July 15 Update: The soon to re-open Park Hyatt Toronto jumps to Category 6 from Category 4 & free Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star elite status

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

 
Much like last week's update on new Marriott Hotels in Canada we have a mid-year update on new Hyatt Hotels in Canada. We now know the Park Hyatt Toronto will not remain a Category 4 hotel like they were before they closed for renovations. Unfortunately it is now confirmed to be a Category 6 hotel - that's a big jump from the previous 15,000 points required to now needing 25,000 points per night for a free night award! The hotel also now has a set date for opening and that is September 15.

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards Five Star & President’s Circle members can gift status to a family member or friend

 

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards is offering all of their Five Star and President’s Circle members the opportunity to gift equivalent status to one family member or friend. The status that is gifted will be valid for one year from January 31, 2021 to January 31, 2022.

Hertz waiving young renter fees for those aged 18-24 on rentals in Canada and the U.S.

Similar to the Enterprise offer we posted about last week, Hertz is also waiving young renter fees on their car rentals. The Hertz offer seems a little better in that you don't have to present a student ID to have the fee waived, it is automatically waived if you fall into the 18-24 age category and book with CDP 117049 and PC Code 204991. This offer runs until May 31, 20

Find out more and book this offer here.

Here are the terms and conditions:

*Minimum rental age is 18 years old (except in Alabama and Nebraska, where the age limit is 19 years old). Offer applies to reservations made on or after 3/17/20 for pick up through 5/31/2020. Offer applies to Economy car class and higher, excluding Dream, Prestige, and Adrenaline car classes. Offer valid at participating Hertz airport and neighborhood locations in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands. Offer does not apply to applicable taxes, fees, surcharges, refueling, or any optional product or service. This offer cannot be combined with any other discount or special rate and cannot be applied to a previous or existing reservation or rental. Offer is subject to vehicle availability at the time of booking. Renter and additional driver(s) must meet standard driver, credit, and rental requirements, except for the minimum age per this offer. Young renter fee will be removed at the counter. Hertz reserves the right to terminate the offer or change the terms at any time.

March 12 Update: Aeroplan to allow changes or cancel for full refund for March/April travel, Earn 5x CIBC Rewards Points for Air Transat Europe flights & a Hertz Elite Status Match offer

As of yesterday Aeroplan's Coronavirus policy was set in line with Air Canada's. If you have Aeroplan flights booked for travel in March and April you can change them once or cancel for them a full refund. This could also explain why the Aeroplan website is down and from what I can see on Twitter there are very long wait times when you call in. It does appear that contacint them via Twitter may be the best course of action if you want to change or cancel. At least if you try and don't get a response you have an electronic record of you doing so! Thanks to long time Rewards Canada reader Kevin A.  for the details!

We have reached out to AIR MILES to see what their course of action is going to be as right now they are stating they are following to policies of the airlines - which should mean that if you have an Air Canada or WestJet flight booked with AIR MILES you should be able to change those flights at no cost. Still would be nice to see a no charge cancellation policy in place like Aeroplan's!

If you are willing to try to book travel to Europe for late spring/early summer or late summer/early fall and are a CIBC Aventura cardholder you can earn 5x CIBC Rewards Points when you book Air Transat flights via CIBC Rewards. This offer runs until March 31 and the good news is Air Transat has a liberal no change fee policy for flights that are also booked by that date! So if you want to score extra points, get in on some cheaper fares this may be the time do it! Learn more here.

If you hold elite status in the Avis, Enterprise or National car rental progams you can have that status matched by Hertz Gold Plus Rewards! Find out more here.

Posts since our last update:

• IHG Rewards Club lowers elite status qualification requirements and waives all cancellation fees globally for stays until April 30
  Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W. who provided the Scotia Rewards redemption story from earlier this week forwarded to us…
• Podcast Episode 66 - Taking advantage of last minute deals for Spring Break, that is if you are willing to travel
  Episode 66 - March 12, 2020 Taking advantage of last minute deals for Spring Break, that is if you…
• 50% Bonus Elite Qualifying Miles when you fly Alaska Airlines until April 11
  We are beginning to see more bonus miles offers being released to encourage people to fly and hopefully others…
• March 11 Update: Summary of all major Canadian airline flight change waivers - Air Canada & WestJet extend offers to existing bookings
  With Italy being effectively shut down, Air Canada has cancelled all their flights to/from Italy until April 30. The…

Travel Deals

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

CIBC Rewards
5x CIBC Rewards Points when booking flights to Europe with Air Transat through the CIBC Rewards Centre. More... Book by Mar 31 for travel May 1 - Jun 30 & Sep 1 - Oct 31,20

