Rakuten to offer up to 10% cash back at over 70 retailers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

The online cash back rewards site Rakuten (formerly ebates.ca) will be offering up to a 10% cash back rebate or higher as their main Black Friday and Cyber Monday offer. They have already launched some Black Friday offers providing up 3x cash back right now which with some retailers already puts them at the 10% or higher mark. So be sure to check what a Rakuten is offering right now to compare and if they aren't near that 10% mark it may be best to wait to make your online purchases until Friday.

The online holiday shopping bonus season is here! It's time to earn more miles, points and cash back

 
Halloween is done and the Christmas Holiday shopping season is now in full swing! With that comes the opportunity to earn a bunch more miles and points when you shop online. We've seen numerous bonus offers come out for shopping online via airline and cash back shopping portals this week. Be sure to check them out if you are going to be doing some shopping over the next week or two! 

May 4 Update: Today only earn 10% or more cash back with Rakuten, Air Canada launches CleanCare+, AeroMexico extends elite status

Today only you can earn 10% or more cash back with 26 retailers via the Rakuten portal (eBates.ca). Find out more here. (This is our referral link - if you are not a member yet you'll get $5 when you spend $25 or more using this link) Here are just some of the retailers available:

Images via Rakuten

Air Canada announced the launch of CleanCare+ today that Air Canada describes as " a comprehensive program for personal safety and enhanced aircraft grooming to provide customers greater peace of mind during all stages of travel." Here are the main points of this program:

• Mandatory pre-flight customer temperature checks, the first in the Americas
• More personal space in Economy Class at least until June 30, 2020
• Personal care kits containing disinfectant and safety items
• Electrostatic cabin spraying to reinforce aircraft grooming protocols 
• Revised food product minimizing crew and passenger contact
• Customer face-coverings and employee Personal Protective Equipment now mandatory

Learn more about CleanCare+ here.  Source Air Canada

Images via Air Canada

 

For the second month in a row the Miles & More program is not offering any Mileage Bargain offers for flights out of Canada but they do have some out of the U.S. for travel in late August and through September. Find out more here.

Hotel occupancy rates in Canada for the week of April 19-25 was around 15%. This is a slight increase from the 12 or so percent we saw over the few weeks prior. However compare this to 2019 where the week has occupancy rates of 76.9%. (Source HNN)

AeroMexico is extending status for elite members in their Club Premier programs. All members who achieved status via flying in 2019 will have their 2020 status extended by 12 months. Find out more here.

Image via AeroMexico

Airline Schedule Updates
This will now be a standard feature for the foreseeable future in our daily update posts as we summarize Canadian operations based on data from RoutesOnline and other sources. Remember that many of these route plans are subject to change and right now they are changing frequently!

AeroMexico wants to restart service between Vancouver and Mexico City later this week with 2x weekly service. (Source RoutesOnline)

Air India has set May 18 as the date to relaunch their Toronto-Delhi daily service (Source RoutesOnline)

Copa Airlines looks to be planning to restart service between Toronto and Panama City on July 3 with 2x weekly service (Source RoutesOnline)

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:

• Offer extended on the Scotia Momentum VISA Infinite card - 10% back for first three months & first year free
  The popular limited time offer of 10% cash back for the  Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite Card has been extended…
• May 1 Update: 50,000 Bonus PC Optimum purchases for Beauty Boutique purchases of $150+, new Wayfair Amex Offer and Amex increases contactless payment limit to $250
  Another PC Optimum bonus is available for shopping online this weekend. Spend $150 or more online with Shopper's Beauty…

Deals:

Travelzoo and Cape Mudge Resort on B.C.'s Quadra Island are selling discounted vouchers for future stays that are 100% fully refundable. You can buy vouchers for 2 night stays starting at $179 each for May 2021 or $229 each for summer stays in 2020 or 2021. 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.

