Rewards Canada: Your premier points, miles & credit cards resource

Monday, April 25, 2016

IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - 5,000 Points for Award Night Redemptions at 141 Hotels until Jul 31, 16

The latest set of IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks are now bookable for stays from today to July 31st (subject to availability).

Each Reward Night at these participating hotels will be only 5,000 IHG Rewards Club points during the above mentioned dates. Remember the new PointBreaks rules that a member can only book up to 2 reward reservations per hotel participating in the individual offer (ie 2 at Pointbreaks hotels). My tip to get around this would be to book 2 reservations with one IHG Rewards Club account and then have your spouse book 2 more etc. Of course this is dependent on both accounts having enough points to redeem for these awards. Also be sure to book these ASAP as once the allotted nights are booked at certain locations those hotels will fall off the list.

Why are IHG Rewards Club Point Breaks such a great deal? Because they offer reward nights at participating IHG hotels Worldwide for only 5,000 Rewards Club points. For those of you not to familiar with IHG Rewards Club , normal redemption rates for Rewards Club reward nights run from as low as 10,000 points for some Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express locations to 50,000 points for ultra-luxurious InterContinental locations and even these locations can participate in PointBreaks. So as you can see you can receive a discount of 50 to 88% off the regular redemption rates. You may be thinking that the high end hotels won't participate but they do depending on the time of year! Please note that like most loyalty promotions these offers are capacity controlled so I advise to book sooner than later to ensure you get the PointBreaks rate. These offers will be bookable via the primary PointsBreaks page later today but right now you can book via the individual links below. (list pulled from the IHG blog)

Once again, as we has been for well over a year and a half if not more, the showing in Canada isn't that good. Not that redeeming 5,000 points at these hotels is bad, in fact, its a great deal but seeing that only 4 hotels are participating, that's not so good.

Hotels in Canada:

ALBERTA
STAYBRIDGE SUITES WEST EDMONTON

ONTARIO
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES CHATHAM SOUTH
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES OTTAWA EAST - ORLEANS
HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS & SUITES WOODSTOCK SOUTH

and the Rest of the hotels:

United States

Europe

Oceania

AUSTRALIA
HOLIDAY INN WARWICK FARM

Scotiabank More Rewards Visa Card to enter market as a very strong no-fee card competitor

A couple of weeks ago Scotiabank and the Overwaitea Group from B.C. announced a new partnership that will see Scotiabank issue the co-branded More Rewards Visa card. Now we haven't covered much of the More Rewards program here on Rewards Canada as it has been typically a weak program compared to many others (just like we don't cover Shoppers Optimum very much) but the Overwaitea group has been working hard on the program and although they no longer have their partnership with Alaska Airlines they have a new travel program that when tied into this new no-fee Visa card from Scotiabank will make the program one to watch out for.

The card will officially launch on May 30th but for once a bank is being smart about the marketing and not waiting until the launch date to reveal all the details. From the April 8th press release we know the card will have no annual fee. It will earn 6 More Rewards points per dollar spent on the card at Save-On-Foods and other participating More Rewards partner locations, plus 4 More Rewards points on every dollar spent anywhere else with the card. We don't know what additional benefits the card will come with, I would assume Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty as those are pretty much standard on the majority of cards out there but with the strong earn being provided I don't see many insurance benefits being added as the bank and More Rewards are banking their money on the rewards side.

Now the earn listed above is strictly with spend on the card and does not include what you will earn when you swipe your More Rewards loyalty card along with it. So without the additional points earned from the More Rewards loyalty card what will the return be like for the points earned on the credit card only? Pretty darn good for a no fee card! We went onto the More Rewards website and tried out their travel bookings to see how many points would be required.