Other Bonus Offers

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards
- Elite Status Match - Hertz will match your status that you have from Avis, Enterprise or National. More... Unknown end date

Jumeirah Hotels Sirius
- Triple Sirius Points for stays of 2+ nights on the Business Comforts Package at participating Jumeirah Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 30, 20
- Double Sirius Points for stays on the Jumeirah Breaks Package at participating Jumeirah Hotels in the UAE and the Maldives. More... For GCC Residents only Until Dec 30, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points when you stay 2 nights or more at the Aloft Cleveland Airport. More... Until Mar 31, 20

SAS EuroBonus
- Earn up to 6,000 EuroBonus Points in total when you rent with Avis for 3 or more days in Europe, The Middle East, Africa, Asia, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. More... Book by Mar 31 for rentals until Apr 30, 20
Stash Hotel Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Stash Rewards Points when you book any hotel via Stash Rewards. More... Book by Mar 31, 20

Turkish Miles&Smiles
- Earn up to 20,000 Miles&Smiles Miles when you stay at Rixos Hotels in Turkey, Unites Arab Emirates and Egypt. More... Until Aug 31, 20
- 1,000 Miles&Smiles Miles per day when you rent a car with Rent Go in Turkey. More... Until May 31, 20


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Hertz Gold Plus Rewards - 20% discount on Free Rental Day Rewards (Book by Oct 25)

Offer details:
20% Gold Plus Rewards Points discount when you redeem points for a Free Rental Day Reward in the U.S. or Canada. Full details & online booking. Book by Oct 25 for rentals until Jan 31, 20

Here's an example of some of the discounted redemption rates:

January 21 Update: Lots more confirmed Cobalt multiplier locations, changes to Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, fly Montreal to Casablanca for $750

A big thank you to the Rewards Canada community for providing more locations that you can earn 5x or 2x points with the American Express Cobalt Card. Locations from Mexico, Montreal and more have been added to our Cobalt Multiplier page. Check it out here!

Hertz is making some changes to its Gold Plus Rewards loyalty program. Overall it looks to be worse for most members outside of increased points earning rates for Five Star and President Circle members. The negatives included increased requirement to reach Five Star status (although you can get that free with the Platinum Card from American Express), points expiration dropping from 24 months of inactivity to 18, elimination of activation bonuses and more. You can read more about all the changes here.

We've added some new Travel Booking Partners that you book direct with and support Rewards Canada. You can find all our partners on our Book Travel page.
These are the four partners that have recently be added:
Eurail.com
LATAM
Oberioi Hotels & Resorts
Trident Hotels

Posts since our last update:

• Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - January Edition
  One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of the systemwide…
• BMO World Elite Mastercard enhances current welcome bonus to include $100 travel bonus (up to $640 in value)
  Up until recently the welcome offer for the BMO World Elite Mastercard was already quite rich. When it came…

Travel Deals 

Royal Air Maroc has dropped prices on their Montreal-Casablanca route. You can fly round trip for as little as $750 all in. Book by Jan 25. Find out more here.  
 
Cathay Pacific's New Year's sale sees them offering flights out of Vancouver to Southeast Asia for as little as $895 round trip. Book by Jan 31. Find out more here.

Marriott is offering 20% off best available rates when you stay 2+ nights Thursday-Sunday at 6 great locations in Toronto and Edmonton. Valid for stays until Feb 28, 19 . Full Details and online Booking

Avis: Save up to 20% with their New Year Worldwide sale. Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 19. Find out more here.

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
Avianca LifeMiles
- 2,500 Bonus LifeMiles when you rent with Thrifty for 1 or more days in the Americas or Europe. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to 5x Asia Miles on Avis rentals of 3 or more daysi n Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America (exclude Alaska), Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. More... Book by Jan 31, 19 for rentals until Feb, 28, 19

La Quinta Returns
- Earn up to Triple Returns Points for stays at participating La Quinta locations in the U.S.. More... Until Feb 10, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Canberra. More... Book by Feb 13 for stays until Mar 17, 19

Miles & More
- Double Miles & More Miles all Hertz rentals Worldwide. More... Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Apr 7, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- 50% QMiles Discount when you redeem for an award ticket on Qatar Airways between Doha and Isfahan. More... Book by Jan 31 for travel Feb 4 - Mar 31, 19

Shangri-La Hotels Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points for stays in a Deluxe Room or Horizon Club Room at the Shangri-La Hotel, Shenzhen. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 1,000 Flying Club Miles PER DAY when you rent a Group C car or larger with Avis in US, Mexico, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. More... Book by Jan 31 for rentals until May 31, 19

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October 18 Update: Hertz becomes Skyteam's first non-airline partner, American Airlines raising Admirals Club fees and more!

