February 17 Update: Double Status Miles & HON Circle Miles on Lufthansa Group flights, Swoop announces big U.S. expansion & Lynx adds more Canadian routes

Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your nøear daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more. This update is brought to you by the HSBC World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

 If you are planning on flying any of the Lufthansa Group airlines out of Canada to Europe and beyond or any of their flights for that matter be sure you include your Miles & More number on the reservation. The reason why is they are now offering Double Miles & More Status and HON Circle miles on all flights until Jun 30, 22 (and it is retroactive to January 1) Click here for more details. No registration is required, simply make sure your Miles & More number is on your reservation.

February 11 Update: Wait. What? Diners Club actually sent an email? Plus Swoop announces a major domestic expansion

 Here's your Rewards Canada Daily update! Your bear daily dose of loyalty program, credit card and travel news, bonuses, deals and more. This update is brought to you by the HSBC World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

 
I received a bit of shock in my email inbox yesterday. BMO actually sent a Diners Club email that wasn't strictly an automated statement or payment reminder! First thing I thought is "What is going on?" I haven't had an email from BMO or Diners Club like this in years! And by years I'm thinking nearly a decade if not more. Are they actually starting to pay some attention to the card and the Club Rewards program now?

November 16 Update: Two big AIR MILES earning events coming soon, Radisson Rewards extends inactive points accounts & Swoop expands in Edmonton

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. This update is brought to you by the HSBC World Elite Mastercard which is currently offering a welcome bonus of up to 100,000 bonus points worth $500, has no foreign transaction fees and no annual fee in the first year! 

 
AIR MILES Shops Early Black Friday Event will start on November 19! You can earn 15x the Miles sitewide! Makes me wonder what the actual Black Friday offer will be? 20x miles? I hope that's the case!

Swoop Black Friday Sale - All flights within Canada under $100 each way

 

WestJet's ultra low cost airline Swoop is offering all flights in Canada for under $100 each way as their Black Friday sale. This sale is good for bookings made until November 29 (or until it sells out?) for travel between December 9, 2020 and March 31, 2021. Flights outside of Canada run from $89 to $159 each way.

June 15 Update: New Amex offer for goodfood, Fairmont Stay Close extended for Canadian mountain resorts and Flair & Swoop's summer flight schedules

Yet another excellent Amex offer came out today - this one is for the prepared meal service goodfood and provides a $20 statement credit when you spend $80 or more. Rewards Canada contributor Jeff W. let us know he got it on his Marriott Bonvoy card while in the Rewards Canada household we got it on the The Platinum Card and Cobalt Card. You can find the offer details and more on our Guide to American Express Canada 'Amex Offers'

--

By now you should be very familiar with Fairmont's Stay Close offer as we've had probably close to half a dozen posts about the offer but wanted to pass along news that the booking window for the first four hotels to have the offer has been extended to June 22. Originally if you wanted to book the at the Fairmont Banff Springs, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louiseand Fairmont Chateau Whistler. you had only until today (June 15) to get in on the offer. Now you have an additional week to make that decision! Learn more about the Stay Close offer here.

--

Hotel occupancy rates in Canada climbed slightly for the week of June 2 to the 8 to 22.2%, the previous week was 21.4% however this is still down from 70.4% from the same period last year. Source HNN

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!

Swoop has provided details on the routes they plan to fly when they relaunch flights on July 1. It will only operate four routes from that date until September 13. (Source: RoutesOnline)
Edmonton – Abbotsford 4 weekly
Hamilton – Abbotsford 4 weekly
Hamilton – Edmonton 6 weekly
Hamilton – Halifax 3 weekly

Flair Airlines has also loaded their summer schedule which sees more routes being added to current four routes being flown. (Source RoutesOnline)
Calgary – Kelowna eff 16JUL20 2 weekly
Calgary – Toronto 2 weekly
Calgary – Vancouver 2 weekly
Calgary – Winnipeg eff 17JUL20 2 weekly
Edmonton – Kelowna eff 17JUL20 2 weekly
Edmonton – Toronto 2 weekly
Edmonton – Vancouver 2 weekly
Toronto – Winnipeg eff 17JUL20 2 weekly

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.

