October 20 Update: Transfer Aeroplan Miles for 1.5 cents, Save up to 30% on Fairmont stays, lots of global bonuses!

News, Tips & Tricks
Aeroplan has lowered the price for transferring miles until November 1st. The usual price is 2 cents per mile but right now you can transfer for 1.5 cents per mile. Not a great deal either way but if someone you know may be shy 5,000 or 10,000 miles of a very valuable award it can be worth it to transfer miles over. Just do you math before hand if you are thinking about transferring miles. Find out more here.

In case voting yesterday in the election wasn't enough for you, you can vote for your favourite travel rewards credit card! Over 5,000 people have voted and we would love to hear from you if you haven't voted yet. Vote here!


Posts since our last update:

• Introducing the new updates to the Capital One® Aspire Travel™ World Elite MasterCard®
  Way back in February we had detailed the launch of the  Capital One® Aspire Travel™ World Elite MasterCard® which replaced…
  
  

Travel Deals
Fairmont Hotel's Moments offer has been updated again. You can enjoy up to 30% off stays and if your are a Fairmont President's Club member you'll get a room upgrade (based on availability of course!) Find out more here.

Bonus Offers
Bangkok Airways FlyerBonus (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Earn up to 8x FlyerBonus Points for stays at Anantara Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Dec 20, 15
- 5x FlyerBonus Points for stays at the Kiridara Hotel, Luang Prabang. More... Until Dec 23, 15

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles on rentals of five days or more in any Sixt location Worldwide. More... Book by Oct 31 for rentals until Dec 31, 15

Etihad Guest
- Triple Guest Miles for stays at over 2,800 Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Triple Guest Miles for Europcar rentals Worldwide except in the USA and Canada. More... Book by Nov 17 for rentals until Dec 31, 15

Saudia Alfursan
- Double Alfursan Miles for stays at any participating Shangri-La Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 15

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- 500 Bonus ROP Miles for stays at any Accor Hotel Worldwide (ibis, ibis Styles and All seasons excluded. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Double Royal Orchid Plus Miles for stays at participating Anantara Hotels in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Maldives, Thailand, UAE, or Vietnam. More...Until Dec 31, 15
- Double Royal Orchid Plus Miles for stays at participating Avani Hotels in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, Seychelles or Vietnam. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Double Royal Orchid Miles for stays at any participating Shangri-La Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 15
- Earn up to Triple Royal Orchid Plus Miles for stays at participating Mandarin Oriental Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Double Royal Orchid Plus Miles for stays at participating Per Aquum Hotels in Maldives or UAE. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Earn up to Quaruple Royal Orchid Plus Miles for Avis rentals of 3 or more days in Asia, Canada, Europe, the U.S. Middle East , Africa. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Earn up to Quadruple Royal Orchid Plus Miles for Avis rentals of 3 or more days in Thailand. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Earn Up to Quadruple Royal Orchid Plus Miles when you rent from Hertz for 3 or more days in Asia, Canada, Europe, the U.S. Middle East, Africa, Australia or New Zealand.More... s Until Dec 31, 15
- Earn up to Triple Royal Orchid Plus Miles when you rent from Hertz in Thailand for 3 or more days. More... Until Dec 31, 15

October 19 Update: Scotia buys Sears Card portfolio from Chase, Sonesta Hotels added to Rewards Canada

Election day here in Canada and lots of things going on behind the scenes mean our daily update is being posted later than usual today!


News, Tips & Tricks
Last Thursday news broke the Scotiabank had bought JP Morgan Chase's credit card portfolio here in Canada. There was mixed news as to whether it was just the Sears card portfolio being bought seeing as that agreement ends in November or if it was all of Chase's cards including Amazon and Marriott. We have spoken with both Chase and Scotiabank representatives and have confirmed it is strictly the Sears Card portfolio that Scotia has bought. This is good news as I know some of you were worried about what might happen to your Marriott Premier Visa in particular. We don't have the details yet as to what the Sears cards from Scotia will be like but hopefully they keep the Voyage MasterCard as it was a decent card.


We added yet another new loyalty program to Rewards Canada today. Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass. This hotel chain has over 30 hotels in the U.S.,  4 in the Caribbean, over 15 in South America and several Egyptian properties. They have an elite status match so if you hold status in another hotel program be sure to get it matched before you stay with Sonesta! See our Travel Pass bonus points page here.


Vote for your favourite travel rewards credit card! We are closing in on 5,000 votes already and would love to hear from you if you haven't voted yet. Vote here!


