Nov 7 Update: Canada's Choice results, 100 Air Miles for online shopping, Air France KLM Hilton Bonus Offer

I am pretty amazed that I have been able to keep up with what I stated last week. New credit card on Monday, big proposal on Tuesday and the release of the Canada's Choice results today! Normally I set a schedule that always gets derailed but so far so good this week!

News, Tips & Tricks
Like I mentioned above, the really big news today was the release of the results from my "Canada's Choice - Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Card" feature. I want to thank the over 3,300 people who cast their vote this year. It was a huge improvement over last year where just over 700 people voted. Check out the results here!

Just in time for the holiday shopping season Air Miles is offering 100 bonus Air Miles Rewards Miles when you spend $20 or more through their online shopping portal airmilesshops.ca

An increased sign up bonus for the MBNA Best Western MasterCard comes out tomorrow. This time around the offer is 40,000 Points so not as lucrative as the 50,000 we just saw in September but still much better than the usual 20,000. Since this card has no annual fee and the points can be converted to Aeroplan you can view at getting 8,000 free Aeroplan Miles. Watch for a separate post tomorrow.

I received a letter in the mail today from Diners Club stating that they will no longer be offering the annual Priority Pass membership after February 2013. The good thing is Diners Club has their own lounge program with access to over 450 lounges. I will also write a separate post on this going into more detail.

Bonus Offers
Air France KLM Flying Blue
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Flying Blue Miles when you at any participating Hilton Worldwide property and make a flight with AIR FRANCE or KLM between applicable countries. More... Until Dec 31, 12

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios when you fly Iberia Express between Madrid and Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Amsterdam and Dublin. More... Register by Nov 15, 12 for travel until Dec 31, 12
- Double Avios when you fly on Iberia Regional Air Nostrum between Madrid and Paris. More... Until Dec 31, 12

MEA Middle East Airlines Cedar Miles
- Earn up to Quadruple Cedar Miles on all Hertz rentals Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 12

Miles & More
- Double Miles & More Miles when you fly on Brussels Airlines between Brussels and Moscow. More... Until Dec 31, 12

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points for stays at the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris. More... Nov 15, 12- Mar 15, 13

Voila Hotel Rewards
- 25% Points Discount on VHR Award nights for statys participating VOILÁ hotels worldwide. More... Until Jan 31, 13

Canada's Choice - Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards for 2012

We asked and you responded! What a turn out this year for the Canada's Choice portion of Rewards Canada's Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Card feature! Back in June, the Rewards Canada picks were released and then from September 17th to October 17th I asked you, the Canadian public to vote for your favourite cards. We had over 3,364 votes for this year's Canada's Choice, which is a huge improvement over last year's 743 votes!

Related: Rewards Canada's Picks for Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards 2012

The large turn out changed the rankings of a few cards from last year but ultimately the results were once again dominated by American Express and Aeroplan. Cards from the American Express suite of offerings took 4 out of the 5 categories and Aeroplan taking the airline category once again. The only difference this time in the airline category is that it was the Aeroplan mile earning CIBC Aerogold Infinite Visa card nudging out the American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum card!

As is always seen we break down the large contingent of over 70 travel rewards credit cards in Canada into five main categories:
1. Top Travel Points Credit Card (with annual fee)
2. Top Travel Points Credit Card (with no annual fee)
3. Top Hybrid Travel Credit Card (with annual fee)
4. Top Airline Credit Card
5. Top Hotel Points Credit Card

It is interesting to see how these rankings compare to Rewards Canada's. The power of large coalition programs (Air Miles and Aeroplan) and social media presence (American Express) definitely affected the outcome of the rankings as people voted for the cards they have in their wallet even if there may be other cards that are better. But as I always state on Rewards Canada and despite my rankings each year, the best credit card out there is the one that is best for you individually whether or not others look better on paper or if more people voted for another card.

Care to comment on what Canada chose as the best travel rewards credit cards? Want to voice your opinion on the good and the bad of all the Travel Rewards Credit Cards in Canada. Share you views and experiences by commenting below or on Facebook and Twitter for Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards 2012!

You can find each individual card's 2011 ranking in parentheses.

