August 17 Update: 5x AIR MILES on Back to School Gadgets, Last day for 25,000 Avios contest, up to 50% off when buying MileagePlus miles

Welcome to another week of loyalty rewards updates here on Rewards Canada!

News, Tips & Tricks
Don't forget about our promotion where you can get a $250 Gift Card from Rewards Canada. Find out more here.

AIR MILES is offering 5x Rewards Miles for buying 'gadgets' via airmilesshops.ca retailers until August 24. Find out more here and find more ways to earn more miles for Back to School shopping here.

Today is the last day to head on over to FrequentFlyerBonuses.com for a chance to win 25,000 Avios!
Find all the details on the contest here!


United has once again released their best potential offer for buying MileagePlus miles. The total discount can vary so if you are one of the lucky ones who can receive the 50% off  you will actually be able to buy the miles under 2 cents a piece (in USD) This can be a great deal since you should be able to pull at least 2 cents per mile value out of them when redeeming (for the right award that is!) If you don't get the 50% then this bonus may only be good for those needing to top off their account or keep their account active. For example I received the up to 50% off offer while my wife got 35%. Find out more here

Posts since our last update:

• Last two weeks: TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card with First Year Free and 25,000 Aeroplan Miles
  Unless we receive notice from TD stating an extension, there are only two weeks left to jump on one of…
  
  

Travel Deals
InterContinental Hotels: Escape to Hawaii. Stay 4 nights, get 5th night free.!


Bonus Offers
Air France KLM Flying Blue (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double BlueBiz Credits on all flights to South America. More... Until Aug 31, 15

AIR MILES
- 25 Bonus AIR MILES Rewards Miles for every $100 you spend via airmilesshops.ca. More... Until Sep 7, 15

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles on Hertz rentals of 3 or more days Worldwide. More... Book by Aug 31 for rentals until Nov 30, 15
- Triple Skywards Miles when you rent a Van, Station Wagon or SUV from Sixt Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 15

Hilton HHonors
- 2,500 Bonus HHonors Points by using Digital Key at participating properties. More... Until Sep 30, 15

Le Club accorhotels
- 300 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays participating Accor Hotels in the U.K. and Ireland. More... Book by Sep 3 for stays until Apr 3, 16

Oman Air Sindbad (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Sindbad Miles on rentals with Sixt Worldwide. More... Until Oct 31, 15

Orbitz Rewards (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double Orbucks when you book Flight+Hotel Packages via the Orbitz App. More... Book by Sep 21, 15

United MileagePlus
- Earn up to 200,000 Bonus MileagePlus miles when you fly United Airlines Worldwide. More... Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone. Until Dec 31, 15
- Double MileagePlus Miles on all Wyndham Rewards Hotels stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay. More... Until Oct 9, 15
- 2,500 Bonus MileagePlus Miles for each stay at the the Hotel am Steinplatz Berlin. More... Until Jan 31, 16
- Save up to 50% when you buy MileagePlus miles. Discounts vary depending on the member. More... Until Aug 31, 15
- Save 20% when you transfer MileagePlus miles to friends or family. More... Until Aug 24, 15

Today's Bonus Offer Highlight is brought to you by:

Last two weeks: TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card with First Year Free and 25,000 Aeroplan Miles

Unless we receive notice from TD stating an extension, there are only two weeks left to jump on one of the best Aeroplan card offers out there right now. That offer provides up to 25,000 Aeroplan Miles along with the first year annual fee waived on the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card which means you essentially get enough miles for a redemption in North America for free. This offer is set to expire on August 31, 2015. You can tie this offer in with other credit card bonuses to boost your Aeroplan balance by six figures! Find out how to do that here.

Here are the card details:
Earn 25,000 Aeroplan Miles and first year free when you apply for and receive the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card. Earn 15,000 miles when you complete your first purchase and an additional 10,000 miles when you spend $1,000 within the first 90 days. Full details * Residents of Canada Only Until August 31, 2015.

