July 2 Update: Up to 10x Wyndham Rewards points on stays Worldwide, 20% AAdvantage Miles when converting Starpoints and more!

Some great new bonuses to tell you about today!

News, Tips & Tricks
Air Canada will be increasing their service to Istanbul from Toronto to 4 times weekly for the winter season, always good news for those redeeming Aeroplan miles for flights to this region or connecting elsewhere via IST on Turkish Airlines. (Source: Airlineroute.net)

In the bonus offers section Wyndham Rewards has launched a new promotion for their members who reside in the U.S. and Canada. The promo starts off as a game where you unpack a suitcase to reveal the bonus you will receive for the first four of your stays this summer. The bonus can either be 2x, 4x, 5x or 10x the points. At the 2x points level you're earning 20 points per dollar which isn't too bad but if you are one of the lucky ones who gets 4, 5 or cross your fingers 10x the points then this promotion can be very lucrative!

You should also check out the Starpoints to AAdvantage transfer bonus which is best used to top off an account as Starpoints tend to be worth more than AAdvantage miles but if you are going to do so you should transfer a minimum of 20,000 Starpoints so you get Starwood's 5,000 bonus miles in addition to the 20% you get with this promo. Of course we have the already mentioned today Club Carlson Avis bonuses that are awesome and also check out the IHG Rewards Club double points offer on non-room spending for stays in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- 20% Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you convert your Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints to American Airlines AAdvantage miles. More... Until Jul 31, 14

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- Earn up to 9,250 Bonus Gold Points on a qualifying rental at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- 8,250 Bonus Gold Points on a qualifying rental of three or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles for stays at the Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa. More... Until Sep 15, 14

IHG Rewards Club
- Double IHG Reward Club points on any non-room spend (dining, drinks and in-room services) with a qualifying stay at any InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts in Asia Pacific (excluding China, Hong Kong and Taiwan), Middle East and Africa. More... Until Oct 31, 14
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus IHG Reward Club points for stays at participating IHG hotels across Southeast and Southwest Asia. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Le Club accorhotels
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at ibis, ibis Styles, Mercure or Novotel hotels in Sweden. More... Until Aug 31, 14
- 300 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays of 2 or 3 nights at participating Accor hotels in Switzerland. More... Book by Aug 31 for stays until Sep 30, 14
- 1,500 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays on the 'Sofitel - Sleep, Park & Fly' offer at the Sofitel London Heathrow & Sofitel London Gatwick. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Up to 50% QMiles Discount on Qatar Airways Privilege Club Award ticket redemptions for various routes via their "Easy Deals" offer. More... Ongoing

Wyndham Rewards
- Earn up to 10X Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points on Wyndham Hotels stays Worldwide with the Unpack your Bonus Promotion. More... Until Sep 15, 14 Valid for residents of the U.S. and Canada only




Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by American Express Travel Insurance

Club Carlson: Up to 9,250 Bonus Gold Points (10,000 total) for Avis rentals until the end of 2014

Last week we brought you the details of the new Club Carlson Budget rental offer that matched the very popular and lucrative Avis offer the Club Carlson has run for quite sometime now. Well now that the Avis offer came to an end in June not only has it been extended to the end of the year but they have also come out with an even more lucrative offer for  rentals in North America! Between the new offer and the extension of the old offer you should be able to rack up thousands of Gold Points on your Avis rentals for the remainder of the year.

The new offer of up to 9,250 bonus Gold Points is best for 1 or 2 rentals in North America and rentals of 4 or more days while the old extended offer is best for rentals of 3 days only in North America or of course rentals of 3+ days anywhere outside of North America.

Offer Details
Earn up to 9,250 Bonus Gold Points on a qualifying rental at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
- Earn 1,750 Bonus Gold Points on 1 day rentals
- 4,250 Bonus Gold Points on 2 day rentals
- 6,750 Bonus Gold Points on 3 day rentals
- 9,250 Bonus Gold Points on 4+ day rentals
Use coupon # MUHA002 and AWD #G639300 along with your Club Carlson number when making your reservation at Avis.com  Until Dec 31, 14


8,250 Bonus Gold Points on a qualifying rental of three or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. Use coupon # MUHA021 AWD #G639300 along with your Club Carlson number when making your reservation at Avis.com Until Dec 31, 14

Can't make use of these offers? Be sure to visit our Club Carlson Bonus Points page for many more bonuses!