Canada's Choice for Travel Points Credit Card (with annual fee)

1. American Express Air Miles Platinum Card (1)
2. TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card
3. Capital One® Aspire Travel™ World MasterCard® (2)
4. BMO Gold Air Miles MasterCard (5)
5. RBC Signature Rewards Visa Card
6. BMO World Elite MasterCard (8)
7. TD Platinum Travel Visa Card
8. TD Classic Travel Visa Card (6)
9. National Bank of Canada Platinum MasterCard
10. Desjardins Odyssey Gold Visa

Click here to view all the Travel Points Credit Cards (with annual fee) that were considered

Canada's Choice for Top Travel Points Credit Card (with no annual fee)

1. American Express Air Miles Credit Card (1)
2. RBC Rewards Visa Gold (4)
3. BMO Air Miles MasterCard (5)
4. American Express Blue Sky Credit Card (2)
5. Capital One® Aspire Travel™ Platinum MasterCard® (3)
6. MBNA Rewards MasterCard (7)
7. HSBC Premier MasterCard (6)
8. Capital One® Fusion™ Platinum MasterCard®
9. Desjardins Classic Visa
9. Vancity enviro Classic Visa (9)

Cllick here to view all the Travel Points Credit Cards (with no annual fee) that were considered 

Canada's Choice for Top Hybrid Travel Credit Card (with annual fee)

1. American Express Gold Rewards Card (1)
2. CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card (5)
3. RBC Visa Infinite Avion Card (4)
4. The Platinum Card from American Express (2)
5. RBC Visa Platinum Avion Card (8)
6. CIBC Aventura World MasterCard (7)
7. Diners Club Club rewards MasterCard (6)
(there were only 7 cards in this category at the time of voting)

Click here to view all the Hybrid Travel Credit Cards that were considered

Canada's Choice for Top Airline Credit Card

1. CIBC Aerogold Infinite Visa Card (2)
2. American Express AeroplanPlus Platinum Card (1)
3. CIBC Aerogold Visa Card (4)
4. America Express AeroplanPlus Gold Card (3)
5. WestJet RBC World MasterCard (9)
6. Delta SkyMiles® World MasterCard® from Capital One® (6)
7. WestJet RBC MasterCard
8. RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card (9)
9. CIBC Aero Classic Visa
10. Alaska Airlines Platinum Plus MasterCard (7)

Click here to view all the Airline Credit Cards that were considered

Canada's Choice for Top Hotel Credit Card

1. The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express
2. Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa
3. Priority Club® World MasterCard® from Capital One®
4. MBNA Best Western MasterCard
5. Priority Club® Platinum MasterCard® from Capital One®
6. MBNA Chice Privileges MasterCard
(there were only 6 cards in this category at the time of voting)

Click here to view all the Hotel Points Credit Cards that were considered

 

 

Nov 6 Daily Update: Air France KLM Sale, Targeted Hilton Status offer, WestJet Rewards exclusive sale

Like I said at the end of last week, Tuesday would be a minimal day of new items on Rewards Canada due to a proposal I had to get out today but did find some news and travel deals to add here plus a daily dosage of new bonus offers.
   
News, Tips & Tricks

As I also mentioned last week in offering congratulations to my wife and friend's blog, they have received, reviewed and are also giving away a signed copy of W. Brett Wilson's new book called "Redefining Success". All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment on their blog post. If you have kids why not check out there other giveaway on the blog for a kids playhouse.

Similar to the Aeroplan Bentley offer posted yesterday, there is a short term bonus of Triple Aeroplan miles for Home Hardware purchases Nov 7 -17. See the details here.


Travel Deals
WestJet is offering some exclusive 20% off your next booking offers for WestJet Rewards members. If you receive one of these emails and know that you will not be using the exclusive codes feel free to share it in the comments section so that another WestJet Rewards member can use it. These codes are good for bookings until November 12th for between November 18, 2012 and March 20, 2013 (excluding December 13, 2012 to January 8, 2013).

Air France and KLM have launched a great economy class seat sale for flights out of Canada.
Sample fares include:
Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto to Europe for $899, Middle East from $999, Mauritius from $1299. All fares include all taxes and fees.
Calgary to Europe for $1099, Africa from $1499,. All fares include all taxes and fees. Book online at AirFrance.ca or KLM.com
Tickets must be booked by Nov 20 for travel Jan 9 - Mar 30, 13

Bonus Offers
Hilton HHonors
- Double Elite Status credit on all eligible stays at participating hotels and resorts in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio. More... Until Dec 31, 12 Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios on the following Iberia flights: Madrid and Bilbao, Geneva, or Venice; Madrid or Barcelona and Guatemala, San Salvador, or Santo Domingo. More... Register by Nov 15, 12 for travel until Dec 31, 12