Miles Earned: 1 Aeroplan Mile/$1.00
Bonus #1: 1.5 mile/$1 on gas, grocery and drugstore purchases
Bonus #2: Aeroplan Card and TD Visa can be used together at Aeroplan partner locations
Insurance: 15 Day Travel & Medical Insurance, Trip Cancel/Trip Interrupt, Delayed/Lost Baggage, Flight Delay, Collision Loss and Damage Insurance, Common Carrier (incl. Auto Rental), Purchase Security & Extended Warranty, Emergency Travel Assistance
Annual Fee: $120 Primary User, $50 Authorized User
Income Requirement: $60,000 or $100,000 household
Interest Rate: 19.99%
Minimum Credit Limit: $5,000
Exclusive Privileges: Concierge
Air Canada Benefits: When travelling on Reward flights: One annual one-time use Maple Leaf Lounge access pass, First checked bag free, Priority check-in, Priority boarding

August 13 Update: Receive a $250 Gift Card from Rewards Canada, 100 free Marriott Rewards Points, WestJet 767 further delayed

Your Thursday update is as follows:

News, Tips & Tricks
We launched an exciting promotion today where you can get a $250 Gift Card from Rewards Canada. See the link below in Posts since our last update for complete details!

In the U.S. the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express just underwent some changes so I reached out to Amex here in Canada to see if any changes were in the pipeline for the Canadian version. Unfortunately at this time there are no planned changes to the card. No that this is bad news as the card itself is great (hence its #1 ranking here on Rewards Canada for hotel cards) but how sweet would it be if we saw the same 30,000 point sign up bonus that the U.S. sees right now!

According the airlineroute.net the inaugural WestJet Boeing 767 service has been pushed back by two weeks again. Now the first YYC-YYZ flight is not scheduled until Sep 5. Last we had heard it was supposed to arrive into YYC on August 10th for testing and training here but there was no sign of the plane here on that day.



NOW EXPIRED! Check out the bonus offers section for an offer of 100 free Marriott Rewards points! 

Don't forget to head on over to FrequentFlyerBonuses.com for a chance to win 25,000 Avios!
Find all the details on the contest here!


Posts since our last update:

• Receive a $250 Gift Card with the Capital One® Aspire Travel™ World Elite MasterCard®
  Today we launched an exciting new promotion where you can receive a $250 Gift Card from Rewards Canada when you…
  
  

Bonus Offers
Air China Phoenix Miles
- Earn up to Triple Phoenix Miles Kilometers for eligible stays at participating Hilton Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. More...  Until Oct 31, 15

American AAdvantage
- Save up to 35% when you buy American Airlines AAdvantage® miles for yourself or gift miles to a friend or loved one. More... Until Sep 3, 15

Emirates Skywards
- Double Skywards Miles and save 10% when you rent from Budget for 3 or more days in South Africa. More... Until Sep 30, 15

IHG Rewards Club
- Earn up to 10,000 bonus points with the bonus points package at the EVEN Hotel Times Square South in New York City or visit Rockville, Maryland, and Norwalk, Connecticut, locations for up to 5,000 bonus points per stay. More... Ongoing

Marriott Rewards
- 100 FREE Rewards Points for completing a quick survey about Marriott emails. More... Until ?

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- Double Miles&Smiles Miles for stays at Maritim Hotels in Europe. More... Until Oct 31, 15

United MileagePlus
- Double MileagePlus Miles for stays on the Linger Longer for Less package at participating Langham Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 15

Today's Bonus Offer Highlight is brought to you by:

Receive a $250 Gift Card with the Capital One® Aspire Travel™ World Elite MasterCard®

Today we launched an exciting new promotion where you can receive a $250 Gift Card from Rewards Canada when you apply and are approved for the Capital One® Aspire Travel™ World Elite MasterCard®. The gift cards you can choose from are Amazon.ca, Starbucks, Chapters Indigo and the Ultimate Dining Card. Find out more here!

August 12 Update: Double Cashback at ebates, 20% bonus miles on EVA Air flights out of YYZ & YVR, 3,000 Bonus Avios with Rocketmiles

A nice selection of offers for you today!

News, Tips & Tricks
As an add on to our Back to School feature you will now find that ebates Canada is offering Double Cash Back from select retailers like Staples, Amazon.ca, Old Navy and others that tie in nicely with Back to School shoppping!

In the bonus offer section check out the new flight bonus from EVA Air! If you are flying with this Taiwanese carrier out of Toronto or Vancouver this fall be sure to register for this offer so that you can 20% more Infinity MileageLands miles!

Don't forget to head on over to FrequentFlyerBonuses.com for a chance to win 25,000 Avios!
Find all the details on the contest here!