Here are WestJet flights between Calgary and Toronto

And a hotel in Banff:

Assuming you only use this new Visa card at only More Rewards partners, you'll earn all your points at the 6 points per dollar rate. If we look at the redemption amounts above you are effectively earning a 2.54% return on all your spending. That is huge compared to the competition! Most travel cards on the market that aren't tied into a frequent flyer or frequent guest program are between 1.5% and 2% with some pushing 2.33% on select redemptions and Scotia's Gold Amex earning 4% on select category purchases. Plus you have to remember this card has no annual fee!

More realistically however is the mix of spending on this card as when you shop at non More Rewards partners you'll earn 4 points per dollar. Still at 4 points per dollar you are getting a 1.695% return which places it in with the competition listed above. But when you look at its no-fee competitors that only offer 1.25% or less this card blows them out of the water! It looks like our 2017 Top Travel Rewards Credit Cards will have a new champion for the no-fee Travel Points credit card category! And we're not even including the extra points you can earn for swiping your More Rewards loyalty card at any of the program's partners.

The credit card itself will also act as your More Rewards Loyalty Card so you won't have to pull out two cards when shopping at More Rewards partners thus automating the double dip for you.

It has been sometime since there was this big of a game changer introduced into the Canadian credit card rewards market and more so for the no fee category as that hasn't been tampered with for years.

So hats off to Scotiabank and More Rewards for taking this step to make such a strong earning no-fee rewards card!

Here are the current More Rewards partners that would earn 6 points per dollar with this card:

Earn 5x Aeroplan Miles on all eStore purchases until May 3rd

It has been sometime since we've seen a bonus for Aeroplan eStore purchases but the wait is over. For the next week you'll earn 5x Aeroplan Miles on all eStore purchases.

Offer details:
All members who shop through Aeroplan’s eStore (www.aeroplan.com/estore) from April 25th to May 3rd will get 5X the miles on all their purchases.

And don’t forget – Aeroplan status members will get additional bonus miles as part of their benefits (www.aeroplan.com/status)

Friday, April 22, 2016

April 22 Update: FlySarvaq becomes GoSarvaq with Flair Air operating their flights, new Aeroplan Hertz bonus and more!

News, Tips & Tricks
Two weeks ago we let you know about FlySarvaq, Canada's newest airline. Well in that time some things have changed. Their name has, now it is GoSarvaq and its flights will be operated by Flair Air (the airline that was to operate newleaf's flights) instead of Nolinor. With these changes that were required by the CTA the inaugural flight has been pushed back to May 20th from the 6th. Source GoSarvaq

In the bonus offers section check out the new Aeroplan Hertz bonus. It has been boosted by 1,000 miles from the previous offer for rentals of 2 plus days.

Posts since our last update:

Earning Stories: 2,500 Aeroplan Miles on a Hertz SUV rental in Saskatoon
Welcome to the next post in the Earning Stories series right here on Rewards Canada. For years we have…
Hilton HHonors brings back their best buy points bonus ever: 100% until June 3 (US 0.5 cents per point)
Almost as the same time last year, Hilton HHonors has brought back their biggest bonus for buying points. The…

Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for Hertz rentals in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. More... Until Aug 31, 16

Air China Phoenix Miles
- Up to 50% Bonus Phoenix Miles Kilometers when you fly on Air China between Chongqing and Dubai. More... Until Jun 30, 16
- Double Phoenix Miles Kilometers for stays at participating Mandarin Oriental Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 16
- Double Phoenix Miles Kilometers and 4th night free for stays at participating Shangri-La Hotels Worldwide. More... Until May 31, 16
- Earn up to 8,000 Bonus PhoenixMiles Kilometers for Avis rentals in the U.S. or Canada. More... Until Jul 31, 16

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to Quadruple Asia Miles on Hertz rentals of 5 or more days in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. More... Book by May 31 for rentals until Aug 31, 16
- 50% Bonus Asia Miles when you book hotels via HRS. More... Until Jul 31, 16
- 3,000 Bonus Asia Miles on your first Rocketmiles booking. More... Book by Jun 30, 16

