Feb 24 Update: WestJet selects IFE provider including inflight Wifi, Aer Lingus seat sale YYZ-DUB, Choice Privileges next bonus point promo

Welcome to another week here on Rewards Canada. Now that the Olympics are over (yay Canada! Way to go!) we can expect the travel providers and loyalty companies will bring their news reporting back up to speed and we'll have that all covered for you right here on the RC blog.

News, Tips & Tricks
WestJet announced a little over a week that they have selected Panasonic Avionics to supply their next generation inflight entertainment system which will include on-board Wifi (so no gogo as we and others were hypothesizing after gogo's announcement of coverage over Canada).  Source: WestJet

CALGARY, Feb. 14, 2014 /CNW/ - WestJet announced today it has signed a multi-year agreement with Panasonic Avionics Corporation to provide the airline with a new inflight entertainment system with the ability to feature wireless satellite internet connectivity, live streaming television, on-demand movies, magazines and more.

Guests will be able to use their own personal electronic device (PED) or laptop computer to receive live and stored content streamed wirelessly from a server on board each WestJet Boeing Next-Generation 737 aircraft. Airtime packages will also be available to surf the internet, access email or plan a vacation on westjet.com. Tablets will be available for those guests not travelling with a device.

Also on the WestJet newsfront they are going to be moving some of their seasonal flights to year round service (YQR/YXE/YYJ-LAS; YEG-PHX; YVR-PSP) and many other routes will be receiving increased frequency. One route goes from year round service to seasonal and that is Toronto to Miami. (Source Airlineroute.net)

 

Some readers have asked whether the Aeroplan Star Challenge will return this year. All we can tell is yes it will but we do not have the time period yet.

Travel Deals
Aer Lingus is offering Toronto to Dublin flights for only $689 all in for travel between Apr 14 and May 6! Simply book by Feb 27 at Aerlingus.com.  These fares are eligible for mileage accrual so you can earn in Aer Lingus' own Gold Circle Club but I would assume most Rewards Canada readers would credit it to other oneworld airlines like American AAdvantage or British Airways Executive Club.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Double Aeroplan Miles when you fly Canadian North between Yellowknife and Iqaluit or Rankin Inlet; Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit. More... Mar 17 - May 31, 14

Choice Hotels Privileges
- Earn up to 8,000 Bonus Privileges Points when you complete two qualifying stays at any Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn hotel in the Choice Privileges program. More... Feb 27 - May 14, 14

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles on all stays at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. More... Book by May 31 for stays untll Dec 19, 14

Hyatt Gold Passport
- 3,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points for stays of 2 or more nights at the Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport. More... Until May 18, 14

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- 1,000 Bonus Mileage Bank Miles + 1,000 HHonors Points when you join the HHonors program and complete 2 stays at any participating hotel in the Hilton HHonors portfolio Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 14

Southwest Rapid Rewards (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Triple Rapid Rewards points for stays at participating Country Inns & Suites By Carlson hotels in the United States. More... Until Apr 30 , 14

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 1,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays at the The Westin Portland Harborview. More... Until Mar 31, 14

United MileagePlus
- Double MileagePlus Miles for every qualifying stay at any Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, Ascend Hotel Collection, MainStay Suites, Suburban Extended Stay, Econo Lodge and Rodeway Inn hotel in the Choice Privileges program Worldwide. More... Until Apr 4, 14

Feb 21 Update: Air France KLM Flying Blue Promo Awards out (no Canadian cities this time), American Express Air Miles card bonuses, 5,000 Bonus Points at select Wyndham locations

A quiet end to the week with mainly only bonuses added to the Rewards Canada site.

News, Tips & Tricks
In the bonus offers section you'll notice the latest Air France KLM Flying Blue promo awards are out but unfortunately no Canadian cities served by Air France or KLM are included in the latest set of offers for flights in May and June.



