July 14 Update: Foreign Currency Transaction fees, Pointshound adds Virgin Atlantic, up to 3x Aeroplan Miles for Coast Hotel stays

Welcome to another week here on Rewards Canada!
 
News, Tips & Tricks
If you missed it only a short time ago, we let you know via the blog that we have now completed the foreign currency transaction fee row on our primary credit card comparison chart. Find out more here.

It appears that Air Canada's new Toronto-Tokyo Haneda route is taking a bite out of the Toronto-Tokyo Narita route as the latter is going to be cancelled for the winter season between October and March. (Source Airlineroute.net)

You may also be one of the lucky ones if you are flying Air Canada between Toronto and Montreal over the next few weeks as they plan on flying their new 787 Dreamliner on the route between July 17 and August 5. (Source Airlineroute.net)

Pointshound, the third party hotel booking site that awards miles in various programs for booking hotels has now added Virgin Atlantic Flying Club to their roster. See more at Pointshound

Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn up to Triple Aeroplan Miles for stays at participating Coast Hotels in Canada and the U.S.. More... Until Sep 30, 14
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you redeem Aeroplan miles for a Fairmont Hotel stay. More... Book by Jan 5 for stays until Jan 31, 15

Czech Airlines OK Plus
- Quadruple OK Plus miles for Sixt Car Rentals in the U.S.. More... Until Sep 30, 14
- Double OK Plus Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at paticipating World Hotels locations Worldwide that are booked at least 20 days in advance. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Emirates Skywards
- Double Skywards Miles when you fly round trip on Emirates from Chicago to Dubai (or any other Emirates city) More... Register and Book by Jul 31 for travel between Aug 5 and Nov 30, 14

Hilton HHonors
- Save 20% when you buy HHonors Points online. More... Until Sep 3, 14

Marriott Rewards
- 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at either the Courtyard and Residence Inn Los Angeles Downtown L.A. LIVE.. More... Until Aug 21, 14

Oman Air Sindbad (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Sindbad Miles for stays at the Salalah Rotana Resort. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- 25% bonus Sindbad miles when you Purchase Diamond and Masaaki Pearl Jewellery worth $500 at Joyalukkas outlets in Oman, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia and United Kingdom. More... Until Jul 31, 14
- Double Sindbad Miles for every OMR spent at Muscat Duty Free. More... Until Jul 31, 14

Shangri-La Hotels Golden Circle
- Triple GC Award Points for stays at the Shangri-La Hotel, Qinhuangdao.More... Aug 15 - Dec 31, 14

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Double Miles&Smiles Miles for stays at Domotel Hotels & Resorts in Greece. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Foreign Currency Exchange Fee now on the Rewards Canada Credit Card Comparison Charts

We are pleased to announce (finally) that the Foreign Currency Exchange Fee on Canadian Travel Rewards Cards has been added to our comparison chart that compares all of the cards in one chart. The fees will also be added soon to remainder of our charts that break down the cards into select categories.

You can find that chart here:
Canadian Travel Credit Card Comparison: All Travel Rewards Credit Cards 

We have discussed foreign transaction fees quite often on Rewards Canada and in the media so if you follow us you'll know that there are only a select few cards in Canada (all from Chase) that offer no foreign exchange fee such as the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa. In general however the going rate on most of the cards is 2.5% that is charged by the credit card company over and above the exchange rate. There are two banks that offer a slightly lower rate at 2%, Vancity and Citizens Bank while Alberta Treasury Branches (ATB) tops the list as the highest rate charger at 2.9%.

Related:
Why 'no foreign transaction fees' hasn't proliferated in the Canadian credit card market

Air Miles increasing mileage requirements for flights within Canada, to the U.S., Mexico and Caribbean to cover fuel surcharges

Air Miles has announced increases to the mileage requirements for flight redemptions within Canada, to the U.S., Mexico and Caribbean as of July 17th.  Apparently the increase in mileage is due to the fact that they are now building the fuel surcharge into those mileage amounts and not charging them as a separate fee. However a quick look at some of the numbers would make it appear that there is padding in the increases, especially on short haul flights with them jumping from 950 to 1,200 miles (over a 26% jump)

Example Air Canada flight between Calgary and Vancouver October 11-13
Price on Air Canada.com is $290 base fare and has a $54 fuel surcharge or $344 before other taxes and fees.
Which means with the old redemption rate of 950 miles for the $290 base fare you would be getting a a value of 30 cents per Air Mile and with the new rate you are only getting 28 cents per Air Mile.