US Airways Dividend Miles
- Earn up to 18,000 Bonus Dividend Miles when you fly on US Airways Shuttle routes between Boston, New York and Washington, DC. More... Until Jan 31, 13

Nov 5 Update: ChoicePlus Card from Amex, Avion transfer bonus to AA, 1,000 Aeroplan Miles @ Park'n Fly Toronto

News, Tips & Tricks
If you haven't checked out the Rewards Canada blog today you more than likely missed my review of the newest credit card to hit the market in Canada: the ChoicePlus Card from American Express (and its no-fee compatriot the Choice Card from American Express). You can read the full review on the main Rewards Canada site or on the blog.

A quick bonus note outside of the offers listed below is an offer for 5X the Aeroplan Miles at Bentley. So if you are in need of some new luggage this may not be a bad time to get some to take advantage of the more miles being offered,


In the midst of all the hype on the return of the 50% Bonus on transferring RBC Rewards Points to British Airways I missed another offer for Avion cardholders, one for bonus American AAdvantage miles for transferring RBC Rewards Points. Although not as lucrative as the BA offer it could be a good bonus to get if you are a frequent American Airlines flyer. See the offer details below.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you use Park'N Fly Toronto Airport Parking's convenient Valet Drop'N Go service. More... Until Dec 5, 12

American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 12,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you purchase AAdvantage Miles online. More... Until Nov 15, 12
- 25% Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you transfer your RBC Rewards Points to American Airlines AAdvantage. More... Until Nov 30, 12 Residents of Canada only

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles when you stay at participating Harbour Plaza Hotels & Resorts for two consecutive nights or more. More... Until Jan 31, 13

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Double QMiles for stays on the 'Winter Breaks' offer at participating Kempinski Hotels Worldwide. More... Dec 1 - Jan 31, 13
- Earn up to Quadruple QMiles on all Hertz rentals Worldwide. More... Book by Dec 15 for rentals until Feb 28, 13

Remember to follow Rewards Canada on Facebook and Twitter or subscribe to our RSS feed to ensure you don't miss out on any Canadian travel rewards news.

 

The ChoicePlus Card from American Express Review

Below you will find the complete review of the card as seen on the main Rewards Canada site.

Spend a lot of money at the Gap, Starbucks, the Bay or anyone of thousands of stores that don't fall under typical credit card category spend bonuses? Do want to travel and use an extremely flexible travel rewards program? If you answered 'yes' to these two questions then the newest credit card to hit the Canadian market could be the card for you. The card falls into Rewards Canada's 'Hybrid Credit Card' category which means that it is a combination of an airline and/or hotel card and a travel points card because you can convert your points to hotel frequent travel programs or use the points to book travel how you want and then redeem the points against the charge on your account..

Overview
The ChoicePlus Card from American Express is all about its namesake, about choice. For several years now there have been credit cards in the Canadian market that awarded more miles or points for spending in certain categories that were set by the credit card companies. The ChoicePlus card flips that around and lets the cardholder select where they will earn more points. The card awards 2 points per dollar at five merchants chosen by the cardholder and 1 point per dollar on all other spending.

Costs
The ChoicePlus Card from American Express comes with a $65 primary card annual fee which is right in the middle of the pack for annual fees although a bit high when you compare to some recent new cards like the Scotiabank American Express cards that offer a lot more benefits. The card offers a 7,500 welcome point bonus which is equivalent to a $75 credit for travel booked on the card via the TripFlex feature. There is also a fee-free version of the card called the American Express Choice credit card which comes with a 1,500 point bonus, less benefits and lower earning per dollar spent. The interest rate on the ChoicePlus card is 19.99% although their is an introductory offer of 2.99% for the first 12 months. Supplementary cards are free.

Earning
As stated in the overview, the ChoicePlus Card from American Express earns 2 points for every dollar spent on eligible purchases at 5 merchants chosen by the cardholder. On all other spending the card earns 1 point per dollar on eligible purchases.

