20,000 Starpoint Bonus for the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express to end on March 31

Amex has let us know the current public offer for the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card of 20,000 Starpoints will be ending on March 31st after which it will revert to the standard 10,000 Starpoints. We just wanted to pass this along as when the offer came out it was unknown how long it would stick around. This gives you a little over a month to apply for the card and get this great bonus. Unlike some other cards the first year fee of $120 is NOT waived however the 20,000 Starpoints is worth a minimum of $400 but more like $460-$500 all depending on how you value Starpoints.

This card has been ranked the #1 Hotel Credit Card in Canada for years on end here on Rewards Canada and that is with the 10,000 point bonus. So you can only figure that doubling that offer makes this card even better! Find out more or apply for the card here.

Here are some highlights of what the card offers:

Feb 23 Update: IHG PointBreaks coming on Feb 24, Choice Hotels Stay 2 Get 1 offer returns, Update on targeted WestJet $100 offer

Here is the start of the week news and bonuses for you!

News, Tips & Tricks
IHG Rewards Club's PR team let it's slate of website and bloggers on their mailing list know last night that the next set of IHG PointBreaks will be released on Tuesday Feb 24. From the preview list of 7 hotels, we know at least one Canadian property is participating, the Staybridge Suites West Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Keep an eye out right here on Rewards Canada for the entire list of hotels on 24th!

Choice Hotels has launched their latest systemwide promotion and it is the same one we see over and over again! The offer awards bonus points so that you reach the 8,000 Point level so that you can redeem at over 1,500 of their locations Worldwide, lots of which are here on our home turf. I know there are a lot of our readers who frequent Choice properties here in Canada so I thought it best to highlight it up here in the news and tips. Find out more here!

I had the luxury of speaking with WestJet about the targeted offer that select WestJet Rewards Gold members have been receiving and wanted to clarify who got it and how they got it.

• Members were strictly targeted based on the Status Match promotion only.
•  It was not based on having any flight history with WestJet. 
• Members who earned status the hard way with WestJet weren't targeted. 
• If you did do status match and didn't receive the offer there is a good chance you didn't opt in for communications from WestJet Rewards when you joined the program so you wouldn't have been on the list. 
• There isn't anyway you can get the offer after the fact if you opt-in now. So if you didn't get this offer sent to you make sure opt-in for future opportunities and this applies for all reward programs not just WestJet.

Don't forget about our Exclusive Offer with Kaligo offer 2,000 Bonus AAdvantage/MileagePlus Miles or 3,000 Bonus Avios! Almost half of the 50 bonuses are already taken! 


Bonus Offers
Aerolineas Argentinas Plus (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Plus Miles when you use RedCoach bus service between Miami and Orlando. More... Until Apr 10, 15

Air France KLM Flying Blue
- Double Flying Blue Miles when you book an Air France flight from Vancouver to the destination of your choice. More... Valid for residents on Canada only Mar 29 - Jun 18, 15

Choice Hotels Privileges
- Earn up to 8,000 Bonus Privileges Points when you complete 2 separate stays at participating Choice Hotels Worldwide. More... Restrictions For residents of the U.S. and Canada only Until Apr 22, 15

Etihad Airways Guest
- Etihad Airways Status Match - Receive Guest Gold Status if you hold Gold Status with another airline. More... Register by Mar 15, 15

Hilton HHonors
- Triple HHonors Points when you rent any size car at any participating Alamo location in the United States or Canada More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Triple HHonors Points when you rent any size car at any participating National location in the United States or Canada More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Fast Track to Gold Status for Oldcastle employees when you complete six qualifying stays at Hilton Hotels Worldwide within 90-days of enrolling in this offer. More... Until ?

Hyatt Gold Passport
- Double Gold Passport Points for stays at the Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort. More... Until May 31, 15
- 2,000 Bonus Gold Passport Points for stays of 3 or more nights at the Hyatt City of Dreams Manila.  More... Until Mar 31, 15

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 3,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays at the Element Vancouver Metrotown More... Until ?
- 800 Bonus Starpoints for stays on the Pick your Perk Package at the Westin Georgetown Washington D.C. Hotel. More... Until ?
- 500 Bonus Starpoints for stays on the Starpoints Perks Package at the Westin Georgetown Washington D.C. Hotel. More... Until ?
- 1,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays on the Grand Opening offer at the Sheraton McKinney Hotel. More... Until ?

