Jan 31 Update: Last day for old MileagePlus redemption rates, 2x Aeroplan Miles for Bearskin flights, Triple Points for Hertz rentals

Last day of updates for January

News, Tips & Tricks
Last day to book United MileagePlus Award tickets at the old rates! Find the details at here

Today is also the last day (in fact you only have about 3.5 hours at time of posting this) to get in on the 2,000 FREE Lindner Nights points. Click here for details.

Hilton will begin offering faster Wi Fi at their extended brand hotels Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites and Home 2 Suites for a fee. Regular Wi Fi will still be free but if you want the faster We Fi you'll have to pay on average $3.95 per day. (Source: USA Today)




Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Double Aeroplan Miles when you fly Bearskin Airlines on all Flex or Liberty fares between Thunder Bay and Sudbury Timmins Sault Ste Marie North Bay; Ottawa and Sudbury Timmins Kitchener Waterloo Sault Ste Marie North Bay More... Until Feb 28, 14

Air Miles (Canada)
- 80 Bonus Air Miles for every reservation made on bestwestern.com for stays at Best Western branded hotels n the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean Islands. More... Feb 1 and Mar 31, 14

Hertz Gold Plus Rewards
- Triple Gold Plus Rewards Points on minimum two-day paid rentals at participating Hertz locations in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, U.S.V.I., United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand only.  More... Feb 1 - Apr 15, 14 Valid for Residents of Canada and the U.S. only

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night when you stay three nights or more Sunday-Thursday at the Fairfield Inn Anaheim Disneyland. Earn up to a maximum of 5,000 bonus points per stay. More... Until Mar 2, 14
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay when you stay Thursday - Sunday (Friday or Saturday night stay required) at the Courtyard or Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Times Square. More... Until Mar 3, 14
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay when you stay Thursday - Sunday (Friday or Saturday night stay required) at the Courtyard or Residence Inn New York Manhattan/Central Park.More... Until Mar 3, 14

Miles & More
- Double Miles & More Miles for stays at Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Mallorca, Rome, Shanghai and Baku on the 'Double Miles & More' rate. More... Until May 31, 14
- Double Miles & More Miles for stays at all participating Mandarin Oriental Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Apr 30, 14
- Earn up to Triple Miles & More Miles on Hertz rentals Worldwide. Rent for 1-6 days to earn double miles or 7+ miles to earn triple miles More... Book by Feb 28 for rentals until Apr 30, 1

WestJet: 5x WestJet Dollars on select WestJet Encore Flights

Back in November we brought you the news of WestJet Rewards' bonus for their new Encore routes to Terrace and Ft. St John and we are glad to tell you those bonuses have been extended (looks to be in reply to Air Canada's current 75% Bonus Aeroplan mile offer on the same routes sans YYC). The bonus is also being applied as a Route Launch bonus for the Encore routes between Winnipeg and God's Country Regina or Saskatoon.

Here is offers as they will appear on our WestJet Rewards Bonus Dollars  page later today:

Earn 5x WestJet Dollars when you fly on the following WestJet Encore routes:
Winnipeg to/from Regina (*New non-stop flights only*)
Winnipeg to/from Saskatoon (*New non-stop flights only*)
Terrace to/from Vancouver (offer extended)
Fort St. John to/from Vancouver (offer extended)
Fort St. John to/from Calgary (offer extended)
Full details.  Until Apr 30, 14

Can't make use of this promotion? Be sure to visit our WestJet Rewards Bonus Dollars  page for other flight,  hotel, car rental and other mileage bonuses!

Air Miles: 80 Bonus Air Miles for Best Western stays in Canada, U.S. & the Caribbean

The current Air Miles bonus for stays at Best Western's is 60 bonus Air Miles for booking via various channels but this new one is even better as it is for 80 miles per stay that are booked online at BestWestern.com. To qualify for the bonus miles you must register for the promotion first and also ensure that Air Miles  is your earning preference within your Best Western Rewards profile.

Here is the offer as it will appear on our Air Miles Bonus Miles page today:

80 Bonus Air Miles for every reservation made on bestwestern.com for stays at Best Western branded hotels n the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean Islands. Full details, Online Registration and Booking (Registration is required)  Feb 1 and Mar 31, 14
Valid for residents of Canada,  only

Can't make use of this promotion? Be sure to visit our Air Miles Bonus Miles page for dozens of other bonuses!

Jan 30 Update: 4x Air Miles at Rona, Up to 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on Hertz rentals, Double Asia Miles in Premium Economy from YYZ & YVR

The slow down in loyalty program news continues to dwindle as the month end is upon us, the opposite is true for bonus offers!