Hertz has become the first ever non-airline partner of an airline alliance. On October 16th it was announced that Hertz has partnered with SkyTeam. (Source Hertz)

SkyTeam is the first airline alliance to offer its Frequent Flyers access to car hire benefits plus the opportunity to earn miles when renting a vehicle.  Passengers participating in the Frequent Flyer programs of SkyTeam member airlines will receive a special code for their Hertz car rental bookings. Hertz covers SkyTeam's global network of 1,072 destinations with more than 10,000 rental locations around the world.  Car hire reservations can be made online, by phone or through the Hertz app.   

Lots of coverage lately of business class lounges and one area we cover in our Guide to Business Class lounge access is annual memberships offered by individual airlines. One of those is American Airlines and their Admirals Club memberships and as of Feb 1, 2019 the cost for those are going up by US$100 for individual memberships and family memberships will cost US$325 to US$475 more per year. You can also use AAdvantage miles to purchase these annual memberships and those prices are actually going down (Source One Mile at a Time)

Posts since our last update:

• Loyalty Lesson Learned - Don't brush off reward programs
  We welcome guest contributor, Matthew Couto - a Millennial traveller who left his desk job to travel the world.…
• Kimpton Hotels Annual Sale - 30% off and 2x Elite Qualifying Points for stays until Feb 28, 19 - Must book by Oct 22
  As we mentioned in yesterday's update, Kimpton Hotels has now launched their annual sale that offers up to 30%…
• WestJet travellers can save 20% on Plaza Premium lounge fees
  What happens if you are flying WestJet and don't have elite status with their Rewards program or don't have…

Travel Deals
Air France is running a Premium Economy sale on their flights out of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Book by Oct 23 to enjoy fares that start at $1,505. Book online 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
Air Canada Aeroplan
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on qualifying Avis rentals Worldwide of 3 days or more during the week, or 2 days or more during the weekend. More... Until Feb 28, 19
- Triple Aeroplan Miles on qualifying Budget rentals Worldwide of 3 consecutive days or more during the week or rentals of 2 consecutive days or more on the weekends. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Other Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- 1,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles per qualifying stay at any Hyatt Place or Hyatt House hotel around the world. More... Register by Nov 30 for stays until Jan 31, 19

Iberia Plus
- 9,000 Bonus Avios for Avis rentals of 3 or more days in Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. More... Until Dec 15, 18

Le Club AccorHotels
- 4x Le Club AccorHotels points for stays at new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Nov 19 for stays Jan 14 - Apr 14, 19
- Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Fairmont, Raffles, Swissôtel, Rixos Hotels, Mgallery By Sofitel, Pullman, Mercure, Novotel, ibis and ibis Styles hotels in Turkey. More... Book by Dec 1 for stays Jan 31, 19

Rocketmiles
- 1,000 Bonus Miles or Points in the partner program of your choice when you book a stay at any Las Vegas MGM property on Rocketmiless. More... Book by Nov 16 18 for stays until Mar 31, 19

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October 12 Update: Canadian Points University to be held Nov 3/4 in YYC, WestJet partners with Chopped Leaf, 15% off Hertz rentals

The next Canadian Points University is just around the corner and it's in Rewards Canada's home town! The PointsU will be held on November 3 and 4th at the new Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel (read our review of the hotel here) If you have not bought tickets yet you can do so at PointsU.ca and use our code 'RewardsCanada' to save yourself $20 on the full ticket price. With it less than a month away we want to get the details out to you now but will follow up with another post next week with more details!

WestJet announced today that they have partnered with Chopped Leaf to provide the restaurant's whole-food offerings on board WestJet aircraft. The new food service will begin on November 15th. (Source WestJet)

Ethiopian Airlines is growing their Toronto to Addis Ababa service from 3 flights per week to 5 flights per week starting Dec 3. Ethiopian is an Aeroplan partner and is always a decent award flight option for flights to Africa, the Middle East and more. (Source Routesonline)



Posts since our last update:

• The unveiling of WestJet's 737 Max 8 with photos and flight video
  Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the unveiling of WestJet's newest aircraft, the Boeing 737 Max 8. Over the…
• One week left to grab the higher sign up bonus on the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express
  Wow three months sure do fly by! It feels just like yesterday when the increased sign up offer on…
• Redemption Stories: 72,000 Reward Point stay at a New York City Best Western Hotel for only 30,000 Points!
   Going back a couple of weeks ago we brought you the details of Best Western's Fall promotion and it wasn't…

