Jun 7 Update: Hyatt teams up with MGM Resorts, Starwood Resorts sale & two more Hilton Fast Track to Gold offers

A relatively quiet end to the week here at Rewards Canada:

News, Tips & Tricks
Hyatt Gold Passport and MGM Resorts M life are partnering to offer recpirocal benefits for stays at each respective brands hotels. The partnership launches on June 20th and will offer the following in each of the programs:

Hyatt Gold Passport Benefits

-- Hyatt Gold Passport members will receive Hyatt Gold Passport points on every eligible dollar spent at the 12 participating MGM Resorts destinations in Las Vegas. Members will also have the opportunity to earn M life Tier Credits simultaneously at these locations on eligible spend.

-- All eligible stays at any of the participating MGM Resorts destinations in Las Vegas will count toward Hyatt Gold Passport tier status.

-- Hyatt Gold Passport members will be able to redeem their Hyatt Gold Passport points for award nights at participating MGM Resorts destinations in Las Vegas.

-- Coming in August, Hyatt Gold Passport members will be eligible to opt-in to a reciprocal tier status in MGM Resorts' M life, providing benefits at participating MGM Resorts destinations. Depending on the matched Tier Level, members may receive special room offers and upgrades, pre-sale access to premier concert, show and fight tickets, invitations to members-only events, access to M life Moments - exclusive experiences, and much more.

M life Benefits

-- M life members will receive M life Tier Credits for eligible spend when traveling beyond MGM Resorts destinations, in Las Vegas, Detroit and Mississippi, when they stay at Hyatt hotels and resorts worldwide.

-- M life members will have the opportunity to experience destinations and cultures across the globe with the authentic hospitality that Hyatt offers while earning M life Tier Credits.

-- Coming in August, M life members will be eligible to opt-in to a reciprocal tier status in Hyatt Gold Passport, providing benefits at Hyatt hotels and resorts worldwide. Depending on the matched Tier Level, members may receive complimentary in-room Internet access, guaranteed room availability, late check-out and more during their Hyatt stay.

Aeroplan is supporting World Ocean Day! (My family loves whales, whale watching and more. My daughter said that she wanted to be a Marine Biologist when she was 5 and now at 8 that hasn't changed she still wants to be one!) Now which whale picture do I upload of the hundreds I have saved on my laptop?

To celebrate World Oceans Day and support Oceans Initiative, one of Aeroplan's Charitable Pooling Accounts, Aeroplan will donate 1,000* Aeroplan Miles to Oceans Initiative for each photo or drawing submission we receive of a whale between June 7 - 10th.

To show your support, please submit your drawing or photo to the photo submission form found on the Aeroplan Blog http://blog.aeroplan.com/milesplay/beyond-miles-world-oceans-day/ or on Aeroplan's Facebook page: http://facebook.com/aeroplan, via the World Oceans Day Tab.

For more information, please visit: http://blog.aeroplan.com/?p=3339.

*Up to 1 million Miles

Travel Deals
Starwood is running what they call their biggest resort sale ever resorts with savings up to 25% in North America, Latin America or the Caribbean. Book by June 16, 2013 for travel now - September 30, 2013.  Full details and online booking



Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Double Aeroplan Miles on every purchase when you shop duty free. There are two ways to buy your favorite duty-free items: Pre-order online or purchase onboard any international Air Canada flight. More... Until Jul 31, 13

Garuda Frequent Flyer (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double GFF Miles for Garuda flights between Denpasar and Bandung; Jakarta or Medan and Palembang; Jakarta and Perth. More... Various dates until Jul 28, 13

Hilton HHonors
- Fast Track to Gold Status complete four qualifying stays at Hilton Hotels Worldwide within 90-days of enrolling in this offer. More... Unitl Dec 31, 2015 Targeted for American Express Travel Customers in Germany but could work for anyone
- Fast Track to Gold Status complete four qualifying stays at Hilton Hotels Worldwide within 90-days of enrolling in this offer. More... Until ? Targeted for: Member must be affiliated with sports group or event / MVP Valued Partner in Sports but could work for anyone

