Air Canada Earn Your Wings 4th Edition - AC Altitude members can earn up to 750,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles

Yesterday the 4th Edition of Air Canada's Earn Your Wings launched and like the 3rd edition, it is strictly for Air Canada Altitude members. The 4th Edition looks to be almost an exact copy of the 3rd edition.  The only differences we can spot so far are the 3rd edition only had 62 airports qualifying and it also had Fairmont and Avis components which are absent this time.

The premise of this and past Earn Your Wings promotions is to earn Wings by completing various earning actions.  In this fourth version you will receive 2,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for every 2,000 Wings collected.  The more 'Wings' you collect the more Aeroplan miles you earn with a maximum  of 750,000 Aeroplan Miles awarded per individual. If you end up in the top 20 Wings earners you will get an equal share of 10,000,000 Aeroplan Miles (500,000) over and above the miles you earn from the promotion.

Your first 500 Wings are super easy as they are awarded just for registering for Earn Your Wings.

Here are all the methods to receive wings with EYW:

• Earn 500 Wings simply for having Air Canada Altitude status upon registration.
• Earn a minimum of 100 Wings for every take off and for every landing on any Air Canada flight (including flights operated by Air Canada Express) and Air Canada rouge. This translates to a minimum of 200 Wings per flight segment. There are 67 airports that will earn a higher amount of Wings for every take off and every landing. Refer to the list of cities that will earn Destination badges.
• Earn extra Wings by collecting badges (see Collect Badges).
• Finish in the Top 20 and earn your equal share of 10,000,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles.

Example of how wings are earned

To participate in Earn Your Wings you must be an Air Canada Altitude member and register online at: http://earnyourwings.aircanada.com/ by May 31st. Flights booked between April 20th and May 31st that are completed by July 12th will count towards earning your wings.

YEG badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Edmonton, Alberta.

YHZ badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

YOW badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Ottawa, Ontario.

YSB badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Sudbury, Ontario.

YQB badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Quebec City, Quebec.

YQR badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Regina, Saskatchewan.

YQT badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

YTZ badge

Awarded when you take off or land at Toronto's City Airport, Ontario.

YWG badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

YXE badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

YYJ badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Victoria, British Columbia.

BOS badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Boston.

DCA badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Washington D.C. – Ronald Reagan National.

EWR badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Newark.

FLL badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Fort Lauderdale.

IAH badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Houston.

LAS badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Las Vegas.

LAX badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Los Angeles.

LGA badge

Awarded when you take off or land in New York City – LaGuardia.

MCO badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Orlando.

MIA badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Miami.

ORD badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Chicago.

PHL badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Philadelphia.

PHX badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Phoenix.

SAN badge

Awarded when you take off or land in San Diego.

SEA badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Seattle.

SFO badge

Awarded when you take off or land in San Francisco.

TPA badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Tampa.

HNL badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Honolulu.

OGG badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Maui.

ATH badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Athens.

BCN badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Barcelona.

BRU badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Brussels.

CDG badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Paris.

CPH badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Copenhagen.

DUB badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Dublin.

EDI badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Edinburgh.

FCO badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Rome.

FRA badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Frankfurt.

GVA badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Geneva.

LHR badge

Awarded when you take off or land at London Heathrow.

LIS badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Lisbon.

MAD badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Madrid.

MAN badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Manchester.

MUC badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Munich.

MXP badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Milan.

NCE badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Nice.

VCE badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Venice.

ZRH badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Zurich.

AMS Badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Amsterdam.

IST Badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Istanbul.

TLV Badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Tel Aviv.

HKG badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Hong Kong.

HND badge

Awarded when you take off or land at Tokyo–Haneda.

ICN badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Seoul.

NRT badge

Awarded when you take off or land at Tokyo–Narita.

PEK badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Beijing.

PVG badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Shanghai.

SYD badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Sydney.

KIX Badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Osaka.

BOG badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Bogotá, Colombia.

EZE badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

GRU badge

Awarded when you take off or land in São Paulo, Brazil.

LIM badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Lima, Peru.

MEX badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Mexico City, Mexico.

SCL badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Santiago, Chile.

PTY badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Panama City, Panama.

GIG badge

Awarded when you take off or land in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Shooting Star badge

Welcome to the start of something great! The first time you accumulate 10,000 Wings, receive this badge worth 2,000 Wings!

Rising Star badge

More Wings, more miles! Receive this badge worth 2,000 Wings once you accumulate 25,000 Wings!

Mega Star badge

Reach for the top! Receive this badge worth 2,000 Wings once you accumulate 50,000 Wings!