Posts since our last update:

• Receive a $25 Best Western Gift Card when you complete 1 stay and submit a receipt for filling you car with gas or electric charging
  Last week we let you know about Best Western's upcoming summer promotions and the first of the two promotions…
• Marriott Bonvoy offering Off Peak pricing at the majority of their hotels + gifting qualifying nights to current elite members
  In September of 2019 the Marriott Bonvoy program officially started using Off-Peak and Peak pricing on top of standard…
• Staycation deal: Sheraton Cavalier Calgary $50 Cross Iron Mills shop cards or Calgary Zoo tickets
  Looking for a little shopping Staycation in Alberta? The Sheraton Cavalier Hotel in Calgary may just have the offer…
• StayVancouver's Visa gift card offer returns for hotel stays in YVR - receive up to $125 in gift cards for the first two nights + $50 for three nights after that
  This week we also see the return of the awesome StayVancouver (nee BeVancouver) gift card offer for booking select…
• New welcome offer for the National Bank of Canada World Elite Mastercard - $300 cash back with minimum spend
  National Bank of Canada has released a new welcome bonus for the premier card in their portfolio - the…
• American Express AeroplanPlus cards see limited time enhanced earn rates on all purchases
  Yet another boost for American Express cards. This time it's for their AeroplanPlus cards. American Express let us know…
• Great offer from Rocketmiles – 5,000 bonus miles or points on your first hotel booking (includes Aeroplan)
  You may have seen this over on our global site a couple of days ago and am finally getting…
• June 11 Update: Up to 5x Aeroplan miles with select eStore retailers for Father's Day, big AIR MILES bonuses for Safeway/Sobeys liquor, earn Double Stamps for Sandman Hotel stays
  You can earn up to 5x Aeroplan Miles with select online retailers via the Aeroplan eStore with their Father's…

Deals:

Fairmont Hotels Explore Canada offer - Get every 2nd night free for stays at 18 Fairmont Hotels until June 30, 2021

Save 20% on all Air Canada flights within Canada when you book by June 16 - good for travel until May 15, 2021!

Instacart: Get $10 when you place your first order with Instacart! Register here.

SkipTheDishes - Sign up with this link to get $5 off your first order over $15. Find out more here

WealthSimple Trade:  Receive $5 when you deposit and trade at least $100 worth of stock with WealthSimple Trade. Find out more here (We will also receive $5 when you receive $5)

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

ALL Accor Live Limitless
- 500 Bonus ALL Rewards Points for stays at participating hotels in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. More.. Until Sep 1, 20

Hilton Honors
- 100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more Hilton Honors points online. More... Until Jul 15, 20


Follow Rewards Canada:

---

January 24 Update: Looking for our Lounge Pass winner, earn and redeem AIR MILES with Redtag.ca & Swoop adds Kelowna, London & Oakland flights

Michael Warren - if you are reading this, your name was selected as the winner of Maple Leaf Lounge pass giveaway. Please contact us at info@rewardscanada.ca with your mailing address! If we don't hear back from by Sunday we'll have to pick another entry.

 AIR MILES has expanded their relationship with Canadian online travel agency Redtag.ca to include earning and redemption options! You can earn 1 AIR MILES Reward Mile for every $20 spend with Redtag but even more interesting is the new redemption option for vacation packages. You can redeem 909 miles for a $100 credit towards your booking or about 11 cents per mile. This isn't too bad of rate. Yes you can get more value out of your miles (we typically value AIR MILES at 11 to 15 cents each when redeeming for travel) but it is better than the Cash Miles redemption rate of 10.5 cents per mile. Overall it is always great to have more options to redeem your miles and seeing that this one works as simply a credit towards your booking you can book any package you want and not be bound by availability. They also state to watch for cruises later in 2019. When you log in they will show you what your miles are worth if you were to use as many of them as you can. You'll see the screenshot below I could redeem for a $1,500 credit. To celebrate the partnership they are also offering a limited time bonus of up to 250 AIR MILES on vacation package bookings Find out more about this new partnership here!

