Kaligo, the latest entrant in awarding miles via a third party hotel booking site

Based out of Singapore, Kaligo.com is a new competitor to likes of PointsHound.com and Rocketmiles.com. This start up looks and feel likes it competitors and seems to work on the exact same premise. They are a third party hotel booking site that awards miles from various loyalty programs for those bookings once the stay is completed. You can tell they are quite new as Kaligo's roster of loyalty partners is small compared to the other two established sites. Right now Kaligo only offers miles with American AAdvantage, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and US Airways Dividend Miles.

We became aware of Kaligo via Cathay Pacific as they are running a bonus for Kaligo bookings (as taken from our Asia Miles bonus miles page):

Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Asia Miles when you book hotels via Kaligo. Earn 2,000 Bonus Asia Miles when you register and book for the first time at any of their 300,000 hotels. Plus, earn an additional 8,000 Bonus Asia Miles if you book eight or more room nights. Full details Until Jan 31, 15

Now that there are three companies vying for your bookings in this space we thought we would do some comparisons between them all. Since American AAdvantage and US Airways are the only program that all three services partner with choose to compare AAdvantage earning across all three in our home city of Calgary for stays at the Hotel Germain, a boutique hotel that does not participate in any loyalty programs:

Kaligo.com

PointsHound.com

Rocketmiles.com

Looking at this quick comparison you can see that Rocketmiles is the clear winner with the best price and the most miles awarded for this stay but this is not always the case.

Update: Thanks to DoctorOfCredit for pointing out that Kaligo prices include taxes! So in fact all three sites in our comparison would be comparable on price so the deciding factor would be the number of miles awarded.

We would recommend checking all three sites to see which can provide the best bonus for the best price and for hotels that may not be featured on one of them. We checked a few other cities (Los Angeles, Singapore) and the trend was for Kaligo to be more expensive but they also tended to award the most miles out of the three. You also need to take into account any bonus offers such as Kaligo's bonus Asia Miles as outlined above or anyone of the numerous Rocketmiles first booking bonuses (find those here). Finally, you'll also need to take into account the program you want to earn miles in, for example Asia Miles are only available with PointsHound.com or Kaligo.com.

Unlike Pointshound and Rocketmiles, Kaligo does not have a referral program to get new members but we wouldn't be surprised if that is something they bring along soon to attract more awareness to their site.

I recall talking with Pointshound when they launched and were soon followed by Rocketmiles. They were in fact happy there was competition as it validated their concept. Obviously it seems to be a good concept since there is now a third player in the space!

We wish the best to Kaligo and hope they succeed as well as there can't be enough places to earn more Miles, more Points and more Rewards!

Oct 20 Update: Rexall announces Air Miles as their new loyalty partner, 3x Aeroplan Miles for Wyndham stays, Porter & KLM seat sales

Rexall announces its new loyalty partner and triple Aeroplan miles for Wyndham stays.

News, Tips & Tricks
Just days after the notice of Aeroplan and Rexall calling it quits we learn that Air Miles is the new loyalty program of choice for drug store chain in Ontario and the Western Provinces. That's two major retailers in the span of a few months that have jumped ship from Aeroplan to Air Miles. For those of you who read this blog, you'll know my local shopping area once had three merchants participating in Aeroplan and quickly that has changed to only one and two for Air Miles. For Aeroplan frequent shoppers this isn't good news but then again Aeroplan, although a full fledged coalition program, is still a major frequent flyer program and credit card miles issuer which means for them this isn't that big of loss. For Air Miles, which is pretty much only a frequent shopper program the gain is good but one has to wonder, what incentives Air Miles is giving to gain these merchants as we know they have been feeling the pinch from Aeroplan and from many of the other credit card and propietary loyalty programs. You can find out more about the Rexall and Air Miles partnership here.

Have you voted yet? Vote for your favourite Travel Rewards Credit Card in our 2014 Canada's Choice survey! Vote at rewardscanada.ca/vote


Travel Deals
Porter Airlines is promoting their biggest sale of the year for flights out of Toronto. Flights start as low as $91 one way. Book by 11:59 pm Eastern Time October 28, 2014. Travel by February 26, 2015 at flyporter.com

KLM has yet another seat sale on flights out of Canada. Fares are as low as $679 round trip all in to Europe! Book by Oct 21 for departures between Oct. 16 and Dec. 10 or between Dec. 25 and May 6. Book online at KLM.

Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- Triple Club Premier Kilometers on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. More... Until Jan 16, 15

Air Canada Aeroplan
- Triple Aeroplan Miles on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. More... Until Jan 16, 15

American AAdvantage
- Quadruple AAdvantage Miles on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. More... Until Jan 16, 15

Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards points for stays at the BEST WESTERN PREMIER Hotell Savoy i Lulea. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Czech Airlines OK Plus
- Double OK Plus Miles when you fly Czech Airlines between Prague and Gothenburg.More... Register and book by Nov 30 for travel until Dec 31, 14
- Double OK Plus Miles when you fly Czech Airlines between Prague and Brussels, Bucharest, Moscow or Warsaw. More... Register and book by Nov 30 for travel until Dec 31, 14
- Double OK Plus miles on rentals at participating Avis locations worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 15

Jet Airways JetPrivilege
- Triple JetPrivilege Miles for stays at participating Fairmont Hotels & Resorts worldwide. More... Until Dec 15, 14
- 9,000 Bonus JetPrivilege Miles for stays at the at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz Switzerland. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- Earn up to Triple JetPrivilege Miles when you stay on an eligible rate at any participating Mandarin Oriental Hotel worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 14
- Triple JetPrivilege Miles for stays at participating Swissotel Hotels & Resorts worldwide. More... Until Dec 15, 14

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points when staying in a Horizon Club room at the Sule Shangri-La, Yangon. More... Until Dec 31, 14

United MileagePlus
- Triple MileagePlus Miles on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. More... Until Jan 16, 15

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 3,000 Flying Club Miles on rentals of 3 or more days at participating Hertz locations in the UK, Australia and USA. More... Until Nov 30, 14


Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Choice Hotels Flash Sale - Buy Privileges Points and receive a 50% Bonus for 8 hours only (Today and Wednesday)

We've seen 'buy points' Flash Sales from several other programs like Club Carlson and now it's Choice Hotels Privileges turn! For only 8 hours today and on Wednesday you will get a 50% bonus when you buy Choice Hotels Privileges points. Normally the points cost $11 per 1,000 points which means you'll get 1,500 points per $11. With free nights starting as low as 6,000 points at some hotels you could have your stay for $44 plus taxes/fees with this promotion!

Here are just some of the hotels in Canada that are available at 6,000 and 8,000 point levels:

Click here for a complete list of the Canadian properties at the lowest redemption levels.

For 8 hours only, receive a 50% bonus when you purchase Choice Privileges Points (up to 50,000). This offer is only available between 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct 20th and Wednesday, Oct 23. Buy online now.

Oct 17 Update: New Air Transat Europe Routes, IHG introduces Anywhere Check-In, Lufthansa Christmas Market Sale

Last day of updates for this week!

News, Tips & Tricks
Have you voted yet? Vote for your favourite Travel Rewards Credit Card in our 2014 Canada's Choice survey! Vote at rewardscanada.ca/vote

Air Transat is adding new service between St. Johns Newfoundland and London Gatwick for the summer 2015 season. The twice weekly service will run from mid-June to early September. Always a good option to use a travel points credit card that let you book with any travel provider if you are looking for a way to redeem for Air Transat flights. (Source Airlineroute.net)

It also appears that Air Transat will launch service between Toronto/Montreal and Budapest Hungary for the summer 2015 season. (Source Airlineroute.net)

IntercContintenal Hotels Group has launched Anywhere Check-In for their IHG Rewards Club Elite members. Anywhere Check-In is available at participating hotels and can be accessed directly from your smart phone or tablet. Find out more here

Travel Deals
Lufthansa has a seat sale to attract travellers to German Christmas markets. Fares start as low as $849 all in. Book by Oct 22 for departures from Canada until Dec 10. Book online at Lufthansa

Bonus Offers
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Triple Mileage Plan Miles on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. More... Until Jan 16, 15

American AAdvantage
- 1,500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles on rentals of 3 or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- Quadruple AAdvantage Miles on rentals of 1 or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Avianca LifeMiles
- Earn up to 6x LifeMiles on Hertz rentals in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Mexico and Puerto Rico. More... Until Dec 31, 14

British Airways Executive Club
- Quadruple Avios for stays at any participating Small Luxury Hotels of the World Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- 2,500 Bonus Avios for stays at any Accor Hotel Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- 300 Bonus Asia Miles when you spend HKD500 or more at Pizza Express in Central. More... Until Dec 15, 14
- 300 Bonus Asia Miles when you spend HKD500 or more at Shanghai Min in Tsim Sha Tsui. More... Until Dec 15, 14