Altitude badge

Earn 500 Wings simply for registering and having Air Canada Altitude status. You must register between April 20 and May 31, 2015 by 19:59 Eastern Time, inclusively to earn this badge.

Altitude Community Badge

Knowledge is power! Fly to any Air Canada, Air Canada Express or Air Canada rouge destination, create a new list on Altitude Community for the same destination, and receive this badge worth 250 Wings. You’ll also receive a badge on... Read More

Top 20 Badge

Congratulations on making it to the top! Earn your share of 10,000,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles miles for landing in the final Top 20 of the leaderboard as of September 18, 2015. This badge will be awarded on September 18, 2015.

Cross Channel badge

Pick which side of the Channel you like best – or try both! Earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the 3 following airports: London Heathrow (LHR), Brussels (BRU), Paris (CDG).

Palace badge

Feel like royalty every time you take off or land at any 2 of the 4 following airports: Paris (CDG), Milan (MXP), Madrid (MAD), Venice (VCE).

Emperor badge

The dynasty is gone but the splendour remains! Earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the 4 following airports: Hong Kong (HKG), Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (PVG), Osaka (KIX).

Scenic Drive badge

From East to West, take the scenic route! Earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the 4 following airports to earn this badge: Victoria (YYJ), Winnipeg (YWG), Halifax (YHZ), Quebec City (YQB).

Happy Hour badge

A toast to you! Indulge in the sand and sun and earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the 5 following airports: Mexico City (MEX), Rio de Janeiro (GIG), São Paulo (GRU), Buenos Aires (EZE), Panama City (PTY).

Castle badge

Experience the regalia every time you take off or land at any 2 of the 4 following airports: London Heathrow (LHR), Manchester (MAN), Dublin (DUB), Edinburgh (EDI).

Canal badge

Visit these unique urban waterways and earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the 5 following airports: Amsterdam (AMS), Manchester (MAN), Paris (CDG), Venice (VCE), Copenhagen (CPH).

Pacific badge

Explore the great Pacific coastline and earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the following 5 Pacific Coast airports: Sydney (SYD), Tokyo–Narita (NRT), Tokyo–Haneda (HND), Incheon (ICN), Osaka (KIX).

Dulce de Leche badge

Satisfy your sweet tooth after earning this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the following 5 South American airports: São Paulo (GRU), Bogotá (BOG), Lima (LIM), Santiago (SCL), Buenos Aires (EZE).

Prairie badge

From plentiful plains to the ‘Breadbasket,’ earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 3 of the following 4 airports: Edmonton (YEG), Saskatoon (YXE), Regina (YQR), Winnipeg (YWG).

Trillium badge

Travelling through the province of this emblematic flora? Earn this badge every time you take off or land at all 3 of these Ontario airports: Ottawa (YOW), Thunder Bay (YQT) and Toronto's City Airport (YTZ).

Biergarten badge

Earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 3 of the following 5 airports, located in cities famous for their local brew: Brussels (BRU), Frankfurt (FRA), Munich (MUC), Geneva (GVA), Zurich (ZRH).

Citrus badge

Experience the zest of travel and earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the following 4 Sunshine State city airports: Miami (MIA), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), Tampa (TPA).

Theater badge

From West 42nd to the West End, earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of these 5 airports, located in theatre capitals: London Heathrow (LHR), Paris (CDG), Los Angeles (LAX), New York LaGuardia (LGA), Toronto's... Read More

East Coast badge

Earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 3 of these 6 airports across North America’s ‘coast with the most’: Philadelphia (PHL), New York LaGuardia (LGA), New York Newark (EWR), Chicago (ORD), Washington D.C. –... Read More

Sun Belt badge

Slap on your sunscreen and earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 3 of these 6 sun-soaked airports: Houston (IAH), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), San Diego (SAN), Phoenix (PHX).

Air Canada rouge^TM badge

Explore the culture and cobblestones of Europe, enjoy the innovative spirit of Asia, and see why Air Canada rouge^TM is a new way to vacation. Earn this badge by taking off or landing at any 2 of the following 9 Air Canada rouge^TM destinations:... Read More

Civilization Badge

Return to where it all began, and earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the following 5 ancient cities: Rome (FCO), Venice (VCE), Athens (ATH), Tel Aviv (TLV), and Istanbul (IST).

Palm Badge

From sandy beaches to the Sunset Strip, hear the rustle of the palms when you earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the following 7 airports: Honolulu (HNL), Maui (OGG), Sydney (SYD), Los Angeles (LAX), Las Vegas... Read More

Rising Sun Badge

From Chiba to Kansai, travel the Pacific coastline and earn this badge every time you take off or land at any 2 of the following 3 Japanese metropolitan airports: Tokyo–Narita (NRT), Tokyo–Haneda (HND), and Osaka (KIX).