July 1 Update: Happy Canada Day, Red Lion R&R Club changes, up to 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for Hertz rentals

Happy Canada Day!!!

News, Tips & Tricks
Red Lion Hotels is making changes to their R&R Club program. The chain with only one hotel in Canada (Victoria) and many more in the Western U.S. states will be moving away from issuing points on stays towards what Red Lion calls a "dynamic customer recognition program" Members will have until November 30th of this year to use up their existing points balance. Full details

In the bonus offer section there is new Aeroplan Hertz rental offer of up to 5,000 bonus miles. That means there are two offers currently running and if you have rentals planned before the end of July we recommend using the older offer as it offers 5,000 bonus miles on rentals of 3+ days whereas the new offer requires 5 days. Renting less than three days or after July 31st? This new offer is still rewarding at 1,000 bonus miles per day until the end of October.  You can find the old offer on our Aeroplan page here.


Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on qualifying Hertz rentals in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S.  More... Until Oct 31, 14

Air France KLM Flying Blue
- Quadruple Flying Blue Miles for stays at participating mGallery hotels in Argentina, Australia, Austria, China, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, France, Germany,Guadeloupe, Hungary, Indonesia,Italy, Martinique, Morocco, Netherlands, Nigeria, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Vietnam and Yemen. More... Book by Jul 31 for stays until Aug 31, 14

China Eastern Eastern Miles
- Earn up to Triple Eastern Miles Points when you stay at properties within the Hilton HHonors™ portfolio Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Hyatt Gold Passport
- Double Gold Passport Points for stays at the Hyatt Regency Delhi More... Until Aug 31, 14

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles when you fly on American Airlines between Dallas and Hong Kong or Shanghai; Chicago or Shanghai. More...  Until Dec 6, 14

US Airways Dividend Miles
- Quadruple Dividend Miles on qualifying rentals of 1 or more days at participating Budget airport locations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico (excluding Alaska). More... Until Aug 31, 14

Voila Hotel Rewards
- 50% Bonus VHR Points when you stay at any participating VOILÀ hotel worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 14



Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by American Express Travel Insurance

June 30 Update: Air France KLM Flying Blue Promo Awards and 8 new bonuses in total

These last few days of June have sure been slow! Once again not too much to bring you today...

News, Tips & Tricks
The biggest and best news to bring you today are the latest set of Air France KLM Flying Blue promo awards as Montreal is once again offered in the mix at 50% off in Business Class. Read more here.

Travel Deals
Summer can be a very expensive time to fly to London but there are always the 'charter airline' options and some of the best pricing for those flights are available via Canadian Affair. Right now they have flights in July and August for as low as $879 including all taxes and fees. Find out more here

Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- Double Club Premier Kilometers on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. More...  Until Sep 5, 14

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 by Jul 31 for travel between Sep 1 and Oct 31, 14

IHG Rewards Club
- Double IHG Rewards Points and Save up to 15% on qualifying Affordable Rate rentals of one or more days at participating locations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Europe, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand and St. Thomas. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Marriott Rewards
- Double Rewards Points and Save up to 15% on qualifying Affordable Rate rentals of one or more days at participating locations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Europe, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand and St. Thomas. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Earn up to Triple KrisFlyer Miles when you stay at properties within the Hilton HHonors™ portfolio Worldwide. More...  Until Sep 30, 14

Southwest Rapid Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rapid Rewards on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. Bonus also awarded on 3rd and 4th stays. More...Until Sep 5, 14

US Airways Dividend Miles
- 1,000 Bonus Dividend Miles on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. Bonus also awarded on 3rd and 4th stays. More... Until Sep 5, 14

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Double Flying Club Miles and Save up to 15% on qualifying Affordable Rate rentals of one or more days at participating locations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Europe, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand and St. Thomas. More... Until Sep 30, 14


Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by American Express Travel Insurance

Air France KLM Flying Blue Promo Awards - Save 50% on Business Class award tickets between Montreal & Europe for Sep/Oct Travel

The latest set of Air France KLM Flying Blue Promo Awards are out and it is nice to see Canada back on the list even though it is only for one of our cities served by Air France KLM. The latest set of offers will be bookable as of July 1st and are good for award travel over late summer/early fall in September and October!  The offers this time is for 50% off Business Class between Montreal and Europe on KLM. This is a great deal considering this is for award travel during end of peak and shoulder season when other airlines will be typically charging higher amounts of miles if they have the availability.  Don't have the miles? You could always consider transferring Starpoints earned via the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express to Flying Blue.

