Avianca and TACA launch new unified frequent flyer program: LifeMiles

The partnership between Avianca and TACA has grown even stronger as each airline has stopped their old FFPs (Plus and Distancia respectively) with the launch of their new unified program called LifeMiles. All miles held in the old accounts are being honored and should be in member's new LifeMiles accounts. Elite status in either program is also being honored in the new program. Apparently members old account numbers will be the same in LifeMiles.

Overall the new programs is stated as being better and they provide a chart on the LifeMiles website comparing it to the old AviancaPlus and Distancia programs. Apparently achieving elite status will be easier,  there will be a better upgrade policy and there will be many more mileage earning opportunities. To see the comparison chart click here.

Overall the program does look like a bit of an improvement over the old programs and this will be an interesting one to watch over the next year or so to see if they live up to their promises. One thing I can tell you right off the bat is their new website is much better then the old AviancaPlus or TACA Distanica sites.

You can find bonus offers for the new program on the new LifeMiles page on Rewards Canada. Our page for the old TACA Distancia program will no longer be updated.

For complete details on the program please visit LifeMiles.com

Sunwing Airlines to launch Canada-Europe flights

Already known for their flights to sunnier destinations down south, charter carrier Sunwing has announced that they will offer flights between Canada and Europe for the Summer 2011 season. Using a leased Boeing 767 the airline will offer charter flights between Montreal and Paris; Toronto and Amsterdam, Dublin, Lisbon, London (LGW), Paris, Porto and Rome. The flights will run from June 16 through to September 12.

Source: Airline Route Updates

The Frequent Traveler Awards - Voting is now open

Many of you have probably already seen that the voting for the second annual FT Awards is now open. If not, well here is your notice and your chance to go vote for your favorite airline and hotel programs in six categories to recognize the best promotion for redemption, best promotion for earning, best redemption ability, best customer service, best elite level and best loyalty credit card. A seventh award will recognize the overall airline and hotel 'Program of the Year' in each region.

The Awards will be handed out at the Frequent Traveler Awards ceremony at Citi Field in Flushing, New York on April 28, 2011.

To cast your vote please visit FTAwards.com today! Voting is open until Mar 31, 11

Capital One launches dedicated Rewards site

Holders of the Capital One Aspire Travel™ World MasterCard® and Capital One® Aspire Travel™ Platinum MasterCard® now have their own dedicated rewards site for the Reward Miles they earn on the cards. The site provides cardholders information on how and where they can redeem their miles (I know this was a complaint for those looking to get the card as originally the Capital One site did not provide much information on this). It also allows cardholders to redeem their miles against the travel charges put onto their cards from any travel vendor. This is a feature I really like and not many other travel anywhere cards are offering this feature yet (TD, Amex, Diners you have to call in to redeem points against your travel charges). Some do have online booking engines like BMO's Elite World MasterCard but the difference with them is that you have to book with them and not with whomever you like.

For non-cardholders they provide a demo on the site as to how it works and it looks quite plain and simple. I applaud Capital One for taking this step in addressing cardholder and non-cardholders concerns with wanting more information on the redemption process. To visit the new rewards site for Capital One please click here.

“The interest rates, fees, rewards details, benefits and other details of the Capital One product(s) described in the article may have changed since the time of publication. Please consult the product information pages on the Capital One website for accurate product details. In the event of any conflict between the product details in this article and the Capital One website, the details on the Capital One website shall prevail.”

Qatar Airways confirms Montreal - Doha service

On February 27th, Qatar Airways has formally announced the launch of their much anticipated Montreal - Doha route. The route will begin June 29 and will initially run three times weekly. Montreal is QR's fourth North American destination and first in Canada. We are pleased to be affiliated with Qatar Airways (you can book flights via this link) and with the launch of any new airline to Canada we have added a bonus offer page for the Qatar Airways' Privilege Club program (http://www.rewardscanada.ca/privilegeclub.html) Although it has not been confirmed yet we should be able to expect a bonus Privilege Club mileage offer for this route shortly as QR almost always has route launch bonus offers.

Flight Timings
Montreal-Doha Dep 2315 Arr 1840+1
Doha-Montreal Dep 0830 Arr 1450

Source: Qatar Airways

Westjet, American Airlines expand relationship with code share agreement

Following an earlier interlining announcement in October 2010, WestJet and American Airlines have announced a new code share agreement between the two airlines. The agreement will allow each airline to place their codes on the other airlines flights. At this point this means American customers will be able to connect to up to 20 cities in Canada that AA or American Eagle does not serve while WestJet customers will be able to fly on WestJet coded American Airlines flights from Canada to Boston and Chicago. Future arrangements should see the WestJet place their codes on American flights to more cities.

