonus Points at the Delta Brunswick in Saint John, Fly to Cartagena for $589 and Triple Asia Miles for Best Western stays

News, Tips & Tricks
Most of today's news and such has been covered in separate posts which you'll find listed below!

In the bonus offers section we find one of the first individual Delta Hotel stay bonuses from Marriott Rewards. If you off to Saint John New Brunswick you can earn 1,000 bonus points for stays at the Delta Brunswick.

Also on the bonus offer side, we see an offer that celebrates the relatively new partnership that launched on March 1st between Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and Best Western Hotels. The offer provides triple miles on any Asia Miles earning rate at BW hotels around the globe.


Posts since our last update:

• Air France KLM Flying Blue: Up to a 50% Bonus when you buy miles & how it can save you some $$$ flying out of Montreal
  Last seen in March, Air France KLM's Flying Blue is once again offering a bonus on buying their miles.…
• Book stays in Vancouver for the summer and receive up to $175 in Gift Cards with beVancouver
  We welcome back the American Express Gift Card offer from beVancouver for the summer! If you are a regular…
• British Airways Executive Club: Up to 4x Avios for Hilton stays Worldwide
  British Airways Executive Club is a relatively popular program for Canadians seeing that British Airways flies to four of our…

Travel Deals
Avianca is offering a decent deal on flying to to Cartagena from Toronto. Fares start as low as $589 all in if you book by June 9th. Find out more here.

Bonus Offers
Air France KLM Flying Blue
- Up to 50% Bonus Miles when you buy Flying Blue Miles online. More... Until Jun 17, 16

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Triple Asia Miles for stays at any Best Western Hotel Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 16

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles when you rent a car with Hertz for 5 or more days in the US, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia and the Pacific. More... Book by Jul 31 for rentals until Aug 31, 16

Icelandair Saga Club
- Earn up to Quadruple Saga Club Points for stays at Hilton Hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. More... Until Sep 30, 16

Le Club accorhotels
- 4X Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Jul 31, 16
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays of 2+ nights at participating Accor Hotels in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines. More... Until Sep 10, 16
- Earn up to 800 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at Accor Hotel in Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria or Romania. More... Book by Aug 15 for stays Jun 15 - Sep 4, 16
- 150 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at Novotel Hotels in Hungary. More... Until Dec 31, 16
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at Accor Hotels in Zurich and Geneva.More... Book by Jul 31for stays Jun 15 - Sep 15, 16

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Delta Brunswick Saint John, NB. More... Until Jul 3, 16
- 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT when you stay at the at the Renaissance Chicago North Shore Hotel. More... Until Jul 3, 16
- Earn up to 6,000 Bonus Rewards Points for Thursday-Sunday stays at the at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Houston Intercontinental Airport. More... Until Jul 1, 16


Follow Rewards Canada:

It's Official - Delta Hotels Privilege merging into Marriott Rewards on June 18

Thanks to long time Rewards Canada reader Kevin A. for forwarding the details on the merger!

Earlier this year there was big news that Marriott Hotels purchased our homegrown Delta Hotels brand. The big question at the time was not if but when would Delta integrate into Marriott Rewards. Well now we know the answer and its real soon! As of June 18th Marriott Rewards becomes the official loyalty program for Delta Hotels. Find all the details on Marriott's site here.

Delta Privilege members will continue to receive all their regular entitled benefits until February 2016 and if you are a Marriott Rewards member here is what you will enjoy as well.

The merger sees limited Marriott Rewards capacity until Delta is fully integrated into Marriott's systems. So what this means is that from June 18, 15 to early 2016 Marriott Rewards members will not be able to earn or redeem points or status credits for Delta stays but you will still be able to earn 500 Aeroplan miles for stays until early 2016.  If you are an elite member with Marriott Rewards you will however enjoy your elite benefits on Delta Hotel stays starting on June 18th!

Read all about the merger of Delta Hotels Privilege into Marriott Rewards here.

