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

Follow Rewards Canada:

SkyTeam Lounge opens in Vancouver - their first lounge in the Americas and Priority Pass members are welcome!

Photo credit: Vancouver Airport Authority

Back in June we brought you the news that the SkyTeam Alliance would be opening their first business class lounge in the Americas right here in Canada in Vancouver. Great news is the lounge opened up on November 15th to the travelling public and is now the 7th SkyTeam lounge globally. (Source YVR) Access is as follows per the SkyTeam Lounge website:

Lounge Access Policy

First and Business Class

All First and Business Class passengers traveling on, or connecting to/from, a same-day international flight operated by a SkyTeam member airline have access to a lounge. Lounge access will be provided only at your departure and transfer airports, and not on arrival. For connecting customers, both the domestic and international flights must be operated by a SkyTeam member airline and all segments need to be booked in First or Business Class. Simply present your First or Business Class boarding passes for the lounge agent to validate for admission.

SkyTeam Elite Plus

Regardless of their travel class, SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling on, or connecting to/from, a same-day international flight operated by a SkyTeam member airline have access to a lounge. Lounge access will be provided only at your departure airport and transfer airports, and not on arrival. For connecting customers, both the domestic and international flights must be operated by a SkyTeam member airline. Simply present your boarding passes and a valid Elite Plus membership card for the lounge agent to validate for admission.

Guests

SkyTeam Elite Plus members can invite a guest traveling on a SkyTeam member airline operated flight. Simply present the boarding pass of your guest for the lounge agent to validate for admission.
You are welcome in our lounges within 24 hours of your scheduled departure time.

But also as of November 15th, Priority Pass members have access to the lounge as well!

This is great news if you are not flying on a SkyTeam airline or are but don't have status or your not flying in Business or First Class. Priority Pass as you may or may not know is the lounge access program that provides access and benefits to over 1,000 lounges and restaurants around the World. Some credit card programs give you Priority Pass membership or you can buy yearly memberships in the program. We recommend reading Rewards Canada's Guide to Business Class Lounge Access for complete details on how to get a Priority Pass membership.

Priority Pass details for the lounge

Have you had the chance to visit the lounge already or will you be planning on doing so soon? Let us know below in the comments!

June 15 Update: SkyTeam to open business class lounge in Vancouver, free Porter VIPorter points for email confirmation + 8 new bonuses

News, Tips & Tricks

The SkyTeam alliance has announced they will be opening their own lounge in Vancouver! This will be the alliance's first lounge in North America that is branded specifically for SkyTeam. This will be the 7th SkyTeam globally and should get lots of use seeing that 9 of the 20 member airlines serve Vancouver! All the more reason for WestJet to join SkyTeam! (Source SkyTeam) Excerpt from the press release:

CANCUN, June 12, 2017 - SkyTeam, the global airline alliance, is taking its customers’ airport experience to new heights by opening a new lounge at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) later this year. The alliance’s first branded facility in North America, it will offer a luxurious environment for First, Business and Elite Plus customers flying on any of the alliance’s nine member airlines currently serving the airport.

SkyTeam currently offers six branded lounges around the world in Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London Heathrow and Sydney, serving hundreds of thousands high-value customers each year.

Speaking at the 73rd annual IATA AGM held in Cancun, Mexico, SkyTeam CEO and Managing Director, Perry Cantarutti, also outlined some of the focus areas that the alliance was working on to improve customer travel experiences while gaining its members value from the synergies.

 “With the opening of Vancouver later this year, SkyTeam will offer more branded airport lounges around the world than any other airline alliance. Increasing the number of shared facilities worldwide realizes significant synergies for our airlines while offering a greatly enhanced airport experience for our top customers,” said Perry Cantarutti, SkyTeam’s CEO and Managing Director. “Meanwhile, we continue to invest in technology so that we can capitalize on emerging customer trends, drive greater efficiencies and continue to deliver value for our airlines and their passengers.”

Recommended reading: Rewards Canada's Guide to Business Class Lounge access

Porter Airlines is wanting their members to confirm their email membership and offering 1,500 VIPorter points for doing so! Be sure you don't delete any emails from Porter so that you can take advantage of this offer! You can also get an additional 1,500 points if you take flight for the next half a year!