United MileagePlus
- 3,000 Bonus MileagePlus miles when you join MileagePlus Dining. More... Until Mar 31, 15



Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Double Flying Blue Miles on Air France's new Vancouver - Paris route

Flight bonuses from the Flying Blue program tend to be few and far between especially so on the Air France or KLM flights out of Canada. So when we came across this one we were super excited! Not only is it double miles route launch bonus, Air France has a great business class sale going on right now for the route as long as you book by Feb 22! The fares are $3299 all in to European destinations and $3299 to $3775 to the Middle East, Africa and Asia! To get the bonus miles just make sure you include your Flying Blue number when you book your flights.

Offer Details
Double Flying Blue Miles when you book an Air France flight from Vancouver to the destination of your choice at www.airfrance.ca and fly between 29 March and 18 June, 2015.

Conditions:

• Only Flying Blue members of legal age residing in Canada will be eligible for this offer
• Eligible flights: transatlantic flights departing from Vancouver, operated by and marketed as Air France
• The extra Award Miles are not taken into account for your Flying Blue membership level
• This promotion is valid only once per person
• Free stopover in Paris: additional airport taxes may apply

Deal Alert: New Element Vancouver Metrotown - 3,000 Bonus Starpoints, Free Upgrade and more

Earlier today in our daily update we brought you a quick snippet on yesterday's opening of the newest Starwood Hotel in Canada, The Element Vancouver Metrotown. As part of the grand opening celebrations there is an promotion being offered of 3,000 Bonus Starpoints, Free Breakfast and a complimentary upgrade from a studio suite to a one-bedroom suite. We decided to see if this was a good deal or not and we feel it is!

We pulled up rates for a stay on March 10th with the following results for a Studio King:
AAA: C$152 + taxes/fees
Advance Purchase (non-refundable): $161
Fully Flexible Rate: C$179 + taxes/fees
3,000 Bonus Starpoints offer: C$179 + taxes/fees


As you can see the 3,000 Bonus Starpoints offer is equal to the Fully Flexible rate but more than the AAA rate or Advance Purchase. It appears the free breakfast is a moot point per the rates all rooms include free breakfast.  But is it worth it to pay the additional $27 over the AAA rate or $18 over the Advance purchase rate. Personally we always avoid Advance Purchase as we hate not having the option to cancel. But how about the $27 extra over AAA? Absolutely! We value Starpoints at a minimum of 2 cents each but more so around 2.3 cents each which means the 3,000 Starpoints is worth $60 to $66 in our books, which already beats out the $27 difference but then you also get the free upgrade to a Suite as long as one is available! By booking the 3,000 Starpoints rate you will come a minimum of $33 ahead  and at least $77 ahead if you get the Suite as it prices out $44 more per night on the AA rate. Of course if you are not a CAA/AAA member then the 3,000 Points offer is a no brainer when compared the fully flexible rate.


To find out more about this new hotel or to book the 3,000 Bonus Starpoints offer visit here.

Feb 20 Update: Exclusive offer up to 3,000 Bonus Miles/Avios on FFB, WestJet vs. Air Canada on Western Canada routes, Air Canada 15% off Asia flights

A great end to the week with the launch of an exclusive promotion from the FFB Group!

News, Tips & Tricks
Many of you know that RewardsCanada.ca is not our only website and that we actually run three other websites. One of those, our global FrequentFlyerBonuses.com is proud to offer an EXCLUSIVE bonus for your first ever hotel booking made via third party hotel booking site Kaligo. Kaligo is similar to Rocketmiles and Pointshound which readers of Rewards Canada should be very familiar with. Our offer is for 2,000 Bonus American AAdvantage or United Mileage Plus Miles or 3,000 Bonus Avios for British Airways Executive Club! This is a great offer considering you can earn the bonus over and above Kaligo's base earn rates and their own AAdvantage/MileagePlus/BAEC promos! This means you can earn as much as 12,000 AA/UA miles or 23,000 Avios just in bonuses!! Find all the details here. (Oh yes, this is limited to the first 50 bookings so don't wait to book as you may miss out on the bonus!!!)