For our readers, the biggest perk here is the reciprocal frequent flyer benefits in the agreement. This means members of either airlines frequent flyer programs will be able to earn AAdvantage miles or WestJet dollars on the code share flights. What is unknown at this time is whether you have to fly a connecting flight on your actual airline to earn miles/dollars or if you will be able to earn those miles for the code share flight only. In most other agreements as long as the flight has your main airline's code then you get the miles/dollars but on some occasions some programs have made it more restrictive that you have to connect to/from a flight flown with your airlines own metal. Hopefully  that will not be the case here as they may attract a few more business customers to the WestJet frequent guest program primarily out east with the numerous flights that AA has from Eastern Canada to Boston and Chicago.

Source: WestJet

Earn up to 1,000 bonus Aeroplan Miles per night at Fairmont Hotels

This is a great bonus mile offer for hotel stays as it awards you on a per night basis rather then the standard per stay basis. Also, we could not see a maximum number of nights restriction so technically speaking you can earn this bonus many times over until it ends on May 31. The offer is as follows: (as pulled from our Aeroplan page)

Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles per night for stays at participating Fairmont Hotels Worldwide.
- Earn 500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles PER NIGHT for eligible stays in a standard room.
- Earn 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles PER NIGHT when you book our GOLD FLOOR or a SUITE at participating Fairmont locations
Full Details & Online Booking

Porter Airlines adds new service to Windsor and Sault Ste. Marie

Porter Airlines continues their expansion out of the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport with an announcement today that will start new flights to Windsor and Sault Ste. Marie.

The Windsor service starts on April 27 and will offer up to 3 flights daily while the Sault Ste. Marie service starts up on May 4 with up to 2 flights per day.

Included in the announcement was Porter's plans to double their existing service to Sudbury on April 27.

Source: Porter Airlines

CIBC Aventura World MasterCard Review

This is the review in full as it appears on the main Rewards Canada site.

CIBC has become the second major bank in Canada to issue both Visa and MasterCard cards with the launch of their CIBC Aventura World MasterCard. Much like its Aventura Visa equivalent, the Aventura World MasterCard looks to attract customers who want the ability to redeem points for flights without blackout dates and have the option to convert those points to Aeroplan Miles. Where this card differs from its Visa equivalent is on the benefits side, the World MasterCard option provides more in terms of the benefits included then the Visa Infinite branding

Overview
Falling into our Hybrid Credit Card category the CIBC Aventura World MasterCard becomes the best travel rewards card offered by CIBC. The card offers the same earning ratio as all the CIBC Infinite Visas (Aerogold & Aventura) along with the same sign up bonuses. Where this card stands out against CIBC's Visa cards is in the benefits it provides. The card has a set reward chart for flights allowing for up to 4% return and has extra insurance coverage that the Aerogold or Aventura Infinite Visas do not have.

Costs
The CIBC Aventura World MasterCard comes with an industry standard $120 primary card annual fee. The card offers a decent 15,000 point welcome bonus which can get the cardholder a free short haul flight. Supplementary cards are $50 each which is on par with most of the high end cards although the emerging trend from this card's competitors has been to offer these for free. The interest rate on the card is 19.99% which is in the middle of the pack for these type of cards (most high end cards range from 18% to 21%).

Earning
The CIBC Aventura World MasterCard earns 1 Aventura Point for every dollar spent on the card for purchases with an increased earning of 1.5 points at gas stations, grocery stores and drug stores.(on your first $80,000 in total annual account spending) It also offers double points for travel purchased with the CIBC Aventura Rewards Centre and bonuses at participating CIBC Bonus Rewards restaurants, resorts and golf courses, spas and retailers across Canada. This earning ratio on the card is the same as the other CIBC Cards and when compared with the rest of the industry for high end travel cards like these it is average. The card's 15,000 point sign up bonus is equivalent to the other CIBC Visa's and is similar to most of its competition.