Le Club accorhotels
- 2,000 Le Club Accorhotels Points and up to 40% off for stays at Mercure Hotels Worldwide. More... Jul 12 - Sep 8, 13
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points and up to 20% off with complimentary breakfast for stays at Accor Hotels in India. More... Jun 6 - Sep 10, 13

Miles & More
- Triple Miles & More for stays at any participating IHG hotels in Germany. More... Book by Sep 15 for stays until Dec 31, 13
- Double Miles & More Miles on all Budget rentals in Europe, the Middle East, Africa or the USA/Canada. More... Until Jun 30, 13
- Double Miles & More Miles on all Hertz rentals Worldwide. Plus get 2 free days if your rental is for 7 or more days. More... Book by Jun 30 for rentals until Sep 30, 13

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Double KrisFlyer Miles and enjoy 25% off room rates when you stay at any participating Accor hotels in Hong Kong and China. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- Double KrisFlyer Miles when you stay for a minimum of two consecutive nights at a participating Anantara property More... Until Sep 30, 13
- Double KrisFlyer Miles for every night’s stay at a participating Ascott serviced residence in China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia or United Kingdom. More...Until Jul 31, 13
- Earn up to Quadruple KrisFlyer Miles when renting a Group C or higher car with Avis for 3+ days in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealan More... Until Jul 31, 13

Global TV Calgary: What to do with your Miles & Points when you pass on

I'm not sure why this has become a popular topic this year but it has! This was my second interview this year on the topic. First it was the Financial Post in March and now this week it was Global Calgary. The Global piece was spurred by a press release from Loyalty One last week on the subject (they are also featured in the interview) which provides a good summary of what I and others have said you should do. Also earlier this year Delta SkyMiles changed their rules that SkyMiles cannot be bequeathed and are lost upon death. So as you can see, it has become popular! The topic however should not be ignored,  you really should treat all your miles and points as you would your financial matters, investments and other important issues when it comes time to pass on.

As I mentioned in the Financial Post article and the Global Calgary piece, the very first thing you should do, no matter what age you are, is provide your loved ones with your account numbers and login credentials so that they can access your accounts should you come by an untimely death. They can then decide whether it is pertinent to transfer those miles/points to their accounts (some programs charge a fee for this), let the miles/points expire (only if there is no use for them, ie you only 100 miles in an account) or use them up via your login credentials (this would be the case for programs like Delta SkyMiles).

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you have a plan in place to make sure there is someone who can use your miles and points? I would love to hear from you!

Jun 6 Update: Aeroplan partner airline mileage accumulation changes, IHG Canada next stay bonus, Marriot stay bonus for MileagePlus members

Here is the roundup of news and bonuses for June 6th:

News, Tips & Tricks
Aeroplan has announced mileage accumulation changes for flights on partner airlines Adria, LOT and Scandinavian:

As you can see the changes are positive for Scandinavian (more miles for full economy fares) but lower end economy fares on LOT don't fare so well while Adria airways is a mixed bag with some classes now earning miles while others get reduced or eliminated.

In the bonus offer section see the next IHG 1,000 point bonus for your next stay in Canada. This offer may not work for you if you took advantage of it under the promo code #7620 but if you didn't sign up for that one then there is a good chance it will work.


Bonus Offers
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles when you stay at participating Accor hotels and resorts in Mainland China and Hong Kong for two consecutive nights or more. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- Quadruple Asia Miles for stays at participating Jumeirah Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Aug 15 for stays Sep 1 - Nov 30, 13
- Double Asia Miles when you stay for a minimum of two consecutive nights on a Summer to Remember package at participating Regent Hotels & Resorts properties worldwide. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- Earn up to Triple Asia Miles at the Best Available Rate at any Shangri-La hotel, resort, Traders hotel or Kerry hotel Worldwide. More... Until Aug 31, 13

China Eastern Eastern Miles
- 2,000 Eastern Miles Points when staying in a Club Room or higher room category at Langham properties worldwide. More...Until Aug 31, 13