Starwood Hotels opened their second Element Hotel in Canada yesterday! The Element Vancouver Metrotown features 169 rooms and is located on the northeast corner of Kingsway and Willingdon Avenue within Metropolis at Metrotown. And to celebrate the opening they are offering 3,000 Bonus Starpoints on all stays booked with promo code EYD3K (kind of odd as(that's typically the Earn Your Dreams code used for stays in Europe, the Middle East and Africa but whatever its a bonus!) To find out more about this new hotel or to book the 3,000 Bonus Starpoints offer visit here.

Yesterday we brought you the details of WestJet bonus offer on select routes in Western Canada that matches Air Canada's current promo. WestJet clarified that their offer is only for non-stop flights (no connections allowed) so if you are flying Regina-Edmonton-Grande Prairie you won't earn the bonus on the Edmonton-Grande Prairie portion. I reached out to Air Canada to see if this was the same case with them and it is not. If you fly a connecting route you will still earn the bonus on the portion of your itinerary that does offer a bonus. So with the example above you would earn only your base Aeroplan Miles between Regina and Edmonton but you'll earn base+bonus on the Edmonton-Grande Prairie portion. Looks like AC is the winner here.

Travel Deals
Air Canada is offering 15% off flights between Canada and Asia to celebrate Chinese New Year. Use promo code SHEEP15 when you book onlie. Book by February 24, 2015, at 11:59 pm from your city of departure in Canada, Valid on Tango and Premium Economy Lowest fares, Travel from March 1 to June 15, 2015. Find out more here.

Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Triple Aeroplan Miles for every qualifying stay at any participating Choice Hotel Worldwide. More... Until Apr 15, 15

AirAsia Big (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Big Points when you book hotel stays via Agoda Singapore. More... Book by Mar 31 for stays until Apr 30, 15

American AAdvantage (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- FFB EXCLUSIVE! 2,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles on your first hotel booking via Kaligo. More... LIMITED TO THE FIRST 50 BOOKINGS Register and Book by Feb 28, 15

British Airways Executive Club (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- FFB EXCLUSIVE! 3,000 Bonus Avios on your first hotel booking via Kaligo. More... LIMITED TO THE FIRST 50 BOOKINGS Register and Book by Feb 28, 15

Jet Airways JetPrivilege
- Triple JetPrivilege Miles on weekend stays at participating Hilton hotels and resorts in South East Asia and India. More... Until Apr 30, 15

Le Club accorhotels
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points when you stay at participating Accor Hotels properties in Barcelona. More... Book by Apr 30 for stays Apr 13 - May 13, 15

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 1,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays of 2 or more nights on the Grand Opening offer at the Le Méridien New Orleans. More... Book by Apr 1 for stays until Dec 30, 15
- 500 Bonus Starpoints for stays on the Unlocked Package at the Le Méridien New Orleans. More... Until ?

TAP Portugal Victoria
- 2,000 Victoria Milesfor stays of 3 or more nights at the Porto Bay Liberdade. More... Book by Feb 28 for stays Mar 1 - Dec 31, 15

United MileagePlus (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- FFB EXCLUSIVE! 2,000 Bonus MileagePlus Miles on your first hotel booking via Kaligo. More... LIMITED TO THE FIRST 50 BOOKINGS Register and Book by Feb 28, 15



Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

Earn Triple Aeroplan Miles for Choice Hotels stays until April 15

The Triple Aeroplan Miles offer for Choice Hotel stays that we saw last spring and fall has returned for the last part of winter and start of spring 2015! Remember to earn the bonus miles you must be a Choice Privileges member and set your earning preference to Aeroplan

Offer details
Triple Aeroplan Miles for every qualifying stay at any participating Comfort Inn®, Comfort Suites®, Quality®, Sleep Inn®, Clarion®, Cambria Suites®, MainStay Suites®, Suburban Extended Stay®, Econo Lodge®, Rodeway Inn® or Ascend Hotel Collection® location.** . Full Details and online Booking Until Apr 15, 15

**Points cannot be earned in Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden and including Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Papua New Guinea and Fiji. 