News, Tips & Tricks
No news but some of the new bonuses you should check out today are the Air Canada Bonus AQM offer between Canada & California (see our post from yesterday) plus two new relatively good Aeroplan offers for Best Western stays and Hertz rentals (5,000 Bonus Miles for 3+ days renting a car is quite good!) and Cathay Pacific's new Double Asia Miles promotion for flying in their Premium Economy cabin, which is available on both of Cathay's Canadian routes from Toronto and Vancouver. You can find the details on these bonus offers below.

If you have home renos or maintenance to do this weekend try to make your way to Rona to earn 4x Air Miles until Feb 2. You can get the coupon here.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn 750 Bonus Altitude Qualifying Miles for every round trip (or two one way segments) flown between Canada and California. More... Book between Jan 29 and Feb 28, 14 and travel between Feb 1 and Apr 13, 14
- 8x Aeroplan Miles for every reservation made on bestwestern.com for stays at Best Western branded hotels n the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean Islands. More... Feb 1 - Mar 31, 14 Valid for residents of United States, Canada, or the Caribbean Islands only
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on qualifying Hertz rentals in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. More... Until May 15, 14

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles when you register and fly in Cathay Pacific’s Premium Economy Class Worldwide. More... Feb1 - Mar 31, 14
- Up to Triple Asia Miles for stays at participating Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International, or Hotel JAL City Worldwide. More... Feb 1 - Apr 30, 14
- Triple Asia Miles when you book and stay at any Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ property for three consecutive nights or more. More... Feb 1 - Jun 30, 14

Frontier Early Returns (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Wilmington and Atlanta. More... Apr 29 - May 29, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Wilmington and Detroit. More... Apr 29 - May 29, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Wilmington DE and Ft. Myers. More... Until Feb 28, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Trenton/Princeville and St. Augustine.More... May 2 - Jun 2, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Trenton/Princeville and Cleveland. More... Feb 13 - Mar 13, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Trenton/Princeville and Nashville. More... Apr 30 - May 30, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Trenton/Princeville and Indianapolis. More... Apr 29 - May 29, 14

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Save up to 10,000 Mileage Bank Miles for various Japan Airlines International Award tickets Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 15

Marriott Rewards
- 1,500 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Courtyard by Marriott Cologne. More... Apr 7 - May 5, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay on Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the Portland Marriott City Center. More... Feb 21 - May 11, 14
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points for Sunday through Thursday stays at the SpringHill Suites Hershey. More...   Feb 17 - May 9 , 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay including a Friday or Saturday night at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Chincoteague Island. More... Feb 18 - May 9, 14

Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- Double Safar Flyer Miles when you Royal Air Maroc between London and Marrakech. More... Until Feb 28,14

Virgin America Elevate (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Elevate Points every time you fly with Emirates out of the U.S. More... Register and book between Jan 28 and May 15 for travel between Feb 15 and May 25, 14
 

Air Canada: 8x Aeroplan Miles for Best Western stays in Canada, U.S. & the Caribbean

The current Aeroplan bonus for stays at Best Western's (750 bonus Aeroplan Miles) ends tomorrow but don't fret as another one kicks in right away on February 1st. This one is even better as it is for 2,000 miles per stay (8x the base miles) that are booked online at BestWestern.com. To qualify for the bonus miles you must register for the promotion first and also ensure that Aeroplan is your earning preference within your Best Western Rewards profile.

Here is the offer as it will appear on our Aeroplan Bonus Miles page today:

8x Aeroplan Miles for every reservation made on bestwestern.com for stays at Best Western branded hotels n the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean Islands. Full details, Online Registration and Booking (Registration is required)  Feb 1 and Mar 31, 14
Valid for residents of United States, Canada, or the Caribbean Islands only

Can't make use of this promotion? Be sure to visit our  Aeroplan Bonus Miles page for dozens of other bonuses!

Air Canada: 750 Bonus Altitude Qualifying Miles between Canada and California

Here is the latest Air Canada promo to come our way!

Earn 750 Altitude Qualifying Miles for every round‑trip (or two one‑way segments) flown on the following routes on any fare:

	BETWEEN
	Toronto	Los Angeles
	Toronto	San Francisco
	Toronto	San Diego
	Montreal	Los Angeles
	Montreal	San Francisco
	Vancouver	Los Angeles
	Vancouver	San Francisco
	Calgary	Los Angeles

This exclusive bonus applies when you register and book between January 29 and February 28, 2014 and travel between February 1 and April 13, 2014.

To qualify, the flight segments must be travelled in the eligible fare options (booking classes) indicated: To/From Canada and San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego: Tango (S,T,L,A,K,F), Flex (M,U,H,Q,V,W,G) Latitude (Y,B); Business Class Lowest (D,Z); Business Class Flexible (J,C).