Redeeming
On the redemption side, the points earned with the CIBC Aventura World MasterCard can be redeemed for any flights via the CIBC Aventura Rewards Centre. The World MasterCard has a set reward chart for flights with a limited amount at the lowest level and more at the higher levels. If you are lucky enough to get a $400 short haul ticket at the 10,000 point level, congratulations you have received the maximum return on this card of 4%. The return diminishes as the tickets go up in price and availability becomes tighter, see the following:
- Canada and U.S. (Short Haul) 10,000 - 25,000 points (Max. $400 ticket value)
- Canada and U.S. (Long Haul) 20,000 - 40,000 points (Max. $650 ticket value)
- Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii, Central America, Caribbean 40,000 - 60,000 points (Max. $1,000 ticket value)
- Europe 50,000 - 70,000 points (Max. $1,200 ticket value)
- Rest of the World 75,000 - 125,000 points (Max. $2,000 ticket value)
Tickets at the lowest point redemption levels are limited and are not available for certain times, flights or destinations. The maximum ticket price is before taxes, fees and other surcharges. These must be paid by the cardholder at the time of booking with an Aventura card or with Aventura points at a rate of 100 points to $1. At the time of booking, you can also purchase up to 20% of the required points at $0.03 each to reach a specific redemption level is so desired.

The card also allows members to convert their Aventura points to Aeroplan Miles in 10,000 point increments at a ratio of 1 to 1.

Features and Benefits
The CIBC Aventura World MasterCard features the best insurance and benefits package out of all the CIBC Travel Cards and is comparable to some of the other top cards from other issuers. The card features your standard travel accident, baggage and car rental insurance that are found on almost all fee based rewards cards but it also includes some that are only found on a few select cards. These include, Trip cancellation which is only offered as a standard feature on a half dozen other travel rewards cards and Travel Medical insurance which only comes standard on about 50% of the cards in the market. In comparison to the Visa cards issued by CIBC this new MasterCard heavily outweighs them in this category not only because of the trip cancellation insurance but also by the fact it has purchase protection and extended warranty insurance.

What is good about this card
This card can relatively hold its own in the premium credit card market with its reward and benefits offering. The ability to book travel via CIBC's travel agency or convert the Aventura points to Aeroplan miles definitely helps this card out. The increase in insurance and benefits over CIBC's other cards makes this the best CIBC travel rewards card on the market. The potential to get high rate of return of up to 4% can make this card a really good value but one has to make sure they try to maximize their reward to see this.


What is not so good about this card
Most of what is not so good with this card is the redemption category. The emerging trend in the industry has been to let the cardholder book travel how they want and with whom they want and then redeeming points against the charge. Unfortunately, this card makes the cardholder book via the CIBC Aventura Reward center and while it is a full service travel agency, they may not be able to find the same deals you could online. Another redemption issue are the restrictions placed on the flight rewards, these are text book frequent flyer program rules with restrictions on the lowest redemption rates and the need to pay for the fees and taxes over and above the redemption rate.

Conclusion
The CIBC Aventura World MasterCard may not be the best travel rewards credit card in the Canadian market when compared to other Hybrid or even other travel card categories but it definitely does take the top spot from CIBC's credit card offerings for travel rewards. If I banked at CIBC and was loyal to them I would choose this card as it offers the flexibility of booking flights on almost any airline or converting the points to Aeroplan. Overall the card may not impact the travel rewards industry tremendously in Canada, but does allow for a good card option for those who want to stick with CIBC and have all the benefits that many competitors have been offering to their cardholders.

This card will be included in our next Canada's Top Travel Rewards Card feature which will be out this summer! Where will it end up? You will just have to wait and see.

We would like to hear your thoughts on the new CIBC Aventura World MasterCard by commenting below.

Related links
CIBC Aventura World MasterCard on CIBC.ca

Carlson Hotels to launch Club Carlson, replaces GoldpointsPlus

Carlson Hotels announced on February 14 that they will be launching a new frequent guest program called Club Carlson. The Club Carlson program will replace Carlson's current GoldpointsPlus program. There are not many details out yet but the press release states new redemption partnerships with CWT (Carlson Wagonlit Travel) Vacations and Club Med plus 20 restaurants and retailers. For the very loyal customers, they will introduce a new elite tier called "Concierge" which will offer complimentary upgrades, continental breakfast, early check-in/late check-out and 75% bonus points. And following in Marriott's footsteps, Carlson will offer rollover nights which allows Elite members to roll over extra nights for the following year's elite re-qualification.

Source: Carlson Hotels