And then you also have to ask the question what about airlines that don't charge fuel surcharges like Alaska Airlines or American Airlines? If your flight redemptions are on these airlines you are definitely going to lose a lot of value!

It also means that ultimately you need to earn more miles before you can redeem. Before this you could earn less miles even though you had to pay for the fuel surcharges. For some of you, you'll be waiting longer before you can redeem for those flights you want.

These examples may not always be the case but most programs tend to hide mileage increases in some sort of wording that makes it seems like an enhancement, like this case of building the fuel surcharges into to mileage amounts.

Find all the details here on the Air Miles website

Some highlights from that page:

What is changing?

The number of reward miles required to be redeemed for flights will be changed.
In the case of flights within Canada, to the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), to Mexico and to the Caribbean, this is as a result of reducing the total taxes and fees to be paid in cash by our Collectors by including the fuel surcharges in the number of reward miles required to be redeemed for these flights… something that our Collectors have been asking us to do for years.
For other international destinations, Collectors will continue to pay for fuel surcharges as part of their total taxes, fees and surcharges applicable to the flight reward.

What is the magnitude of the change?

The average increase in the number of reward miles required to be redeemed for flights within Canada, to the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), to Mexico and to the Caribbean will be 16%. Some destinations will see a smaller increase, while others will see a larger increase.
For example:

• A round-trip flight, in Low season, will now start at 1,200 reward miles (instead of starting from 950 reward miles)
• A flight from British Columbia to Los Angeles will increase by 19% in Low season (1,600 reward miles to 1,900) and 14% in High season (2,275 reward miles to 2,600).
• A flight from Ontario to New York City will increase by 13% in Low season (1,150 reward miles to 1,300) and 14% in High season (1,400 reward miles to 1,600). 

As always we'd love to hear your thoughts on this 'enhancement' from Air Miles!

July 11 Update: Air India officially joins the Star Alliance, Aeroplan bonus at Home Hardware, transfer Best Western points to Flying Blue

A nice mix of news and bonuses for this last update of the week!

News, Tips & Tricks
After many years and a few failed attempts Air India officially joins the Star Alliance today making it the 27th airline in the alliance. (Source: Star Alliance)

Previously Best Western Rewards points could not be converted to Air France KLM Flying Blue miles but that has changed now as FB members will be able to convert their BWR points with restrictions however. Unlike other airline programs where transfers are only limited by the minimum point requirement, Flying Blue members will only be able to transfer their Best Western Rewards points into Flying Blue once per year at a 2:1 ratio with a maximum of 20,000 Rewards Points (10,000 FB miles). Full details

Aeroplan is offering another short term bonus for shopping at Home Hardware. Members can double miles on all purchases in store or online until July 19. Full details

ONE DAY LEFT - Don't forget to enter our contest!
Aeroplan is turning is 30 later this week and to celebrate Rewards Canada has teamed up with Aeroplan to giveaway 30,000 Aeroplan miles! Find out how you can enter the contest here! You have until this Saturday to enter.

Bonus Offers
China Southern Sky Pearl
- Earn up to Triple Sky Pearl Kilometers for stays at Millennium and Copthorne Hotels in China and Taiwan. More... Jul 15 - Oct 15, 14

Etihad Guest
- Double Guest Miles on all eligible Philippine Airlines flights Worldwide. More... Sep 1 - Oct 31, 14

Frontier Airlnes Early Returns (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Atlanta and Chicago. More... Oct 2 - Nov 2, 14
- Double EarlyReturns Miles when you fly between Cleveland and Chicago. More... Oct 1 - Nov 1, 14

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles for stays at participating Raffles Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Sep 30 for stays until Oct 7, 14

JetBlue TrueBlue (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 5,000 Bonus TrueBlue Points on JetBlue flights to and from Latin America, Mexico or the Caribbean. More...  Register and book by Sep 2 for travel Sep 2 - Dec 11, 14

Ritz-Carlton Rewards
- Earn up to 100,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at participating Ritz-Carlton hotels Worldwide. More... Register by Sep 30 for stays until Oct 31, 14 Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone

Rocketmiles
- 3,000 Bonus Miles/Points in the Rocketmiles partner program of your choice when you make your first Rocktemiles booking. More... Book by Aug 8, 14 for stays until ?