Bonus Offers
Air France KLM Flying Blue
- Save up to 50% with Promo Awards Save 25% to 50% on the Award Miles usually required for award ticket. Destinations vary by each promotional period. More... Book between Mar 1 & 31 for travel between May 1 and Jun 30, 14

Air Miles
- 2,500 Bonus Air Miles with the American Express® Air Miles® Reserve Card when you charge a total of $3,000 in purchases to your Card within your first three months of Cardmembership. More... Until Apr 30, 14
- 1,200 Bonus Air Miles with the American Express® Air Miles® Business Card when you charge a total of $5,000 in purchases to your Card within your first three months of Cardmembership. More... Ongoing

British Airways Executive Club
- Double Avios when you rent a group C car or higher for 3 days or more with Avis Worldwide. More... Until Mar 16, 14

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to 750 Bonus Asia Miles when you connect to CSL’s mobile network for roaming calls in Hong Kong during the promotion period. More...Until Apr 17, 14

IHG Rewards Club
- 1,500 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points on your next stay at IHG Hotels Worldwide. Stay must be made within 90 days of registering. More... Until ? Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone
- 1,500 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points on your next stay at IHG Hotels Worldwide. Stay must be made within 90 days of registering. More... Until ? Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone
- 1,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points on your next stay at IHG Hotels Worldwide. Stay must be made within 60 days of registering. More... Until ? Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the TownePlace Suites Detroit Livonia. More... Until Mar 22, 14
- 500 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Courtyard Hampton. More... Until Mar 24, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay when you stay any night Sunday-Thursday at the Courtyard Charlottesville North. More... Until Mar 24, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night at the Bohemian Hotel Savannah Riverfront, Autograph Collection®. More... Until Mar 25, 14
- 1,500 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay three nights Monday-Wednesday at the Renaissance Chicago O'Hare Suites Hotel. More... Until Mar 30, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at one of four participating Gaylord Hotels in the U.S. More... Until Apr 27, 14

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 25% Miles&Smiles Discount on Turkish Airlines or AnadoluJet flights from Sabiha Gökçen to other cities in Turkey, Europe and the Middle East. More... Until Apr 3, 14

Wyndham Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points per stay on all eligible stays at participating Wyndham Hotels in the U.S., Canada & Puerto Rico. More...  Until May 14, 14

Feb 20 Update: Starwood Preferred Guest annual hotel category changes (20% of hotels changing), Club Carlson devaluation update, 28 new bonuses

With the Olympics now in full swing and Canada at ten medals of the time of writing this its no wonder there isn't much news in the loyalty world right now.

News, Tips & Tricks
The annual Starwood Preferred Guest category changes are out. Every year around this time SPG has hotels shuffling around their free night award chart with hotels either moving up or down in categories. The thing to note here is that the Starpoint requirements for redemptions do not change but rather hotels may become more expensive or less expensive depending on which way they move in the categories. The announcement came on FlyerTalk earlier today stating that 250 hotels will be changing categories with 56% of those moving down a category (139 properties) and 44% (111 properties) moving up. Here in Canada we see the Four Points by Sheraton Kelowna Airport, Four Points by Sheraton Kingston and Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Airport move down in categories and only the Four Points by Sheraton Winnipeg International Airport moving up. The complete list of hotels changing can be found here.

A quick update to our Club Carlson devaluation post yesterday, it appears Club Carlson has made a further change albeit quietly in the time period of when you can book at the old redemption rates. As of yesterday that date was April 30 but that has now been changed to the same date as the rest of the program changes on March 15. If you need to redeem do so now for those hotels that are moving up! (HT Gary L)

Travel Deals
Part of Air Canada's celebration when Canada wins gold is to offer discounts on certain flights.  Thanks to our bobsled and curling golds you can enjoy 20% off flights to China (book by Feb 22) or Hong Kong (book by Feb 23) Full details

Bonus Offers
Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Triple MilleMiglia Miles for stays at over 70 Accor hotels throughout Italy. More... Book by Apr 14 for stays Feb 28 - Apr 30, 14
- Double MilleMiglia Miles when you use a Samarcanda taxi from Fiumicino Airport. More... Mar 1 - 31, 14

American AAdvantage
- 25% Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you convert points from participating AAdvantage Hotel partners into AAdvantage miles. More... Until Mar 31, 14
- 1,000 AAdvantage Miles with a three day minimum rental on any size vehicle at participating Alamo locations in the United States and Canada. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- Earn up to 2,500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. More... Until Jun 15, 14
- Earn up to 1,500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles at participating Budget airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and Caribbean. More... Until Jun 15, 14
- 1,000 AAdvantage Miles with a three day minimum rental on any size vehicle at participating National locations in the United States. More... Until Dec 31, 14 