Rest Up Badge

Sit back, relax, and earn the Rest Up badge (250 Wings) for every take off and every landing when you enjoy the benefits of flying in Premium Economy, Premium rouge, or Business Class to any eligible North American airport on the... Read More

Stretch Out! Badge

Lie back, relax, and earn the Stretch Out! badge (500 Wings) for every take off and every landing at any eligible international airport (Europe, Asia, South Pacific, South America) on the Destination badge list, while basking in the ultimate... Read More

IHG Rewards Club Share Everything now open for registration - Earn up to 115,500 Bonus Points and more

Last week we brought you the first details of the IHG Rewards Club's Summer promotion for their members in the Americas, Share Everything. The promotion is now officially open for registration (a day later than they promised, if you tried yesterday there was some sort of restricted login pop up) and like all major IHG Rewards Club promotions now, the offers are personalized to each member however this promotion goes further by not only awarding bonuses to the registered member but also provides additional bonuses that you can share with friends or family or if you are feeling greedy keep all to yourself!

My offer when I registered is as follows:

As mentioned last week, it appears everyone will get the 500 bonus points for that first night but then after the offer changes dependent on the member. For me, if I complete 30 nights I will earn 68,500 bonus points + 58,500 more that I can either share or keep.

To find out what offer you are entitled to simply register and login here.
The promotion is open to residents of Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the fifty (50) United States (and the District of Columbia), Puerto Rico, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Remember qualifying for the bonuses doesn't start until May 1st, so while you can register now any stays between today and the 30th won't count to Share Everything but should towards Set Your Sights as long as you registered for that promo!

It appears that my of 68,500 bonus points is the low end of the offer range as some people are seeing up to 115,500 potential bonus points while the shareable portion seems to be the same across all offers. What offer did you receive?

Apr 20 Update: NBC World Elite MasterCard added to comparison charts, CBC article on points not being rewarding, more Wyndham airline bonuses

Here is your first update of the week!

News, Tips & Tricks
The National Bank World Elite MasterCard has been added to our credit card comparison charts. You can find this card with very strong insurance and an up to 2% return on the following charts

Canadian Travel Credit Card Comparison: All Travel Rewards Credit Cards

Canadian Travel Credit Card Comparison: Travel Points Credit Cards 

 
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There is an interesting article posted on CBC today discussing why loyalty programs aren't so rewarding. While the article raises some valid points, I think the issue that has arisen is that there isn't enough loyalty program education out there and hence many reward program members get trapped in the pitfalls. I think many Rewards Canada readers would tend to disagree with this article as we know many of you are reaping huge benefits from them. For me personally reward programs have saved me well into the five figures in travel costs in the past 12 months alone! What are you thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Posts since our last update!

• San Diego Highlights: Caffe Bella Italia - Pacific Beach
  The Rewards Canada family's last vacation was spent in the San Diego area a few weeks ago…

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Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- Earn up to Triple AAdvantage Miles for stays at Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City locations Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 15

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Double MileageBank Miles when you fly American Airlines on the following routes: Dallas - Beijing, Chicago - Beijing, Chicago - Shanghai, Los Angeles - Shanghai, Dallas - Shanghai, or Dallas - Hong Kong. More... May 7 - Jun 30, 15

Meridiana Club
- 20% Avios Discount on all award tickets for flights on Meridiana. More... Until Jun 20, 15
- Double Avios when you fly with Iberia. More... Until Jun 15, 15

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Double QMiles on weekday stays at  all Wyndham Rewards Hotels Worldwide starting with your 1st stay. More... Until May 29, 15

Saudia Alfursan
- 2,000 Bonus Alfursan Miles for stays at the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection. More... Until May 31, 15 
- Double Alfursan Miles for stays at the Grand Rotana Resort & Spa in Sharm El Sheikh. More... Until Jun 30, 15  
- Double Alfursan Miles on weekday stays at  all Wyndham Rewards Hotels Worldwide starting with your 1st stay. More... Until May 29, 15

Starwood Preferred Guest
- Earn 3,000 bonus Starpoints® for every six SPG Pro bookings — up to 12,000 bonus Starpoints. More... Until May 31, 15

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Earn up to 1,000 Miles&Smiles Miles for stays at Elite World Hotels in Turkey. More... Until Oct 31, 15
- Earn up to 2,500 Miles&Smiles Miles for stays at Marmara Hotels in Turkey. More... Until Dec 31, 15


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San Diego Highlights: Caffe Bella Italia - Pacific Beach

The Rewards Canada family's last vacation was spent in the San Diego area a few weeks ago and we thought to try something new on the blog outside of the usual hotel reviews, earning and redemptions stories that go along with those vacations and that something new is a restaurant review. Now of course we ate at lots of places, some were great and one was absolutely horrible but the one that probably stood out the most other than our favorite breakfast place called The Mission was our last night of the trip dinner at Caffe Bella Italia in Pacific Beach.