Feb 19 Update: Targetted WestJet $100 Bonus for Elite Members, Delta on-time baggage offer, multiple stay Accor Hotels bonus

Today is a WestJet day on Rewards Canada:

News, Tips & Tricks
If you took advantage of the WestJet Rewards Status Match offer that ran until the end of January and ended flying on WestJet already you may be getting an email letting you know that WestJet has deposited $100 into your WestJet Rewards accounts. The $100 is meant as a booking incentive as you need to use it on a WestJet booking made by Feb 28th otherwise the $100 will disappear on March 1st. This offer reminds us of those that Melia Mas Rewards have now run for a few years where you click through your link in the email and they deposit 10,000 points in your account but those points need to be redeemed within 24 or 48 hours. Definitely a great marketing tactic to getting you to use the program and for making a booking that more than likely will cost more than $100. (Source FlyerTalk)

Also on the WestJet news front, Air France has expanded their code share routes on WestJet to tie in with their new YVR-CDG flight. Air France flight numbers will now be applied to WestJet routes between Vancouver and Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna and Winnpeg (Source Airlineroute.net). Now we just need for WestJet to add their code onto the AF YVR-CDG flights (and their other Canadian routes) so that we can start redeeming our WestJet dollars on them!

Delta Airlines has launched a new on-time bag guarantee. Pretty much taking it out of Alaska Airlines playbook, if your baggage doesn't arrive in 20 minutes or less on a U.S. domestic flights they'll award you with 2,500 SkyMiles. The offer only runs until March 31st and is only good for domestic flights so I would assume only those of you flying within the U.S. could perhaps take advantage of this since the flights out of Canada won't count. As to a connecting flight within the U.S. that may be a different story as the terms do state that as long your last leg is on a Delta Airlines flight you'll be eligible. (not Delta Connection or a codeshare). Find out more here.

Travel Deals
Fairmont Hotels Seasonal Saver offer provides up to a 15% discount or free nights plus room upgrades! Valid for stays until April 30. Find out more here.

Bonus Offers
Belavia Leader (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Leader Points for stays at the Apart-hotel “Comfort” Minsk. More... Until Mar 12, 15

IHG Rewards Club
- 1,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you stay at participating new IHG hotels Worldwide on the Special Opening Offer. More... Ongoing

Le Club accorhotels
- 8,000 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points when you complete 3 separate stays at participating Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Register and book by Mar 20 for stays until Aug 31, 15

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn 50% Bonus QMiles when you fly between Doha and Hong Kong on Qatar Airways marketed and Qatar Airways or Cathay Pacific Airways operated flights. More... Until Mar 31, 15
- Triple QMiles for stays of 3 or more nights at participating Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 15
- Double QMiles for stays at the ART Rotana Amwaj Islands Bahrain. More... Until Jul 10, 15
- Triple QMiles for your roaming calls and data usage with Travelling Connect in the UAE. More... Until Mar 31, 15

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Triple Royal Orchid Plus Miles on weekend stays at participating Hilton hotels and resorts in South East Asia and India. More... Until Apr 30, 15

WestJet Rewards
- Earn up to Triple WestJet Dollars when you fly on select WestJet routes within Western Canada. More... Register and book by Mar 17 for travel until Apr 30, 15



Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

WestJet Rewards: Earn up to 3X WestJet Dollars on select routes in Western Canada

WestJet has launched a nice new flight bonus for members of their Rewards program flying on select routes within Western Canada. This bonus actually surprises me a little as these should be relatively strong routes for WestJet without the need of an incentive but as we always say here at RC sometimes it doesn't matter how well a route is doing it is all about rewarding loyalty even if they already have your business! This is a great bonus for primarily business travellers who ply these routes often as you may earn up to 9% in WestJet Rewards dollars if you are at the 3% base earn rate! When I was in Oil & Gas there were hundreds of workers flying daily to Ft. Mac and GP so hopefully any of you doing these routes out of Edmonton for that reason will take advantage of it!  The terms are a bit vague in that the bonus is only good on non-stop flights and not connecting itineraries so we're not sure at this time if you'll earn a bonus on a routing like Calgary-Edmonton-Grande Praire. Will you earn the bonus on all legs or since it is a connecting itinerary will you not receive anything? Hopefully WestJet can chime in and let us know! 