Emirates Skywards
- Earn up to 16,000 Bonus Skywards Miles on select Emirates flights Worldwide with Miles Accelerator 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... Until Jun 30, 13

EVA Air Evergreen Club
- Double Evergreen Miles on each qualifying stay at Club Room or higher room category at participating Langham’s portfolio of hotels Worldwide. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- Earn up to Quaduple Evergreen Miles on Avis Rentals of 3 or more days at participating locations in the US (Excluding Alaska), Canada, Europe, Middle East, Asia (Singapore, Malaysia ,Guam & Taiwan).More... Until Jul 31, 13
- Earn up to Triple Evergreen Miles on Avis Rentals of 4 or more days at participating locations in Australia or New Zealand. More... Until Jul 31, 13
- Earn up to Quadruple Evergreen Miles on Hertz Rentals of 3 or more days at participating locations in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia or New Zealand. More... Until Aug 31, 13
- 800 Bonus Evergreen Miles on car rentals booked via rentalcars.com.More... Until Jun 30, 13

IHG Rewards Club
- 1,000 Bonus Priority Club Points for your next stay at an IHG hotel in Canada. More... Until ?

Southwest Rapid Rewards (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only) - 25% Rapid Rewards Points when you purchase Rapid Rewards points online. More... Until Jul 16, 13
- Double Rapid Rewards Points for qualifying stay at Bellagio®, ARIA™, Vdara™, MGM Grand®, The Signature at MGM Grand®, Mandalay Bay®, THEhotel atMandalay Bay®, The Mirage®, Monte Carlo™, New York – New York®, Luxor®, and Excalibur®. More... Book by Jun 30 for stays unril April 30, 14

United MileagePlus
- 1,000 Bonus MileagePlus Miles at select JW Marriott,®  Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels & Resorts®, or Gaylord Hotels. More... g Book by Jul 15 for stays until Aug 30, 13
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus MileagePlus Miles on rentals at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. More... Until Jul 15, 13

Jun 5 Update: Delta decimates Elite Status earning on certain partner flights, Virgin Atlantic reward sale out of YVR, new Ritz-Carlton offer

I can't believe it is already the middle of the week! This week is flying by even with nothing terribly exciting going on in the loyalty world! Actually let me retract that, the news from Delta Airlines I guess could be called exciting but for all the wrong reasons (see below)

News, Tips & Tricks
Delta Airlines and their SkyMiles program have been going through lots of changes over the past year or so, most of them have not been good and that has earned them the nickname "SkyPesos". Devaluations, poor availability and the move to revenue based elite earning structure have put the program into many frequent flyers bad books. Then yesterday even more bad news came out of the SkyMiles head office, the reduction or elimination of MQM (Medallion Qualifying Miles) on SkyTeam partner airline flights. All the details can be found on Delta's site here but here are some of the quick details of the changes coming on September 1st:

• You will still earn full MQM's on Aeromexico, Air France, Alaska, Alitalia, GOL, KLM and Virgin Australia
• There will be reduced MQM's on Aeroflot, Air Europa, Czech, Kenya Airways, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, Tarom, Aerolineas Argentinas, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern,Vietnam Airlines and Xiamen Airlines
• There will be no MQM's awarded on Hawaiian, Korean, Malaysia or Olympic

The Korean Air one is quite a surprise as Korean is a major player in SkyTeam like AF KLM, AZ and Delta! These changes in fact hurt those of us in Canada and the rest of the world even more than SkyMiles members in the U.S.. The reason why is that as of Jan 2014, US based SkyMiles members will have the revenue based portion of Medallion Qualifying take effect where not only will you need Medallion Qualifying Miles or Segments but you will also require Medallion Qualifying Dollars. Of course those MQD's can only be earn by flying on a flight marketed by Delta (ie ticketed by Delta). So what this means is that U.S. members will be funnelling their spend through Delta to ensure the can qualify for elite status whereas those of us in Canada don't have to buy Delta tickets but as long as eligble flights are credited to SkyMiles we would earn MQMs & MQSs and ultimately elite status. But now with this change it will be harder for Canadian's to qualify as we can only rely on MQMs or MQSs. This is especially bad news for those who were utilizing airlines like Korean, China Airlines etc. and crediting those flights to SkyMiles for elite status recognition.