Hilton HHonors
- 100% Bonus HHonors Points when you buy HHonors points online. More... Until Jun 3, 16

IHG Rewards Club
- Double IHG Rewards Club Points on any non-room spend with a qualifying stay at any InterContinental®, Crowne Plaza®, Hotel Indigo® and Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts in Asia Pacific (excluding China, Hong Kong and Taiwan), Middle East and Africa. More... Until Dec 31, 16

Le Club accorhotels
- Double Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Ibis & Ibis Styles Hotels in Spain & Portugal. More... Book May 2 - Jul 2 for stays Jun 1 - Sep 5, 16

Starwood Preferred Guest
- Various Bonus Starpoints or Free Nights when you complete eligible stay(s) at Starwood Hotels Worldwide. More... Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone. Until Jun 30, 16
- 3,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays in a Suite at The Laguna, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Nusa Dua, Bali More... Until Dec 31, 16

World Hotels Peakpoints
- Triple Peakpoints or Triple Airline Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at participating World Hotels locations Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 17
- Double Peakpoints or Double Airline Miles for stays at participating World Hotels locations Worldwide More... Until Mar 31, 17
- Double Peak Points on all Sixt car rentals Worldwide. More... Until May 31, 16

Follow Rewards Canada:

Earning Stories: 2,500 Aeroplan Miles on a Hertz SUV rental in Saskatoon

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.

This earning story is for a rental we completed for our family in Saskatchewan this past March. We rented a compact SUV for 4 days to get us around the central part of the province. I booked it using this promotion we had listed on Rewards Canada's Aeroplan Bonus Miles page:

Just today however we added a new promotion that has launched that offers 3,000 bonus miles for 3+ days!! Still for the $189 rental of the SUV to earn 2,500 miles on it was a great. The booking was simple via Hertz and I also provided my Hertz Gold Plus Rewards number but that doesn't amount to much in Saskatoon as there is usually only one worker present and no line ups so the benefits from Gold Plus Rewards weren't realized here.

At the outset of the rental we ended up earning the 500 base Aeroplan Miles plus the 2,000 bonus miles from the offer

Here is a screen shot of the miles that posted:

Overall I think this was yet another good earning action for a rental and more so on price when compared to our large SUV rental in Maui earlier this year as it earned the same amount of miles.

Tips for Car Rentals
- Watch the rates that include bonus miles - For us it is about 50/50 in terms of earning bonuses on rentals, many times rates are out there that are quite a bit cheaper and provide more value versus paying more and earning more miles. For a complete list of car rental bonus offers see this page on the main Rewards Canada site.
- Read the fine print - When a bonus offer is available be sure that your rental meets the criteria. Those are primarily minimum number of rental days and vehicle type. There are many promotions that don't get awarded on the smallest/cheapest vehicles.
- Join the Car Rental company's program - Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, National Emerald Club and others all provide great benefits such as dedicated check in counters, bypass check in counters and more.

You can find more Earning Stories listed here!

Hilton HHonors brings back their best buy points bonus ever: 100% until June 3 (US 0.5 cents per point)

Almost as the same time last year, Hilton HHonors has brought back their biggest bonus for buying points. The offer is for a 100% bonus which means the regular cost of US$10 for every 1,000 points is brought down to US$5. This is the best offer for buying Hilton HHonors points and if you potentially have Hilton stays coming up in the next 10-12 months it can be totally worth it to buy the points for those as you can you pull out value of US 8 cents or more on certain redemptions while only paying US 5 cents (check out Loyatly Travelers evaluation here!)

Offer details:
100% Bonus HHonors Points when you buy HHonors points online. Full details Until Jun 3, 16

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

April 19 Update: Marriott Rewards adds new benefits, AIR MILES Rexall Bonus, earn up to 50,000 bonus Club Carlson points

News, Tips & Tricks
Marriott Rewards has added some new benefits to the program that are seen in the Starwood Preferred Guest program. So even though the two programs won't merge for almost 2 years it looks like Marriott is already going about the route of adding benefits that SPG members are used to and will hopefully make the transition to the new program in a few years easier. In the mean time the 2 million plus Canadian members of Marriott Rewards should rejoice!