Jan 29 Update: Two days left to redeem MileagePlus Miles at old rates, Air Canada 15% off Biz Class to Asia, 20% Bonus for Diners Club to Flying Club Transfers

This last week of January is really slowing down in the world of travel rewards (outside of bonus offers of course!)

News, Tips & Tricks
A little over 2 days remain in being able to redeem your United MileagePlus miles at the old redemption rates (primarily for International travel on partner airlines). The new, more expensive award rates kick in on February 1st. For more details on this please see our post:
Huge devaluation of the United MileagePlus program - what does it mean for Canadian MileagePlus members?


Travel Deals
Air Canada is offering up to 15% off International Business Class fares to Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul for travel from June 22 until September 5. Book by Feb 4! Full Details and online booking

Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 1,500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you shop online via the AAdvantage eShopping portal. More... Until Feb 14, 14

Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points on all qualifying stays at participating Best Western Hotels in Portugal or Spain. More... Various dates in 2014
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Hotel Spirgarten, Zürich. More... Feb 1 - Mar 31, 14

Le Club accorhotels
- Earn 5x Le Club accorhotels points on your next stay at any participating Accor Hotel Worldwide. More... Register and book by Feb 18 for stays until Dec 31, 14
- 400 Bonus Le Club accorhotels points when you join the Le Club accorhotels program.  More... Until Feb 28, 14
- Triple Le Club accorhotels points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in the Middle East. More...Until Feb 28, 14

Marriott Rewards
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points when staying two nights or longer at any one of over 25 participating locations in Guam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand or Vietnam. More... Feb 17 - May 12, 14
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points when staying two nights or longer at any one of 5 participating locations in San Antonio. More... Mar 1 - May 24, 14

SAS Scandinavian EuroBonus
- Double EuroBonus Points for Budget rentals of 3 or more days in Europe. More... Until Oct 31, 14

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 1,500 Bonus Starpoints when you stay in a Deluxe room at the Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel. More... Until Mar 31, 14
- Triple Starpoints when you stay in a Towers room at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers Bangkok. More... Until Mar 31, 14
- Double Starpoints for stays at the Sheraton Suites Orlando Airport. More... Until Apr 15, 14

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 20% Bonus Flying Club Miles when you convert Diners Club Club Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. More... Until Feb 28, 14 Valid for Canadian and US Residents Only

How ‘Rewarding’ Will 2014 Be?

In its annual Global Business Travel Forecast , American Express claims 2014 will see modest increases to the cost of business travel. By and large airline prices should remain flat and in some cases even drop as low cost carriers expand their business travel offering — forcing more competitive pricing.

Conversely, hotel bookings could rise as much as 3-6 per cent in some regions across North America.  

Regardless, business travel costs are expected to reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars for many companies and managing this expense will be a top priority.

So what’s in store for frequent travellers who count on their reward points to fund leisure getaways?   For one thing, a glut of airline miles being issued and more demand for award nights as hotels fill up with paid travellers will continue to force unfavourable program changes as noted when United Airlines announced tweaks to their MileagePlus program late last year and when Aeroplan announced increases to certain International award flights not to mention Hilton HHonors, Hyatt Gold Passport, IHG Rewards Club, Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest all increasing room redemption rates during the year. 



Related:


• Huge devaluation of the United MileagePlus program - what does it mean for Canadian MileagePlus members?
• Hyatt Gold Passport: latest program to jump on the devaluation bandwagon 
• Major Devaluation to the Hilton HHonors program coming in March 
•  IHG Priority Club Reward Night Changes & Promotion Update
• Starwood Preferred Guest 2013 Category Adjustments 
• Marriott's Annual Category Changes,

Further proof can be gleaned from a recent letter to members of Delta Hotels’ Privilege program.  In his letter, CEO Ken Greene spoke of some improvements (less stays to qualify for Gold status) but also a number of unfortunate cuts including scrapping the popular late check-out option for basic members of the program. This at a time when many hotel programs tend to be adding benefits at the basic level with the premise that they can glean more information about these travellers from the data trail they leave when joining a program to take advantage of those free benefits.


Related:


• Delta Hotels Privilege interim changes announced prior to an entirely new program coming this fall

Perhaps most revealing (and encouraging to the glass half-full types) is the promise to strengthen the reward program in the fall of 2014.  What this means is anyone’s guess, but you have to believe the popular Canadian hotel chain recognizes the important role these programs play in attracting business travellers.