Posts since our last update:

• Hilton Summer Sale - Save up to 25% on weekend stays in the U.K. and Europe (for Hilton Honors members only)
  Hilton's annual summer sale for stays in Europe, Middle East and Africa will launch for everyone next week however…
• Why I like the new Starbucks Rewards program
  It has been nearly a year and half since Starbucks revamped their loyalty program. It went from My Starbucks…

Travel Deals
Marriott: Save up to 30% off rooms, restaurants and lounges across the Middle East & Africa. Full details & online booking Until Sep 9, 17

Starwood: Save up to 30% off rooms, restaurants and lounges across the Middle East & Africa. Full details & online booking Until Sep 9, 17

Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
airberlin topbonus
-1,000 topbonus Miles when you join Le Club AccorHotels and complete your first stay at any Accor Hotel. More... Until Aug 31, 17

Best Western Rewards
- Earn Triple Rewards Points for stays of 3 or more nights at participating Best Western Hotels in Australia. More... Until ?
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at participating Best Western Hotels in Australia. More... Until ?
- Double Rewards Points for stays at participating Best Western Hotels in Australia. More... Until ?

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- 2,500 Bonus Gold Points and 30% off for stays at participating Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas. More... Book by Jun 25 for stays Jun 19 - Sep 3, 17

Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings
- Earn up to 500 bonus Fortune Wings Points when you join the program and complete your first flight with Hainan Airlines or Grand China Air. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Double Frequent Flyer Points for stays at the Toowoomba Best Western Plus Ambassador on Ruthven Motor Inn or Bendigo Best Western Crystal Inn. More... Until ?

SAS EuroBonus
- Double EuroBonus Points for stays at participating Radisson Blu, Quorvus and Radisson RED hotels in Europe, the Middle East, Africa. More... Jun 15 - Aug 14, 17


Follow Rewards Canada:

January 26 Update: SkyTeam Alliance Travel Hack, Avis bonus for Aeroplan Distinction members, Hilton introduces new hotel brand

Relatively quiet day compared to yesterday...

News, Tips & Tricks
Check out our potentially lucrative travel hack for flights on SkyTeam Alliance airlines. If it works and on paper (well websites) it does, it could be huge...  Find out more here.

Hilton Hotels has announced a new mid-scale hotel brand that will be launching later this year in the U.S. but will eventually come to Canada as well. The new brand is called Tru by Hilton. The brand already has 102 hotels signed on and 30 more in the works. Find out more here.

Tru by Hilton's innovative features include:

• The Hive, a first floor experience that's more than a lobby - 2,770 square-feet of open space with unique ways for guests to engage with others or spend time alone - in one of four distinct zones for lounging, working, eating or playing.
• The Play Zone, filled with table games, a large-screen TV (featuring DIRECTV), and tiered, stadium-inspired seating.
• A centrally located Command Center - a re-envisioned front desk - featuring a social media wall with real-time content to foster engagement among guests, and a 24/7 market offering fun snacks and refreshments, single-serve wine and beer*, healthy light meal options and sundries for purchase.
• A complimentary "Build Your Own" breakfast consisting of a toppings bar with 30 sweet and savory items allowing guests to customize bagels, donuts, Greek yogurt and oatmeal to satisfy their taste buds and cravings.
• Smart and efficiently designed guest rooms full of the things that matter most - all-white comfortable platform beds, 55" TVs, eight-foot wide windows, access to power everywhere, and surprisingly spacious bathrooms.
• A fitness center that defines wellness trends, rather than follows them, with a concept focused on cardio, strength and flexibility.
• A technology-forward mentality featuring segment-leading complimentary Wi-Fi bandwidth allowing guests to download and stream content on their devices, plentiful power sources, and mobile check-in, room selection and Digital Key available through the Hilton HHonors mobile app.
• A collaboration with DIRECTV, offering guests more than 150 channels, like they have at home.
• Rooms and linens cleaned by P&G Professional's (NYSE: PG) top hospitality brands, including Tide® Professional^TM, Swiffer® Professional^TM and Febreze® Professional^TM to help enhance the guest experience and drive operational efficiencies.
• A brand personality that's full of life with a spirited culture grounded in a thoughtful, reliable and unflappable approach to guest service.

Posts since our last update:

• Potential to get a short haul SkyTeam flight for three cheap car rentals. Who's up for trying?
  Alright, full disclosure upfront. We have not tried this ourselves but while updating Garuda Indonesia bonuses for our GarudaMiles page…
• China Airlines Dynasty Flyer: 3,747 Bonus Miles when flying in premium economy between Vancouver and Taipei
  China Airlines has launched a new bonus for its Dynasty Flyer members flying between Taipei and Vancouver. If you…

Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Quadruple Aeroplan Miles for Avis rentals of 3 or more days in Canada and the U.S. More... Valid for Aeroplan Silver, Black or Diamond Distinction status only. Until Mar 31, 16

Delta SkyMiles (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus SkyMiles when you join the SkyMiles Dining program. More... Until Mar 31, 16

Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to 100% Bonus GarudaMiles when you fly on Garuda Indonesia between Balikpapan or Medan and Jeddah; Denpasar and Shanghai as well as select domestic routes. More... Jan 29 - Feb 28, 16
- Earn up to 100% Bonus GarudaMiles when you fly on Garuda Indonesia during the Lunar New Year. More... Feb 5 - 8, 16
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus GarudaMiles when you book hotels via Kaligo. More... Until Feb 29, 16
- 5,000 Bonus GarudaMiles when you rent a car via Rentalcars.com. More... Until Mar 31, 16

IHG Rewards Club
- Up to 75% bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you buy points online. Targeted offer - may not work for everyone. More... Until Feb 15, 16

Le Club accorhotels
- Earn up to Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in France. More... Book by Feb 29 for stays until Mar 31, 16

Stash Hotel Rewards
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays at the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. More... Until Mar 31, 16
- Triple Stash Rewards Points for stays on the Winter Escape Package at the Caribe Royale Orlando. More... Until Mar 20, 16
- Triple Stash Rewards Points for stays on the Newport Family Adventure package at the Hotel Viking Newport. More... Until Mar 31, 16
- Triple Stash Rewards Points for stays at the Cooper Hotel Conference Center & Spa Dallas. More... Until May 31, 16
- Triple Stash Rewards Points and $25 dining credit for stays at The Resort at Port Ludlow. More... Feb 1 - 29, 16

Aug 27 Update: United cuts 3 Canadian routes, SkyTeam Elite Status with 1 Flight, KLM Fall Sale to Asia

A whole bunch of news and bonuses to bring your way today!

News, Tips & Tricks
Ft. McMurray continues to grow its air service as the 'often seen in the news lately' airline Sunwing adds Cancun service from the Oilsands mecca. (Source Airlineroute.net)


United Airlines will be cutting three of their Canadian routes this fall, Chicago to Regina and Saskatoon as well as Newark to Edmonton are all being cancelled. Not good news for those MileagePlus or Star Alliance members who made use of these routes. (Source Airlineroute.net)

Yesterday we let know that Air Canada's Earn Your Wings has returned. I know a lot of our readers were asking when it would start and I think many will be dissapointed since it is only available to Air Canada Altitude members for this third iteration. We had a quick synopsis post yesterday and will follow up with a more detailed post soon.

Over on FFB we detail a new offer from Garuda Indonesia about how you can get SkyTeam Elite Status after one flight between London and Jakarta. I don't think many of you will jump on this but it is worth a mention just in case this a flight you can take this fall. Read more about it here.

And if you missed it here is a post to read from earlier today: Alaska Airlines Buy Miles Bonus & Fall Award Sale - a good deal for several flights out of Vancouver



Travel Deals
KLM is offering some great Fall/Winter fares for flights to Asia from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. Flights start as low as $1170 all in for travel Oct 16 - Dec 10. Full details.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn up to 750,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles with the third edition of Air Canada's Earn Your Wings promotion. This edition is limited to Air Canada Altitude members only. More... Register and book between by Oct 3 for travel until Nov 30, 14

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Fall Award Sale - Flights from as low as 5,000 Mileage Plan Miles one way. More... Aug 30 - Oct 31, 14
- Up to 40% Bonus Mileage Plan Miles when you buy miles online. More... Until Oct 14, 14

Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to 100% Bonus GarudaMiles and an Elite Status Tier Upgrade when you fly between Jakarta and London with Garuda Indonesia in any eligible class. More... Sep 8 - Dec 8, 14
- Triple GarudaMiles when you fly between Balikpapan and Palangkaraya or Pontianak. More... Sep 1 - 30, 14
- Double GarudaMiles when you fly between Surabaya and Kupang. More... Until Sep 30, 14
- Earn up to 100% Bonus GarudaMiles when you fly between Medan and Surabaya. Business Class earns 100% bonus, economy class earns 50% bonus. More... Oct 15 - Nov 15, 14
- 1,000 Bonus GarudaMiles for members sharing photos or videos of their Jakarta - London trip with Garuda Indonesia. More... Sep 8 - Dec 15, 14

IHG Rewards Club
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for stays at select IHG hotels in China More... Until Oct 31, 14

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points for stays at the Shangri-La Hotel, Nanjing. More... Nov 1 - Feb 28, 15

SriLankan FlySmiles
- Earn up to Triple FlySmiles Miles when you stay at properties within the Hilton HHonors™ portfolio Worldwide. Earn triple miles in Asia Pacific, and double miles anywhere else worldwide. More... Until Oct 31, 14

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Up to 50% QMiles Discount on Qatar Airways Privilege Club Award ticket redemptions for various routes via their "Easy Deals" offer. More... Until Oct 31, 14
- Triple QMiles and save up to 33% on rentals of 7 or more days at participating Hertz locations Worldwide. More... Book by Sep 30 for rentals until Dec 31, 14


Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Mar 22 Update: Air Miles epost bonus, another AF KLM Sale, is the great SkyTeam Hawaii redemption on the way out?