Here is an excerpt from the press release as provided to us by Marriott Canada:

· The new Marriott Rewards experiences marketplace gives all members, including The Ritz-Carlton Rewards members, even more access to a collection of unique, curated experiences.
· For an initial group of Elite members of Marriott Rewards, a new Elite concierge service will provide them with a dedicated concierge so that their travel experience is both seamless and tailored to their individual needs.
· Guaranteed late checkout will give Gold and Platinum Elite members of Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards increased flexibility and peace of mind when they travel.
Experiences marketplace
With the experiences marketplace, all Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Members can pursue their passions by choosing from a wide array of curated special events and opportunities for discovery. Whether it’s tickets to one of the hottest shows on Broadway; a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hang out with your favorite sports team; or a private cooking lesson or wine tasting with a world-famous chef or sommelier, members can redeem Marriott Rewards or The Ritz-Carlton Rewards points to access a marketplace of unique experiences that allow them to explore their personal interests in the most meaningful and memorable ways. The experiences marketplace will be available globally to all members in late May.

Elite concierge service
An initial group of Elite members of Marriott Rewards will be invited to participate in a new Elite concierge service. By developing a relationship with the member, the concierge will be able to anticipate their unique needs, ensuring the member’s preferences are recognized and their desires are met before, during, and even after their stay. The concierge will be able to reserve on-property amenities like restaurants, spa treatments and golf, as well as make arrangements for special occasions. The service will launch in late May first for U.S. members of Marriott Rewards traveling worldwide and will continue to expand. Marriott Rewards will actively engage with this group of charter members and seek their feedback to refine the service.

Guaranteed late checkout
The guaranteed late checkout benefit will be available to Gold and Platinum Elite members of both Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards who will enjoy a more seamless travel experience when planning their trip. These members will receive a guaranteed late checkout, which could be as late as 4pm, when making a reservation by phone, when checking in using the Marriott Mobile app, or upon arrival at the hotel. This benefit is available at all fully participating Marriott Rewards hotels with the exclusion of resorts, convention hotels and Marriott Vacation Club. Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards will continue to offer Silver Elite members the benefit of requesting late checkout on their day of departure. Guaranteed late checkout launches globally on May 16.

Emirates is further expanding their code shares on WestJet flights. They will be placing their code and selling tickets on WestJet's flights out of London Gatwick to all 6 Canadian cities that WestJet services from LGW. (Source Airlineroute.net)

Air Algerie is adding an 8th weekly flight between Montreal and Algiers for the summer season. (Source Airlineroute.net)

Earn 80 bonus AIR MILES for Rexall purchases of $50 or more until April 21. Get the coupon here.

Posts since our last update:

Wyndham Rewards: Receive $100 in Wyndham Rewards Gift Cards when you complete 2 stays in the U.S. or Canada
Some sly marketing from Wyndham on their latest promotion. It looks enticing at first, $100 in Wyndham Gift Cards when…
Flexible travel points credit cards aren't only for flights, hotels or car rentals! Whale watch excursions count too!
Humpback's in Maui!As you know Rewards Canada is all about flexibility. We even have our very popular feature on reward…
Club Carlson: Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Gold Points for Carlson Rezidor stays until the end of July
Carlson Rezidor Hotels is the latest chain to reveal their next systemwide stay promotion. A decent bonus if your frequent…

Travel Deals
Emirates has a companion offer for flying in business class out of Toronto. Fares start at $7,799 for two and must be booked by Apr 30 for travel until Nov 30. Find out more here

Bonus Offers
Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Gold Points when you stay 2 or more nights (non-consecutive) at any Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson RED, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM hotels worldwide. More... Until Jul 31, 16