Emirates Skywards
- Double Skywards Miles when you on Emirates out of Oslo, Norway. More... Until Nov 10, 14
- Triple Skywards Miles when booking a stay in Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. More... Book by Dec 19 , 14 for stays until Sep 30, 15
- 3,000 bonus Skywards Miles when you stay in a Suite at participating Starwood Hotels in St. Petersburg or Warsaw. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Hong Kong Airlines Fortune Wings
- Up to 50% Fortune Wings Miles Discount when you redeem miles for a Fortune Wings Award ticket on Hong Kong Airlines. More... Book by Dec 18, 14

Malaysia Airlines Enrich (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 2,000 Bonus Enrich Miles when you join the Malaysia Airlines Enrich program via MHmobile. More... Until ?

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus QMiles on oneworld airlines flights Worldwide (except Qatar Airways) More... Oct 30 - Nov 30, 14

Wyndham Rewards
- 2,015 Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points per stays at participating locations Worldwide starting with your second stay. More... Until Jan 30, 15

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Wyndham Rewards: 2,015 Bonus Points on Worldwide stays starting with your second stay

Here is the next systemwide bonus from the folks at Wyndham Rewards. As is the case with many of Wyndham Rewards' promos this offer doesn't kick in until your 2nd stay and is good for 5 stays in total (stays 2 thru 6) which means you can earn up to 10,075 bonus points. The offer runs from now until the end of January which is quite a bit of time if the Wyndham family of hotels are your primary residences away from home!

Offer Details:
2,015 Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points per stays at participating locations Worldwide starting with your second stay. Maximum of 10,075 bonus points awarded per member. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Until Jan 30, 15

Be sure to visit our Wyndham Rewards page for this offer and many more to boost your balance!

Oct 16 Update: Foreign Transaction Fees added to more comparison charts, Etihad Airways Partners, 16 new bonuses

Here are your Thursday offerings!

News, Tips & Tricks
Have you voted yet? Vote for your favourite Travel Rewards Credit Card in our 2014 Canada's Choice survey! Vote at rewardscanada.ca/vote

We have further updated our Credit Card Comparison Charts with Foreign Exchange Transaction fees. Before we only listed them on the chart that compared all the credit cards but now you'll find them on the following charts:
Most Popular
Airline
Hotel
Hybrid
Travel Points

Etihad Airways which serves Toronto three times per week from their Abu Dhabi hub have announced "Etihad Partners" a tighter conglomeration of 6 airlines (many of which are owned or partly owned by Etihad). This new pseudo airline alliance which has the possibility of growing into a full fledged one based on wording in their press release sees stronger ties between Etihad and air berlin, air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Etihad Regional (operated by Darwin Airline) and Jet Airways. You can book one ticket to travel on their combined network of over 250 destinations and it will see an alignment of each airlines' frequent flyer programs in terms of elite tiers, mileage earning and more. Find out more here.

Etihad Airways today unveiled Etihad Airways Partners, a new brand which brings together like-minded airlines to offer customers more choice through improved networks and schedules and enhanced frequent flyer benefits. Initially, six airlines will participate in the new partnership - airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, India’s Jet Airways, Darwin Airline, and Etihad Airways. However, any airline can become an Etihad Airways Partner even if it is part of an existing alliance, such as airberlin, which is a member of oneworld.

Bonus Offers
Czech Airlines OK Plus
- Elite Status to any another airline status (outside of the SkyTeam Alliance) which is at least valid for the next 6 months from the date of the application when you complete 1 Intrernational flight on Czech Airlines. More... Ongoing

Gulf Air FalconFlyer (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double FalconFlyer Miles when you fly on Gulf Air between Manama and Moscow. More... Oct 28 - Dec 28, 14
- 5x Falconflyer Miles for stays at the Park Rotana Hotel in Abu Dhabi. More... Until Nov 19, 14
- Triple FalconFlyer Miles on rentals of 7 or more days at participating Hertz locations Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14
Iberia Plus
- Double Avios for a 4 night stay at the Hoteles Andaluces con Encanto. More... Until Oct 31, 14
- Triple Avios for stays at any Iberostar Hotels in Spain. More... Until Oct 31, 14
- Triple Avios for stays at participating Melia Hotels in Spain. More... Until Oct 31, 14
- Triple Avios on Hertz rentals of 3 or more days Worldwide.More... Until Dec 30, 14

