Details of the changes to Meridian credit cards and earn 2x status miles when you fly on Royal Air Maroc out of Montreal

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

A few weeks ago we let you know that Merdian Credit Union stopped accepting applications for their cards. The credit union stated they were going to change providers and update their cards for the fall. Meridian has new revealed some of the details of their new cards which should be available in October. The biggest change is that they will now be issuing the cards themselves rather than with Collabria (as many credit unions do). 

It also looks like they are taking page from some other banks' playbooks with their marketing/rewards tactics as they state "There will be a small change in the points earn rate structure, with no real impact for the Meridian Visa Cash Back Card and the Meridian Visa Infinite* Travel Rewards Card." and yet there is an impact. Here are the earn rates for the two cards they have revealed the details for:

Match your Air Canada or WestJet elite status to Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer (oneworld elite status)

 
April 1 Update: Matches to Safar Flyer Gold are no longer available. Silver is still available however.

The fine people at Statusmatch.com have revealed another status match opportunity that they are running on behalf of an airline. This time that airline Royal Air Maroc and you could potentially be matched to have elite status in the airline's Safar Flyer program. Some of you, most likely in the Montreal area are probably familiar with Safar Flyer since Royal Air Maroc serves your fine city. For others probably not so much but don't dissuade this opportunity as Royal Air Maroc happens to be part of the oneworld Alliance which counts airlines like American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways as just some of the partners.

April 7 Update: New Amex Offer for Direct Energy, Visa & Mastercard raise tap limits to $250 and Royal Air Maroc officially joins oneworld

Another new offer is out with Amex offers. The latest is spend at least $100 in qualifying electricity and natural gas purchases with Direct Energy and earn a $25 statement credit. Limit of 6 credits. Simply register for the offer via the Amex App or your American Express account online. Personally I received this offer on my Platinum Card from American Express. This offer has also been added to our Guide to American Express Canada 'Amex Offers'

Late late week both Visa and Mastercard agreed to raise tap limits on cards in Canada to $250 to help minimize interaction and touch points when it comes to making purchases. This is all in an effort to help reduce the potential spread of COVID-19. While Mastercard said it they are enacting it immediately it may not work on all networks just yet. Visa didn't give a time line as to when their change will take place. (Source Globe & Mail)

 Royal Air Maroc has now officially joined the oneworld alliance. The airline became an official member on April 1st but without much fanfare thank to the current situation of world travel. This is a great addition to the alliance and a really good option for travel (well future travel) out of Montreal as that is the only city in Canada that RAM serves. When the time comes we'll provide more coverage of how this can and most likely will be a great option for those collect Avios in the British Airways Executive Club program and even for other oneworld airlines. And who knows it might even be a good option for Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members once Alaska joins oneworld in 2021. Also don't forget RAM's own Safar Flyer program - they are famous for some great discounted award flights like the 80% off offer seen in 2018.

This will probably not come as a surprise to anyone - there are no Miles & More Award bargains this month for flights out Canada. Although Lufthansa are flying several flights per week to Montreal they are not offering future looking discounts on award travel. They are however offering some discounted awards out of the U.S. for travel in July and August. (Source Lufthansa)

IHG Rewards Club is finally providing an extension on points expiry. Any member who has points slated to expire between April 1 and December 31 (yours truly included) will have them extended to the end of the year. Find out more here.

In Alaska Airlines latest schedule update they are only going to be flying one of their Canadian routes until the end of April by offering 7 weekly flights between Vancouver and Seattle. (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:

• Hotel Review: Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa 2 Bedroom Villa - The Second Chapter
  The Rewards Canada family took a last minute vacation back to the Palm Springs area during the high season (right…
• New earning and redeeming structure coming to the no fee BMO CashBack Mastercard on May 1
  BMO has revealed to us (and on to everyone on their website) that they are making changes to their…
• Brim World Elite Mastercard - First year annual fee waived & $500+ in first time bonuses
  Brim is amping up their game to compete with the other big wig banks for the premium card market…
• Air Canada providing Altitude elite status extensions, ability to share status and more
  Air Canada is next out of the gate with news for their elite status members. We've heard from airlines…
• Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for April - 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 April 2020! This…
• A look at the new benefits that have been added to all World & World Elite Mastercards in Canada
   Last week we brought you the details about new benefits that Mastercard Canada released on April 1st for their…
• United MileagePlus provides elite status extensions, lowers qualification requirements and more
  Following in the footsteps of Delta's announcement, United brought out details for the MileagePlus members detailing status extensions and…
• Delta SkyMiles extends Medallion Status, Sky Club memberships and more
  Over the weekend we saw several U.S. airlines make positive moves for elite status members in their programs. The…
• Get your movie fix and earn or redeem SCENE points with Cineplex's Online store
  Do you need some more movie time at home now that you have pretty much watched every movie and…
• WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard cardholders now get free Wi-FI on WestJet flights and globally on the Boingo network
  A benefit that has been on some World Elite Mastercards in Canada but not all has now been extended…
• World of Hyatt extends elite status, free nights & upgrade awards and suspends points expiry to end of 2020
  Hyatt Hotels provided to us detailed updates to their hotel cancellation policies and World of Hyatt program. The no…
• April 2 Update: Earn bonus points with Dell via Amex Offers, Marriott Amex cards in Canada will not earn 30 nights elite credit & Hotels.com reward night and elite status extensions
  There is a new Amex Offers offer for shopping online with Dell. The offer I received on my Platinum…
  