Related:

Extensive Cornell analysis shows real impact of hotel loyalty program - See more at: http://www.tnooz.com/articles/Cornell-analysis-shows-impact-of-hotel-loyalty-programs/#sthash.UcrFEu7E.dpuf

• Extensive Cornell analysis shows real impact of hotel loyalty program

While we all know economic conditions have been tough for everyone including those in the travel industry, it’s my hope that reward program operators will do more to engage with their most active members.  Give us a chance to offer feedback before pulling the plug on features or switching up redemption rules.  After all, we’re deeply invested in these programs and make travel plans with point accumulation in mind. 

For our part, RewardsCanada.ca and FrequentFlyerBonuses.com will continue to track the best bonus offers and point to the strongest card offerings. You can also count on us to give you the scoop on what program changes mean and how to avoid some of the hassles.  Check back frequently and here’s to a ‘rewarding’ 2014!

Accor Hotels: 5x Le Club accorhotels Points on your next Accor stay Worldwide (5th Anniversary Bonus)

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Le Club accorhotels loyalty program, Accor Hotels has launched a promotion that awards 5x the points on your next stay between today and the end of the year.

Here is the offer as it will appear on our Le Club accorhotels Bonus Points page tomorrow:

Earn 5x Le Club accorhotels points on your next stay at any participating Accor Hotel Worldwide.  Register Online (Registration is required) Register and book by Feb 18 for stays until Dec 31, 14


Can't make use of this promotion? Be sure to visit our Le Club accorhotels Bonus Points page for dozens of other bonuses!

Jan 28 Update: Virgin Atlantic to Hilton transfer ratio devalued, Air Miles bonus for National Emerald Club members and 17 other bonuses

Tuesday the 28th proves to be a bit quieter here in the Rewards Canada world:

News, Tips & Tricks
Virgin Atlantic has announced that as of February 6th their Flying Club Miles conversion ratio to Hilton HHonors points will go from 1:2 to 2:3 or essentially a 25% reduction. Definitely not good news as this was one way of getting a decent amount of HHonors points especially if you didn't use Flying Club miles for flights. Find out more here. (HT One Mile at a Time)

Travel Deals
Hyatt Hotels are running a multiple night seasonal sale where you can save 20% off stays of 2 nights or more or 25% and 30% off stays of 3 nights or more. Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are all included in the sale. Full Details and online booking Book by Feb 28 for stays until May 30, 14

Bonus Offers
Air Mauritius Kestrelflyer (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Miles when you buy your Air Mauritius tickets online. More... Ongoing

Air Miles (Canada)
- 50% Bonus Air Miles Reward Miles for National Emerald Club members on rentals with National at participating locations in Canada and US. More... Until Dec 31, 15

airberlin topbonus
- Quadruple topbonus Miles on Hertz rentals of 1 or more days Worldwide. More... Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Apr 30, 14

Delta SkyMiles
- Double SkyMiles for stays of two nights and more that are booked at least 20 days in advance at participating World Hotels locations Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 14

Finnair Plus
- Double Plus Points for stays at all participating Maritim Hotels Worldwide. More... Feb 1 - Apr 30, 14

Japan Airlines MileageBank
- 1,000 Bonus Mileage Bank Miles for stays on the JAL Double Mileage Special Room Package at The Sharwood Taipei. More... Feb 1 - Dec 25, 14

Marriott Rewards
- 10,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night when you stay on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday on the Sika Dining Experience package at the Powerscourt Hotel, Autograph Collecton. More... Until Mar 13, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa. More... Apr 21 - Jun 14, 14
- 500 Bonus Rewards Points when yoju stay on Friday or Saturday night at the Renaissance Doha City Center Hotel. More... Apr 9 - Jul 1, 14
- 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay when you stay in a Sea View room at the Istanbul Marriott Hotel Sisli. More... Apr 1 - May 31, 14
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you arrive on a Thursday evening for either one or two nights on the £99 bed and breakfast rate at the St. Pierre, A Marriott Hotel & Country Club. More... May 22 - Jul 18, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay on Sunday – Thursday nights when you book a premium room at any one of 8 Marriott hotels in the Atlanta area. More... Booking Mar 30 - Jun 19, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay two consecutive nights at the Courtyard Nashville at Opryland. More... Apr 1 - Jun 22, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay two consecutive nights at the Courtyard Nashville at Opryland. More... Jun 23 - Sep 14, 14

Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Double Frequent Flyer Points on Avis rentals of 5 or more days in New Zealand. More... Until Feb 28, 14
- Double Frequent Flyer Points on Budget rentals of 15 or more days in New Zealand. More... Until Feb 28, 14

United MileagePlus
- Triple MileagePlus Miles and 3rd night free for stays of 3 or more nights at The Savoy London, A Fairmont Managed Hotel. More... Book by Mar 31 for stays until Dec 31, 14

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 30% Bonus Flying Club Miles when you convert Tesco Clubcard points to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. More... Until Mar 31, 14