What are the promo awards? The promo awards are a discount of 25-50% off the regular Flying Blue mileage requirement for select AF KLM flights in select cabins.  Due to increases in the regular award mileage requirements last year the promo awards not as grand as they used to be but overall are they are still considered a great deal when compared to the regular mileage requirements. With the 50% this time the rates are slower than Aeroplan's 90,000 miles for a ClassicFlight Business Class ticket to Europe and pretty much any other airline's TransAtlantic biz class redemptions. To take advantage of this deal you must book your promo award ticket between July 1 and 31  for travel between September 1 and October 31. More details can be found here.

June 27 Update: Free standby on AC Western Triangle flights, Accor Hotels increases points earning, Coast Hotels offers 2x Points at their newest hotel

Friday proves to bring us a bit more news and your usual slate of new bonus offers!

News, Tips & Tricks
According to this post on FlyerTalk, Air Canada is now allowing free early standby for flights on the Western Triangle Calgary-Edmonton-Vancouver much like they do on the Eastern Triangle.

Accor Hotels has made a positive change to their program that will start on July 1st. That change is increased points earning on all eligible Accor stays for Le Club accorhotels base members and Platinum members. Base members will now earn 5% back in points versus the previous 4% while Platinum members will move up to 8.5% from 8%. Learn more about Le Club accorhotels points earning here. (HT Loyalty Lobby)

Some bonus offers of note below, Coast Hotels has opened a new hotel in Canmore and is offering double points in July to celebrate, there is the huge Budget car rental bonus for Club Carlson members and also check out the Gold Passport offer for Hyatt stays in Hawaii!

Travel Deals
Summer can be a very expensive time to fly to London but there are always the 'charter airline' options and some of the best pricing for those flights are available via Canadian Affair. Right now they have flights in July and August for as low as $879 including all taxes and fees. Find out more here

Bonus Offers
Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Double MilleMiglia Miles when you book a stay in one of the Italian Best Western Kids Hotels. More... Until Sep 15, 14
- Double MilleMiglia Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at participating NH Hotels in Belgium, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain or the United Kingdom. More... Jul 1 - Aug 31, 14
- Quadruple MilleMiglia Miles for stays at Star Hotels in Italy. More... Jul 1 - Aug 31, 14
- Double MilleMiglia Miles for stays at any UNA Hotel in Italy that is booked online. More... Until Jun 30, 14

American AAdvantage
- Double AAdvantage Miles on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. Bonus also awarded on 3rd and 4th stays. More... Until Sep 5, 14

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- 8,250 Bonus Gold Points and save up to 20% when you rent a Budget vehicle for 3 or more consecutive days at participating locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Coast Hotels Coast Rewards
- Double Coast Rewards Points for stays at the Coast Canmore Hotel & Conference Centre. More... Jul 1 - 31, 14

Hyatt Gold Passport
- 25,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points for stays of five or more consecutive nights at the Hyatt Regency Aruba More... Until Dec 19, 14
- 10,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points and a Free Night for stays at the at Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa and Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa. More... Until Mar 31, 15
- 5,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points for stays at the Hyatt Place Waikiki Beach More... Aug 1 - Oct 31, 14

JetBlue TrueBlue (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 3,000 Bonus TrueBlue Points on your very first Rocketmiles booking More... Book by Jul 20 for stays until Dec 31, 14
- Earn up to 5x TrueBlue Points on Hertz rentals at participating locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. More... Until Dec 31, 14