South African Airways Voyager
- Earn Double Voyager Miles when you stay at any participating IHG hotel in Australasia, Southeast & Southwest Asia, Japan & Korea, and the Middle East & Africa. More... Until Oct 31, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

July 10 Update: RBC introduces Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, Double Aeroplan Miles on AC flights in Canada, Rocketmiles 1st booking bonus

Here is your daily update for Thursday!

News, Tips & Tricks
RBC has released a Visa Infinite Privilege version of their Avion card. This is the third Infinite Privilege card to be released in Canada that we know of after the TD Aeroplan and CIBC Aeroplan versions. This card comes with a hefty $399 annual fee but also has a larger sign up bonus of 25,000 RBC Rewards points (10K more than the other Avion offers) a better earn rate of 1.25 points for every dollar spent and of course the additional benefits that come with the Infinite Privilege branding. I would consider this a strong card for those who have British Airways Executive Club as their primary program when you take into account the earn rate and the usual twice yearly 50% transfer bonus to Avios. Find out more about this latest Avion card here.

and just in case you missed these blog posts, here is more news for you:
Sobeys chooses to go with Air Miles in Western Canada, Club Sobeys to be wound down

Air Miles introduces a new Elite Status level: Onyx

Don't forget to enter our contest!
Aeroplan is turning is 30 later this week and to celebrate Rewards Canada has teamed up with Aeroplan to giveaway 30,000 Aeroplan miles! Find out how you can enter the contest here! You have until this Saturday to enter.


Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Double Aeroplan Miles each time you fly round-trip to select destinations within Canada. More... Register and book between July 8 and August 29 for travel until Oct 31, 14

Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Earn up to 50% Bonus MilleMiglia Miles when you buy MilleMiglia miles. More... Until Jul 31, 14

Delta SkyMiles
- 500 Bonus SkyMiles and up to 57% off first-class flights to/from Austin (AUS) and Los Angeles (LAX) or New York City (JFK). Travel must be booked no later than Jul 20 but inventory can run out before that as this offer is via Gilt. More... Book by Jul 20 for travel until Mar 1, 15

Emirates Skywards
- Double Skywards Miles when you fly round trip on Emirates from Dubai to Chicago. More... Register and Book by Jul 31 for travel between Aug 5 and Nov 30, 14

Rocketmiles
- 3,000 Bonus Miles/Points in the Rocketmiles partner program of your choice when you make your first Rocketmiles booking. More... Book by Jul 13, 14 for stays until Jan 15, 15

Spirit Airlines Free Spirit (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 8,000 Bonus Free Spirit Miles when you choose to 'hate on' on Spirit Airlines or any other airline. More... Until ?

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 1,000 Bonus Starpoints per night for stays at the Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel. Maximum of 3,000 bonus Starpoints per stay More... Until Aug 26, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Air Canada: Double Aeroplan Miles on select Air Canada routes within Canada

The Air Canada and Aeroplan flight bonus offers continue! London, Switzerland, then the International flight bonus we mentioned yesterday and now this one for flights within Canada. If you are planning to fly this summer and even into the fall there is a very good chance you can earn some extra miles on your Air Canada flights as long as your register and book to meet each promotions requirements!


Offer Details
Double Aeroplan Miles each time you fly round-trip to select destinations within Canada. Register Online (Registration is required) Register and book between July 8 and August 29 for travel until Oct 31, 14

To qualify, the round-trip or two one-way flight segments must be travelled in the eligible fare options (booking classes) within Canada:Tango (S,T,L,A,K); Flex (M,U,H,Q,V,W,G); Latitude (Y,B); Premium Economy Lowest (E,N); Premium Economy Flexible (O); Business Class Lowest (D,Z,P); Business Class Flexible (J,C).