Virgin Atlantic is running a Flying Club Reward Ticket sale and their Vancouver - London route is included. The discounted rate is only 35,000 Miles (+$450 in fees) for an economy class ticket. Normally the redemption rate is 47,500 miles (+$660 in fees). Tickets must be booked by June 17. Full details can be found here



Travel Deals
Both Air Canada and WestJet are running seat sales for flights within Canada.  Flights need to be booked by June 6 at aircanada.ca or westjet.com


Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 30% Bonus Miles when you share/transfer AAdvantage Miles to your friends and family.More... Until Jul 1, 13

IHG Rewards Club
- Earn up to 30,000 Bonus Priority Club Points for a certain amount of nights or completing a certain amount of stays at participating InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo™, Holiday Inn®, Express by Holiday Inn™ and Holiday Inn Express® hotels worldwide. More... Until Jul 31, 13

Ritz-Carlton Rewards
- Earn one certificate for a complimentary night at a Tier 1-3 hotel after the completion of two paid stays at participating Ritz-Carlton hotels.  Maximum of two complimentary night certificates awarded per member. More... Register by Sep 30 for stays between Jul 1 and Oct 31, 13

US Airways Dividend Miles
- 1,000 Bonus Dividend Miles and a $10 Food & Beverage credit at 150+ participating Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element Hotels & Resorts in North America. More... Until Dec 31, 13

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 25% Flying Club Miles Discount with the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Reward Seat Sale.More... Book by Jun 17, 13
- 15% Bonus Flying Club Miles when you purchase Flying Club miles online. More... Book by Jun 30, 13

Voila Hotel Rewards
- 25% VHR Points Discount on award nights for stays at any VOILÀ network hotels Worldwide. More... Until Jul 31, 13
- 1,000 Bonus VHR Points Discount when you refer people to the VHR program. Points are awarded after you referral's first stay. More... Until ?

CIBC waiving the first year annual fee on their premium travel credit cards

Much like last year, CIBC is once again running a promotion waiving the first year's annual fee on their suite of premium travel credit cards. To qualify for the 'rebate' on your annual fee all you have to do is spend $500 on the card with the first three months of having it. The offer is good on the CIBC Aerogold Visa Infinite, CIBC Aerogold Visa, CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite and CIBC Aventura World Elite MasterCard. This offer runs until June 28, 2013.

Each card's sign up links can be found here:
Aerogold Visa Infinite
Aerogold Visa
Aventura Visa Infinite
Aventura World Elite MasterCard

Apparently you can get the same offer with no spend threshold, ie 100% rebate of the annual fee without spending a dime by either calling in your application and asking for the first year fee waived or walking into a CIBC branch and doing the same.

This is a nice offering to get 15,000 Aeroplan miles for nothing as you can always cancel your card before the first year is up.  If you want even more Aeroplan miles you can even add another 20,000 Aeroplan Miles by signing up for the American Express Gold Rewards Card which is also fee-free in the first year and awards 20,000 Membership Rewards points via this link. And for even more free miles read my post titled  Travel Hacking 101 - Earn 50,000+ Aeroplan Miles or British Airways Avios for free*which covers the Amex card mentioned above and some others. Technically speaking you could potentially earn 65,000 Aeroplan miles for free with these methods.