IHG Rewards Club
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for stays at select hotels in Europe. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Jet Airways JetPrivilege
- Double JetPrivilege Miles on all Starwood Hotel stays Worldwide.  More... Until Dec 31, 14

Le Club accorhotels
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at over 170 participating Accor hotels in Australia. More... Nov 1 - Dec 31, 14
- 4x Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at the Mercure Hotel Roeselare. More... Book by Nov 1 for stays until Dec 1, 14

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Earn Triple Royal Orchid Plus Miles when you stay at Hilton Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Virgin America Elevate (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Elevate Points when you rent any vehicle for two or more days in the U.S. and Mexico. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Double Flying Club Miles for stays at participating Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. More... Book by Dec 20, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Oct 15 Update: Aeroplan and Rexall part ways, Double Starpoints in Tremblant, 5x Dividend Miles on Avis Rentals

We lose a good Aeroplan earning partner and lots of new bonuses today!

News, Tips & Tricks
Not so good news out of the Aeroplan camp today. They have announced that as of Oct 31 members will no longer be able to earn miles on their purchases at Rexall.  While the earning may have be relatively minor I am sad to see this partner go. There have been some great bonuses (remember the 800 miles for Adidas body wash?) and it was a good location to use for past Earn Your Wings promos (I still have some of the Rexall $1.09 bandage packages floating around from that promotion) plus at my most convenient shopping area in my community I used to have three places to earn Aeroplan miles, now that is down to one as Sobeys switched to Air Miles, Rexall is done in two weeks which only leaves me with Esso.

 
Have you voted yet? Vote for your favourite Travel Rewards Credit Card in our 2014 Canada's Choice survey! Vote at rewardscanada.ca/vote

Of the bonuses added today there are three that many of our frequent (or not so frequent) travellers should look into. The first is the Delta SkyMiles offer of 1,000 miles per night for stays at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels worldwide. If you stay at these high end brands be sure to check out this bonus. The second is the Starwood Preferred Guest offer in Tremblant, see below or even better see our post from earlier today showcasing this great deal and finally US Airways is offering 5x Dividend Miles on Avis rentals here in Canada and also in the U.S.

Bonus Offers
Delta SkyMiles
- 1,000 Bonus SkyMiles PER NIGHT at participating Waldorf Astoria or Conrad hotels and resorts Worldwide. More...   Until Dec 20, 14

Emirates Skywards
- Double Skywards Miles for stays at the JW Marriott Hotel Rio de Janeiro, Marriott Executive Apartments São Paulo or the Renaissance São Paulo Hotel. More...   Until Jan 14, 15
- Double Skywards Miles when you join the Marriott Rewards program and complete stays at Marriott Hotels Worldwide. More...   Book by Oct 31 for stays until Nov 30, 14

Le Club accorhotels
- Quadruple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at newly opened Accor hotelsWorldwide. More... Book by Oct 31 for stays until Nov 30, 14

Starwood Preferred Guest
- Double Starpoints and 25% off for stays at the Le Westin Resort & Spa, Tremblant More... Until Dec 18, 14
- 500 Bonus Starpoints and complimentary wifi for Thursday-Sunday stays at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- Double Starpoints for stays at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square. More... Book by Oct 31 for stays until Mar 31, 15
- 1,000 Bonus Starpoints for Thursday-Monday stays at the The Westin Houston Downtown. More... Until Dec 31, 14

TAP Portugal Victoria
- Triple Victoria Miles when you book the “Triple Miles” rate with a minimum two-night stay at Worldhotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Victoria Miles when you subscribe to the Economist. More... Until Nov 30, 14

US Airways Dividend Miles
- 5x Dividend Miles on Avis rentals of 1 day or more at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico (excluding Alaska). More... Until Nov 30, 14
- 750 Bonus Dividend Miles on your next rental of 3 days or more at participating airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Voila Hotel Rewards
- Recieve Platinum Elite Status when you complete one eligible stay at any one of six participating Voila Hotel Rewards location Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Great Deal Alert! Double Starpoints and 25% off for stays at the Le Westin Resort & Spa, Tremblant

Always nice to see bonus offers in our own country! This one is in the backyard for our YUL, YOW and followers in those areas but of course to anyone else who may be travelling to this area! The Le Westin Resort & Spa, Tremblant, a Starwood Hotel, has been renovated and to celebrate they are offering Double Starpoints, 25% off and late check out for stays until mid December.  With the 25% off this rate is actually better than the AAA/CAA rate and matches the prepaid/non-cancellable rate where as this offer can be cancelled and earns you the double Starpoints!