Enjoy up to 25% off for stays at Radisson Hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. Find out more here Book by May 10 for stays June 10 – August 31, 20

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

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, 20

TAP Air Portugal Victoria
- Earn up to 4x Miles&Go miles when you buy miles online. More... Until May 31, 20

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Triple ROP Miles for stays at participating Anantara Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21
- Triple ROP Miles for stays at participating Avani Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 21



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April 21 Update: Air Canada temporarily suspends transborder U.S. flights, 2x cash back at Rakuten, Emirates pushes back re-launch of flights to July 1

Air Canada has announced the suspension of all U.S. transborder flights as of April 26. This is in response to the extension of the closure of the Canada-U.S. border to non-essential travel for another 30 days. Air Canada has been flying limited flights between Canada and the U.S. since the middle of March primarily for the repatriation of Canadians who were in the U.S. The suspension of flights to the U.S. is currently set to run until May 22. (Source Air Canada)

Image via Air Canada

 And how quickly things change - yesterday we let you know about getting 3x cash back at Rakuten but that has dropped back down to 2x now at select retailers for Earth Week. Looking at the offers however shows some retailers are still at 3x or even more. Find out more here.

Image via Rakuten

Emirates has once again pushed back the launch of passenger flights. They are now slated to start up on July 1st, yes not until July! If everything holds true they will start to fly to Toronto once again with a 5x weekly schedule. Chances are that this schedule will change again before then. (Source RoutesOnline)

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:

• Limited Time Offer: Increased value in American Express Use Points for Purchases (1,000 points = up to $20!)
  On April 17 American Express Canada started new promotions for redeeming Membership Rewards points on non-travel purchases. In light…
• April 20 Update: Amex Platinum cardmembers to receive annual travel credit replacement, WestJet removes more domestic flights for May, up to 3x cash back with Rakuten
  An email was sent out to The Platinum Card from American Express cardmembers late Friday afternoon with their first…
  
  

Deals:

Casper: Take 10% off a mattress with code GOODSNOOZ. Valid through 5/11.


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

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

Aegean Miles+Bonus
- OFFER UPDATED Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Miles+Bonus Miles when you change your ticket that was issued for travel until July 31 for future travel until Mar 27, 21. More... Change by Apr 27, 20

ALL Accor Live Limitless
- Earn 4x ALL Rewards Points on all eligible stays of 2 or more nights at Accor Hotel stays in China mainland, Hong Kong (China), Macau (China), Taiwan (China) and Mongolia. More... Until Aug 31, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 10,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points when you stay 3 nights or longer at the Santa Marina, a Luxury Collection Resort, Mykonos. More... May 1 - Jun 28, 20

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Earn up to 3,500 Bonus KrisFlyer Miles for Sixt rentals in Singapore. More... Until May 31, 20

Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass
- Double Travel Pass Points per stay at the The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel San Francisco. More... Until Jun 30, 20





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April 20 Update: Amex Platinum cardmembers to receive annual travel credit replacement, WestJet removes more domestic flights for May, up to 3x cash back with Rakuten

An email was sent out to The Platinum Card from American Express cardmembers late Friday afternoon with their first news about extending benefits that aren't really usable right now. This first bit of news lets cardmembers know that if they haven't used their $200 annual travel credit and it was set to expire between January and September of this year you'll receive a replacement credit. Cardmembers don't have to do anything as American Express will reach out with details on how the replacement will be added to your account.

Image via American Express

WestJet provided another domestic schedule update today with even more routes being cancelled in May:

The following city pairs have been temporarily removed from May 5-June 4, 2020:  

Market	Previous frequency
Vancouver – Nanaimo	2x daily
Vancouver – Comox	1x daily
Vancouver – Regina	4x weekly
Vancouver – Saskatoon	5x weekly
Vancouver – Winnipeg	3x daily
Vancouver - Fort St. John	1x daily
Vancouver – Cranbrook	1x daily
Vancouver - Ottawa	1x daily
Vancouver - Montreal	6x weekly
Kelowna – Victoria	12x weekly
Calgary - Prince George	1x daily
Calgary - Ottawa	2x daily
Calgary - Montreal	13x weekly
Calgary – London, ON	1x daily
Calgary - Halifax	17x weekly
Edmonton – Comox	6x weekly
Edmonton – Victoria	20x weekly
Edmonton - Kelowna	7x daily
Edmonton - Grande Prairie	13x weekly
Edmonton – Yellowknife	1x daily
Edmonton - Saskatoon	3x daily
Edmonton - Regina	3x daily
Edmonton - Winnipeg	20x weekly
Edmonton - Ottawa	2x weekly
Edmonton – Halifax	5x weekly
Winnipeg – Ottawa	1x daily
Winnipeg – Regina	1x daily
Winnipeg - Halifax	1x daily
Toronto - Victoria	4x weekly
Toronto - Edmonton	5 to 7x daily
Toronto – Regina	10x weekly
Toronto – Saskatoon	12x weekly