Posts since our last update:

• WestJet's Disney Frozen themed plane - Disney magic inside and out!
  We mentioned in our October 16th update that there was to be news about a new initiative coming from…
  
  

Bonus Offers
Aegean Miles&Bonus
- Double Miles&Bonus Miles for stays at the Domotel Anemolia. More... Until Nov 30, 15
- Double Miles&Bonus Miles for Hertz rentals of 3 or more days in Greece. More... Until Nov 30, 15

airBaltic PINS (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- Double PINS for Avis rentals of 2+ days in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. More... Until Dec 31, 15

Air Canada / Aeroplan
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles and a $50 SHOP.CA voucher for Thursday - Sunday night stays at 70 participating hotels across Canada. More... Until Jan 31, 16

Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles (on FrequentFlyerBonuses.com only)
- 50% Bonus GarudaMiles on Garuda Indonesia flights between Surabaya or Denpasar and Banyuwangi. More... Until Nov 30, 15

Le Club accorhotels
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Czech Republic and Slovakia. More... Nov 1 - Dec 31, 15

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Double QMiles for stays at any participating Shangri-La Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 15

Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass
- Elite Status Match to preferred and elite status levels in other hotel programs. More... Ongoing
- Double Travel Pass Points for stays at the Sonesta Coconut Grove Miami. More... Until Jan 31, 16
- Double Travel Pass Points for stays at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore. More... Until Mar 31, 16
- Double Travel Pass Points for stays at the Sonesta Philadelphia Downtown. More... Until Mar 31, 16

WestJet's Disney Frozen themed plane - Disney magic inside and out!

We mentioned in our October 16th update that there was to be news about a new initiative coming from WestJet and Disney on Sunday October 18th. If you've  watched the news or been online in the past 24 hours you'll more than likely know that the new initiative is the WestJet Disney Frozen themed plane. This is the second plane is WestJet's fleet to be painted in a Disney theme, the first being the Magic plane featuring Sorcerer Mickey. This newest themed plane goes even further than just painting the outside of the plane as the interior also is Frozen themed with head rest decor, the overhead bins being painted, bulkhead walls and lavatory mirror treatments. When you move along the plane if goes from frozen in the front to warm Olaf beach scene in the back.

Fun facts about the #DisneyFrozenThemedPlane:

• The aircraft was painted in Fort Worth, Texas.
• The paint team included team members from Canada, the United States and Germany. They watched Frozen to get them into the spirit before work began.
• The job took 21 days of 12-hour rotations involving a constant crew of six painters working 24/7.
• The crew used 643.5 litres of paint consisting of 23 colours -- five for the umbrella alone.
• Sparkles were added to the paint in sections to add shimmer and shine as the aircraft moves.
• An airbrush artist was brought in to work on details around the sun, water and castle.
• The inside of the aircraft has decals and headrest covers that mimic the cold-to-warm (back-to-front) theme on the outside of the aircraft.
• There are 54 separate overhead bin doors on the aircraft and each has a unique Frozen decal.
• Several dozen bagels were consumed during the painting of this aircraft (there weren't any doughnut stores nearby). The crew drank more than 100 litres of sweet tea. 

The plane will be utilized all over WestJet's route network so there is great likelihood that many WestJet travellers will get to experience this new themed plane.

Video of the making of the Frozen Themed Plane:

Here are some photos courtesy of WestJet:

 More photos and videos of this amazing new theme can be found here.

October 16 Update: Vote for your favourite Travel Rewards Credit Card, Amex Travel Hotel Sale, 2x Sears Club Points on travel purchases

Final update of the week!

News, Tips & Tricks
WestJet and Disney will be launching a new initiative this weekend. Don't have any details yet but it is an 'Announcement by WestJet, WestJet Vacations and The Walt Disney Company (Canada) Ltd. Parks & Resorts. '. I'm guessing more of a flight+hotel+ticket package initiative seeing that WestJet Vacations is included. (Source WestJet)

There are only two weeks left to vote for your favourite travel rewards credit card! We are closing in on 5,000 votes already and would love to hear from you if you haven't voted yet. Vote here!

We added a new loyalty program to Rewards Canada today. Federal Hotels International Gracious Rewards. This small hotel chain from Asia is offering Triple Points for all stays at their Kuala Lumpur and Sydney hotels. Check them out if your travels take you to that part of the world over the next few months. See our Gracious Rewards bonus points page here.

Over on our global site we detailed how you can an elite status match with Sonesta Hotels Travel Plus program.