Frontier Airlines Early Returns (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between St. Louis and Portland. More... Jun 15 - Jul 15, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between St. Louis and San Francisco. More... un 13 - Jul 13, 14

Germanwings Boomerang Club (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Boomerang Miles on all Germanwings flights to/from Budapest. More... Until Apr 15, 14

IHG Rewards Club
- 25,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points per stay on the 25,000 Bonus Points package at the Holiday Inn New York City Midtown-31st St . More... Until ?

Le Club accorhotels
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Sofitel Hotels in the Northern Hemisphere. More... Mar 14 - May 20, 14
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Sofitel Hotels in the Southern Hemisphere. More... Mar 14 - May 20, 14
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays on the "Cultural Getaway" package at any participating Accor Hotel in Canberra. More... Until Apr 21, 14
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at any participating Accor Hotel in Australia.More... Book by Apr 30 for stays Apr 14 -30 , 14
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points and up to 30% off for stays fo 2 or more nightsat any participating Accor Hotel in Australia. More... Book by Apr 14 for stays Apr 1 - May 1, 14
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points and up to 30% off for stays at any participating Accor Hotel in Australia. More... Book by Apr 14 for stays Apr 1 - May 1, 14
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points and free breakfast for stays at any participating Accor Hotel in Australia.More... Book by Apr 14 for stays Apr 1 - May 1, 14
- Earn up to Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at any participating Accor Hotel in Brussels.More... Book between Mar 3 - 16 for stays Mar 24 - Apr 30 , 14
- 300 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays on the “Visit Valencia and the City of Arts and Sciences” offer at participating Accor Hotels in Alicante or Valencia. More... Mar 1 - May 18, 14
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points for weekend stays at any participating Accor Hotel in Sweden. More... Book between Mar 3 and May 1 for stays between Mar 3 and Jun 2
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Ibis Hotels in Thailand. More... Book by Mar 31 for stays Feb 22 - Apr 15, 14
- 200 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at the Mercure Montevideo Punta Carretas. More... Book between Mar 1 - 31 for stays Mar 1 - Apr 30 , 14

Marriott Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel. More... Until Mar 22, 14
- 500 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at any participating AC Hotels by Marriott locatoin in Spain. More... Feb 26 - May 20, 14
- OFFER EXTENDED 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points per stay when you stay two weekend nights or more Thursday - Sunday at anyone of 5 participating Marriott locations in Chicago. More... Until Mar 30, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Jeffersonville I-71. More... Until Mar 21, 14

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 1,000 Bonus Flying Club Miles when you join Heathrow Rewards and spend £10 or more. Awarded as 1,000 Heathrow Rewards points which converts to 1,000 Flying Club Miles. More... Until May 31, 14

Feb 19 Update: Icelandair succeeds in Edmonton, Lufthansa Business Class sale, Aeroplan bonus returns for the UPS Store

With the Olympics now in full swing and Canada at ten medals of the time of writing this its no wonder there isn't much news in the loyalty world right now.

News, Tips & Tricks
Icelandair's Edmonton service doesn't start until early next month but the sheer success of bookings has led Icelandair to move the service from summer seasonal to year round along with additional flights which means that service will be as much as 5x weekly between YEG and KEF. (Source Icelandair). Icelandair does have their own frequent flyer program called Saga Club but outside of travel (flights, hotels, car rental) the only way to earn Icelandair Saga Club points in Canada is via Diners Club Club Rewards MasterCard or via points.com transfers.

In the bonus offer section be sure to check out the Aeroplan bonus for flights to Europe (just in case you missed it on the RC blog earlier today) but also the return of an Aeroplan bonus for joining UPS' Get More program and making your first purchase. This is an easy way to earn 700 Aeroplan miles (regular 500 mile sign up bonus + this 200 mile bonus) when you complete your first purchase and that first purchase needs only to be $1 before taxes. It's pretty rare to earn that many miles on such a little spend. Be sure that the UPS Store properly inputs your Get More and Aeroplan numbers as people have reported that it has not been done correctly by some of their employees!