  

Deals:

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


Enterprise: Student Travel Assistance – Waiving young renter fees and reducing the minimum age to 18 for rentals through May 31, 2020. Find out more here

Missfresh: Simplify your life with 45% off your first 2 consecutive orders with code SIMPLIFY45. Find out more here.

Canadian Bonus Offers

Air Canada Aeroplan / Altitude
- Earn up 25,000 Altitude Qualifying Miles when you donate Aeroplan Miles to a charity engaged in fighting the COVID-19 crisis. More... Until Apr 30, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per stay at the Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton West. More... Until May 1, 20

Other Bonus Offers

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles for stays at participating Shangri-La Hotels in Hong Kong More... Until Jun 30, 20

Iberia Plus
- Earn up to 18,000 Bonus Avios when you subscribe to the Economist. More... Until May 31, 20

IHG Rewards Club
- 50% Bonus IHG Rewards Club Bonus points for stays at select New IHG hotels in the U .S. and Canada More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Dec 31, 20

TAP Air Portugal
- OFFER EXTENDED Elite Status Match Challenge - If you hold elite status with a SkyTeam airline, oneworld airline, Azul, Emirates or Gol you can join TAP Air Portugal and receive TAP elite status for six months if you join a Club TAP Miles&Go or purchase miles to be eligible for Silver or Gold status. More... Until Apr 30, 20
- Earn up to 4x Miles&Go miles when you buy miles online. More... Until Apr 30, 20




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January 7 Update: WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard 350 dollar welcome bonus extended, Royal Air Maroc set to join oneworld on March 31, Air Canada worldwide seat sale

Yesterday was not the last day of the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard 350 dollar sign up offer! When I posted that it was all terms and conditions stated January 6 as the end date and we had received no notice from WestJet or RBC that the offer would be extended. Thanks to our attentive Facebook readers Dana B and Jon W they saw that sometime in the day the offer was extended to March 31! This is great news if you thought you might have missed the offer. I have updated yesterday's post if you want more details on the offer!

Royal Air Maroc announced back in 2018 that they will be joining the oneworld alliance sometime in 2020. Reports are out that it will officially join on March 31. The airline flies between Montreal and Casablanca and has their own frequent flyer program called Safar Flyer. If you have been reading our blog for some time you'll know that they are known for running some great award flight redemption discounts several times per year. (Source One Mile at a Time)

Posts since our last update:

• Fly round trip from Canada to Fiji for only 40,000 miles with Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan redemption special
  As soon as this offer came out yesterday it quickly made the rounds on the frequent flyer blogs and…
• Earn 500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on all Best Western stays until April 30
  We have been without an Aeroplan Best Western bonus offer for a whopping 22 days! Normally when one offer ends…
• January 6 Update: 10% Bonus Asia Miles when you convert credit card points from RBC, HSBC or Amex, More Cobalt multiplier locations, Air Transat partnership
  Cathay Pacific Asia Miles has released a 10% bonus offer for transferring credit cards points into Asia Miles. This…

Travel Deals

Air Canada has a worldwide seat sale going on right now! Book by January 13 to take advantage of great fares to over 200 destinations. 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

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Mileage Plan Miles when you fly on qualifying Fiji Airways flights to the South Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand. More... Register & book by Feb 29 for travel Feb 1 - Jun 30, 20
- Up to a 50% Mileage Plan Miles Discount when you redeem Mileage Plan miles for award flights on Fiji Airways flights. More... Book by Feb 29 for travel until ?