Posts since our last update:

• AIR MILES and Uber team up - Earn AIR MILES Reward Miles on Uber rides + first ride bonus + earn Mystery Miles today + win miles
  Just as we posted our daily update which featured the Uber Calgary launch and linking your Uber account to…
  
  

Travel Deals
American Express Travel is once again offering their up to 40% off hotels sale. Book by Oct 31 and remember you earn 1 additional Membership Rewards point per dollar spent on all bookings. Find out more here.

Etihad Airways has their business class on sale out of Toronto. Book by Oct 31 for travel until Jan 6, 16. Find out more here! 

 



Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- Double Club Premier Kilometers for stays at the Las Brisas Galería Plaza Veracruz. More... Until Dec 20, 15
- Double Club Premier Kilometers for stays of 2 or more nights at participating NH Hotels in Mexico and Europe. More... Until Nov 30, 15
- Double Club Premier Kilometers for stays at participating Starwood Hotels in Latin America and the Caribbean. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- Earn up to 3,600 Club Premier Kilometers on Sixt rentals Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 15

Etihad Guest
- Earn up to Triple Guest Miles on all Etihad flights Worldwide. More...  Register and book by Oct 22 for travel Oct 15 - Mar 31, 16
- Double Guest Miles when you fly with Air Seychelles in Business Class. More...  Book by Oct 31, 15

Federal Hotels International Gracious Rewards
- Triple Gracious Rewards Points for stays at all Federal Hotels in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. More... Until Dec 28, 15

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Earn up to 4,000 Bonus Mileage Bank Miles when you fly JAL between Tokyo (Haneda) and Guangzhou More... Oct 25 - Jan 31, 16
- Up to a 10,000 Mileage Bank Miles Discount when you redeem for an award ticket on Finnair. More... Nov 16 - Feb 29, 16
- Receive a 2,000 Mileage Bank Miles Discount on all JAL Mileage Bank Domestic Award Ticket redemptions. More... Dec 1 - Feb 29, 16
- Earn up to Triple Mileage Bank Miles for stays at participating Hilton hotels and resorts Worldwide. More...  Until Jan 31, 16

Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer
- Double iPrefer Points on all stays Worldwide More... Book by Oct 22, 15

Sears Club
- Earn up to $200 BONUS Sears Club Points & Earn 2X Sears Club Points. More... Book by Nov 24 for travel Nov 1 - Oct 31,16

Wyndham Rewards
- 750 Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points on qualifying rentals of 3 days or more at participating Avis locations worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 15

AIR MILES and Uber team up - Earn AIR MILES Reward Miles on Uber rides + first ride bonus + earn Mystery Miles today + win miles

Just as we posted our daily update which featured the Uber Calgary launch and linking your Uber account to SPG we got the following in our email!

Uber rolls out Mystery Miles Giveaway for One Day Only
Uber to Begin Offering AIR MILES Reward Miles to New Riders

TORONTO, October 15, 2015 – Mobile app-based transportation company, Uber, today announced a national partnership where new Uber riders will receive AIR MILES Reward Miles.

Alright! So now you have two options for points/miles earning with Uber. Either SPG or AIR MILES. I prefer the first as my family are big time SPG users but we know there are whole bunch of Canadian's who don't use SPG (or are even know of SPG) who do know AIR MILES and collect AIR MILES (remember our Travel Hacking AIR MILES post from yesterday?)

To celebrate they are not only offering 100 Bonus AIR MILES when you take your first ride with Uber but today only you'll get Mystery Miles on the ride and there are also chances to win 15,000 AIR MILES when you ride with Uber in Canada (not Calgary and other smaller centres though!)

We’re excited to announce a new partnership with AIR MILES in Canada, where Uber users will get 100 Miles* after taking their first ride.
Today only, to celebrate, we’re placing special AIR MILES cards in cars in Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Montreal, and Quebec City. Request your Uber, and you’ll be gifted a special mystery amount of Miles from your driver!

To enter the 'Mystery Miles' contest for a chance to win today here is what you need to do:

• Open your Uber app and punch in the promo code AIRMILES under the promotions tab (top left) to unlock the ‘AIR MILES’ option.
• Starting at 5:00pm select the ‘AIR MILES’ option in your app and request a ride.
• If you connect with a driver, you’ll get mystery Miles during your ride, and you might just win enough Miles for a round-trip flight for two!
• Demand for ‘AIR MILES’ will be extremely high and not all requests will be fulfilled. Available while supplies last.

 Learn more about the new AIR MILES and Uber partnership here.