Czech Airlines OK Plus
- Double OK Plus Miles for stays at Best Western Hotels in Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia. More... Until Jun 30, 16

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Earn up to 2,500 Bonus Infinity MileageLands Miles when you fly on EVA Air international flights. More... Until Jun 24, 16

Jet Airways JetPrivilege
- 500 Bonus JPMiles on your first booking made via hotels.jetprivilege.com. More... Until May 31, 16
- Double JPMiles when you stay on an eligible rate at any participating Mandarin Oriental Hotel. More... ntil May 31, 16
- Double JPMiles when you stay at any participating Meritus Hotel in Asia. More...Until May 31, 16
- 3,000 Bonus JPMiles on your first hotel booking made with PointsHound. More... Until May 31, 16
- 3,000 Bonus JPMiles on your first Rocketmiles booking More... Book by May 31, 16
- Double JPMiles when you stay at any participating Sarovar Hotel in India. More... Until May 31, 16
- Double JPMiles when you stay participating Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 16
- Earn up to Quadruple JetPrivilege Miles when you rent a car at participating HERTZ locations in USA, Canada, Europe, Australia or New Zealand. More... Until May 31, 16
- Earn up to 40% Bonus JetPrivilege Miles when you buy JetPriviliege miles online. More... Until Apr 20, 16

Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass
- Double Travel Pass Points for stays at the Sonesta ES Suites Cleveland Airport or the Sonesta ES Suites Cleveland Westlake. More... Until Sep 30, 16
- Double Travel Pass Points for stays at the Sonesta ES Suites Columbia Baltimore. More... Until May 31, 16
- Double Travel Pass Points for stays at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore. More... Until Jun 30, 16
- Double Travel Pass Points for stays at the Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square. More... Until Jun 30, 16
- Triple Travel Pass Points for stays at the Sonesta Bee Cave Austin. More... Until Jun 30, 16

Turkish Miles&Smiles
- Triple Miles&Smiles for stays at all Constance Hotels and Resorts. More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Dec 22, 16
- Triple Miles&Smiles for Europcar rentals in Turkey. More... Until May 31, 16

Wyndham Rewards
- Receive $100 in Wyndham Rewards gift cards when you complete two qualified stays at participating hotels in the United States or Canada. More... Residents of the U.S. and Canada only. Until Sep 6, 16

Wyndham Rewards: Receive $100 in Wyndham Rewards Gift Cards when you complete 2 stays in the U.S. or Canada

Some sly marketing from Wyndham on their latest promotion. It looks enticing at first, $100 in Wyndham Gift Cards when you complete 2 stays. Considering you could complete two Super 8 stays for even perhaps less than $100 you could come out ahead with this promotion! But be careful the $100 gift cards are actually awarded as four $25 gift cards that can only be redeemed one at a time for stay. This means you'd have to complete 4 more stays to use up the whole $100 and they limit those gifts to check ins until October 31st! If you are a frequent Wyndham family of hotels user then this promotion is pretty decent since you'll be saving $25 per stay later on in the year but for someone who doesn't frequent Wyndham Hotels I don't think you'll be switching brands for this promotion!

Offer details
Receive $100 in Wyndham Rewards gift cards when you complete two qualified stays at participating hotels in the United States or Canada. Full details, online registration and booking (registration is required) Until Sep 6, 16
Awarded as four $25 gift card codes that must be used on four separate stays in the U.S. and Canada by October 31, 2016. Available to residents in the U.S. and Canada only.

Flexible travel points credit cards aren't only for flights, hotels or car rentals! Whale watch excursions count too!

Humpback's in Maui!

As you know Rewards Canada is all about flexibility. We even have our very popular feature on reward card flexibility with the famed yoga infographic. In that piece we state the most flexible travel rewards cards are those that allow you to book travel on your own and redeem for it after the charge posts to your account. What this actually allows you to do is be on vacation or in the midst of any travel, put a travel charge on the card and then when you get home you can redeem your points for the charge(s). Whether it is some train tickets, a ferry ride or even an excursion, as long as it posts as a travel charge you have the ability to redeem for it.

