Aeroplan turns 30 years old - tell us about your favourite redemption for a chance to win 30,000 Aeroplan Miles!

Contest is now closed!!

This coming Saturday, a program we cover frequently here on Rewards Canada turns 30! That's right Aeroplan, one of Canada's first loyalty programs will be 30 years old and to celebrate we have joined forces with Aeroplan to giveaway 30,000 Aeroplan Miles to one of our Twitter followers!

Here are some Aeroplan highlights from the past 30 years

• 2014: Aeroplan launches its Distinction program, a new tiered recognition program that rewards top accumulating members, based on total Aeroplan Miles earned across all coalition partners, with preferential mileage levels for redemption, bonus mile offers and exclusive privileges
• 2006: Launched the Beyond Miles Program that enables Aeroplan Members to donate miles to ten charitable organizations
• 2005: Completed Initial Public Offering for world’s first publicly traded loyalty program, Aeroplan Income Fund
• 2002: Aeroplan was spun off as a wholly owned subsidiary of Air Canada
• 2001: Completed the integration of Canadian Plus members into Aeroplan
• 1985: More than 100,000 frequent flyers enrolled in the program
• 1984: Aeroplan began as a promotional tool for Air Canada’s business travellers

Personally I have been a member of Aeroplan since 1988 and my favourite redemption over the years was for a trip for my family of four to San Diego from Calgary. It may not seem like much nor was an amazing business class redemption giving the best return on the miles but it is a good example of how redemptions don't have to be about achieving the best value out of a reward. The trip took place in 2008 and was only the second time my kids set foot on a plane. What made this trip memorable may not be something people find joy in but it was the issues that surrounded our flights on United. The first leg of Calgary to Denver went without a hitch however the second leg between Denver and San Diego saw the San Diego airport close down due to weather (a rarity in its own right) and as we circled above Palm Springs waiting for the airport the reopen the plane ran low on fuel and had to divert to Las Vegas. On the ground in LAS for over an hour we received word that San Diego had reopened and we needed to get off the ground fast as the storm that closed SAN was approaching Las Vegas. The take off was rough in high winds and the turbulence on climb out was the worst I had ever encountered, many people were white knuckled on the flight but my youngest daughter slept through it while my older one was squealing "Weeee, it's like a roller coaster!" Suffice the say the flight made it to San Diego a few hours late but we were safe and sound. After an amazing vacation in the San Diego area we made our return to YYC via San Francisco. The SAN-SFO flight was normal but once on the plane taking us to YYC we were delayed again because a valve on the APU would not operate properly and they had to replace it causing another delayed flight with us on board for nearly an hour before it was fixed. Once again another adventure for us but we weren't complaining as we were in Economy Plus on the CRJ taking us to YYC so we had lots of leg room and were able to enjoy the flight once it got off the ground. Was it a dream redemption? No but it is one of my favourites because to this day we still talk about our adventure of the not so normal flights getting to and from San Diego.

That is the long version of my favourite redemption and we want to hear from you what your favourite redemption has been over the past 30 years! Since it is on Twitter we don't expect a long story like ours but fit in what you can, from where to where, what year and perhaps what class of service! Whatever you like as long as you include @RewardsCanada AND @Aeroplan along with the hashtag #AeroplanTurns30 in your tweet. One lucky person will win 30,000 Aeroplan Miles for telling us their favourite redemption!

Contest Details:
Follow @RewardsCanada AND @Aeroplan on Twitter and tweet to both us what you favourite Aeroplan redemption has been from the past 30 years.  You must also include the hashtag #AeroplanTurns30 in your tweet.

To make it easier you can copy, paste and complete the following into twitter:

@RewardsCanada My favourite @Aeroplan redemption is [INSERT FAVOURITE REDEMPTION HERE] #AeroplanTurns30

The contest closes on Saturday July 12th, 2014 at 12:00om NOON MST! Limit 1 entry per person Winner will be determined by random draw from all eligible entries received. Open to Canadian residents over the age of majority. Void where prohibited.  No purchase necessary.  Winner will be required to answer a skill testing question. 