Ultimately it will be sad to see Delta Privilege disappearing as it was a very giving program in terms of the benefits given to its Elite members such as hotel credits and free upgrades but the trade off will now be those stays at Delta Hotels getting you potential free nights and elite benefits to use at hotels around the globe.

What are your thoughts on this iconic Canadian hotel loyalty program disappearing?

Marriott Hotels to expand greatly in Canada with the purchase of Delta Hotels

About a year ago, we received an email from Delta Hotels about changes to their Privileges program that were going to happen late in 2014. The hotel chain was also set to embark on a huge marketing campaign, change in marketing tactics and more all throughout the year. When late 2014 rolled by, Delta had opened their new flagship hotel in Toronto to much hurrah but the relaunch of the new Delta Privilege program never transpired. And now we probably know why. Who knows how long these two chains were in talks but we can wager a good guess that when things starting getting serious Delta put a hold on the revamp of their in house FGP.  Now that it is official and Marriott is set to buy Delta Hotels,  Marriott Rewards will eventually become the program of choice for one of our largest Canadian hotel chains.

From the press release today:

...the integration of Delta into Marriott's 4,100 plus hotel global portfolio will provide new travel opportunities for both Delta and Marriott customers. We expect integrating Delta into Marriott's systems, sales engines, Marriott.com, and the more than 49 million member Marriott Rewards loyalty program will create meaningful operational synergies for owners and franchisees.

This is both good news and bad news. There are many Delta Privilege members who love(d) the program. We received numerous emails from our readers on how they loved the simplicity of it and now it is likely those dining and upgrade benefits will be lost to the usual slate of benefits with Marriott Rewards. On the flipside however, Marriott Rewards represents thousands of hotels Worldwide and now those Delta regulars will have an opportunity to use points earned at their beloved Delta locations at Marriott locales around the globe! Not to mention you'll be able to use points earned on the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa Card at Delta locations (sorry had to get the credit card mention in as it Delta never had one!)

The deal is still subject to government approval but they do expect that by Q2 2015 the deal will be complete and we would guess that integration into Marriott Rewards may take another 6-12 months (based on the recent purchase of Protea Hotels in South Africa by Marriott)

What are your thoughts? We know there are lots of Delta Privilege members who read Rewards Canada everyday! Are you happy? Are you fuming? Let us know!

Nov 18 Update: Delta eliminates stopovers on award tickets, KLM Edmonton seat sale, Delta Toronto Hotel opening offers

Tuesday turns out to be a bit quiet...

News, Tips & Tricks
If you like to give out gift baskets for the holidays you can order them Costco.ca and earn double Aeroplan miles on them until November 24. Find out more here.

Delta SkyMiles has made it official that they will be removing stopovers on award tickets as of January 1st, 2015, see here for details

In the bonus offer section you'll see an Aeroplan rebate for stays at the new Delta Toronto Hotel. Now that this hotel is open we're seeing more offers like these. Amex is offering select cardmembers a $100 statement credit if you spend $500 at the hotel and now there is this Aeroplan offer.

Also don't forget to check out the fourth annual Canada's Choice results! www.rewardscanada.ca/canadaschoice

Travel Deals
KLM is ramping up the deals for their new Edmonton to Amsterdam route that launches on May 1st 2015. Right now you can fly for as low as $739 all in from Edmonton to Europe! Book by Nov 23 for travel in 2015! Book online here.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- 1,500 Aeroplan Miles Rebate when you redeem Aeroplan Miles for stays at the new Delta Toronto Hotel. More... Book by Jan 31 for stays between Nov 27 and Apr 10, 15

airberlin topbonus
- Double topbonus Miles on Finnair flights within Europe. More... Until Feb 28, 15

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles for stays at Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Beirut, Alexandria, Cairo and Muscat. More... Book between Dec 1 and Jan 15 for stays Dec 1 - Mar 31, 15

IHG Rewards Club
- 4,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for stays at the The Venetian® and The Palazzo® in Las Vegas More... Until Dec 28, 14

Le Club accorhotels
- Quadruple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Nov 30 for stays until Dec 31, 14

SAS EuroBonus
- Triple EuroBonus points for stays of 2 or more nights at participating World Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14