UPDATE:
- First of all, I had a total moment of forgetfulness when I posted this this morning when I was wondering why they were bonusing these routes and the reason is that Air Canada has bonuses on these routes too which we covered a couple of weeks ago! That's why! WestJet is responding to AC and even the URL should have clued me into it as it states 'offermatch'!
- Secondly, I reached out the WestJet and they responded that the offer is strictly for non-stops, so my example of flying Calgary-Edmonton-Grande Prairie would not qualify for any bonus.

Offer Details:
Earn up to Triple WestJet Dollars when you fly on select WestJet routes within Canada.Earn double WestJet dollars when you book a Flex fare or triple WestJet dollars when you book a Plus fare.  Register Online (Registration is required) Register and book by Mar 17 for travel until Apr 30, 15
Eligible routes:

Feb 18 Update: New Hyatt Elite Benefits for 2015, Hilton Lifetime Diamond Status Requirements, lots of free miles & points

Here is your Wednesday update:

News, Tips & Tricks
Hyatt Gold Passport has announced new benefits for their Diamond Elite status members. The first is called Guest of Honor and allows you 'pass along' your benefits when you redeem your points for a free night for your friends and family. They’ll receive the exclusive in-hotel perks of your Diamond membership such as The best room available upon arrival, (excluding suites) A special welcome amenity, Exclusive access to the Regency Club® or Grand Club® lounge, Daily complimentary breakfast, An upgrade to premium Wi-Fi where available and 4 p.m. late checkout. The second are two complimentary one-time-use United Club passes annually (primarily good for those doing lots of U.S. travel) starting on March 1st and the third is complimentary premium Internet access which kicked in on February 14 which is also available to Platinum members.

Hilton HHonors has revealed the details of the requirements to get their new lifetime Diamond Elite status:

"Lifetime Diamond Status will be awarded to select HHonors members, who as of December 31st, 2014 have earned Diamond Status for at least 10 years (non-consecutive) and who have completed stays totaling at least 1,000 paid nights pursuant to the standard HHonors Terms & Conditions."

There are three free miles/points offers in the bonus offer section below including the Air Miles offer from Rona we brought to you yesterday.



Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Earn 7,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for each round-trip or 2 one-way segments between Canada and Japan in any fare. More... Register and book by Apr 30 for travel until Jun 30, 15 

Air Miles (Canada)
- 10 Free Air Miles when you subscribe to Rona E-News. More... Until Apr 30, 15

airberlin topbonus
- 500 Free topbonus miles when you become a Heinemann and Me member (Free to join). More... Until Mar 31, 15

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- 5,000 Mileage Plan Miles for Alaska Airlines Elite members on your first Rocketmiles booking More... Book by Apr 15, 15

Bangkok Airways FlyerBonus (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Triple FlyerBonus Points when you stay at any participating Dusit Hotel during your birthday month. More... Until Feb 15, 16

Jet Airways JetPrivilege
- Earn up to Triple JetPrivilege Miles on any International flight with Jet Airways and Etihad Airways. More... Register and book by Mar 10 for travel Feb 25 - May 30, 15

La Quinta Returns
- 300 Free Returns Points for watching a California Travel Advisor video. More... Until Mar 31, 15

Le Club accorhotels
- 500 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at any ibis Hotels in in Poland, Lithuania or Latvia. More... Book by Mar 16 for stays until Apr 16, 15

Rocketmiles
- Earn 500 Bonus Miles/Points in the Rocketmiles partner program of your choice. More... Book by Feb 20, 15

SAS EuroBonus
- 2,000 Bonus EuroBonus Points on Avis rentals in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. More... Book by Mar 9 for rentals Mar 1 - May 31, 15



Today's Daily Update has been brought to you by

10 Free AIR MILES for subscribing to Rona E-News by April 30

A nice simple way to earn some free AIR MILES Reward Miles comes to us from Rona. All you have to do is subscribe to Rona's E-News newsletter by April 30th and you'll receive the 10 miles. This is even something those of you who you rarely collect Air Miles should utilize as it will extend the validity of your account by 24 months (you did know that Air Miles accounts without any activity in 24 months are closed down right?) This offer is only for new subscribers. I'm not sure if they check the Air Miles account number but you could always try with a different e-mail address if you already subscribe to Rona's newsletter.

Sign up for this offer right here!

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