Also check out the discounted award requirements for several VIA Rail routes!

Travel Deals
Lufthansa is offering a Business Class special until 6th March 2014with special prices for flights on selected routes. Departure airports in CA are Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

	Algiers	from CAD 3,009*
	Amsterdam	from CAD 3,349*
	Malaga	from CAD 3,399*
	Barcelona	from CAD 3,409*
	Beirut	from CAD 5,749*

* Round-trip including all taxes and fees.

The departure period is between 5th March 2014 and 13th January  2015.
The return period is between 5th March 2014 and 3rd February  2015.

Book online at Lufthansa Canada

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you fly between Canada and Europe on Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge. More... Register and book between Feb 18 - Apr 1, 2014 for travel Apr 22 - Dec 14, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you redeem for a Hertz car rental. More... Until Apr 30, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you redeem your miles for a $500 Expedia CruiseShipCenters gift certificate. More... Until Mar 31, 14
- 200 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on your first transaction as a Get More member at The UPS Store. More... Until Feb 28, 14

British Airways Executive Club
- Up to 25% Bonus Avios when you buy Avios online. More... Until Mar 23, 14

Garuda Frequent Flyer (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 50% GFF Miles when you fly Garuda Indonesia between Jakarta or Denpasar and Sydney. More... Until Mar 31, 14
- Triple GFF Miles when you fly Garuda Indonesia between Balikpapan and Singapore. More... Until Mar 31, 14

Gulfair FalconFlyer (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Falconflyer Miles when you fly on Gulf Air between Bahrain and Tehran. More... Mar 3 - May 3, 14
- Double Falconflyer Miles when you fly on Gulf Air between Bahrain and Sialkot. More... Until Mar 17, 14
- Earn up to Triple Falconflyer Miles for Budget rentals in Kuwait or Lebanon. More... Until Mar 31, 14
- Earn up to Quadruple Falconflyer Miles for Hertz rentals in Europe and North America. More... Until Mar 31, 14.

Via Rail Preference
- 40% Preference Points Discount when you book award travel on the Ocean or the Canadian. More... Book by Mar 13 for travel until Apr 30, 14

Virgin America Elevate (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Elevate Points for stays at Virgin Limited Edition hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Mar 31 for stays until Sep 30, 14

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson changes coming on March 15 - another devaluation for the books

The recent spate of airline and hotel program devaluations hasn't stopped as Club Carlson sent out emails to their members today detailing changes coming to the program on March 15. Some of the changes are positive but most are negative hence our titling of this post! For Club Carlson's details on these changes see here

Positive Changes
- You will now be able to redeem for a variety of room types instead of only standard rooms

- Award nights will now count towards elite status qualification

- Food & Beverage purchases will now earn Gold Points if they are charged to your room during a stay

- Enhanced gift card redemption variety - Some of the new cards available for Canadian members include Esso, WINNERS, Cineplex and WaySpa

- (Not a change) Category 1-6 redemption rates stay the same but 115 hotels Worldwide are moving up a category while 67 are going down 1 or 2 categories. In Canada only 2 properties are affected, the Radisson Hotel & Suites, Fort McMurray is going from Category 5 to 6 while the Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, Calgary-Airport is moving from Category 5 to 4. The Ft. Mac site is obviously due to the immense demand for hotel rooms in the Oilsands city while the Calgary move could possibly be attributed to the changes happening around the Calgary Airport whereby hotels south of the airport have been essentially cut off with a direct route by the construction of the new airport runway. Once the tunnel underneath the runway is complete and the circuitous route eliminated we may see this hotel move back up unless the onslaught of new hotels being built around the airport keeps its occupancy lower. The category changes do not take affect until May 1st. For a complete list of category changes please see here

Negative Changes
- The introduction of a Category 7 for award nights - 70,000 Points will be required for stays at hotels in this top end category:
Radisson Royal Hotel, Dubai
Radisson Blu Le Dokhan’s Hotel, Paris Trocadero
Radisson Blu 1835 Hotel & Thalasso, Cannes
Radisson Blu Le Metropolitan Hotel, Paris Eiffel
Radisson Blu Hotel Champs Elysees, Paris
The May Fair
Plaza on the River, London
art’otel, Amsterdam
Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow

- The online booking bonus of 1,000 to 3,000 Gold Points is being removed and will only be offered on a promotional basis. This is a major negative change, this bonus while somewhat antiquated was a huge benefit to Club Carlson members.