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card - Sign up bonus doubled to 30,000 points

On June 30th the offer of 15,000 bonus points and first year annual fee was removed from the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card to be replaced with this new offer. The offer is for 30,000 points with your first purchase on the card but you will have to pay the $99 annual fee. How does this offer compare to the previous one? It is actually slightly better than it as the value of those 30,000 points is $300 versus the previous offer of $249 ($150 in points +$99 annual fee waiver). This offer is scheduled to run until October 31, 2014

This card ranked third in the Travel Points Card with annual fee category in our 2014 Top Travel Rewards Credit card rankings. Here are some details on the card:

Scotiabank Gold American Express Card
4 points for every dollar spent on the card at gas stations, grocery stores and on dining and entertainment, 1 point for all other purchases with the card
No blackouts, no points expiry, no seat restrictions and no booking fees
Travel service with access to global concierge specialists
Ability to redeem points at or after booking for travel including airfare, hotel, car rental, cruise and vacation packages. Points can also be redeemed for merchandise and credits to Scotiabank investment and credit products
Highly competitive insurance benefits, such as Travel Emergency Medical (including travelers age 65+) and Rental Car Collision insurance
$99 annual fee (among the most competitive fee for a premium travel reward card currently on the market). Additional card annual fee is $29 and the interest rates are 19.99% on purchases and 21.99% on cash advances, balance transfers and Scotia Credit Card cheques.

For more details or to apply for the card please see here.

Jet Airways: Double JetPrivilege Miles between Toronto and Delhi in Premiere Class

Is India in your sites this summer? Then this bonus offer may appeal to you as Jet Airways has released this promotion for flying between Toronto and Delhi in their Premiere Class. Always good to get more miles on your flights when you can!

Offer details
Double JetPrivilege Miles when you fly on Jet Airways in Premiere Class between Toronto and Delhi. Full details Until Sep 30, 14

Can't make use of this offer? Be sure to check out our JetPrivilege Bonus Miles page for many more bonuses!

July 4 Update: British Airways Long Haul Award sale, KLM Fall Seat Sale, Double Miles on Avianca LifeMiles transfers

BAEC award tickets at 75% of the regular cost, transfer bonus and more today!

News, Tips & Tricks
Aviosthe currency of British Airways Executive Club is offering a long haul award ticket redemption sale. The only issue is that it is for flights from the U.K. only. As Canadian's however we can kind of take advantage of this if you make one-way redemptions from Toronto or Vancouver (the only Canadian cities included in the sale). Your redemption from Canada to the U.K. would have to be at the full one way price but then your one-way redemption for the flight back from the U.K. can be booked at the sale rates, essentially you are getting the award ticket at 75% of the normal round-trip redemption rate. Flights need to be booked by July 13 for travel between Oct 1 and Feb 28, 2015. Find out more here.

In the bonus offers section check out the transfer bonus from Avianca LifeMiles who are famous for their 100% Bonus on buying miles. If you have taken advantage of that offer before now you can transfer those miles to friends or family and they'll receive double the miles. The cost of transfer miles is the same as when you buy miles at 1.5 cents plus taxes/fees which brings them to around 1.8 cents each. This is a good deal if you know that whomever you are transferring the miles to can and will use the miles in the next little while. If you don't have plans to redeem anytime soon then it may not be worth doing a transfer.

Air Canada will be upgrading their Vancouver to Tokyo Narita flights to Boeing 787 service as of December 15. Good news for those planning to travel on this route! (Source Airlineroute.net)

Travel Deals
Yet another seat sale from KLM! This one is for fall travel to Europe and beyond from Canada. Fares are low as $899 all in for travel between Sep 11 and Oct 15 and must be booked by Jul 13. Book online at KLM.ca

Bonus Offers
airberlin topbonus
- 1,000 Free topbonus Miles for registering for the frequent renter offer from Sixt. More... Until May 31, 15
- Earn up to 2,000 topbonus Miles on all of your Sixt rentals Worldwide. More... Until May 31, 15

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- 500 Bonus Mileage Plan Miles for each qualified stay at any Best Western® branded hotel in Canada, the United States, or the Caribbean Islands. More... Until Aug 31, 14 Valid for residents of Canada, the United States, or the Caribbean Islands only
- 3,000 Bonus Mileage Plan Miles on your very first Rocketmiles booking More... Book by Sep 30 for stays until Dec 31, 14
- Triple Mileage Plan Miles on all rentals of three days or longer at any Dollar location Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Avianca LifeMiles
- Double LifeMiles when you transfer LifeMiles to friends or family. More... Until Jul 17, 14

Bangkok Airways FlyerBonus (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 3x FlyerBonus Points for stays of 2 or more nights at the at The Imperial Golden Triangle Resort Chiangrai. More... Until Aug 31, 14

Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Hotel Wartmann, Winterthur. More... Jul 1 - Aug 31, 14