Redeeming
The redemption side of the ChoicePlus Card from American Express is essentially a modified version of American Express' primary reward program called Membership Rewards. Called "Choice Rewards from Membership Rewards" the reward program features select options from membership rewards like merchandise, gift cards and most importantly TripFlex. TripFlex is the travel reward portion of Membership Rewards and is the best redemption option offered by the ChoicePlus card. TripFlex, allows the Cardmember to book any travel from any provider they want, be it a travel agency, online booking engine or directly from an airline, hotel, train, car rental company and more and then call Amex or go online to redeem their Membership Rewards points against the charge on their statement. The rate of redemption for the TripFlex option is 1,000 points for a $10 credit with a minimum redemption of 1,000 points. Cardmembers have up to 12 months from the date of travel purchase to redeem points and can use them to pay for only part of the purchase should they choose. The card also gives partial access to Membership Rewards travel partners that you can transfer points to. The partial access is for the hotel reward program partners which means you can convert the points earned on this card to Hilton HHonors and Starwood Preferred Guest. The merchandise option lets you redeem the points earned on the card for a large variety of options like electronics, hone & garden, jewellery and more from the Membership Rewards catalog. As for gift cards, the Membership Rewards catalog offers dining, events & theatre, travel and many more options to utilize points that have been earned.

Features and Benefits
The ChoicePlus Card from American Express comes with a small suite of features and benefits. On the insurance side the card only offers buyers assurance and purchase protection. The card also features American Express' Front of the Line Service which provides advanced ticket and reserved ticket access to some of Canada's most popular events.

What is good about this card
The 'Choice' portion of this card is what is good about it. Being able to choose 5 merchants to use the card at to earn 2 points per dollar spent, this card can be utilized strategically at the stores you use the most to ensure you receive the highest rate of return. Combined with the TripFlex feature you can see that this card is essentially a 2% cash back card for your five favourite stores. I am a big fan of the TripFlex feature as it is one of the most flexible and easiest to use credit card travel reward redemption options simply because you can redeem a little amount of points and you have a full year to redeem against a travel charge on your card. The option to transfer to Hilton HHonors and Starwood Preferred Guest are also a great benefit to this card.

While I don't recommend that anyone carry a balance on a credit card, if you are in position that you have to but want to be rewarded on your spending there are a few cards on the market that offer low interest combined with a lower amount of rewards. This card steps it up, well at least for the first 12 months with the 2.99% interest rate while awarding you with a larger amount of points compared to other low interest reward cards.

What is not so good about this card
While it may not seem like a lot, the $65 annual fee for this card is a bit high for what you get in return when you compare it to other cards. Take for example, the recently released Scotiabank American Express cards. The Gold version of that card is $89 but comes with a huge suite of insurance and benefits plus 4 points per dollar in some specific categories with a similar redemption option to TripFlex. The fact that this card itself lacks a lot of insurance and benefits make preclude it from being a front line card for a seasoned traveller.

Conclusion
This newest entrant to the saturated credit card market in Canada is average at best but will fill a niche for the savvy credit card investor. By offering the choice of five user specified merchants it can be a really good addition to a credit card portfolio. By being able to pick five stores you do a lot of spending at that aren't covered by another credit card category bonus you can ensure that you are getting a greater return on your spending. I see the ChoicePlus Card from American Express becoming a secondary or tertiary card in a frequent travellers wallet while for the non-frequent traveller who wants travel rewards it could take top spot for those who spend a lot of money outside of the typical categories of Gas, Grocery, Drug Store etc. categories set by credit card issuers.

Care to comment? Do you agree or disagree with us? Tell us what think about the new ChoicePlus Card from American Express below.

Related Links:
The ChoicePlus Card from American Express on AmericanExpress.ca
Rewards Canada's Canadian All Travel Rewards Credit Card Comparison including the ChoicePlus Card from American Express
Rewards Canada's Canadian Hybrid Only Credit Card Comparison including the ChoicePlus Card from American Express


Other cards to consider if you are looking at this card:
American Express Gold Rewards Card
BMO World Elite Master Card
Capital One® Aspire Travel World MasterCard
CIBC Aventura World MasterCard
CUETS Platinum Class MasterCard
Diners Club Club Rewards MasterCard
RBC Visa Infinite Avion
Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
TD First Class Infinite Visa

Nov 2 Update: American Systemwide 2x EQM offer, Double Mileage Plan Miles on Alaska Airlines new routes

I hope that everyone had a great week! I know that I sure did. This weekend will be busy as I get things ready for the big week that's coming up. Monday will see the release of the latest credit card in Canada with a travel portion, then don't expect much for Tuesday as I have to get a proposal done for one of Rewards Canada's clients and then Wednesday will see the much anticipated results of Canada's Choice - Canada's Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards 2012. Stay tuned!
 