- Elite bonuses for Gold and Silver Elite members are being reduced from 50% to 35% and 25% to 15% respectively. Another hit in the points earning department when combined with the online booking bonus removal

With the introduction of a 7th award category, the removal of the online booking bonus and reduction in elite tier bonuses you can tell that Club Carlson's generosity over the past few years with their huge acquisition promotions has hit them dearly in the books. They are obviously looking to cull the number of points they are awarding and making sure more of those points are burned when redeeming at their top end hotels.

If you have any plans of redeeming for those top 9 hotels (or any of the other 115 moving up) you should really look at booking by April 30th to ensure you don't end up using more points for those stays and likewise for the 67 moving down if you can wait to redeem until May 1st you should do so.

What are your thoughts on this latest program change news from Club Carlson. I know for me I am at least happy they are giving a proper heads up when compared to last year when they did not! Are you going to look elsewhere to stay for something as little (or potentially big if you have a lot of Carlson stays) as the removal of the online booking bonus or will you just keep on trucking with Club Carlson despite these changes?

Air Canada: Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles between Canada and Europe

Air Canada and Aeroplan have launched a new route bonus offer for Air Canada flights between Canada and Europe. If you already have tickets to Europe for the promotion period you unfortunately cannot take advantage of the bonus but if you haven't booked yet then you may want to over the 5 or so weeks to be able to earn the bonus.

Here is offers as they will appear on our Aeroplan Bonus Miles  page later today:

Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you fly between Canada and Europe on Air Canada or Air Canada Rouge.
- Earn 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you have a minimum of 2 one-way flight segments  in the following eligible fare options (booking classes): Tango (W, S, T, L, K); Flex (M, U, H, Q, V); Latitude (Y, B)
- Earn 10,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles, when you have a minimum of 2 one-way flight segments the following eligible fare options (booking classes): Premium rouge/Premium Economy (O, E, N); International Business Class Lowest (C, D, Z, P); International Business Class Flexible (J).

Register Online (Registration is required) Register and book between February 18 and April 1, 2014 for travel between April 22 and December 14, 2014.

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

Are you going to take advantage of this offer? It has quite a large travel window so I would think quite a few of our readers could make use of this offer to pad their Aeroplan accounts with a few more miles!

Feb 18 Update: Aeroplan discount on Air Canada Gift Cards, Starwood Bonus for Asia Pacific stays, SAA Voyager award flight discount

We're back after a 5 day hiatus! Hope everyone that got a Family Day holiday yesterday were able to take advantage of it and spend time with family!

News, Tips & Tricks
Aeroplan is offering up to a 8,500 mile discount on Air Canada Gift Cards. Even with the discount the redemption isn't that great of value (ie you're getting less than 1 cent per mile) but could be an OK option for those who have more miles than they know what to with them. Find all the details here.

Looks like WestJet will be cancelling their Encore route between Vancouver and Kamloops as of March 1st. (Source Airlineroute.net)


Travel Deals
B.C. residents can enjoy special rates for stays in their own backyard at the Westin Resort & Spa Whistler. Rates start at $188 and include complimentary self parking and in room Internet. Full Details and online booking

 
Bonus Offers
Frontier Airlines Early Returns (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Cleveland and Seattle. More... Jun 15 - Jul 15, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Cleveland and Orlando. More... Jun 13 - Jul 13, 14

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles for Japan Airlines flights between New York and Tokyo. More... Mar 30 - May 31, 14

SAS EuroBonus
- Double EuroBonus Points on select SAS and Wideroe flights in Europe. More...    Register and book by Feb 24 for travel Feb 25 - Apr 13, 14