Sample rates for a 1 night stay in late October

Offer details
Double Starpoints and 25% off for stays at the Le Westin Resort & Spa, Tremblant Full Details and online booking Until Dec 18, 14


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Oct 14 Update: KLM announces Edmonton-Amsterdam service, SkyMiles gets rid of RTW awards, 5,000 Aeroplan Miles for Accor stays

We're back after a few days off for a vacation so there is quite a bit to catch you all up on this week!

News, Tips & Tricks
It appears that as of October 26th Aeroflot will no longer serve Toronto ending direct SkyTeam service to Russia. If you are a SkyTeam flyer you'll now have to route via Amsterdam, Paris, or Italy to get to Russia. (Source Airlineroute.net)

If you are on the Boeing 787 watch, British Airways will be replacing their 777 service to Montreal with the new Dreamliner later this month (Source Airlineroute.net)

Exciting news for YEG flyers, after Air Canada choose to cut back Transatlantic service from Edmonton other airlines are filling the gap. First Icelandair was so successful with their Edmonton flight over the summer that summer 2015 will see 6 flights per week from the 5 seen this year while KLM has announced a new 4 times per week service between Edmonton and Amsterdam that are set to start in May! This is KLM's second city in Alberta and fifth in Canada.

WestJet has added yet another code share partner. The latest is China Airlines who will be adding their code onto select WestJet flights out of Vancouver and Los Angeles (Source WestJet)

Delta SkyMiles will be doing away with round-the-world award tickets as of January 1st 2015. Yet another hit to this program that has seen major changes (mostly negative) take place or going to take place in 2015. (Source One Mile at a Time)

In the bonus offers section check out the great Accor Hotels stay bonus for Aeroplan members, you can earn 5,000 bonus miles for a one night stay!

Travel Deals
Movenpick Hotels has launched a fall sale for stays at their hotels across Europe. You can save up to 30% on stays in Germany, Switzerland, France, Turkey and the Netherlands. This offer is good for stays until Nov 30. Book online at Movenpick

Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- 5,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles per stay at any participating Accor Hotel Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 14
- Earn 25,000 Aeroplan Miles and first year free when you apply for and receive the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card. More... Until Oct 31, 14 Residents of Canada Only

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Triple Asia Miles when you stay at Hilton properties in Greater China. More... Until Dec 31, 14

China Eastern Eastern Miles
- Triple Eastern Miles Points when you stay at Hilton properties in Greater China. More... Until Dec 31, 14

China Southern Sky Pearl
- Triple Sky Pearl Kilometers when you stay at Hilton properties in Greater China. More...   Until Dec 31, 14

La Quinta Returns
- Earn up to Triple Returns Points for stays at participating La Quinta locations in the U.S. More... Until Nov 6, 14

Millenniumm & Copthorne Loyalty Club
- Double Loyalty Club Points for Thursday or Friday stays at Millennium & Copthorne Hotels in the Middle East. More... Until Dec 30, 14

SAS EuroBonus
- Double EuroBonus points with Flygtaxi on shared taxi in Sweden. More... Until Nov 16, 14

Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card - 25,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles and First Year Free!

OFFER EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 14th!

Despite record profits at TD Canada Trust, we can tell by feedback from our readers and the consistent launch of offers on their Aeroplan cards that the co-brand relationship is having somewhat of a tougher sell than CIBC had with the relationship for so many years! Rarely did we see the offer of 15,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for signing up for the CIBC versions of the card change but we are in a whole new world with a lot more competition and TD needs to push these cards to make back the pretty sum they had to pay to CIBC to get this portfolio.

What does this mean? It means great news for the Canadian consumer and travellers alike as the latest offer for their TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite card is one you should definitely look at! The offer is for 15,000 Aeroplan Miles when you are approved for the card followed by another 10,000 when you reach $1,000 in spending within the first 90 days of having the card. All with the first year free! Which means you get those 25,000 Aeroplan miles for free (not to mention the additional miles you earn on your spending) and you can always choose to keep or get rid of the card before that first year is up and keep those miles. You can find out more about this offer and apply for the card here.

Tie this in with other first year free offers and you can earn yourself 100,000 Aeroplan Miles for free right now! See here on how you can achieve this.