British Airways Executive Club
- 30% Bonus Avios when you buy or gift Avios. More... Until Jan 30, 20

China Airlines Dynasty Flyer
- 40% Dynasty Flyer Miles Discounts when you redeem for award flights on China Airlines flights CI005 and CI006 between Taipei and Los Angeles. More... Until Mar 31, 20

Hilton Honors
- 1,000 Bonus Honors Points per night for stays at the SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton. More... Until Feb 29, 20
Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points for stays at 12 participating locations in 9 U.S. states. More... Until Feb 29, 20

Voila Hotel Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus VHR Points for each stay at any participating VOILÀ hotel Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 20



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December 12 Update: 10x Aeroplan Miles with lululemon, 15x AIR MILES for online Apple store purchases & Royal Air Maroc seat sale out of Montreal

Today's Aeroplan eStore deal for the 12 days of gifting is 10x the miles for online purchases with lululemon. Find out more here.

Also if you are looking to earn a bonus on Apple store purchases airmilessshops.ca is offering 15x the AIR MILES Rewards Mile until tomorrow. Find out more here.

If you are a Petro-Points collector check your email for a targeted offer to earn bonus HBC Rewards points when they shop at Hudson's Bay. Earn 250 bonus points for purchases between $1 and $49.99, 500 bonus points for $50+.

Posts since our last update:

• AIR MILES expands Redtag.ca partnership - you can now earn and redeem miles for cruise vacations
  AIR MILES announced today that they have expanded their relationship with Redtag.ca. Collectors will now be able to earn…
• Alaska Airlines' Ugly Sweater Campaign returns - get priority boarding on December 20 when you wear one!
  Many airlines celebrate the holiday season in different ways - whether its the videos of WestJet or Air Canada…
• December 11 Update: Rewards Canada Podcast on iHeartRadio, targeted Air Canada AQM flight bonus, World of Hyatt adds more SLH hotels along with a bonus
   The Rewards Canada Podcast is now on iHeartRadio. If this your preferred app for listening to podcasts you can…

Travel Deals

Royal Air Maroc has a seat sale on their flights out of Montreal. You can fly to Casablana, Algiers, Tunis and more for as little as C$806 all in. Book by Dec 20 for travel Dec 30 - May 20, 20. 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

Air Canada Aeroplan
- 25% Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you convert Radisson Rewards points to Aeroplan Miles. More... Until Dec 18, 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 Jan 14, 20

Bangkok Airways FlyerBonus
- Earn up to 2,500 FlyerBonus points when renting Avis cars (group C and above) in USA (excluding the state of Alaska), Canada, Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico), Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. More... Book by Feb 29 for rentals until Mar 31, 20

Hilton Honors
- 1,000 Bonus Honors Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. More... Until Feb 29, 20
- 1,000 Bonus Honors Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Higgins Hotel New Orleans, Curio Collection by Hilton. More... Until Apr 26, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points and 10% off stays at Atlantis, Paradise Island. More... Book by Jan 20 for stays until May 31, 20
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the SpringHill Suites West Palm Beach I-95. More... Until Jan 31, 20

SAS EuroBonus
- OFFER EXTENDED Earn 6,000 EuroBonus Points in total when you rent with Avis for 4 or more days in in the US (North America and Canada), Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. More... Book by Dec 31 for rentals until Mar 31, 20

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
- Triple Miles&Go miles  when you buy miles online. More... Until Dec 31, 19



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July 3 Update: Travel Hacking 101 update, More Rewards Visa being discontinued, Montreal to Casablanca flights for $796

It's been a long time coming but we have finally brought our Travel Hacking 101 article back up to date. This article shows how you can earn Aeroplan Miles or British Airways Executive Club Avios for free It's definitely not like the good old days when the article showed how to get 80,000 or more Aeroplan miles or Avios at no cost - now we are down to 31,000 miles or 4,000 Avios. Read the article here

You may have noticed that over the past month or so we have been in the process of removing the Scotiabank More Rewards Visa card from our website. Unfortunately, as of August 31 the card will cease to exist. This is really too bad as it is the best No Annual Fee Travel Rewards Credit Card in Canada (as ranked by Rewards Canada) and was a big step in More Rewards expanding to a nationwide coalition rewards program. That means we have now lost the top 2 no annual fee travel rewards cards in Canada! The other being the American Express Blue Sky credit card. In the coming months there will be two more no annual fee cards (1 travel + 1 cash back card) that will also be pulled from our market however we aren't allowed to disclose which cards those are just yet.

