IHG Rewards Club Accelerate returns for the fall - Earn 30,000 or more points for your IHG stays Sep 6 - Dec 15

IHG's two systemwide promotions Share Forever (America's) and Accelerate (rest of the World) are wrapping up in 12 days but they have already pushed out their fall systemwide offer which reverts back to 'Accelerate' for all members around the globe. Simply log in via the link below to see what your personalized offer is. At first mine came up with an error but I clicked 'continue' a couple of times on the terms and conditions acceptance page and my offer eventually showed up. Let us know what offer you get in the comments below!

Here is the offer I received:

Offer details
IHG Rewards Club Accelerate - Earn at least 30,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you stay at IHG Hotels Worldwide.  Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Sep 6 - Dec 15, 16

August 17 Update: Cathay Pacific increases checked baggage allowance, fly Emirates from YYZ to Dubai for $899 and more!

News, Tips & Tricks
It seems that we always get bad news from airlines when they discuss changes to checked luggage. Well today that's different. Cathay Pacific is enhancing their checked luggage rules and it is a true enhancement. They are allowing their customers to bring heavier bags as of September 15th. Now this doesn't really affect those of us flying out of North America as we already have a different policy allowing 2 bags but this is still newsworthy for those of you who may be flying Cathay within Asia or on their other Worldwide routes.

Cathay Pacific introduces enhanced baggage allowance
Cathay Pacific announces an enhanced baggage policy which gives every passenger an additional 10kg of check-in baggage across all cabins. Along with the increase in weight, there is also a new piece system for how many bags may be checked in. Note that the check-in baggage allowances on the North American and Auckland routes are not impacted by this revised weight system policy.

Keeping your extra baggage allowance as your club benefit
Silver members and above will continue to enjoy their additional baggage allowance on top of the revised policy – 10kg for Silver, 15kg for Gold, 20kg for Diamond. For the new piece system, Green and Silver members may check in up to 2 pieces of baggage in Economy, Premium Economy, or Business, and 3 pieces in First Class free of charge. Gold and Diamond members may check in 1 additional piece in all cabins.

Posts since our last update:

• AIR MILES Travel Hub launched - a new hotel booking engine to earn more AIR MILES (powered by PointsHound)
  Amidst all the publicity AIR MILES has been receiving over the past month, and pretty much all of it…
• WestJet Rewards will give you Gold Status if you have top-tier status in ANY travel rewards program and complete 1 flight
  WestJet Rewards has brought back their elite status match offer and unlike the first times where you had to…

Travel Deals
Emirates has launched a great sale for their flights to Dubai from Toronto and other Canadian gateways. You can fly Emirates for only $899 all in for travel Sep 19 to Dec 8 if you book by August 18. Find out more here.

• From Toronto (YYZ) to Dubai (DXB) utilizing Emirates operated flights (EK241, 242)
• From Vancouver (YVR), Calgary (YYC), Edmonton (YEG), Kelowna (YLW) and Victoria (YYJ) gateways utilizing Emirates operated flights from Seattle (EK 227, EK 228, EK 229 and EK 230)
• From Toronto (YYZ and YTZ), Halifax (YHZ), Montreal (YUL) and Ottawa (YOW) gateways utilizing Emirates operated flights from Boston (EK 237, EK 238, EK 239 and EK 240)

Bonus Offers
Avianca LifeMiles
- 3,000 Bonus LifeMiles on your first Rocketmiles booking More... Book by Aug 31, 16

IHG Rewards Club
- 50% IHG Rewards Club Points discount for reward nights in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean. More... Book by Aug 28 for stays Sep 1 - Oct 30, 16

La Quinta Returns
- Earn up to Triple Returns Points for stays at participating La Quinta locations in the U.S.. More... Until Sep 1, 16

United MileagePlus
- 500 Bonus MileagePlus Miles for stays at La Quinta Inns and Suites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. More... Until Dec 31, 16

WestJet Rewards
- Receive WestJet Rewards Gold Elite Status when you hold top-tier status in any Travel Rewards program and complete one flight with WestJet. More... Register by Sep 23 for travel until Oct 31, 16


Follow Rewards Canada:

AIR MILES Travel Hub launched - a new hotel booking engine to earn more AIR MILES (powered by PointsHound)

Amidst all the publicity AIR MILES has been receiving over the past month, and pretty much all of it not so good, there is some good news that came out of the program yesterday. Canada's largest loyalty program has teamed up with PointsHound to launch the new AIR MILES Travel Hub. If you have followed Rewards Canada for sometime now you should be aware of PointsHound. They are a third party hotel booking site that awards miles for hotel stays with numerous airline and other loyalty programs. While there is no sign of PointsHound when you go to the AIR MILES Travel Hub as they have private labelled it you can expect it to work the exactly same as PointsHound.com.