Posts since our last update:

• Earning Stories: Success with Alitalia MilleMiglia Status Match Offer
  Welcome to the next post in the Earning Stories series right here on Rewards Canada. For years we have provided…
  
  

Bonus Offers
Air New Zealand Airpoints
- Double Airpoints Dollars for stays on the Linger Longer for Less package at participating Langham Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 15

British Airways Executive Club
- 3,000 Bonus Avios on your first Rocketmiles booking More... Until Oct 1, 15

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Earn up to 30% Bonus Infinity MileageLands Miles from/to North America, Europe, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China, Singapore, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, and Okinawa. More... Sep 1 - Nov 30, 15
- Earn up to Quadruple Infinity MileageLands Miles when you rent a car with HERTZ in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand or Asia. More... Until Oct 31, 15

La Quinta Returns
- Earn up to Triple Returns Points for stays at participating La Quinta locations in the U.S. More... Until Sep 10, 15

Malaysia Airlines Enrich (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to Triple Enrich Miles for stays at participating Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 15

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Earn up to Triple Enrich Miles for stays at participating Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 15

Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 50% Bonus Miles&Smiles Miles at any Serena Hotel across Africa and Asia. More... Until Oct 15, 15
- Earn up to 1,000 Miles&Smiles Miles with the purchase of Pepsi Max products in Turkey. More... Until Oct 31, 15

Vietnam Airlines Golden Lotus Plus (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to Triple Golden Lotus Miles for stays at participating Okura Hotels & Resorts, Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 15

Today's Bonus Offer Highlight is brought to you by:

Earning Stories: Success with Alitalia MilleMiglia Status Match Offer

Welcome to the next post in the Earning Stories series right here on Rewards Canada. For years we have provided you with the details on earning points and miles (both regular earning and bonus opportunities) and these stories show the actual offers in action.

Unlike other earning stories, this one does not involve a flight, hotel stay or car rental. This one looks at an offer we posted here on Rewards Canada back at the beginning of July about Alitalia MilleMiglia having a open elite status match offer. Here is the offer as it appeared on our blog:

Here is the offer as pulled from our MilleMiglia page as it is still valid and if you haven't taken advantage of it yet you really should!

Receive an Elite Status Match to a non SkyTeam airline program. Full details
Getting a status match is very easy. Send an email to StatusMatchMilleMiglia@alitalia.com by December 31, 2015 with the following:

• First name and last name
• MilleMiglia code
• A legible copy of your existing valid Frequent Flyer program card
  

Your status will be effective 5 working days after you send the request email and will be maintained until March 31, 2016. To confirm that your status has been recognized, you will receive a personalized email from your new Club.

I decided to give this an offer a shot and wanted to test it with a status I have that was expiring soon. I used my Cathay Pacific Marco Polo Club Gold status that came with The Platinum Card from American Express. This benefit is actually no longer available from the card but my Gold status with Cathay Pacific is valid until the end of September. I simply scanned my Marco Polo Gold card and sent it off as instructed above with my name and MilleMiglia number. About three weeks later I received confirmation from Alitalia that my status match went through! I was now a MilleMiglia Freccia Alata Club member (essentially Gold status).

Here is the screen shot from the email confirming the status match:

I actually received my physical card in the mail yesterday! Now I have elite status with Alitalia and SkyTeam until the end of March next year even though my status with Cathay ends in a month and a half! I would say this is a success story.  I don't think I'll fly Alitalia before the end of March to take advantage of all the benefits but there is a good chance I will be on some SkyTeam flights so it will be nice to take advantage of the SkyTeam benefits allotted with SkyTeam Elite Plus status:

Not only will I look at using these benefits, by having this status with Alitalia I may be able to extend it to other status match offers that are in or will be coming to the market since my Cathay status ends soon.

We'd love to hear how you have if you have taken advantage of this status match offer as well! Leave us a comment below or submit your own earning story to be featured here on Rewards Canada.


Have your earning story featured!
Not only are Rewards Canada Earning Stories featured in this series, we want to feature your stories as well! Have you earned a lot of points or miles by utilizing offers posted on Rewards Canada? We would love to hear about them and potentially feature them here on Rewards Canada. Tell us your earning story by emailing us the details of what you earned, screenshots if possible of those points/miles posting and what offer on Rewards Canada you took advantage of. Email it to us info@rewardscanada.ca

 ---

August 11 Update: Miles & Points Tips for Back to School Shopping, Enter to win 25,000 Avios, 15 new bonus offers

Here is your update for Tuesday August 11th!