Scandic Hotels Friends
- Double Scandic Friends Points for stays at the Scandic Lerkendal Trondheim. More... Aug 5 - Oct 31, 14

Starwood Preferred Guest
- Triple Starpoints for stays in a Villa or the Strand Residence at the St. Regis Bali. More... Until Dec 20, 14

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 1,000 Bonus Miles&Smiles Miles for stays at the Elite World Istanbul. More... Until Aug 31, 14
- Double Miles&Smiles Miles on all Sixt rentals of 3 or more days Worldwide. More... Until Jul 21, 14



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

July 3 Update: Hilton HHonors Category Changes, SPG to Dividend Miles Transfer Bonus, BA further delays YYC 787 service

A mixed bag of news and bonuses for you today!

News, Tips & Tricks
British Airways has once again delayed their 787 service to Calgary. The service which was supposed to originally start in a few days was postponed to August and now has been further delayed to mid September. (Source Airlineroute.net)

The Hilton HHonors program has decided to move away from yearly hotel category award night changes to quarterly and the first set of those changes are now out. None of their Canadian properties were affected as 15 hotels went down a category while 24 went up. The majority of the changes were for properties in the U.S. Full details and a complete list of properties changes can be found here.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- 2,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you fly on Air Canada or or an Air Canada Vacations package between Montreal and Geneva or Toronto and Zurich. More...  Register and book between Jul 1 and Sep 12 for travel Aug 1, 14 - Apr 30, 15

Air Miles (Canada)
- Earn a bonus of 2,500 AIR MILES reward miles when you charge a total of $3,000 in purchases to the American Express® Air Miles® Reserve Card within your first three months of Cardmembership. More... Until Aug 28, 14

American AAdvantage
- Up to 16,500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you buy AAdvantage Miles. More... Until Jul 31, 14

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to Triple Asia Miles for stays at participating Harbour Plaza hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 14
- Earn up to Triple Asia Miles for stays at participating Mandarin Oriental hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 8, 14

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Double Infinity MileageLands Miles for every TWD$100 spent when booking a hotel through Infinity MileageLands members’ exclusive reservation website of Expedia. More... Until Jul 31, 14
- Earn up to Quadruple Infinity MileageLands Miles on Hertz rentals in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia or New Zealand. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Le Club accorhotels
- 250 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at ibis hotels in Spain and Portugal. More... Book by Jul 31 for stays until Aug 31, 14
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at Mercure and Novotel hotels hotels in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel. More... Book by Aug 31 for stays until Sep 7, 14
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays of 2 or more nights at the Pullman Soch Center. More... Jul 16- Sep 30, 14

Royal Brunei Royal Skies (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to Triple Royal Skies Miles on Hertz rentalsof 3 or more in the USA, Asia, Canada, Europe, Australia or New Zealand. More... Until Oct 31, 14

US Airways Dividend Miles
- 20% Bonus Dividend Miles when you convert your Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints to US Airways Dividend miles. More... Until Jul 31, 14



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

Air Canada: 2,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for AC flights between Canada and Switzerland

Fine chocolate, luxurious watches, and great skiing are just some of the things that describe Switzerland and now Aeroplan members planning to fly Air Canada to this great country can earn a small bonus. The offer of 2,500 bonus Aeroplan miles is good for a long period (9 months) but the key is that you have to register and book by September 12th.

Offer details
2,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for roundtrip flights (or 2 one-way segments) on Air Canada or or an Air Canada Vacations package between Montreal and Geneva or Toronto and Zurich. Register Online (Registration is required)  Register and book between Jul 1 and Sep 12 for travel Aug 1, 14 - Apr 30, 15

Can't make use of this offer? Check out our Aeroplan Bonus Miles page for many more bonus offers!

airberlin: 1,000 Free topbonus Miles for registering for the frequent renter offer from Sixt

Similar to the Miles & More offer that we saw earlier this year, Sixt is offering members of airberlin's topbonus program 1,000 free miles simply for registering on their site for a frequent renter offer from them.

The sign up form is in German but is pretty easy to translate
Vorname=First Name,
Nachname=Surname,
topbonus nummer=topbonus number,
email-adresse=email address,
Sixt Card Nummer=Sixt Card Number (I don't have one and didn't fill in this box and it still let me register)
Sind Sie Sixt Neukunde?=Are you new Sixt customer

Finally be sure to check off the last box as that appears to be the key to earning the 1,000 miles. The miles should be awarded in 6-8 weeks

Register for the offer here.

Here is my confirmation page screenshot:

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