Travel Deals
Hertz is offering 15% off weekly and weekend rentals in Canada and the U.S. if you book by October 31 for rentals until Jan 31, 18 Find out more here

 

Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Triple Asia Miles on rentals of 2 or more days with Avis in Asia, USA, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands. More... Book by Nov 30 for rentals until Dec 14, 17

Etihad Guest
- 20% Bonus Guest Miles when you covert points from select hotel and financial partners to Etihad Guest. More... Until Oct 31, 17

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night for stays on Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at 8 Courtyard, Residence Inn & SpringHill Suites hotels in New Jersey or Pennsylvania. More... Until Dec 4, 17
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay of 2+ nights at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. More... Until Dec 4, 17

Qantas Frequent Flyer
- 500 Bonus Frequent Flyer Points for your first Airbnb booking. More... Ongoing

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Double QMiles for each qualified stay at any Millennium and Copthorne participating hotels in Middle East and Africa. More... Until Dec 31, 17
SAS EuroBonus
- Double EuroBonus Points when you book the SAS Dreams Hong Kong Sweet & Sour tour. More... Book by Nov 1, 17

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Double KrisFlyer Miles for stays of at least two consecutive nights at Casa del Rio Melaka. More... Until Nov 30, 17
- Triple KrisFlyer Miles for stays at Anantara Hotels in Asia and Africa. More... Until Dec 31, 17
- Triple KrisFlyer Miles for stays at Avani Hotels in Asia and Africa. More... Until Dec 31, 17
- Triple KrisFlyer Miles for stays at TivoliHotels in Portugal, Brazil and Qatar. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Earn up to 4,000 Bonus ROP Miles when you fly on Thai Airways between Bangkok and Vienna. More... Nov 16 - Feb 28, 18

United MileagePlus
- Double MileagePlus Miles for stays on the Family Moments package at the Fairmont Dallas. More... Until Dec 1, 17



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April 4 Update: Podcast Episode 21 is an Interview with Ricky Shetty, a huge bonus for Hertz rentals and more!

News, Tips & Tricks
Today we released episode 21 of the Rewards Canada Weekly Round Up Podcast. This episode is our 2nd interview and we chat with Ricky Shetty who runs the daddyblogger.com blog and is currently on a year long round the world trip with his family of 5! Ricky provides lots of insight on running a blog, travelling with 3 kids under the age of 5 and more! You can download/listen to the episode here.

Over on our global site, FrequentFlyerBonuses.com we highlight a new amazing car rental offer for SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) EuroBonus. The offer provides 5,000 bonus EuroBonus points per Hertz car rental. And that rental only has to be one day long and there is no minimum car size. Do you see where we are going with this? If you can get 20 rentals in at under $50 each, which is entirely possible, you'll earn enough EuroBonus points for a roundtrip Business Class flight between the U.S. and Europe. That's right, business class for under $1,000! Remember as well that you can redeem EuroBonus Points for flights on Air Canada, United and all other Star Alliance airlines so you have lots of options to use these points! To learn more about this offer visit FFB today

Posts since our last update:

• Tangerine Money Back MasterCard losing value on April 29th
  Lots of buzz surrounding the news that came out last week about the Tangerine Money Back Credit Card. The card…
• Club Carlson: Triple Gold Points on all stays Worldwide + 5,000 bonus points for Sun/Mon nights
  Only two days separated Carlson Rezidor's last systemwide Club Carlson promotion to the launch of their new one. This…
• You can now redeem WestJet Rewards dollars on select Delta flights
  Although it hasn't been officially announced Officially announced now by WestJet, news broke last week about WestJet Rewards' first…

Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
British Airways Executive Club
- Triple Avios for all stays at Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 17

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- Earn Triple Gold Points for stays at any participating Carlson hotels worldwide.  Plus, you can earn an additional 5,000 bonus points Gold Points for each Sunday and Monday night More... Until Jun 30, 17

Iberia Plus
- Triple Avios for all stays at Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 17

La Quinta Returns
- 250 Bonus Returns Points on qualifying rentals of 3 days or more at participating Avis locations in the U.S. and Canada. More... Until Dec 31, 17

SAS EuroBonus
- Triple EuroBonus Points for all Best Western stays Worldwide. More... Book by Apr 30 for stays until May 31, 17
- 5,000 Bonus EuroBonus Points on all Hertz rentals Worldwide. More... Book by Jun 30 for rentals until Sep 30, 17
- 3,000 Bonus EuroBonus Points on all Hertz rentals Worldwide. More... Book by Apr 16 for rentals until Jun 30, 17


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