In some of our posts about online shopping we mentioned that you can 2x cash back with select retailers at Rakuten. This has now been boosted and you can earn up to 3x cash back with select retailers. Find out more here. 

Image via Rakuten

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:

• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Buy Miles Mystery Bonus – 40% to 60% bonus reported
  Alaska Airlines has revealed their next buy miles promotion for the Mileage Plan program that runs until May 31.…
• Receive Air Canada Altitude Prestige 25K status when you earn 50,000 Aeroplan Miles via everyday activities
  Air Canada Aeroplan revealed another great stay at home promotion for their members today. Following in the footsteps of…
• Government of Canada makes it a requirement to wear masks when flying as of April 20
  Canada's Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau announced today that everyone traveling by air will be required to wear a mask.…
• April 17 Update: Air Canada updates international flight schedule, 20x PC Optimum points at Shoppers, 40% bonus when buying Wyndham Rewards points
  Air Canada provided a major schedule update to their international operations yesterday. Based on the data it appears that…

Deals:

Casper: Take 10% off a mattress with code GOODSNOOZ. Valid through 5/11.

The Fairmont Hotels Store has launched a white sale where you can save 20% on all beds, linens, pillows, duvets, robes and towels. You can bring the comforts of Fairmont Hotels home with this sale. Find out more here. This sale runs until April 20.

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

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Earn up to a 60% bonus when you buy Mileage Plan miles. Bonus varies by member and will be revealed after you log in. More... Until May 31, 20

Hilton Honors
- OFFER UPDATED - Elite Status Match and Fast Track to Elite Status Offer - Receive Hilton Honors elite status for 90 days when you hold status with another hotel program and then stay 10 nights in 90 days to keep Gold Status or 18 nights to keep Diamond status. More... Until ?

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Four Points by Sheraton Memphis East. More... Until May 31, 20

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Triple KrisFlyer Miles when you book a minimum of two consecutive nights stay at the Mandarin Orchard Singapore. More... Until May 31, 20

Wyndham Rewards
- 40% Bonus when you buy Wyndham Rewards Points. More... Until May 11, 20
- Double Wyndham Rewards Points on rentals of 1 or more days at participating Avis locations worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 20





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March 25 Update: Earn 2x cash back at select retailers with Rakuten, Pacific Coastal suspends flights until May 2, Best Western Rewards stops gift card redemptions

Right now you can earn 2x Cash Back for shopping at select 'Athleisure' stores via Rakuten - stores included as part of the promotion are Hudson's Bay, GNC, Sport Chek and more. Find out more here.

Today is the last day to take advantage of the Marriott Bonvoy and Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan buy points and miles deals. You can check out the Marriott offer here and the Alaska offer here.

Over the past few days Emirates Airlines has stated they would suspend all flights but then backtracked on that and said they will operate some flights including Toronto but as of today they have officially suspended all flights. So much for the 20% bonus Tier Miles offer we posted yesterday, well that is for the time being as that offer is valid until June 30 so if EK starts flying before then you can take advantage of it. (Source Emirates)

 Closer to home, Vancouver based Pacific Coastal Airlines has suspended all flights from today to May 2. They hope to resume operations on May 3.This announcement does not appear to affect the flights that Pacific Coastal operates as WestJet Link. (Source Pacific Coastal)