Can't make use of this promotion? Be sure to check out our Aeroplan Bonus Miles page for many more offers!
 

Sobeys chooses to go with Air Miles in Western Canada, Club Sobeys to be wound down

When the parent company of Sobeys announced they were buying Safeway Canada the one question many points collectors had was "who will Sobeys go with Aeroplan or Air Miles" since Sobeys in the West offers Aeroplan Miles via the Club Sobeys program while Safeway and Sobeys in Atlantic Canada offers Air Miles. We have the answer now, truth be told the answer came out on June 24th and somehow we missed it so we are bringing this news to you a bit late!

Sobeys has decided to go with Air Miles for the stores in Western Canada which of course is good news for Air Miles members but not so good news for Aeroplan members. Sobeys will actually be winding down their Club Sobeys program for their Sobeys and Thrifty Food stores in the West as they move to only awarding Air Miles. The change will take place on September 15th when they will no longer be an Aeroplan partner. However for those of you in Ontario, Club Sobeys will continue as is so you will still be able to earn Aeroplan miles shopping at Sobeys Ontario locations.

For me I am little disappointed as I am primarily an Aeroplan earner and my grocery store of convenience is Sobeys (only 2 minutes from my house) but I do value convenience so I only assume that my Air Miles balance will start growing as there won't be any grocery options for earning Aeroplan miles in Calgary. When the program winds down out West here this September I'll have earned close to or may even reach 80,000 Aeroplan miles by shopping at Sobeys

We'd love to hear your comments on Sobeys choice to go with the Air Miles program. Are you going to switch grocery stores or are you going to be like me and more than likely start increasing your Air Miles balance?

Air Miles introduces a new Elite Status level: Onyx

Perhaps as a reaction to Aeroplan's Distinction program, Air Miles soft launched a new elite status level earlier this week. Called Onyx, the new level is the highest elite level Air Miles members will be able to achieve. For years Air Miles has had only one elite level, Gold which offered those who reached it discounted flight reward offers and other benefits. This new level promises even more than Gold and while it adds a few more 'travel' benefits the majority additional benefits it has over Gold tend to be shopping and experience related. Granted the number one benefit I see from this new level is the promise of "Greater access to airline seats" which hopefully doesn't mean more seats at more miles like we tend to see from many frequent flyer programs.  Good news for those of you who hold the American Express Air Miles Reserve card, you'll automatically get this elite status without having to meet the 6,000 miles earned in a calendar year requirement!

I reached out to Air Miles for more details and here is what they passed on to me:

Onyx is a new way to reward our best Collectors with exclusive benefits, such as discounts on flight and merchandise rewards, as well as priority customer service.  Here’s a summary of some of the benefits Onyx offers:

Travel & Merchandise Perks

• Greater access to airline seats
• Book select flights using up to 40% fewer reward miles
• Preferential pricing on cruises and vacation packages
• Merchandise for up to 50% fewer reward miles

Top Service

• Priority service at the Call Centre

Personal Shopper Service

• A team dedicated to finding and getting a variety of rewards outside of the online Catalogue
• Get requested items using reward miles from your Dream balance

Unforgettable Events & Contests

• 20% fewer reward miles on seasonal activities and dining
• Invitations to Exclusive Onyx-inspired gatherings
• Free movie passes to select films
• Bonus offers into Meet & Greet Contests
• Special monthly Giveaways

 

A Collector can become an Onyx member by earning 6,000 AIR MILES reward miles during one calendar year (from January 1 - December 31) or by having an American Express AIR MILES Reserve credit card. A full list of the exclusive benefits associated with Onyx status can be found at www.airmiles.ca/onyx. As part of the soft launch, we’re still ironing out some of the technical details....

Nice to see Air Miles adding this new elite level to the program as they have been kind of quiet over the past 12-18 months in terms of the changing or enhancing the program and seemed to be falling behind other loyalty programs in Canada in remaining dynamic.

What are your thoughts of this new addition to the Air Miles program?