The AIR MILES Travel Hub booking platform allows AIR MILES Collectors to book stays at more than 150,000 hotels and all-inclusive resorts around the world. As always with third party booking options there are pros and cons to booking with them. The pros are that you can earn miles at hotels that you may not normally earn any miles or points at (ie independent boutique hotels) and you can earn miles at hotels that are not normally associated with that loyalty program (ie a chain that does not partner with AIR MILES). The cons are that you may not be getting the best price (always compare with sites like Trivago, Expedia etc.), you may not earn hotel points or elite qualification (many hotel programs do not award points for booking via OTA's and third party sites) and you may not receive hotel elite status perks like late check out, upgrades etc. So while this is a welcome addition to the program be sure to go through all the pros and cons before you choose to book via the AIR MILES Travel Hub. You can learn more and access the hub at travelhub.airmiles.ca

An example of the miles you could earn booking via the AIR MILES Travel Hub (Toronto Sep 14-15):

 

WestJet Rewards will give you Gold Status if you have top-tier status in ANY travel rewards program and complete 1 flight

WestJet Rewards has brought back their elite status match offer and unlike the first times where you had to have status with a Canadian airline program or the next few times with any airline program, this time it can be ANY travel rewards programs. That's right, if you have Top-Tier status in ANY airline, hotel program, car or travel rewards loyalty program that has a specific focus on redeeming the rewards currency for travel and awards top-tier status based on reaching a certain level of activity with its partners you can get a match to Gold Status with WestJet Rewards when you register by September 23rd and complete just one WestJet flight by October 31st. Hold Onyx status with AIR MILES? Platinum with Starwood Preferred Guest? Aeroplan Black or Diamond? Super Elite 100K with Air Canada? Then you are golden and you can match to WestJet Rewards Gold status.

Offer details
Receive WestJet Rewards Gold Elite Status when you hold top-tier status in any Travel Rewards program and complete one flight with WestJet. Register Online (Registration is required) Register by Sep 23 for travel until Oct 31, 16

What does Gold status get you?

• Two free checked bags
• Ten airport lounge passes
• No fee for same-day flight changes requested at check-in
• Advance boarding
• Priority screening (at select airports)
• Four advance seat selection vouchers

August 16 Update: LATAM ends service to Toronto, WestJet adds service to Belize and six new bonus offers

News, Tips & Tricks
One really good option for using British Airways Executive Club Avios in North America is coming to an end. LATAM Airlines (nee TAM) are ending their service between Toronto and New York City at the end of September. This was a good way to fly international business class for very few miles albeit for a short flight. (Source Routesonline)

WestJet's Calgary-New York City JFK service has been extended into year round service instead of summer seasonal service and the airline has also announced a new route between Toronto and Belize. Great news for WestJet Rewards and proprietary credit card points collectors as the more routes out there mean the more for you to redeem for!

Posts since our last update:

• Carlson Hotels Club Carlson: Up to Triple Gold Points + 1,000 Bonus Points for stays at Carlson hotels worldwide
  This promotion reminds of offers we've seen the past from brands like Hilton that award you a smaller bonus…
• Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Up to a 50% bonus when buying miles until September 29
  Alaska Airlines buy Mileage Plan miles Mystery offer promo has returned and is offering up to a 50%. If…
• IHG Rewards Club: 50% off Reward Nights in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean
  IHG Rewards Club has brought back their 50% off rewards night sale for stays in Mexico, Latin America and…
• Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for August
  Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of July! This is not…
• Air France KLM Flying Blue Promo Awards - Save up to 50% between Canada & Europe in Business Class
  The newest set of Air France KLM's Promo Awards were released nearly 2 weeks ago but as we were…

Bonus Offers
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Up to 50% Bonus Mileage Plan Miles when you buy Mileage Plan miles online. More... Until Sep 29, 16

Avianca Brazil Amigo
- Double Amigo Points on all hotel stays booked via Kaligo. More... Book by Aug 31 for stays until Dec 31, 16