United MileagePlus
- Earn up to 12,500 Bonus MileagePlus when you shop via iGet.it. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- 250 Bonus MileagePlus for every $150 you spend via the MileagePlus Shopping portal up to a maximum of 1,250 bonus miles. More... Until Nov 25, 14

Virgin America Elevate (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Elevate Points on all purchases made via the Virgin America Elevate Fly Store online shopping portal. More... Until Dec 21, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Earn up to 10x Aeroplan Miles on Delta Hotel stays this summer

There are only 4 days left in the current Delta Aeroplan offer and now we have the details of their summer promotion. It is of no use to those of you doing one night stays but if your business takes you on multiple night stays or you are planning some summer vacation with Delta in mind then this offer is ripe for you to max out your Aeroplan mile earning on. Delta Privilege Platinum Plus+ members will still receive their Platinum bonus on top of this bonus.

Here is the offer as it appears on our Aeroplan Bonus Miles page:

Earn up to 10x Aeroplan Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at Delta Hotels in Canada. Full details. May 26 - Sep 1, 14
• Stay two nights and receive 1000 Aeroplan Miles.
• Stay three nights and receive 1500 Aeroplan Miles.
• Stay four nights and receive 2000 Aeroplan Miles.
• Stay five nights and receive 2500 Aeroplan Miles.

Can't make use of this offer? Be sure to check out Rewards Canada's Aeroplan Bonus Milespage for dozens of other bonus offers!

How ‘Rewarding’ Will 2014 Be?

In its annual Global Business Travel Forecast , American Express claims 2014 will see modest increases to the cost of business travel. By and large airline prices should remain flat and in some cases even drop as low cost carriers expand their business travel offering — forcing more competitive pricing.

Conversely, hotel bookings could rise as much as 3-6 per cent in some regions across North America.  

Regardless, business travel costs are expected to reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars for many companies and managing this expense will be a top priority.

So what’s in store for frequent travellers who count on their reward points to fund leisure getaways?   For one thing, a glut of airline miles being issued and more demand for award nights as hotels fill up with paid travellers will continue to force unfavourable program changes as noted when United Airlines announced tweaks to their MileagePlus program late last year and when Aeroplan announced increases to certain International award flights not to mention Hilton HHonors, Hyatt Gold Passport, IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest all increasing room redemption rates during the year. 



Related:


• Huge devaluation of the United MileagePlus program - what does it mean for Canadian MileagePlus members?
• Hyatt Gold Passport: latest program to jump on the devaluation bandwagon 
• Major Devaluation to the Hilton HHonors program coming in March 
•  IHG Priority Club Reward Night Changes & Promotion Update
• Starwood Preferred Guest 2013 Category Adjustments 
• Marriott's Annual Category Changes,

Further proof can be gleaned from a recent letter to members of Delta Hotels’ Privilege program.  In his letter, CEO Ken Greene spoke of some improvements (less stays to qualify for Gold status) but also a number of unfortunate cuts including scrapping the popular late check-out option for basic members of the program. This at a time when many hotel programs tend to be adding benefits at the basic level with the premise that they can glean more information about these travellers from the data trail they leave when joining a program to take advantage of those free benefits.


Related:


• Delta Hotels Privilege interim changes announced prior to an entirely new program coming this fall

Perhaps most revealing (and encouraging to the glass half-full types) is the promise to strengthen the reward program in the fall of 2014.  What this means is anyone’s guess, but you have to believe the popular Canadian hotel chain recognizes the important role these programs play in attracting business travellers.

Related:

Extensive Cornell analysis shows real impact of hotel loyalty program - See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/articles/Cornell-analysis-shows-impact-of-hotel-loyalty-programs/#sthash.UcrFEu7E.dpuf

• Extensive Cornell analysis shows real impact of hotel loyalty program

While we all know economic conditions have been tough for everyone including those in the travel industry, it’s my hope that reward program operators will do more to engage with their most active members.  Give us a chance to offer feedback before pulling the plug on features or switching up redemption rules.  After all, we’re deeply invested in these programs and make travel plans with point accumulation in mind. 