Here is an example from a recent trip we had. We booked a whale watch tour in Maui and paid for it with our American Express Gold Rewards card. When the charge posted I noticed it earned double points which meant Pacific Whale Foundation is set as a travel merchant!

Sure enough when I went online to see what charges I could use my points on it shows up as a redemption option:

The "Use my points" feature on the American Express website is a great way to see what travel related charges you've had that can be redeemed for with the card.

As you can points don't have to be used just for flights, hotels or car rentals. Often there are many other merchants who charge out as travel providers just like this example.

Mama dolphin with baby seen on our Whale Watch tour in
February

On a related note, if you are in Maui during Humpback Whale season (Nov-May) or during other times of the year and want to go see dolphins we highly recommend Pacific Whale Foundation for any excursions on the water. They run a tight ship (no pun intended!) and offer tours on small zodiacs to larger vessels that carry nearly 150 people. We have done no less than half a dozen whale and dolphin watches with them since 2008 and we'll continue going back to them!

Club Carlson: Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Gold Points for Carlson Rezidor stays until the end of July

Carlson Rezidor Hotels is the latest chain to reveal their next systemwide stay promotion. A decent bonus if your frequent Carlson Rezidor hotels but no matter what you should register for it even if you might only have one multiple night stays to get the 5,000 extra points.

Offer details
Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Gold Points when you stay 2 or more nights (non-consecutive) at any Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson RED, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM hotels worldwide. Register Online (Registration is required) then book online at at Radisson, Park Plaza, Country Inns & Suites, Radisson Blu or Park Inn Until Jul 31, 16

Earn 5,000 bonus Gold Points after completing 2 Eligible Nights
Earn an additional 10,000 bonus Gold Points after completing 5 Eligible Nights
Earn another 10,000 bonus Gold Points after completing 10 Eligible Nights
Earn a final 25,000 bonus Gold Points after completing 15 or more Eligible Nights

TRENDING
Scene+ is not just for movies anymore - it's become a versatile powerhouse for all types of rewards

Monday, April 25, 2016

IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - 5,000 Points for Award Night Redemptions at 141 Hotels until Jul 31, 16

Hotels in Canada:

United States

Europe

Asia

Middle East & Africa

Central & South America

Mexico

Oceania

Scotiabank More Rewards Visa Card to enter market as a very strong no-fee card competitor

Earn 5x Aeroplan Miles on all eStore purchases until May 3rd

Friday, April 22, 2016

April 22 Update: FlySarvaq becomes GoSarvaq with Flair Air operating their flights, new Aeroplan Hertz bonus and more!

Earning Stories: 2,500 Aeroplan Miles on a Hertz SUV rental in Saskatoon

Hilton HHonors brings back their best buy points bonus ever: 100% until June 3 (US 0.5 cents per point)

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

April 19 Update: Marriott Rewards adds new benefits, AIR MILES Rexall Bonus, earn up to 50,000 bonus Club Carlson points

Wyndham Rewards: Receive $100 in Wyndham Rewards Gift Cards when you complete 2 stays in the U.S. or Canada

Flexible travel points credit cards aren't only for flights, hotels or car rentals! Whale watch excursions count too!

Club Carlson: Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Gold Points for Carlson Rezidor stays until the end of July

Top 5 Travel Cards in Canada

TRENDINGScene+ is not just for movies anymore - it's become a versatile powerhouse for all types of rewards

Monday, April 25, 2016

Hotels in Canada:

United States

Europe

Asia

Middle East & Africa

Central & South America

Mexico

Oceania

Friday, April 22, 2016

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

TRENDING
Scene+ is not just for movies anymore - it's become a versatile powerhouse for all types of rewards