News, Tips & Tricks

The big news today was the release of American Airlines' systemwide Double Elite Qualifying Mile/Point offer with a double redeemable mile portion as well! We haven't seen a double EQM offer from American since the last similar offer ended on January 31st of this year. If you are an American Airlines flyer or know you have some American flights coming up don't hesitate to register for this offer. It comes at the perfect time just when the elite qualifying year is wrapping up, so all of you who thought you may have been shy of any level of status in the AAdvantage program for 2013, this just may be the push to get you over that hump. I wouldn't be surprised if we see United, Delta and US Airways match this offer as they so often do with each other with promos like this.

On the tip side, check out my post from earlier today about earning 1,000 Aeroplan Miles at Birks for as little as $15 plus tax.

Also from the Aeroplan camp is news that Barcelo Hotels is no longer an Aeroplan partner as of October 31st.


Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- 100 Bonus Club Premier Kilometers when you join PointsHound.com. More... Until ?

Air Canada Aeroplan
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on any purchase at Birks the first time you present your Aeroplan Card. More... Until Dec 31, 12

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Mileage Plan Miles for nonstop flights on Alaska Airlines between Seattle and Atlanta. More... Until Jan 31, 13
- Double Mileage Plan Miles for nonstop flights on Alaska Airlines between Seattle and Salt Lake City. More... Apr 4 - May 31, 13

American AAdvantage
- Double Elite Qualifying Miles (EQMs) and points + Double AAdvantage Miles on all American Airlines, American Eagle and American Connection flights Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 12

China Southern Sky Pearl Club
- Triple Sky Pearl Kilometers on all Hertz rentals of 7 or more days Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 12

Delta SkyMiles
- 100 Bonus SkyMiles when you join PointsHound.com. More... Until ?

Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 100 Bonus HawaiianMiles when you join PointsHound.com. More... Until ?

Melia Hotels International Mas Rewards
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Mas Points for each friend you refer to the Mas Rewards program. More... Ongoing

United Mileage Plus
- 100 Bonus Mileage Plus Miles when you join PointsHound.com. More.... Until ?

Remember to follow Rewards Canada on Facebook and Twitter or subscribe to our RSS feed

Aeroplan and Birks announce partnership - Opportunity to earn Aeroplan Miles for 1.6 cents (or less!)

Aeroplan and Birks announced a new partnership yesterday where you can earn Aeroplan miles for Birks purchases and even for selling them your gold and silver via their online ! Anyways I don't know if I'll make use of this partnership but it is always good to have more places to earn Aeroplan miles.

The Mileage Earning with Birks is as follows:
- 1 mile for every $1 spent on all products in 30+ stores and online at www.birks.com
- 2 miles for every $1 of platinum, gold and silver sold online at birksgoldexchange.com

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The Mileage Earning with Birks is as follows:
- 1 mile for every $1 spent on all products in 30+ stores and online at www.birks.com
- 2 miles for every $1 of platinum, gold and silver sold online at birksgoldexchange.com

Of note however is the 1,000 Aeroplan Mile bonus on any purchase the first time you present your Aeroplan card at Birks up until Dec 31, 12, I can't find anywhere in the terms and conditions that there is a minimum purchase amount but I would go with $1 to make sure the transaction earns the base Aeroplan mile although I doubt you can get anything for $1 at Birks!. The cheapest thing I could find online at Birks are some $15.00 cleaning kits, so you could get 1015 Aeroplan miles for $15.75 or 1.6 cents a mile which is a pretty good deal! In fact I am need of some silver cleaner so that will make up one purchase but does anyone else know of anything even cheaper at Birks? I think I may head down to a Birks this weekend with all four Aeroplan cards in my family to score 4,000 miles if I can bring the price down even lower than $15 per transaction. Find the complete details for this promo here.

Nov 1 Update: Coast Hotels Sale, Skywards Nov. Miles Accelerator, Bonus Avios for Accor stays and more!

News, Tips & Tricks
I've already mentioned these in separate posts but the RBC Avion 50% transfer bonus to British Airways Executive Club and the 100% Bonus on buying US Airways Dividend Miles both launched today. These are great offers to take advantage if they fit your travel and reward plans!