Related: 

• Earning Stories: 10,822 Gold Passport Points on a 5 Night Stay at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay 

• Rewards Canada's upcoming vacation travel - Painting a picture of loyalty programs in action

We were staying at the Hyatt Regency Mission Bay and didn't want to travel too far for an Italian meal and weren't being impressed by any of the restaurants that were showing up on Google, Yelp or Urban Spoon. So I did what I vowed not to do when I travel, ask the hotel concierge. The last time we did it was six years prior at this very hotel and the restaurant recommendation was horrible (and I think the concierge got a kick back) The concierge told us about Caffe Bella Italia and a quick Google search brought up very favorable reviews and a star ranking higher than those I had searched at previously. So what the heck we thought we would give it shot.

The charming little place was a quick 10 minute or so drive from our hotel in the heart of Pacific Beach (not on the beach, but more like downtown PB) and unlike many of the restaurants in that area it has its own parking lot which was nice to have as most of the on-street parking was full.

 The service was second to none and the restaurant went out of its way to make our dining experience great. When my daughter asked if they have Fettuccine Alfredo, they said it wasn't on the menu but they would make it especially for her. Want the Gnocchi with sage butter sauce? No problem they made that as well. All four meals that were ordered, the Fettuccine Alfredo, the Gnocchi with sage butter sauce, the La Nostra ‘Matriciana and the Scaloppine di Pollo  Limone e Vino were all so delicious.

Gnocchi with sage butter sauce

Scaloppine di Pollo  Limone e Vino

Fettuccine Alfredo

La Nostra ‘Matriciana

The desserts were also impeccable, in particular the Panna cotta, which was divine!

Lemon Sorbet

Panna cotta

There it is, a simple review where the photos and the taste of the food speak louder than any words can. Hopefully this may help some of you when in the beaches area of San Diego who may be craving some Italian and want to know of a good place to dine at!


Link: Caffe Bella Italia

Apr 17 Update: United Club Lounges to leave Priority Pass, 80 Bonus Air Miles at Rexall, Big Club Carlson Bonus for Avis rentals

Here is your Friday update!

News, Tips & Tricks
If you are a Priority Pass member you should have seen this in their April newsletter but just in case you didn't here it is. United Club Lounges will no longer be a part of the Priority Pass Business Class lounge access program as of May 15. This sees 49 lounges removed from the program which still provides access to well over 700 lounges worldwide.

Here is a coupon for 80 bonus Air Miles if you spend $50 or more at Rexall between Apr 20 and 23.

Air Inuit is adding new service between Quebec City and Kuujjuaq. It is essentially a tag on to their current Montreal to Kuujjuaq service. These flights start April 26th and eligible fares will earn points in Air Inuit's Isaruuk FFP. (Source: Airlineroute.net)

Posts since our last update!

• Great Air France & KLM Business Class Sales for SUMMER flights between Canada and Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia
  Air France  & KLM are once again running an amazing business class sale for their flights out of Canada!…
• IHG Rewards Club - 500 Bonus Points on your first stay with their Share Forever Summer Promotion
  IHG Rewards Club has revealed some details of their next systemwide promotion that opens for registration on April 20th. Once…

Travel Deals
WestJet has extended their 2 day sale with some great fares for travel in Canada, to the U.S. and Mexico/Caribbean! Book by Apr 22 for travel until Jun 24. Find out more here.


Bonus Offers
Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points on all qualifying stays at the BEST WESTERN Hotel Graslin - Nantes More... Until Jun 30, 15

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- 9,250 Bonus Gold Points on a qualifying rental of 4 or more days at participating Avis locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. More... Until Sep 30, 15

Czech Airlines OK Plus
- Double OK Plus Miles on weekday stays at  all Wyndham Rewards Hotels Worldwide starting with your 1st stay. More... Until May 29, 15

Emirates Skywards
- Quadruple Skywards Miles for stays at the Address Hotels & Resorts in Dubai. More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Aug 31, 15
- Double Skywards Miles for stays at the Raffles Praslin. More... Until Jun 30, 15

IHG Rewards Club
- Double IHG Rewards Club points on dining at IHG restaurants, drinks and in-room services charged to your room for stays at InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts across Asia Pacific (excluding China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), the Middle East and Africa. More... Until Aug 31, 15

Turkish Miles&Smiles
- Double Miles&Smiles Miles on weekday stays at  all Wyndham Rewards Hotels Worldwide starting with your 1st stay. More... Until May 29, 15


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