IHG's Latest Stay X Get Y Bonuses are out, earn up to 30,000 Bonus Priority Club Points

The latest set of IHG's Stay X Get Y targeted bonus offers are now out. If you are veteran points earner these need no explanation however if you are new to these bonuses here is a quick summary of what they are. They are a 'targeted' bonus that IHG has been releasing for many years now, typically for each quarter and rewards the member with bonus points for completing a certain amount of stays or nights. These offers can be stacked with other IHG bonus like the current systemwide promotion of Double Points. Now I put targeted into quotes as these offers are emailed out to select members and only they are supposed to be able to use them however as has been long known with IHG this is not the case. In fact most people find that they are able to sign up for many of these 'targeted' offers with no issue and receive the bonus points. The Stay X Get Y offers are a little different however as you may be rejected on one of the codes but not another. The best bet with these ones is to find the offer that most closely matches your stay pattern for the promotional period and try to sign up for that one first. If it doesn't work go on to the next one and so on and so forth. Here is the offer as it will appear on RC's Priority Club page later today

Earn up to 30,000 Bonus Priority Club Points for a certain amount of nights or completing a certain amount of stays at participating InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo™, Holiday Inn®, Express by Holiday Inn™ and Holiday Inn Express® hotels worldwide. Nights do not have to be consecutive. Do not sign up until the previous quarter is over. Use the following codes to register online (use the smallest amount first and then go on to the next if you do not qualify, however once you do qualify for one you cannot sign up for any others):
Stay 3 Nights, Get 2,500 - Code 4993
Stay 3 Nights, Get 2,500 - Code 6832
Stay 3 Nights, Get 2,500 - Code 6834
Stay 5 Nights, Get 5,000 - Code 4001
Stay 7 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 2511
Stay 7 Nights, Get 10,000 - Code 2971
Stay 10 Nights, Get 15,000 - Code 4003
Stay 18 Nights, Get 20,000 - Code 6002
Stay 25 Nights, Get 30,000 - Code 7031
Register online with one of the codes from above.

TODAY ONLY: Double Miles on all Rocketmiles Bookings

Back in April I highlighted the new hotel booking site RocketMiles that offers thousands of airlines miles on hotel bookings in select cities around the world. The site is now two months old and to celebrate they are offering double miles on all bookings made today.  To qualify all you have to do is make a booking by 11:59PM CST on June 5, 2013.

If you haven't signed up for RocketMiles you can earn 1,000 miles on your first RocketMiles booking if you use my referral link (I will also get 1,000 miles). Feel free to post your referral link below to start a referral conga.

Jun 4 Update: Double Aeroplan Miles at Choice Hotels, AF KLM Business Class sale (again), Alfursan buy miles bonus worth it?

A quiet day here in the FFB and RC world. Just some bonuses to pass along!

News, Tips & Tricks
Although it is only bonus offers today you really should make note of a few of them. The first of course is from Aeroplan and their latest double miles offer for stays at Choice Hotels, second is the Cathay Pacific offer for flights from Canada that had its own post last night and finally the Saudia Alfursan Buy Miles bonus. It definitely is not as lucrative as the US Airways or Aviacna TACA bonus but with proper planning there are a couple of redemptions that could be worth buying the miles for as they can be bought for as little as 2 cents each. Of course depending on availability the 50,000 miles for economy class Canada to Europe on Saudia's SkyTeam partners (Air France, KLM, Delta). You can buy the miles for ~$1020+tax and if you can find availability you could potentially save a few hundred dollars versus buying that flight outright with the airline if there is no seat sale. Now, chances are you will have to call in for the booking as I tried out Saudia's online booking engine and all I can say is that isn't very good. Chances are however if you can find award availability on AF KLM, Delta or other SkyTeam airline via their respective sites then Saudia should be able to get it as well. Would I go in on this offer? No, but there maybe one of you out there to whom this may be worthwhile!


Travel Deals
KLM and Air France are at it again with another business class sale from Canada to Europe and beyond. Fares start at $2999 all in (they are getting higher as the year has progressed however) and is good for travel between June 19 and September 8th. Tickets must be booked by June 9 at KLM.com or Airfrance.ca

Bonus Offers
airberlin topbonus
- Triple topbonus Mile sfor stays at any participating IHG hotels in Germany. More... Book by Sep 15 for stays until Dec 31, 13

Air Canada Aeroplan
- Double Aeroplan Miles for every stay at participating Choice Hotels locations Worldwide. More... Until Jul 28, 13