Travel Deals
Coast Hotels is running a Coast Rewards member exclusive sale offering $98 rates for stays on Friday and Saturday nights at many of their hotels. The offer also includes some other benefits like free upgrades, breakfast etc. depending on the location. Reservations must be booked by Nov 7 for stays until Dec 30, 12. You can join Coast Rewards for free although they are no longer offering 500 free Aeroplan miles for joining.

Bonus Offers
Air China Phoenix Miles
- Double Phoenix Miles Kilometers for Avis rentals of 3 or more days in the US, Canada and Australia. More... Until Dec 31, 12

Belavia Leader (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Leader Points for Belavia flights between Minsk and Riga (flights B2 841/B2 842), Moscow (flights B2 983/B2 994), Stockholm, Helsinki, or Prague (flights B2 861 / B2 862). More... Until Nov 30, 12

British Airways Executive Club
- 2,000 Bonus Avios on your first or next Accor Hotels stay of 2 nights or more Worldwide. More... Book by Dec 31, 12 for stays until Jan 31, 13
- 50% Bonus Avios Points when you transfer your RBC Rewards Points to British Airways Executive Club. More... Unitl Nov 30, 12 Residents of Canada only

Emirates Skywards
- Earn up to 16,000 Bonus Skywards Miles with Emirates' October Miles Accelerator offers which enables you to earn more Skywards Miles when you fly with Emirates, irrespective of the fare you pay or where you buy your ticket. More... Nov 1 -30, 12

TAP Portugal Victoria
- Triple Victoria Miles on TAP Portugal flights between Lisbon and Horta, Ponta Delgada or Terceira. More... Until Nov 30, 12
- Double Victoria Miles for Avis car rentals of 2 days or more Worldwide which are reserved via the website flytap.com at the time of booking the flight. More... Until Dec 15, 12

US Airways Dividend Miles
100% Bonus Dividend Miles when you buy US Airways Dividend Miles online.More... Until Nov 30, 12
Please note that Dividend Miles accounts less than 12 days old are not permitted to Buy, Share or Gift Miles.

Remember to follow Rewards Canada on Facebook and Twitter or subscribe to our RSS feed to make sure you don't miss out on amazing travel rewards deals, news and more!

RBC Avion 50% Transfer Bonus to British Airways is in full swing

One of the best credit card transfer bonuses for Canadian's is back in full swing until the end of the year.

This offer allows holders of any RBC Avion Visa Card (Infinite, Platinum, Business Infinite) to transfer their RBC Rewards Points to British Airways Executive Club and earn 50% Bonus Avios in doing so. Despite some having some of the highest fuel surcharges for award redemptions to England and Europe this is still an amazing deal since you don't have to redeem Avios for flights to England or Europe alone (although it is not a bad option if your travels take you there!) Some of the best options are for redeeming on BA's partners for flights to Asia (Cathay Pacific/American) or the often exampled on Rewards Canada short haul flight between Toronto and New York City on American Airlines. This only takes 9,000 Avios (or 6,000 RBC Rewards Points with this promo) for the round trip + your taxes and fees. The same flight using the RBC Avion redemption schedule would cost you 15,000 RBC Rewards Points + taxes and fees.

Another option is using Avios to upgrade lower fares classes to higher fare classes. For example you can book and pay for an economy class flight between Canada and the UK or Europe on BA then use Avios to upgrade to Economy Plus or Business Class. The amount required depends on which city you leave from and are flying to:

For more details on this promotion please visit: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/avion50/public/en_ca/en_ca

It's Back! 100% Bonus on buying US Airways Dividend Miles

It only ended 31 days ago but the ever popular and recurring 100% Bonus on buying US Airways Dividend Miles is back. The offer runs from until November 30th and has the same rules as last time that you have to have been a Dividend Miles member for at least 12 days, so to be safe, be sure to sign up for Dividend Miles by November 17th if you are not a member yet.

The promo allows you to buy up to 50,000 miles (so 100,000 in total with the bonus) at 3.5 cents per mile (effective rate is 1.75 cents per mile) plus taxes of $131.25 for total of $1881.25. Considering that can get you a business class ticket between North America and Europe or Asia that can cost a lot more that that, this is a good deal! Since US Airways allows 3 day holds on award tickets you can always find the award flights you want before you buy the miles and therefore you don't have dole out a hefty chunk of change just in case you cannot find availability for your preferred award flights.

Earn 100% Bonus US Airways Dividend Miles when you buy miles by Nov 30, 2012!