If you have read our piece on Shifting your loyalty program strategy to help during these trying and tough financial times you'll have seen how you can use your various loyalty rewards points for gift cards. One loyalty program that we didn't mention in that post has decided to STOP allowing redemptions for gift cards. That program is Best Western Rewards and this comes as a bit of surprise that a program would go this route at a time when people need those redemption options the most - however from a financial standpoint it doesn't surprise me - Best Western has probably had a run on gift cards from their members and it could be affecting BW's cash resources. You can learn more here. (HT LoyaltyLobby)

*** 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:

• 100% Bonus when you buy Hilton Honors points until May 27
  Hilton Honors launched another  buy points promotion for their members today. Once again this one it is the flat…
• March 24 Update: New Amex Offers offer for William Ashley, Tokyo 2020 postponed - time to start planning for next year & five new bonus offers
  There is a new Amex Offers offer out for William Ashley. I received the offer for my American Express…
  

Deals:

Doordash $5 Deals. Use Code: 5DEALS at checkout! Expires April 15. Find out more here

Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

IHG Rewards Club
- 1,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points per stay on the Government Rate at the Staybridge Suites Washington-Greenbelt. More... Until Apr 30, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Residence Inn Houston I-10 West/Park Row. More... Until May 15, 20

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- 10% Bonus KrisFlyer Miles with 50 retailers when you shop online via the KrisFlyer Spree portal. More... Until Apr 17, 20



Follow Rewards Canada:

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Online shopping portals have eligible Amazon.ca purchases curtailed

Thanks to Rewards Canada reader Todd W. for forwarding details about new limitations on Amazon.ca purchases made via the Aeroplan eStore. We dug a little deeper and it's not just Aeroplan who has limited what Amazon.ca purchases earn Aeroplan miles, we see the same thing with airmilesshops.ca, Rakuten (nee ebates.ca). As you can see the categories you can earn miles on have been really cut back while the cash back sites no longer award anything on Amazon.ca purchases.

Here are the updated terms for Amazon.ca purchases made via the Aeroplan eStore:

Earn 1 Aeroplan Miles for every $1 you spend on participating categories. Aeroplan miles will be earned across the following categories when shopping on Amazon.ca via the Aeroplan eStore: Apparel, Cloud Cam & Blink, Echo Devices, Eero Devices, Fashion, Fire Tablets, Fire TV Devices, Furniture, Handmade, Home, Kindle Devices, Kitchen, Luggage, Pet Products, Ring Devices. Categories for Aeroplan mile earn may change from time to time.

Please note that the following categories, as well as any others not listed above, are not eligible for earn of Aeroplan miles at this time: Arts & Crafts, Automotive, Baby & Nursery, Beauty, Books & Textbooks, Camera & Photo, Cell Phones & Accessories, Computers, Electronics & Audio, Grocery & Gourmet, Health & Personal Care, Home Entertainment, Home & Portable Audio, Jewelry, Kindle eBooks, Kindle Tablet Accessories, Lawn & Garden, Magazine Subscriptions, Major Appliances, Mobile Electronics, Movies & TV Shows, Music, Musical Instruments, Office & School Products, Outdoor, Power & Hand Tools, Shoes, Software, Sports & Outdoors, Tools & Hardware, Toys, Video Games, Watches, Wireless Accessories and gift cards.

Terms for airmilesshops.ca:

You will get AIR MILES® Reward Miles on purchases made in the following categories, all other categories are excluded. You will not get AIR MILES® Reward Miles on purchases made via the Amazon app.

Included categories: Amazon Echo Devices, Amazon Echo Look, Amazon Fire TV Devices, Amazon Fire Tablets, Amazon Kindle E-readers, Apparel, Automotive, Baby & Nursery, Cameras, Cloud Cam & Blink, Element Smart TV, Furniture, Handmade, Home Entertainment, Jewelry, Kitchen, Luggage, Luxury Beauty, Office & School Supplies, Outdoor Recreation, Pet Food & Supplies, Power & Hand Tools, Private Label Fashion, Ring Video Doorbells

Meanwhile both Rakuten and Great Canadian Rebates no longer offer cash back for Amazon.ca purchases!

Looks like these changes came about sometime in February. It couldn't have come at worse time  with online shopping exploding due everyone staying home and not going out as much to physical stores to shop!