Swoop, WestJet's low cost carrier will be launching new routes to San Diego from Abbotsford and Edmonton this fall. Flights will operate twice per week from Abbotsford and three times per week from Edmonton. (Source Routesonline)

Posts since our last update:

• Save 25% on business class reward tickets between Toronto and Europe with Air France-KLM's July Promo Rewards
  The newest set of Air France KLM’s Promo Rewards are now out!  This month we see fewer options for…
• Fairmont Royal York Hotel 90th Birthday Bash
  You know him as the host of the Rewards Canada Podcast and today Jeff Fredericks expands his role with…

Travel Deals

Royal Air Maroc is once again offering some great fares on their flights out of Montreal. You can fly to Casablanca for as little as $796 all in. Book by July 12. Find out more here

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

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

Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to 6x Asia Miles when you rent with Hertz for 5 or more days at participating locations in Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the USA. More... Book by Sep 30 for rentals until Oct 31, 19

Emirates Skywards
- 5,000 Bonus Skywards Miles when you make your first hotel booking via Rocketmiles. More... Book by Sep 15 for stays until Dec 31, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,500 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the Portland Marriott City Center. More... Until Sep 2, 19

Radisson Rewards
- 3,000 Bonus Points for stays at participating Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson and Park Inn by Radisson Hotels in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. More... Book by Jul 14 for stays until Aug 31, 19

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 30% Bonus Miles&Smiles Miles when you fly on Turkish Airlines between Istanbul and Amman*, Athens*, Bari*, Brussels*, Geneva*, Doha*, Chisnau, Luxembourg*, Maputo*, Muscat*, Niamey*, Phuket, Pisa*, Porto*, Sarajevo* or Yaounde* More... * = Business Class only Aug 1 - 31, 19
- 30% Miles&Smiles Discount when you redeem for award travel on Turkish Airlines between Istanbul and various cities in Europe, Africa, and Asia. More... Aug 1 - 31, 19

World of Hyatt
- Double World of Hyatt Elite Qualifying Nights for stays at Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara resorts. More... Register by Oct 31 for stays until Nov 23, 19


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January 23 Update: Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards 2019, Amex to Hilton Honors transfers are back, Royal Air Maroc extends mileage validity

The big news today is the release of our 11th annual Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings! If you haven't seen them yet you can find them right here! Overall 2018 was relatively quiet so there weren't any major changes in the rankings other than the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card taking top spot in the Travel Points Credit Card with annual fee category! For the most part I don't think we'll see any changes from 2019 to 2020 either. It will be 2020, when Air Canada reveals their new program (that will integrate Aeroplan) when we should see a some major shifting in the rankings!

Good news if you were planning on converting American Express Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors. The online transfers are back! We reported this outage a few months ago as Amex was having some issues with it but that appears to be all fixed now. Find out more here.

 Similar to the news we brought you earlier this month from Turkish Miles&Smiles - the Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer program has extended the validity of miles that were set to expire on December 31, 2018 by six months. You now have until June 30, 2019 to use them. Find out more here

Posts since our last update:

• Canada’s Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards Revealed for 2019!
  With more than 70 travel reward credit card options in Canada, it’s difficult to know which card is best.…
• Hilton Winter Sale - Save up to 25% on weekend stays in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa - Book by Jan 31
  A friendly reminder of Hilton's weekend sale where you can save up to 25% on stays in Europe, The…

Travel Deals
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.

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.

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

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
Air Canada Aeroplan
- 1,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you book a Flight+Hotel package with Air Canada Vacations to Mexico or the Caribbean. More... Book by Feb 14 for travel Mar 1 - Dec 20, 19

Other Bonus Offers
Copa ConnectMiles
- 30% Bonus ConnectMiles on every hotel booking you make via ConnectMiles Hotels. More... Book by Feb 15 for stays until Mar 31, 19
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus ConnectMiles when you rent a car at participating Alamo locations. More... Until Mar 31, 19
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus ConnectMiles when you rent a car at participating National locations. More... Until Mar 31, 19

Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- Triple ShebaMiles for stays at Anantara Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 20
- Triple ShebaMiles for stays at Avani Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 20
- Triple ShebaMiles for stays at Tivoli Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 20

Stash Hotel Rewards
- 500 Bonus Stash Rewards Points for stays in an upgraded room at the Perdido Beach Resort Orange Beach. More... Book by Feb 28 for stays Feb 1 - Mar 31, 19
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays at The Essex, Vermont's Culinary Resort & Spa. More... Book by Mar 31 for stays until May 31, 19

TAP Portugal Miles&Go
- Double Miles&Go Miles on all qualiftying TAP Portugal flights worldwide. More... Book by Jan 27 for travel until Mar 31, 19

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- 25% ROP Miles discount when you redeem for award flights between Bangkok and Kunming, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai or Beijing. More... Until Mar 31, 19
- Earn up to Triple ROP Miles for stays at participating Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 19

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