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- Earn up to Triple Gold Points + 1,000 Bonus Points for stays at any participating Carlson hotels worldwide. More... Until Oct 31, 16

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to 5x Asia Miles for stays at participating Hilton hotels and resorts Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 16

Emirates Skywards
- Earn up to Triple Skywards Miles when you rent a car with Sixt in the U.S. for five or more days. More... Aug 21 - Sep 30, 16

Le Club accorhotels
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Le Club accorhotels points when you stay at Accor Hotels in Spain or Portugal. More... Book by Sep 11 for stays until Nov 30, 16


Follow Rewards Canada:

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson: Up to Triple Gold Points + 1,000 Bonus Points for stays at Carlson hotels worldwide

This promotion reminds of offers we've seen the past from brands like Hilton that award you a smaller bonus for weekday stays and a larger bonus for weekend stays.

Offer details:
Earn up to Triple Gold Points + 1,000 Bonus Points for stays at any participating Carlson hotels worldwide.

• Check in Sunday through Thursday = DOUBLE Gold Points*
• Check in Friday or Saturday = TRIPLE Gold Points*
• Book on our mobile app = 1,000 extra points per Eligible Stay

Register Online (Registration is required) then book online at at Radisson, Park Plaza, Country Inns & Suites, Radisson Blu or Park Inn Until Oct 31, 16

*Eligible Stays completed at hotels in Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates will earn Double Points for stays arriving on Saturday through Wednesday, and Triple Points for arrivals on Thursday or Friday.

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Up to a 50% bonus when buying miles until September 29

Alaska Airlines buy Mileage Plan miles Mystery offer promo has returned and is offering up to a 50%. If you are selected for the 50% bonus then this is a great deal as you are paying under USD 2 cents each per mile.  We unfortunately were only targeted for 35% this time which means we will not be taking advantage of it. While each transaction is limited to 60,000 miles (+ the bonus) there is no limit to the number of transactions you can complete.

Offer Details
Up to 50% Bonus Mileage Plan Miles when you buy Mileage Plan miles online. Full details Until Sep 29, 16
 
35% Bonus

Buy or Gift	Bonus
Buy 10,000 - 19,000 miles	20% bonus miles
Buy 20,000 - 39,000 miles	30% bonus miles
Buy 40,000 - 60,000 miles	35% bonus miles

50%Bonus

Buy or Gift	Bonus
Buy 10,000 - 19,000 miles	20% bonus miles
Buy 20,000 - 39,000 miles	35% bonus miles
Buy 40,000 - 60,000 miles	50% bonus miles

IHG Rewards Club: 50% off Reward Nights in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean

IHG Rewards Club has brought back their 50% off rewards night sale for stays in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean!

To receive 50% off  you have to book between noon EST August 15 and noon EST August 28, 2016  for stays between September 1 – October 30, 2016. You can book the offer via this link

This offer is valid at participating IHG hotels, located in both resort and cultural destinations, across Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean:

·         Holiday Inn Express Manzanillo in Mexico
·         Hotel Indigo Veracruz Boca Del Rio in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Ciudad Del Carmen in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Express Ciudad Del Carmen in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Express Veracruz Boca del Rio in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Veracruz Boca del Rio in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Campeche in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Express Playa Del Carmen in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Resort Ixtapa in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Resort Los Cabos in Mexico
·         InterContinental Presidente Cancun Resort in Mexico
·         InterContinental Presidente Cozumel Resort Spa in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Express Puerto Vallarta in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Express Cabo San Lucas in Mexico
·         Holiday Inn Cancun Arenas in Mexico
·         InterContinental Miramar Panama in Panama
·         Holiday Inn Panama Canal in Panama
·         Crowne Plaza Panama in Panama
·         Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay in Jamaica
·         Holiday Inn Resort Aruba-Beach Resort & Casino in Aruba
·         Holiday Inn Cartagena Morros in Colombia
·         Holiday Inn Express Cartagena Bocagrande in Colombia
·         InterContinental San Juan in Puerto Rico

Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for August

Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of July! This is not a 'best' credit card list like our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings but instead a look at cards that have very good acquisition offers. As always when choosing a card you should always take other factors into account other than the sign up bonus, but when most or all of these cards are first year free, they can and do pay off even when not taking into account insurance packages and other non-reward benefits. In fact 4 out of 5 cards on this list for August are first year free so you can try many of them out at no cost, get over $1,000 in rewards and decide later on if the card is right for you. All the while earning the sign up bonus which can be used to subsidize your travels!  Just ensure you drop any cards you don't like before your 1st year anniversary.
   