October 15 Update: Uber launches in Calgary, more NBC World Elite MC insurance quirks, 2,000 bonus points at Courtyard YWG

Another day filled with a decent amount of news and bonuses!

News, Tips & Tricks
Uber officially launches in Calgary today despite bylaws that are still in place that should have prevented them from doing so. Calgary's Mayor put out a statement with the following included:

"I strongly suggest that you don’t drive for Uber and that you don’t use Uber until the insurance and regulatory issues are sorted out. If you drive for Uber, you should be aware that you are breaking the law."

One of Calgary's most famous entrepreneurs' W Brett Wilson of Dragon's Den fame was the first official Uber Calgary rider. Apparently there are already 500 drivers signed up in YYC and anyone can officially use Uber as of 2pm Calgary time today.

If you haven't signed up for Uber yet you can use our referral link which gets you $20 off your first ride (and $20 to us when you complete that ride, we thank you in advance for anyone who takes up the referral offer!)

Once you've joined you must then connect your Uber account with your Starwood Preferred Guest account! Why? So that you can earn Starpoints on all your Uber rides! You can link your accounts at spgpromos.com/uber

Yesterday we told you about the National Bank of Canada World Elite MasterCard's odd insurance rule for lost/delayed baggage. Well it seems that not the only insurance quirk they have, our reader Stephen H lets us know the following applies to the purchase protection insurance.

"In addition to the baggage insurance warning you blogged about for the NBC World Elite MasterCard, their 180 days purchase insurance does not cover "tablets (such as iPad), cell phones, portable computers (laptops)" as stated in their policy." 

So while it is nice to see that their purchase protection is double what most other cards offer it doesn't cover some items that have a very good likelihood of being damaged in the first six months!


Have you voted yet for your favourite travel rewards credit card? Vote here!



Posts since our last update:

• Earn 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles + a $50 SHOP.CA voucher for Marriott stays in Canada
  We tend to see an Aeroplan Marriott offer for stays in Canada several times per year and in most…
  
  

Travel Deals
Air Canada is offering 25% off Flex and Latititude fares within Canada. Must book by Oct 16 for travel until Feb 10, 16. Find out more here.


Bonus Offers
Best Western Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at participating Best Western Hotels in Australia. More... Until ?

China Airlines Dynasty Flyer
- 2,000 Bonus Dynasty Flyer Miles when you fly from Los Angeles to Taipei. More... Until Nov 30, 15

Czech Airlines OK Plus
- Double OK Plus Miles when you fly Czech Airlines between Prague and Yerevan More... Dec 13 - Jan 20, 16

Hilton HHonors
- 1,000 Bonus HHonors Points per night at Siemens participating hotels within the Hilton Portfolio. More... For employees of Siemens only Until Dec 31, 15

IHG Rewards Club
- Earn up to 12,500 Bonus IHG Rewards Club points on every qualifying 2 night minimum stay at The Venetian® and The Palazzo®, an InterContinental® Alliance Resort. More... Until Dec 31, 15

Marriott Rewards
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Courtyard Winnipeg Airport. More... Until Nov 27, 16
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the the Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino. More... Nov 20 - Jan 20, 16
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay on Friday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at anyone of 13 Marriott Hotels in Paris. More... Book by Dec 31 for stays Oct 16 - Jan 7, 16
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport Marriott Hotel.. More... Until Nov 28, 15
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay on Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the at the Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel. More... Dec 11 - Jan 11, 16
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Renaissance Lucknow Hotel. More... Until Nov 28, 15
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night when you stay Sunday - Thursday at the SpringHill Suites Tuscaloosa. More... Until Nov 29, 15
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at 11 participating Residence Inn, TownPlace Suites and SpringHill Suites hotels in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura County. More... Until Jan 1, 16
- 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points per stay including any night Thursday - Sunday at the Renaissance Chicago North Shore Hotel. More... Until Dec 31, 15
- 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at any one of 5 participating Marriott Hotels in Boston. More... Until Nov 30, 15
- 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night when you stay Sunday - Thursday at the SpringHill Suites San Antonio Medical Center/Northwest. More... Until Nov 28, 15
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per weekend stay that includes a Friday or Saturday night at the Renaissance Seattle Hotel. More... Until Dec 31, 15

Philippine Airlines Mabuhay
- Double Mabuhay Miles for stays at any participating Shangri-La Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 15
- Double Mabuhay Miles for rentals of 5 or more days with Hertz in the U.S. More... Until Dec 14, 15