July 9 Update: Hilton Systemwide offer of up to 3x points, 5,000 bonus Aeroplan miles for International flights, Wyndham bonuses

Middle of the week is pretty much all bonus offers!

News, Tips & Tricks
Today is a bonus offer day! Some really great new offers were added to our bonus offer section. From the Air Canada flight bonus to many destinations in the U.S, Europe an Asia to the Hilton Triple Your Triple Promotion there is almost something for everyone today!

Air Canada will be launching a new 3 times weekly service between Toronto and Panama City this winter. The flights are scheduled to start on Dec 17. (Source Airlineroute.net)

Don't forget to enter our contest!
Aeroplan is turning is 30 later this week and to celebrate Rewards Canada has teamed up with Aeroplan to giveaway 30,000 Aeroplan miles! Find out how you can enter the contest here! You have until this Saturday to enter.


Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for round-trips between Canada and select Air Canada destinations Worldwide. More... Register and book between July 8 and August 26 for travel until Oct 31, 14

airberlin topbonus
- 5x topbonus Miles for every qualifying Choice Hotels stay at participating locations worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Hilton HHonors
- Triple Your Trip: Earn Triple HHonors Points on Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights, and Double HHonors Points on Monday through Thursday nights for stays at any participating hotel or resort in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio. More... Aug 1 - Oct 31, 14

Qantas Frequent Flyer
- Triple Frequent Flyer Points when you stay at properties within the Hilton HHonors™ portfolio Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 14

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Double QMiles on Rocketmiles hotel bookings and stays in Tokyo. More... Until Sep 15, 14

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Double Miles&Smiles Miles for stays at Best Western Hotels in Turkey. More... Until Aug 31, 14

Virgin America Elevate (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up 8,000 Bonus Elevate Points when you join Virgin America Elevate and complete your first flight. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- Earn up 7,500 Bonus Elevate Points when you refer a friend to the Virgin America Elevate program and they complete their first flight. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Wyndham Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points when you book a stay to arrive Sunday - Thursday at any participating Wyndham Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 2, 14
- 2,000 Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points, Free Breakfast, Free Internet for stays at participating Wyndham Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 2, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Air Canada: Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on flights between Canada and select U.S., European & Asian destinations

Air Canada and Aeroplan are sure starting to pump out the flight bonus offers! First we had the large London bonus come out a few weeks ago, then the Switzerland bonus from last week and now this offer for dozens of Air Canada's flights to the U.S., Europe and Asia. As always it only counts for a bonus if you booked from yesterday on but nonetheless it is great to see this many flight offers being released from Aeroplan! It appears that most fare classes are included in this bonus (see below for a listing)


Offer Details
Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for round-trips between Canada and select Air Canada destinations Worldwide. Register Online (Registration is required) Register and book between July 8 and August 26 for travel until Oct 31, 14

• Earn 2,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for every round-trip between Canada and select U.S. destinations Plus, you will also receive an extra 777 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for each round-trip to Las Vegas with Air Canada rouge.
• Earn 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for every round-trip between Canada and select Asia and Europe destinations

To qualify, the round-trip or two one-way flight segments must be travelled in the eligible fare options (booking classes) within Canada and between Canada and the USA: Tango (S,T,L,A,K,F); Flex (M,U,H,Q,V,W,G); Latitude (Y,B); Premium Economy Lowest (E,N), Premium Economy Flexible (O), Premium rouge (J,C,D,Z,P), Business Class Lowest (D,Z,P); Business Class Flexible (J,C); between Canada and Europe: Tango (W,S,T,L,K,F); Flex (M,U,H,Q,V); Latitude (Y,B); Premium Economy Lowest (E,N), Premium Economy Flexible (O), Premium rouge (O,E,N), Business Class Lowest (C,D,Z,P); Business Class Flexible (J); between Canada and Asia: Tango (W,G,S,T,L,A,K); Flex (M,U,H,Q,V); Latitude (Y,B); Premium Economy Lowest (E,N); Premium Economy Flexible (O); Business Class Lowest (C,D,Z,P); Business Class Flexible (J).

Can't make use of this promotion? Be sure to check out our Aeroplan Bonus Miles page for many more offers!