The 60,000 point sign up bonus for the Best Western MasterCard ended on July 10th so we finally have a small change in our monthly rankings. We've brought the Starwood card back in even though it has an annual fee. It is still one of the best cards out there with the sign up bonus being worth well over $400 alone meaning after the annual fee you'll net at least $280 in value if not more

So here are our top 5 credit card sign up offers for August (in alphabetical order)

American Express Gold Rewards Card - 25,000 Points (Apply here)
A mainstay offer here on Rewards Canada, the American Express Gold Rewards card has its first year fee of $150 waived and will award you 25,000 Membership Rewards points when you complete $1,500 in spending in the first three months. That 25,000 points is worth a $250 travel credit via Amex's TripFlex feature or can be converted to 25,000 Aeroplan Miles (1 Round trip Economy Award ticket within North America) or 25,000 British Airways Executive Club Avios (as much a 3 one way Economy Award tickets in North America, see this post for details.)


American Express Air Miles Platinum Credit Card - 2,000 Reward Miles (Apply here)
A newcomer to our monthly Top 5 sign up offers, the American Express Air Miles Platinum card comes first year free and comes with a 2,000 Reward Miles sign up bonus when you complete $500 in spending in the first three months. That 2,000 Miles is worth anywhere from $220 to $300 in flight value when you get around to redeeming them.

Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa - 30,000 Points  (Apply here)
The best no foreign transaction fee card in Canada makes it to this list due to a very strong acquisition offer. I mean who can complain with 30,000 points awarded on approval and a certificate for a free night stay at a Category 1-4 hotel for a potential of 5 free nights, all at no cost as the card has the annual fee waived in the first year! They also give you a 15 night credit into the mix which automatically provides you with Marriott Rewards Silver Elite status.


Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express - 20,000 Starpoints (Apply here)
With the sign up bonus remaining at 20,000 Starpoints this is the only card in this list that doesn't have the first year fee waived. That doesn't matter. This is by far the best hotel points card in Canada and Starpoints have huge value. The 20,000 Starpoint bonus when you spend $500 on the card is worth at least $400 when redeeming them for Starwood Hotel stays or you can convert them to airline miles in over 30+ programs and Starwood will kick in an additional 5,000 miles when you transfer 20,000 Starpoints at a time.

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card - 15,000 Miles (Apply here)
Earn up to 20,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles and a 100% rebate off your first year annual fee when you apply for and receive the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card.  15,000 Bonus miles awarded on first purchase. PLUS A REWARDS CANADA EXCLUSIVE - For every $1 spent on eligible gas, grocery, drugstore and aircanada.com Purchases with your Card5, earn double Aeroplan Miles for the first 90 days after Account approval – that’s 3 miles instead of 1.5 miles for every $1 spent on eligible Purchases. The 5,000 additional miles for the authorized user come with a $50 cost for that additional card.


If you went for all these cards you ultimately could end up with over  $1000 in travel credits and hotel free nights but even if you only take on one or two you are helping your travel budget significantly at no cost other than regular credit card spend

Air France KLM Flying Blue Promo Awards - Save up to 50% between Canada & Europe in Business Class

The newest set of Air France KLM's Promo Awards were released nearly 2 weeks ago but as we were on vacation and totally disconnected from work and the points & miles world we bring them to you now. The discount ranges from 25 to 50% off the regular amount of miles required. As you can see just by the discount this can be a very good offer if you get 50% off for Business Class! And such is the case with Vancouver as the offer is for 50% off KLM's Business Class.

Two other Canadian cities are up for a discount as well, Edmonton and Montreal are available at 25% off for business class redemption on KLM.

Offer Details:
Save up to 50% with Promo Awards Save 25% to 50% on the Award Miles usually required for award ticket. Destinations vary by each promotional period. Full Details Book by Aug 31 for travel between Nov 1 - 30, 16

Here are the Canadian offers available for booking during August for travel in November:

Don't have all the miles? You could always consider transferring Starpoints earned via the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express to Flying Blue. The card has a 20,000 Starpoint bonus right now which translates to 25,000 Flying Blue miles.