News, Tips & Tricks
We have released yet another miles and points feature. This time we provide tips for Back to School shopping and how to earn more miles and points while doing so! In fact these tips can be used year round and not just for Back to School. The feature is the first section for our new Guide to Points & Miles for Students. You can find the Back to School Shopping feature here.

Over on our global site, FrequentFlyerBonuses.com we have launched the third contest in FFB10, the year long celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the website! Head on over and enter for your chance to win 25,000 British Airways Executive Club Avios from Rocketmiles and FFB! In addition to that if you haven't booked with Rocketmiles yet we have an exclusive promotion with them to earn 3,000 Bonus Avios on your first booking. Find all the details on the contest and exclusive promotion here!

Posts since our last update:

• Miles & More Award Ticket Sale - Save 50% on Economy Class award tickets to Europe from YYZ & YUL
  Once again we bring you the latest set Miles & More "Meilenschnaeppchen" discounted mileage awards!  This month we only…
  
  

Bonus Offers
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Mileage Plan Miles when you fly Alaska Airlines between Portland and Kansas City or Minneapolis. More... Feb 18 - Mar 18, 15

Czech Airlines OK Plus
- Double OK Plus Miles when you fly Czech Airlines between Prague and Radom. More... Sep 19 - Oct 23, 15
- Double OK Plus Miles when you fly Czech Airlines between Lodz and Prague, Lodz and Edinburgh, or Rzeszow and Edinburgh. More... Until Sep 30, 15
- 50% OK Plus Miles when you fly Czech Airlines between Prague and Ekaterinburg, Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, or St. Petersburg, as well as between Karlovy Vary and Moscow or St. Petersburg. More... Until Aug 31, 15
- Double OK Plus Miles when you fly Czech Airlines between Prague and Kiev, or between Kosice and Kiev. More... Until Aug 31, 15

IHG Rewards Club
- Earn up to 15,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for stays at any IHG hotels and resorts across Asia Pacific (excluding China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), Middle East and Africa. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Triple Airline Miles for stays at participating Holiday Inn hotels in Asia Pacific (excluding China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), Middle East and Africa. More... Book by Aug 31 for stays until Dec 19, 15
- Earn up 5,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you join IHG Rewards Club Dining. More... Until Aug 31, 15

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles when you fly American Airlines between the U.S and Asia. More... Sep 1 - Dec 15, 15

Orbitz Rewards (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 4x Orbucks when you book select AeroMexico flights to coastal destinations like Acapulco and Cancun. More... Book by Aug 30, 15
- 4x Orbucks when you book your flight with select family-friendly Atlantis hotels. More... Book by Aug 30, 15
- $45 Bonus Orbucks when you book select Los Cabos hotel + flight packages. More... Book by Aug 30, 15
- $40 Bonus Orbucks when you book your select flight and hotel stay at the award-winning Wynn Las Vegas or Encore resort More... Book by Aug 20, 15

South African Airways Voyager
- Double Voyager Miles on all flights between Wonderboom and Cape Town. More... Aug 16 - Oct 31, 15
- 3,000 Bonus Voyager Miles on your first Rocketmiles booking More... Book by Sep 30, 15

Today's Bonus Offer Highlight is brought to you by:

Miles & More Award Ticket Sale - Save 50% on Economy Class award tickets to Europe from YYZ & YUL

Once again we bring you the latest set Miles & More "Meilenschnaeppchen" discounted mileage awards!  This month we only see 50% off economy class offers out of Montreal and Toronto. No Vancouver and no business class options.

With this month's offers you can redeem Miles & More miles for round trip tickets from Montreal or Toronto to Europe for only 30,000 miles in Economy Class for travel between December 1st and January 15th.  That is a 50% discount over the regular mileage requirement. Granted all these tickets will also have fuel surcharges but this is still a pretty good deal when you look at it as a whole in terms of miles+cash outlay. 

The crazy thing is that you can actually get the round trip ticket for only $5,000 in credit card spend (and a $120 annual fee). How so? As we usually mention in this post you can boost your Miles & More account with the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express. If you read our blog regularly you'll know that right now the card comes with a 20,000 Starpoint sign up bonus. When you convert those 20,000 Starpoints to Miles & More SPG will award you an additional 5,000 miles. Which gives you 25,000 miles but if you spend $5,000 on the card you'll have 25,000 Starpoints and the 5,000 Miles bonus giving you the 30,000 miles required for this flight. Of course fuel surcharges and taxes are extra.

Simply book the offers seen here by August 31st.  
Full details on this offer can be found here

---