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn 5,000 Bonus Asia miles for every eligible booking made via http://www.cathaypacific.com/ca and flown during the travel period between Toronto or Vancouver and Hong Kong. More... Register and book by Jun 14 for travel until Nov 20, 13 Valid for residents of Canada only

SAS Scandinavian EuroBonus
- 50% Discount when you transfer EuroBonus points to friends or family. More... Until Jun 28, 13

Saudia Alfursan
- Double Alfursan Miles all Saudia flights between Saudi Arabia and Zurich, Rome, Barcelona (via Rome), Munich, Nice and Vienna. More... Aug 1 - 31, 13
- Triple Alfursan Miles for stays at any One&Only Hotel Worldwide or at the Mazagan Beach Resort Morocco. More... Until Jul 31, 13
- Double Alfursan Miles on all Budget car rentals of 3 or more days in the KSA, Qatar, Oman, Egypt or Kuwait. More... Until Jul 31, 13
- Earn Quadruple Alfursan Miles on all Sixt car rentals of 7 or more days Worldwide. More... Until Jul 31, 13
- Earn up to 50% Bonus Alfursan Miles when you buy miles online. More... Until Jun 30, 13

TAP Portugal Victoria
- Double Victoria Miles on all Emirates operated flights Worldwide. More... Until Jul 31, 13

Cathay Pacific: 5,000 Bonus Asia Miles when booking your Hong Kong flights online

If you are a Cathay Pacific Asia Miles member here in Canada and regularly fly CX to Hong Kong then you should know that there has almost always been some sort of bonus going on whether it was the recent Premium Economy promo, or the very common double miles for First/Business class flights which just ended on May 31. Now there is another Asia Miles promotion for us Canadians and here it is as it will appear on RC's Asia Miles page tomorrow. Please note the short registration and booking window!

Earn 5,000 Bonus Asia miles for every eligible booking made via http://www.cathaypacific.com/ca and flown during the travel period between Toronto or Vancouver and Hong Kong. There is no limit to the number of Bonus Asia Miles that can be earned during the promotion travel period. Register Online (Registration is required) Register and book by Jun 14 for travel until Nov 20, 2013.

Jun 3 Update: Lots of new buy/share/transfer bonuses, Virgin Atlantic reduces Economy award fuel surcharges

June is upon us and with that there seems to be a lot of buy/share/transfer bonuses out! The semi-worthwhile ones are the Diners Club to Avios, US Airways share miles and Hyatt buy points offers. As always, I wouldn't transfer/buy unless you have a somewhat immediate need for the miles/points (booking for travel <6 br="" months="" out="">
News, Tips & Tricks
It appears that Virgin Atlantic may be following Air France KLM's lead by reducing fuel surcharges on Economy Class Flying Club award tickets. (HT View from the Wing)

Meanwhile, LoyaltyLobby lets us know that Air France KLM is now offering First Class tickets in their selection of reduced mileage Prom o Awards. Noticably absent for the summer season are any North American routes.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- 30% Bonus Aeroplan miles at Points.com when you exchange or trade your points for Aeroplan Miles. More... Until Jun 30, 13

British Airways Executive Club
- 30% Bonus Avios when you transfer Diners Club Club Rewards Points into British Airways Avios. More... Until Jul 31, 13 Residents of the US Only
- 30% Bonus Avios when you transfer Diners Club Club Rewards Points into British Airways Avios. More... Until Jul 31, 13 Residents of Canada Only

Hyatt Gold Passport
- Earn up to 30% Bonus Gold Passport Points when you purchase Gold Passport Points online. More... Until Jun 30, 13

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 3,000 Bonus Starpoints on your next stay of 3 or more nights at participating Starwood Hotels in Greece. More... Until Aug 31, 13

Ukraine International Panorama Club (on FrequenFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Panorama Club Miles for flights between Tel Aviv and Simferopol. More... Until Jul 31, 13

US Airways Dividend Miles
- 50% Bonus Dividend Miles and no processing fee when you share your Dividend Miles. More... Until Jun 30, 13