South African Airways Voyager
- 20% Voyager Miles Discount on SuperPlus Award redemptions for South African Airways flights worldwide. More...  Redeem by Feb 28, 14
- 20% Bonus Voyager Miles on all South African Airways flights for all SAA Voyager members who are 20 years old. More... Until Mar 31, 14
- Double Voyager Miles for stays at select Taj Hotels Worldwide. More...  Until Mar 31, 14

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 2,000 Bonus Starpoints for every 2 nights stayed at any Starwood hotel or resort in Asia Pacific. More...  Register and book by Mar 31 for stays until May 17, 14
- Double Starpoints when you stay in a Studio Suite at the W Bangkok. More...  Book by Jun 30 for stays until Dec 31, 14

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Triple Miles&Smiles Miles when you stay at any Hilton hotel or resort in Turkey. More...    Until Mar 31, 14

How to get select Canada to U.S. award flights faster by utilizing British Airways' Executive Club

- UPDATED ON JUN 20, 16 TO FINALLY COVER THE CHANGES TO BA's AWARD CHART
- UPDATED ON JAN 5, 15 TO INCLUDE TAM FLIGHT BETWEEN TORONTO AND NEW YORK
 - UPDATED ON MAY 23, 14 TO INCLUDE US AIRWAYS FLIGHTS

In 2011 British Airways Executive Club went through some drastic changes that primarily revolved around moving to a distance based award flight structure versus a set reward chart. This proved to be both a good and a bad change. The good was that some redemptions became cheaper but others went up drastically. The bad changes were most evident as one of the program changes was that connections were priced separately at their distance based values. That means to make the most of the Executive Club program you'll typically want to redeem for direct non-stop flights where possible (this does not mean there aren't any good values in connecting flights on some long haul routes)

This post looks at one of the best things to come out of the Executive Club award changes and those are some of the amazing redemptions available on award flights out of Canada to the U.S. You've heard us tout the Toronto-New York award of only 9,000 Avios round trip many times but truth is there are a lot more of those 9,000 Avios redemptions available out of Canada and even some decent offers at the 15,000 and 20,000 level where competing programs require 25,000 miles. Unfortunately this changed in 2016 when, only in North America, the 9,000 Avios round trip option was increased to 15,000. Still a good redemption but not the star it used to be! Now the star is the second set of 15,000 mile options listed below!

First let's look at some of the best ways to earn Avios for Canadians. Of course travel is best, flights on British Airways, American Airlines and many other oneworld airlines, hotel stays, car rentals and more but for most Canadians however who aren't frequent travellers the best way is with credit card spend. There are a few cards in Canada that you can earn Avios with:

American Express Gold Rewards Card (C$1 = 1 - 2 Avios)
The Platinum Card from American Express (C$1 = 1.25 Avios)
Diners Club Club Rewards MasterCard (C$1 = 0.80 Avios)
Marriott Rewards Premier Visa (C$1 = 0.20 - 0.35 Avios)
Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express (C$1 = 1 Avios)
RBC British Airways Visa Infinite (C$1 = 1 Avios)
RBC Visa Platinum Avion/Business Avion/Infinite Avion (C$1 = 1 - 1.25 Avios)
Source: Airlines & Hotels that you can earn miles or points with Canadian Credit Cards

The best of the bunch being the American Express Gold Rewards Card which earns up to 2 Avios per dollar spent (2 points per dollar on Gas, Grocery, Drug Store and Travel purchases. 1 Point per dollar on all other eligible spend and all points convert 1:1 to Avios) and is closely followed by the RBC Visa Infinite Avion (best to convert RBC Rewards points during the twice a year 50% bonus offer) the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card and the Starwood Preferred Guest Card from American Express (which is best to convert at 20,000 Starpoints increments to take advantage of the 5,000 bonus Avios awarded at that level)

Finally you can also join Iberia's Plus program whose currency is also Avios. You can transfer Avios between British Airways Executive Club and Iberia Plus as long as you've had both accounts open for at least three months. There are also other Avios earning opportunities via Avios itself (This was Air Miles UK which was rebranded) as it is a coalition program like our own Air Miles but really it is only useful if you travel lots to the UK and can make use of U.K. retailers.

Now let's get on to those great good Avios economy class redemptions from Canada to the U.S. !