Swoop, WestJet's ULCC announced their summer schedule which includes three new cities. London, ON, Kelowna and Oakland California. Find out more here

The new domestic markets include service between London and Halifax six times per week and daily service from London to/from Abbotsford and Edmonton. Service between Kelowna and Winnipeg will be offered three times a week. The schedule also sees the return of the seasonal route between Abbotsford and Winnipeg four times per week.

Edmonton will enjoy increased transborder capacity with thrice-weekly flights to/from Oakland and a weekly flight to/from Orlando.

Internationally, Swoop will continue its Hamilton service to Montego Bay and Cancun, with a weekly return flight throughout the summer.

Amongst the routes that will end for the summer are Hamilton to Puerto Vallarta and Tampa Bay, and Abbotsford to Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán. Edmonton to Mesa will take a short hiatus and suspend service at the end of May before resuming October 5, 2019.

Here is Swoop's updated route map:

Posts since our last update:

• There is a rewards card out there for everyone - including the Walmart Rewards Mastercard
  On Rewards Canada we do our best to cover the 150+ rewards-based credit cards that are available to Canadians.…
• WestJet Rewards Platinum & Gold Elites now receive unlimited lounge access for themselves and up to 5 family members
  One new benefit that we have alluded to in past posts and in our podcast about WestJet Rewards Platinum…
• Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express to become Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
  Marriott revealed today the details of the new name and look for their co-branded credit cards in the U.S.,…

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

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
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus Asia Miles when you rent for 3+ days with Hertz in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. More.. Until Feb, 28, 19

Emirates Skywards
- Earn up to Triple Skywards Miles for stays at Atlantis, The Palm Dubai. More... Book by May 31 for stays until Oct 31, 19

JAL Mileage Bank
- Triple Mileage Bank Miles for stays at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort or Waikiki Beachcomber by Outrigger. More... Until Mar 31, 20

Saudia Alfursan
- Double Alfursan Miles for stays at participating Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 19

Follow Rewards Canada:

---

February 2 Update: Swoop, WestJet's ULCC routes announced and tickets for sale, buy Starpoints discount & more

Swoop, the Ultra Low Cost Carrier from WestJet announced their first routes yesterday and also put them on sale for as little as $15 round trip ($0+taxes/fees) but those fares are gone already! Initial service sees flights to/from 5 Canadian cities that are already popular with Canada's other ULCC Flair Airlines (nee newleaf) except for Halifax. Learn more about Swoop here

Flight schedules and routes thanks to Routesonline

Abbotsford – Edmonton eff 25JUL18 3x daily
WO120 YXX0710 – 0931YEG 738 D
WO122 YXX1145 – 1406YEG 738 D
WO124 YXX1645 – 1906YEG 738 D
WO121 YEG1020 – 1046YXX 738 D
WO123 YEG1520 – 1546YXX 738 D
WO125 YEG1955 – 2021YXX 738 D

Hamilton – Abbotsford eff 20JUN18 6 weekly
WO107 YHM0545 – 0742YXX 738 x2
WO106 YXX0835 – 1547YHM 738 x2

Hamilton – Edmonton eff 25JUN18 7 weekly
WO101 YHM0715 – 0921YEG 738 x3
WO103 YHM1300 – 1503YEG 738 2

WO102 YEG1025 – 1600YHM 738 D

Hamilton – Halifax eff 20JUN18 6 weekly
WO114 YHM1700 – 2001YHZ 738 x2
WO115 YHZ2050 – 2205YHM 738 x2

Hamilton – Winnipeg eff 25JUN18 6 weekly
WO111 YHM1655 – 1825YWG 738 x3
WO110 YWG1915 – 2229YHM 738 x3

Posts since our last update:

• Choice Privileges Elite Status Match now available to Canadians
  We've had this offer listed for quite sometime on our global site, FrequentFlyerBonuses.com but never covered it here on…
• Starwood Preferred Guest: Save 35% when you buy or gift Starpoints (until Mar 16, 18)
  Starwood is once again offering of a 35% discount when you buy Starpoints. This is always an ideal buy…