S7 Airlines Priority (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Priority Miles for stays at the Radisson Blu Resort & Congress Centre Sochi, Radisson Blu Paradise Resort & Spa Sochi, or the Radisson Hotel, Rosa Khutor. More... Jul 1 - Aug 31, 14
- 1,500 Priority Miles for stays at the Radisson Resort, Zavidovo. More... Jul 1 - Aug 31, 14


Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by American Express Travel Insurance

Club Carlson Buy Points Flash Sale - 75% Bonus until 5:29pm EST on June 27

Club Carlson's Third flash sale for buying Club Carlson points that offers a 75% bonus is now live. It is good until 5:29pm EST on June 27th. The offer allows you to buy points at 0.4 cents per points before taxes and fees. This is a great deal on these points especially if you can use the points at more expensive Club Carlson properties in Europe (or Radisson Blu Aqua Chicago) An example is the Radisson Blu Champs Elysees in Paris, you can get a night there in October for 70,000 points (the max points you can buy with this offer) at the US$240 versus the best available non-cancellable rate of EUR470!

Find out more and/or buy points here!

Club Carlson - 8,750 Bonus Gold Points (9,000 total) for Budget rentals of 3+ days

One of the best car rental bonus point offers over the past few years that comes out once or twice per year (including right now) has been Club Carlson's offer of 8,250 Bonus Points (9,000 total points) for Avis rentals of 3+ days. That 9,000 points can easily be used for a free Club Carlson Award night and now the good news is that Club Carlson and Budget have released the same offer for Budget rentals. Previously the Budget offer wasn't as rich at 6,750 bonus points so the additional 1,500 points is a nice bonus on top of that bonus for the remainder of 2014. At this time there is no word if the same offer for Avis rentals will be extended beyond June 30th.

Offer Details
8,250 Bonus Gold Points and save up to 20% when you rent a Budget vehicle for 3 or more consecutive days at participating locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. Simply use BCD #U106509 along with your Club Carlson member number to receive your discount and points when making your advance reservation online at Budget.com

Can't make use of this offer? Be sure to visit our Club Carlson Bonus Points page for many more offers

June 26 Update: First steps in choosing a travel credit card, Hyatt summer sale, 11 new bonuses

Not sure if its because school is ending and summer vacation is coming about but this week has been really quiet for travel rewards outside of bonus offers of course!

News, Tips & Tricks
Today we posted another article in our series of features in helping Canadian's pick the right rewards credit card. This article covers the very first steps in picking a card and somewhat holds true for loyalty programs in general. Read more here.


Travel Deals
Hyatt Summer Sale - Save between 20 and 30% on multiple night stays in the Americas depending on the location. The offer is good for stays until September 4th, 2014 and as usual with sales like these are fully prepaid and non-refundable so only book if you know you can make your stay! Full details and online booking can be found here

Bonus Offers
Aeroflot Bonus
- Double Bonus Miles for stays at participating Rixos hotels on the Aegean coast. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Best Western Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards points for stays on the "Seurat op de Veluwe" package at the BEST WESTERN Hotel Gieling. More... Until ?

Jet Airways JetPrivilege
- 500 Bonus JetPrivilege Miles per stay at more than 20 participating Marriott hotels across India. More... Until Jul 31, 14

Le Club accorhotels
- 400 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Pullman hotels in Paris and Versailles. More... Book by Aug 16 for stays until Aug 31, 14

Marriott Rewards
- 500 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Fairfield Inn St. Petersburg Clearwater. More... Until Aug 1, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night at the SpringHill Suites Columbus. More... Until Aug 1, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay Friday-Sunday nights at the the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel and Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel. More... Until Aug 1, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay including a Friday or Saturday night at the Courtyard Parsippany. More... Until Aug 1, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night at the Renaissance Zurich Tower Hotel. More... Until Aug 2, 14

US Airways Dividend Miles
- Double Dividend Miles and Save up to 15% on qualifying Affordable Rate rentals of one or more days at participating Hertz locations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Europe, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand and St. Thomas. More... Until Sep 30, 14
- Double Dividend Miles on weekend rentals of 2 or more days, or rentals of 5 or more days, at a participating airport or off airport Hertz location in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada or Mexico. More... Until Jul 31, 14



Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by American Express Travel Insurance

The First Steps in Choosing a Travel Rewards Card

Whether you’re new to the whole travel rewards or loyalty program world or have been playing the points-chasing game for years, when it comes to getting a card that has a loyalty program attached to it, there are some fundamental steps you should follow. After reading through these four steps, be sure to consult our “Guide to choosing a travel rewards credit card” for tables and tools to further help the selection process.