15,000 Avios Round Trip Award Flights (30,000 in Business Class) - These are the ones that used to be 9,000 Round Trip (18,000 in Biz Class)

Calgary - Seattle (on Alaska Airlines)
Edmonton - Seattle (on Alaska Airlines)
Kelowna - Seattle (on Alaska Airlines)
Montreal - New York (on American Airlines)
Montreal - Philadelphia (on US Airways)
Montreal - Washington D.C. (on US Airways)
Ottawa - Philadelphia (on US Airways)
Quebec City - Philadelphia (on US Airways)
Toronto - Charlotte (on US Airways)
Toronto - Chicago (on American Airlines)
Toronto - New York (on American Airlines or TAM)
Toronto - Philadelphia (on US Airways)
Toronto - Washington D.C. (on US Airways)
Vancouver - Seattle  (on Alaska Airlines)
Vancouver - Portland (on Alaska Airlines)
Victoria - Seattle (on Alaska Airlines)

Why are these 15,000 Avios Rewards so good? Well looking at it from  a credit card spend stand point you can get any of the above flights for as little as $7,500 in spend (all 2x spend on the Amex Gold) which is the same as Aeroplan which needs $7,500 in spend on the same card (or more on other Aeroplan cards: at least $10,000) and even more spend if you look at some of the US frequent flyer programs.  The same goes for business class on these routes: 30,000 Avios is the same as what Aeroplan offers. Where Aeroplan stands to be better is if you need to connect within a short haul region as Executive Club will price out each leg at 7,500 Avios. A good example is Edmonton to Portland, Aeroplan remains at 15,000 miles even with a connection in Vancouver while the Executive Club amount would be 30,000 Avios. Some things to note, if you want to redeem on Alaska Airlines you have to call Executive Club whereas the American Airlines flights can be booked online.

15,000 Avios Round Trip Award Flights (30,000 in Business Class)

Halifax - Philadelphia (on US Airways)
Halifax - Washington D.C. (on US Airways)
Montreal - Charlotte (on US Airways)
Montreal - Chicago (on American Airlines)
Ottawa - Charlotte (on US Airways)
Vancouver - Los Angeles (on Alaska Airlines)

Why are these 15,000 Avios Rewards so good? Well looking at it once again from a credit card spend stand point you can get any of the above flights for as little as $7,500 in spend (all 2x spend on the Amex Gold) compare this to Aeroplan which needs $12,500 in spend on the same card for the YVR-LAX route and even more spend on other Aeroplan credit cards or when using miles from a U.S. frequent flyer program. For business class on the YVR-LAX route you are looking at 30,000 Avios versus 50,000 Aeroplan Miles. You can even come out ahead on some connections on these routes that are priced at the 9,000 Avios level (ie YVR-LAX-SAN) as that will come in at 24,000 Avios versus 25,000 miles in most other programs.


20,000 Avios Round Trip Award Flights (40,000 in Business Class)

Calgary - Dallas (on American Airlines)
Calgary - Phoenix (on US Airways)
Edmonton - Dallas (on American Airlines)
Edmonton - Phoenix (on US Airways)
Montreal - Dallas (on American Airlines)
Montreal - Miami (on American Airlines)
Toronto - Dallas (on American Airlines)
Toronto - Miami (on American Airlines)
Vancouver - Dallas (on American Airlines)
Vancouver - Phoenix (on US Airways)

Just like the above example these 20,000 Avios Rewards are still a good deal when you look at it from a credit card spend stand point. You can get any of the above flights for as little as $10,000 in spend (all 2x spend on the Amex Gold) Compare this to Aeroplan which needs $12,500 in spend on the same card and even more spend on other Aeroplan credit cards (at least $16,667)  Likewise you are looking at using more miles when redeeming from other US frequent flyer programs. The same goes for business class on these two routes: 40,000 Avios versus 50,000 Aeroplan Miles or other frequent flyer program miles.