For our part, RewardsCanada.ca and FrequentFlyerBonuses.com will continue to track the best bonus offers and point to the strongest card offerings. You can also count on us to give you the scoop on what program changes mean and how to avoid some of the hassles.  Check back frequently and here’s to a ‘rewarding’ 2014!

Delta Hotels Privilege interim changes announced prior to an entirely new program coming this fall

We just received the following email from Delta Hotels. They are making some interim changes to their program prior to completely relaunching it in the fall of 2014:

To ensure Delta Privilege remains competitive, and to pave the way for a rewarding new program set to launch in Autumn 2014, changes to the current program needed to be made. These changes to benefits will be effective for reservations made after February 28, 2014 for stays starting on or after March 1, 2014.

♦ Upgrade to Gold – Now in as little as five stays* or 10 room nights, you can be upgraded to Gold and earn all the rewards of a Delta Privilege member, plus:

     ♦ $200 hotel credit to be used towards dining, guest rooms, meetings and events
     ♦ Two upgrades at time of check-in, based on availability
     ♦ Nightly turndown service (upon request)**
     ♦ Enhanced partnership savings and rewards with Avis

♦ Extended Check-out –This benefit is no longer available for Base members.

♦ Qualifying stays/rates – Effective January 15, 2014, there will be changes to the rate types that qualify for Delta Privilege status stays and Aeroplan miles. Please see chart below:

These qualifying rate changes put a damper in a strategy I was developing and was going to post here on the Rewards Canada blog this week! I'll reveal it now as it only has 8 days left to work. That strategy was to book Delta Hotel stays via Rocketmiles, the third party site that offers miles for booking through them. Since they offer Delta Hotels and the rates provided seem to be eligible rates it could have worked to be a quadruple dip strategy. How? Dip 1 was to book via Rocketmiles.com (if you haven't joined yet you can join via my link and get an additional 1,000 miles on your first stay, I will also receive a referral credit), Dip 2 was putting on reward credit card to earn miles or points on the actual charge, Dip 3 is the base Aeroplan miles earned on the stay and Dip 4 is the current Aeroplan bonus offer of up to Triple Bonus Miles on Delta stays until Apr 30. Have fun earning evenmore miles if you plan any Delta stays in the next week or so as after the 15th this strategy is dead.



Anyways, on to the actual interim changes of the program!
Nice to see the Gold benefit being achievable faster on the nights side. Currently the requirement is 5 stays or 20 nights but with the interim program it will only be 10 nights.

Sad to see the extended check out being taken away for base members, I have actually  utilized this benefit before and was planning on making use of it in the future.

Other than these three changes the program will remain the same until the new one is revealed sometime this fall!

Jan 2 Update: Rewards Canada page updates, up to 3x Aeroplan Miles for Delta Hotel stays, Marriott Rewards new member bonus

We're back! After almost two weeks off Rewards Canada is back to work! We hope that you all had amazing holidays and a great New Year!

This is first update of 2014 and of course the big news is from Aeroplan which you can find in two separate posts from earlier today:

Aeroplan Changes went into effect yesterday (January 1)

TD Canada Trust Aeroplan Cards officially released

There is other news and of course bonuses to share so don't stop reading the daily update just yet!

News, Tips & Tricks
Once again in lieu of sending Christmas Gift Baskets to some of our clients Rewards Canada made a $500 donation to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation.

Over the break we updated the Rewards Canada guide to which airlines and hotels you can earn miles/points with credit cards here in Canada. The chart was not updated for quite some time which meant some cards were not included and others changed so this is all caught up now. Also we standardized the way the points earning is listed on the chart, now you can see what you will earn based on $1 in spending or conversion of 1 point. You can check out the new chart here.

We also updated our "Travel Anywhere" Credit Card comparison chart which shows how much you have to spend on select cards to get to various levels of ailrine ticket values. All cards that were on the chart previously were updated to the latest offerings and we added the CUETS and mbna World Elite cards. Check it out here.

And the final update to Rewards Canada over the break was the update of our BMO Rewards World Elite MasterCard review to reflect the changes that took place on September 1st. You can read the updated review here.

Although Boxing Day has passed there are some Boxing Day offers still available like 5x AIR MILES Rewards Miles on qualifying purchases of $20 or more via airmilesshops.ca! This offer is good until Jan 7.


Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn up to Triple Aeroplan Miles for stays at 40 participating Delta Hotel locations in Canada. More... Book by Mar 31 for stays until Apr 30, 14
- Earn 25,000 Aeroplan Miles + 2 for 1 Short Haul Flight with the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Privilege when you complete your first purchase. More... Until May 9, 14 Residents of Canada Only
- Earn 15,000 Aeroplan Miles + 2 for 1 Short Haul Flight with the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card when you complete your first purchase. More... Until May 9, 14 Residents of Canada Only
- Earn 10,000 Aeroplan Miles with the TD Aeroplan Visa Platinum Card when you complete your first purchase. More... Ongoing Residents of Canada Only
- Earn 20,000 Aeroplan Miles + 2 for 1 Short Haul Flight with the TD Aeroplan Visa Business Card when you complete your first purchase. More... Until May 9, 14 Residents of Canada Only

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Triple Asia Miles for stays at participating Peninsula Hotels worldwide. More... Until Mar 15, 14
- Double Asia Miles Miles and save up to 33% when you rent from Hertz during their Global Sale for three days or longer in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, mainland Spain, the UK, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. More... Book by Jan 26 for rentals until Jun 30, 14

Hilton HHonors
- 1,000 Bonus HHonors Points for stays at the Conrad Beijing.  More... Until Feb 28, 14

Marriott Rewards
- Marriott New Member Bonus - Earn a free night at a category 1 – 5 hotel after your 2nd paid stay at any Marriott Hotels Worldwide. More... Until ?

Vietnam Airlines Golden Lotus Plus (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Golden Lotus Plus Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at participating Marco Polo hotels Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 14

Delta Hotels: Double elite stay/night credit on all stays until the end of the year

This is one program we probably don't give enough coverage to here on Rewards Canada other than the their Aeroplan bonus promos or occasional 35% offers. The Delta Privilege program is benefit type frequent guest program as they do not award points for the program itself although you can earn Aeroplan or Asia Miles with it. The benefits that the program provides are great even at the basic level, free internet and late check out being the key features that are included in all levels of the program. In fact last winter we had a stay at the Delta Kananaskis Lodge and on the morning of check out we heard there was a bad accident blocking the highway back into Calgary. Rather than being stuck on the highway for hours we were able to enjoy the pool and hot tub on that snowy day since our Delta Privilege membership provided us with 3pm late checkout (non-resort locations goes until 6pm!) Rewards Canada will have a more thorough review of the program in the coming weeks but all we can say is that the benefits get even better when you reach Gold, Platinum or Platinum Plus in the program which leads us into this promotion that launched on November 15th.

Delta Privilege members will receive double elite status stay/night credits until Dec 31 on all of their eligible Delta stays. Which means you can get Gold status with 3 stays if haven't had any stays yet this year or if you have hopefully this promotion will help you earn Platinum or Platinum Plus status. For complete details on the promotion please click here.

Delta Hotels Book and Board: Bonus Aeroplan Miles, 15% discount on Air Canada flights + a chance to win a Toyota Camry

Starting this Saturday Sep. 15 Delta Hotels will be launching their Book and Board fall promotion for stays at their hotel and resort locations across Canada. The Book and Board promotion consists of three parts (one of which has already been mentioned here on RC, the bonus miles):

Complete details on the promotion and booking links can be found at https://www.deltahotels.com/bookandboard

Note that the 15% discount for Air Canada flights is only good for Flex fares and above but still represents a great discount if your plans include the qualifying fares and travel must be completed by Dec 17 which means the sooner you stay at a Delta Hotel the sooner you can take advantage of the flight discount.

Terms and conditions
*Single-use promotional code applies to flights operated by Air Canada to any destination within Canada, and between Canada and the U.S. (including Hawaii), the Caribbean and Mexico, for travel completed by December 17, 2013, for new bookings only. Limited to four (4) people per booking. The 15% discount applies to the base fare on published Air Canada Flex, Latitude or Executive Class tickets. Only applicable to aircanada.com bookings. May not be combined with other Air Canada promotional codes.

** Any guest who books and stays with Delta during the Promotional Period will qualify to earn 750 Bonus Aeroplan miles. Guests must stay on a qualifying rate that is any rate except for Air Crew, Delta Hotels Friends and Family rates, group rate codes, Opaque Booking Channels, Tour Accounts – drivers and escorts – and complimentary rates. Owners of time-shares and private residence/ownership units are not eligible.

***A stay is defined as consecutive nights in the same hotel regardless of the number of check-ins/checkouts that may occur. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. The Book and Board Contest sponsored by Delta Hotels and Resorts starts September 15, 2013, and ends December 15, 2013 (the “Contest Period”). The Contest is open to legal residents of Canada who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory of residence and who have stayed at any participating Delta-branded property during the Contest Period. For no-purchase-necessary eligibility and full promotional details, contest rules and prize draw rules, visit deltahotels.com/bookandboard under terms and conditions.

June 20 Update: Fast Track to SPG Gold Elite Status, Delta Hotels sale, Thai Airways discounted award tickets

I hope that everyone else in the YYC area are staying as dry as possible after our torrential downpour overnight and this morning. The sun is actually peaking through the clouds as I write this! Thoughts go out to those in Canmore, Black Diamond, Turner Valley and High River whose homes are being devastated by the flash flooding that is occurring.

News, Tips & Tricks
Yesterday LoyaltyLobby passed along an offer for a fast track to Gold Elite Status with the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Now the offer is meant for World Elite and World MasterCard holders in the Asia Pacific region who register and complete one stay at a Starwood Hotel in the Asia Pacific region. However, similar to an offer from Hilton over a year ago you only need to input the first 6 digits of the credit card and these can be found on Google so there is a potential for anyone to take advantage of this new SPG offer. I did take advantage of the Hilton offer and am now Gold until early next year with the HHonors program, it worked for me but for some others it didn't. So if you have an upcoming stay in the Asia Pacific region you can try the same thing with this SPG promotion. There are no guarantees that it will work but it doesn't hurt to try. Find out more here.

Travel Deals
Delta Hotels is once again offering up to 35% off for stays at their locations across Canada. Rooms must be booked by June 23 for stays until September 2. Full details

Bonus Offers
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- 1,000 Bonus Mileage Plan Miles for FTD purchases. More... Until Jul 31, 13

American AAdvantage
- Double AAdvantage Miles for stays at participating Golden Tulip locations Worldwide. More... Jul 1 - Aug 31, 13

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles when you stay at participating Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resort Worldwide for two consecutive nights or more in selected room types. More... Until Sep 18, 13

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- The Sherwood Taipei Double Mileage Bank Miles for stays on the the "JAL Double Mileage Plan" at The Sherwood Taipei. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- OFFER EXTENDED 1,000 Bonus Mileage Bank Miles on rentals of 3 or more days at a participating Hertz airport or off airport location in the U.S. or Canada. More... Until Oct 31 , 13

Le Club accorhotels
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for weekend stays at participating Mercure Hotels in the U.K. More... Until Sep 15, 13

SAS Scandinavian EuroBonus
- Earn up to Quadruple EuroBonus points on Hertz rentals of 7 or more days Worldwide. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- Double EuroBonus points for stays at the Gothia Towers Hotel Gothenburg. More... Until Sep 14, 13

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- 50% Royal Orchid Miles Discount on Thai Airways Award Tickets between Bangkok and select Thai destinations Worldwide. More.. Until Jul 31, 13
- Earn up to Triple Royal Orchid Miles Discount on Avis rentals in Thailand. Earn Triple Miles (1,500 miles) for rentals of 5+ days or Double Miles (1,000 miles) for rentals of 3-4 days. More.. Until Sep 30, 13