News, Tips & Tricks
Air Miles members can earn up to 20 Bonus Air Miles Rewards Miles for registering new bills or statements to your epost account before April 26, 2013. More...

One of the best redemptions for North American members of the Czech Airlines OK Plus program is flights to Hawaii on SkyTeam partner Delta. This redemption goes for only 30,000 miles, well only until March 31 when OK Plus' new reward chart comes into effect. When it does that redemption jumps from 30,000 miles to 100,000 miles! Talk about a huge devaluation! I have always mentioned this redemption in the past as it is (was) one of the best rewards for members in Canada or the U.S.. A few other European SkyTeam Airlines still offer the amazing 30,000 mile redemption from Canada to Hawaii including Alitalia MilleMiglia and Air France KLM Flying Blue. I sure hope these airlines do not follow the lead of Czech Airlines! The only good news from the new Czech Airlines chart doens't really help us here in Canada as certain short haul flights in Europe have dropped down to 15,000 miles for a round trip economy award ticket.

Travel Deals
Air France and KLM keep the sales coming. Last week it was for business class, this week is Economy class. Fares are as low as $899 all in from Eastern Canada to Europe and $1099 from Western Canada for travel this spring or late summer/fall. For peak summer travel add $400 more. These fares must be booked by March 25 at AirFrance.ca or KLM.com

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when youyou rent for 29 to 59 days at participating Avis locations in Canada. More... Until Dec 31, 13

Best Western Rewards
- 500 Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays on the Easter Special Package at theBest Western Premier Glockenhof Zurich More... Mar 28 - Apr 1, 13

China Southern Sky Pearl Club
- Earn up to 75% Bonus SkyPearl Kilometers when you fly on China Southern between Guangzhou and Moscow. More... Jun 19 - Oct 31, 13

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- 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 Jun 30, 13

Scandinavian EuroBonus
- Double EuroBonus points on all SAS operated flights to/from: Alanya, Alicante, Antalya, Athen, Biarritz, Budapest, Bukarest, Cagliari, Dubrovnik, Faro, Las Palmas, Lissabon, Malaga, Malta, Palanga, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca, Pristina, Pula, Santorini, Split, Tenerife, Thessaloniki and Valencia. More... Register by Mar 31 for travel Mar 19 - Aug 31, 13

Vietnam Airlines Golden Lotus Plus  (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to 2,500 Bonus Golden Lotus Plus Miles for flights between - Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and Frankfurt, London, Moscow or Paris More... May 1 - Jun 10 & Sep 10 - Oct 15, 13
- Earn up to 2,500 Bonus Golden Lotus Plus Miles for flights between - Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and Sydney or Melbourne More... May 7 - Jun 15 & Aug 1- 31, 13
- Earn up to 1,500 Bonus Golden Lotus Plus Miles for flights between Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and Seoul or Pusan.More... Sep 20 - Oct 31, 13
- Earn up to 1,500 Bonus Golden Lotus Plus Miles for flights between Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi and Toyko, Osaka, Fukuoka or Nagoya. More... Oct 1 - Nov 30, 13

Continental sets Oct 27 as entry date into Star Alliance

From Continental email sent Aug 12:

Travel through Oct. 24, 2009
OnePass members can continue to earn and redeem miles and make reward reservations on SkyTeam partners through Oct. 24, 2009. All reward travel on these partners must be completed on or before Oct. 24, 2010.

Travel on Oct. 25 and Oct. 26, 2009
If you travel on a Star Alliance airline on Oct. 25 or Oct. 26, we will make every effort to ensure you automatically receive OnePass mileage credit (including Elite Qualification Miles/Points) and eligible customers receive lounge access. Please save copies of your travel documents for Oct. 25 and Oct. 26 — eTicket receipts and original boarding passes — until mileage credit is confirmed on your OnePass statement.

Travel Oct. 27, 2009 and beyond
When the transition to Star Alliance occurs on Oct. 27, 2009, OnePass members will begin earning base miles and Elite Qualification Miles/Points and be able to redeem miles on Star Alliance airlines.

S7 Airlines to join Oneworld Alliance

With the announcement coming the same day as Aegean/Star Alliance, British Airways, one of the founding members of the Oneworld Alliance is sponsoring the membership of S7 (Siberian Airlines) to the alliance. The airline will go through an 18 month integration program with full membership expected by 2012. S7 is the second Russian airline to join an alliance after Aeroflot which has been a member of SkyTeam since 2006.