In conclusion you can see that for select routes out of Canada to the U.S. your best and fastest way to free* travel is via the British Airways Executive Club program. If using a credit card is your primary way to earn miles and these redemptions appeal to you we recommend jumping on the American Express Gold Rewards Card and the RBC Visa Infinite Avion to get you on these flights as soon as possible. By combining spend via these two cards you are sure to get to an award flight in no time! In fact if you have neither card you'll get 25,000 Welcome Points with the Amex Gold Rewards Card and 15,000 RBC Rewards Points with the RBC Visa Infinite Avion card which means you'll already have enough points to get 2 flights to either Dallas or Miami!

* of course taxes and fees are not included but you could always utilize the TripFlex feature on the American Express Gold Rewards Card to pay for those!

Feb 12 Update: Which Credit Card earns the most Aeroplan miles, big Skywards bonus on Emirates' new Boston route, discount on buying MileagePlus miles

With the Olympics now in full swing and Canada at ten medals of the time of writing this its no wonder there isn't much news in the loyalty world right now.

News, Tips & Tricks
No news is good news.

Tip of the day: We are in the process of updating our post on "Which Credit Card earns the most Aeroplan miles" to include the TD cards but in reality the most popular version, the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite will earn exactly the same amount of miles as the CIBC Aerogold Infinite card so if you want to see how it compares before our update comes out simply look at the CIBC card on the chart!

Travel Deals
Expedia.ca: Escape to Hawaii: Save Up to 40% on Flight and Hotel with Expedia! - Expires 2/17/14.


Bonus Offers
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Elite Qualifying Miles when you fly between Seattle and Detroit.More... Register by Jul 15 for travel Sep 4 and Oct 31, 14
- Double Mileage Plan Miles when you fly between Seattle and New Orleans or Tampa. More... Register by Apr 15 for travel Jun 12 and Aug 15, 14

China Eastern Eastern Miles
- 2,000 Eastern Miles Points for stays of 2 or more nights at select Langham Hotels in China. More...  Mar 1 - May 31, 14
- Double Eastern Miles points for stays of 3 or more nights at participating Millennium & Copthorne hotels in China and Taiwan. More...  Until Apr 30, 14

Emirates Skywards
- Earn up to 36,000 Skywards Miles for Emirates flights between Boston and Dubai and beyond. More... Register and book by Feb 22 for travel Mar 10 - Jun 30, 14

Iberia Plus
- 50% Avios Discount for award tickets in Business Class between Madrid and Bogota, Lima, Santiago de Chile, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Luanda. More... Book by Feb 14 for travel until Mar 31, 14
- 50% Avios Discount for award tickets on all Iberia Express routes. More... Until Feb 28, 14

Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Loyalty Club
- Earn up to 5x M&C Loyalty Points for stays at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore. More... Until Apr 30, 14

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Earn up to Triple KrisFlyer Miles when you stay on the Best Available Rate at either Claridge’s, the Connaught or the Berkeley in London. More... Until Mar 31, 14

South African Airways Voyager
- Triple Voyager Miles when you stay at any Hilton hotel or resort in Europe, Middle East and Africa. More...  Until Mar 31, 14

United MileagePlus
- Save up to 40% when you buy MileagePlus miles online. Buy 15,000 to 39,000 miles and receive a 25% discount, or buy 40,000 miles or more for a 40% discount. More... Until Feb 17, 14

Earn up to 25,000 Aeroplan Miles for opening a TD Canada Trust chequing account (Targeted)

Update: We have been advised by Aeroplan that this is a targeted offer and will only work if you received an email from TD with the offer

TD Canada Trust have expanded their Aeroplan portfolio beyond the TD Aeroplan Visa credit cards to now include several of their higher end chequing accounts. The offer is for 20,000 Aeroplan Miles when you open an All-Inclusive or Unlimited Personal Chequing Account at TD by March 31, 2014 and then complete two of three transactions through that account: Direct deposit, Pre-Authorized debit, Online Bill Payment, by May 19, 2014. Both accounts come with monthly fees however those fees are waived if you maintain minimum monthly balances (All- Inclusive $5,000, Unlimited $3,500).  You'll also earn a further 5,000 miles when you set up overdraft protection by May 19, 2014.  Unfortunately ff you have an existing TD chequing account or had one that was closed after November 30, 2013, you are not eligible for the 20,000 Miles Offer! (Darn!)

Find our more at TD Canada Trust