What are your spending habits?
Do you currently or do you plan to spend very little on cards or do you put every possible purchase on your card? Do you run a business and put tens of thousands of dollars on your card each month? Do you eat out a lot? Do you have high grocery, drug store and gasoline purchases?  These and other questions will help determine which card to choose. A low spender will want to look at a card typically with a lower or no annual fee, while mid to high level spenders will want to look at a card with an annual fee as they could earn many more points than what the annual fee costs (not including the benefits that come with those higher end cards) A low spender may go for an annual fee card but one where you don’t need a lot of points to start redeeming, some programs like American Express’ TripFlex rewards feature of the Membership Rewards program only requires 1,000 points or as little as $500 in spending* to be able to redeem. Also look at category bonuses that come with cards. A select few of them include 1.5 or 2x the points when shopping for groceries, at drug stores or putting gas in your car. I personally put all my gas, grocery & drug store purchases on my American Express Gold Rewards Card since it offers 2 points per $1 on eligible purchases at these locations...not to mention on Travel too!
* - based on 2 points per $1 category spending

How do you want to be rewarded?
Knowing how you want to be rewarded can make or break a program for you. Are you looking for that dream trip by flying in First Class to Asia or are you looking for economy class tickets for a family of five to Disney World in Orlando? Do you want to be able to use your points as you wish towards any travel at anytime? Do you want a card that can tie into another loyalty program you participate in? Do you want merchandise or cash back rewards? These are questions you should ask yourself and answer before you choose a rewards card program.

At a minimum you have to look at these first two steps together. Not all programs are created equally. You need to look at how many points or miles you can earn with your spend combined with how many points or miles it will take to redeem for rewards. With card spending it is quite easy to figure out your rate of return. In terms of travel in economy class, you should be able to get a 1 to 2.5% return on your spending. While business class you could see returns in the 4 to 10% range (but this also requires a lot of spending on your card(s))

Related: Remember People, It’s all about the Earn and the Burn

Are you looking for additional benefits?
Do you rent cars when you travel? Do you need out of province medical insurance? Trip cancellation on your mind? Again, just some of the questions you need to ask yourself when picking a card. Most rewards cards that have an annual fee offer decent benefits like Car Rental CDW Insurance, and Purchase Protection & Extended Warranty while remaining benefits like Travel Medical Insurance, Trip Interruption, Flight and Baggage Delay Insurance (and numerous others) are offered on a handful of cards. To see all of the current travel rewards cards in Canada and the benefits they provide see our Credit Comparison Chart.

Do you want the option of being able to convert points?
When you play the loyalty game, the trend nowadays is not to put all your eggs in one basket but participate in several programs. Why would you do this? The old school thinking, which in some ways still counts today, is to focus on one primary program because if you spread yourself too thin amongst many programs you will earn points here and some miles there, but not enough of either to redeem. That’s where cards with their own proprietary programs shine. You can put all your spend on the one card to rack up tons of points or miles then decide whether it’s best to redeem them via the card’s reward program or convert them to an airline or hotel loyalty program. This is one of the key features I love about my American Express Gold Rewards Card; I can, have and will convert those Membership Rewards points to Aeroplan and to British Airways Executive Club.

You can read more about the American Express Gold Rewards Card here.

I will always keep some of my points in Membership Rewards for the TripFlex rewards feature, which can be used to redeem for the charges that come along with the Aeroplan or Executive Club award tickets!

Related: Which cards can be used to cover award ticket fees

When you combine these steps along with many of the features on the Rewards Canada site, you should be able to make the right travel rewards card decision for you. If you still need help, have more questions or can’t make that final decision don’t hesitate to ask us! You can do so with a comment below or via our contact form if you don’t want it in the public domain.

Disclosure:This post was sponsored by Amex Bank of Canada. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely my own.