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
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
Air China Phoenix Miles
- Earn up to 3,600 Bonus Phoenix Miles for Avis rentals Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 18

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Mileage Plan Miles + a free day on Hertz rentals of 6 or more days at participating locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. More... Until Jul 31, 18

American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 42,500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you buy or gift 20,000 or more miles. More... Bonus + discount unitl Feb 8, bonus only until Feb 16, 18
- Double AAdvantage Miles + a free day on Hertz rentals of 6 or more days at participating locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. More... Until Jul 31, 18

Marriott Rewards
- Double Rewards Points and save up to 15% off the base rate on qualifying Affordable Rate rentals of one or more days at participating locations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Europe, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand and St. Thomas. More...Until Jun 30, 18

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 35% Discount when you buy or gift 5,000 or more Starpoints. More... Until Mar 16, 18


Follow Rewards Canada:

September 27 Update: Meet Swoop, WestJet's Ultra Low Cost Carrier, Diners Club redemption to BA with a 50% bonus & more

WestJet revealed more details on their Ultra Low Cost Carrier today. The big news is the name, the new ULCC airline will be called Swoop. Takes me back to the days of Zip and Tango! The airline is set to start selling tickets in early 2018 and will take on Flair Airlines, Canada Jetlines and potentially FlyToo. (Source WestJet or should we say Swoop?)

"The name Swoop denotes exactly what we plan to do," said Bob Cummings WestJet Executive Vice-President, Strategy and the executive member responsible for the launch of Swoop. "It's a powerful verb that demonstrates we plan to swoop in to the Canadian market with a new business model that will provide lower fares and greater opportunity for more Canadians to travel." 

It’s too early to tell whether Swoop will be participating in the WestJet Rewards program. Stay tuned as more news comes out on Swoop I’m sure we’ll learn what if any participation the airline will have in the program. Either way you can always look at a proprietary credit card rewards program that allows you to book travel with whomever you want and then redeem the points against that charge. Think about, you have a Swoop ticket that costs $100, with a card like the new American Express Cobalt card that's only $2,000 in food and drink purchases to get that flight.....

A little over a month ago we brought you the details of the Diners Club to British Airways conversion bonus of 50%. Normally it costs 1,250 Club Rewards Points to get 1,000 Avios but with the bonus it is 1,250 points to get 1,500 Avios.  I bit the bullet today and converted 50,000 Club Rewards points to BA which means I'll get 60,000 Avios. The online redemption process was painless and while it says it can take a few weeks for the Avios to show up in my account it should only be a few days based on past experiences with Diners. If you are still one of those who holds onto the card like we do (it has the best CDW out of all cards and that's the main reason I keep it now) you have 3 days left to take advantage of this bonus. Read more about the bonus here.

Posts since our last update:

• Bid on a VIP Weekend at the David Foster Foundation 30th Anniversary Miracle Gala in Vancouver with your Marriott Rewards points
  The Marriott Canada team reached out to us to let us know and pass along a very cool Marriott…

Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- Quadruple AAdvantage Miles when you rent at participating Hertz locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and United Kingdom. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Avianca LifeMiles
- Double LifeMiles on all your Marriott stays when you join Marriott Rewards. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Etihad Guest
- Triple Guest Miles for all stays at Accor Hotels Worldwide. More,.. Sep 30 - Nov 30, 17

Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings
- Double Fortune Wings Points when you fly on select Virgin Australia flights. More... Until Dec 15, 17

Iberia Plus
- 450 Bonus Avios for stays of 4 or more nights at Hoteles Andaluces con Encanto. More... Until Oct 31, 17

Le Club AccorHotels
- Earn up to 6,000 Bonus Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays of 2 or more nights at participating Accor hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Oct 22 for stays Oct 3 - Dec 31, 17

Voila Hotel Rewards
- Double VHR Points and Double Elite Status Credit for stays of 2 or more nights at participating at select Swiss International Hotels & Resorts. More... Until Oct 31, 17

Follow Rewards Canada: