Wednesday, February 1, 2017

February 1 Update: Air Canada to Iceland, 20% off at 9 Marriott Hotels in Canada this weekend, 20x Shoppers Optimum Points

News, Tips & Tricks
Air Canada is taking on WOW Air and Icelandair! They are launching summer seasonal service between Toronto and Montreal and Reykjavik Iceland! (Source Air Canada)

Shoppers Optimum is once again offering 20x points on Friday if you purchase $25 or more in one transaction. Get the coupon here.



Posts since our last update:
Travel Deals
Marriott's ebreaks for stays this weekend features 9 hotels in Canada that are 20% off. There are 3 hotels in Alberta, 1 each in Newfoundland and Saskatchewan as weill as four in Nova Scotia. These are great offers for last minute weekend getaways! Find out more here.


Canadian Bonus Offers
Air France KLM Flying Blue
- February Promo Awards - Save 20% to 50% on the Award Miles usually required for an award ticket from Toronto or Montreal. More... Book by Feb 28 for travel Apr 1 - May 31, 17

Marriott Rewards
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Edmonton North. More... Until Mar 31, 17

Other Bonus Offers
Avianca LifeMiles
- 1,000 Bonus LifeMiles per night for up to 5 nights when you complete your first hotel stay booked via Rocketmiles. More... Book by Mar 31, 17

Hilton Honors
- 2,000 Bonus Honors Points per night on all eligible stays at any Hilton Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Apr 30, 17

Marriott Rewards
- 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at participating Marriott Hotels in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York or Rhode Island. More... Until Mar 31, 17

Miles & More
- Earn up to Quadruple Miles & More Miles for stays at participating Hilton hotels Worldwide. More... Feb 1 - Apr 30, 17

SAS EuroBonus
- Double EuroBonus Points for stays at the Grand Hotel Stockholm. More... Until Mar 29, 17
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus EuroBonus points for Avis rentals of 2 or more days in Worldwide. More... Book by Feb 28 for rentals Mar 1 - Dec 31, 17


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Hilton makes changes to the HHonors program - now spelled Honors, no more award categories, variable points+cash & more

Yesterday news broke that Hilton is making changes to their reward program. First off, the name gets a slight change, they are doing away with the second H in HHonors so the program is now known as Hilton Honors. Not big but definitely makes Auto Correct correct now. The other changes are more profound with award categories going the way of the dodo, fixed points+cash moving to variable points+cash, points pooling and several other changes.

Doing away with award categories
The Hilton Honors award chart we are all used to is going away. Rewards will be priced dynamically based on demand, cash rate for the room and more. Hilton claims that awards for standard rooms won't eclipse the maximum that was in the chart when these changes come into play later this month. Depending on when and what hotel you book you may actually pay less in points for that award night with the new dynamic pricing.

Current Award chart:
You can get an idea of what hotels will cost with this page on the Honors site.



Points and Money Redemptions
Similar to airline point and money redemption rather than other hotel points plus cash options, Hilton Honors will have a slider allowing you to redeem variable amounts of points and cash for a stay. This is really good for those who may not earn enough points with Hilton to redeem for a full night but want to get rid of a few thousand points that may be sitting in your account.


Points Pooling
You'll be able to share/pool points with up to 10 family members or friends. Now is the time to get everyone in your family signed up for E-Rewards surveys so you can redeem for HHonors points and them funnel them into one account!

Use Points at Amazon
You'll be able to use points to shop at Amazon.com. Not sure if it will work for us Canadians yet, presumably it will if that seller or product qualifies for shipping to Canada.

Diamond Status Extension
If you have held Diamond Status for three years and have 250 nights or have accumulated 500,000 points you can request a one-time no questions asked extension to your Diamond Status if you don't requalify.

Learn all about the updated Hilton Honors program here
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Hilton Honors - 2,000 Bonus per night for all stays Worldwide until April 30


We gave you a heads up last week on the newest Hilton Honors promotion which has now gone live as of today. A simple 2,000 bonus points per night is a decent promo, for some of you the double points/triple points seen through most of 2016 was better but for those of you staying at the lower priced hotels this 2,000 bonus points per night may end up being more lucrative as it doesn't matter if you are spending $80 or $600 per night you get the same bonus. The bonus also pays out on award night stays as long as you have incidental spending on your folio.

Offer details
2,000 Bonus Honors Points per night on all eligible stays at any Hilton Hotels Worldwide. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Until Apr 30, 17

Find many more Honors bonus points offers right here!
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Air France KLM Flying Blue Promo Awards - Save 25% on award tickets between Montreal or Toronto & Europe

The newest set of Air France KLM's Promo Awards went live today and for us Canadians this set has two cities they serve in our great country! With promo awards the discount ranges from 25 to 50% off the regular amount of miles required to redeem for these flights. As you can see just by the discount this can be a very good offer if you get 50% off for Business Class! However for us here in Canada we don't get any 50% offers once again but we do get 25% off which can definitely be utilized by some! So while 25% isn't as good as 50% of course, it still is something to look at if you were planning travel in the first two months of the year.

Offer Details:
February Promo Awards - Save 20% to 50% on the Award Miles usually required for an award ticket. Destinations vary by each promotional period. Full Details Book by Feb 28  for travel Apr 1 - May 31, 17

Here are the Canadian offers available for booking this month for travel in April & May:




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! More than enough miles for a one way flight in Economy between Vancouver and Europe. You can add in even more miles with the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa card, its 30,000 point sign up bonus translates to 10,000 Starpoints which means another 10,000 Flying Blue miles.  
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017

January 31 Update: Video for Deals of the Week, targeted free Aeroplan miles offer & 2x Starpoints at select Alberta hotels

News, Tips & Tricks
There is a slight change in Aeroplan earning on United flights. As of February 1, 2017: "Aeroplan Miles earned in booking class N on all eligible United flights are not Altitude Qualifying Miles and will not count towards Air Canada Altitude™ status" (Source Aeroplan)

Been having some fun with iMovie and pulling sound bites from the Podcast to make videos for the Rewards Canada Youtube channel. In case you prefer to visualize then check out the Deals of the Week for January 30th! 



Posts since our last update:


Canadian Bonus Offers
Starwood Preferred Guest
- Double Starpoints for stays at the Element Calgary Airport. More... Until Mar 31, 17
- Double Starpoints for stays at the Four Points by Sheraton Sherwood Park. More... Apr 1 - Jul 31, 17


Other Bonus Offers
Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus MilleMiglia Miles when you fly Alitalia between Rome and Kiev. More... May 1 - Jul 1, 17
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus MilleMiglia Miles for stays at Marriott Hotels in Europe. More... Until Mar 26, 17

Finnair Plus
- Earn up to 20,000 Bonus Plus Points when you earn points from Finnair Plus partners. More... Until Mar 31, 17

Marriott Rewards
- 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at any of five Gaylord Hotels across the U.S. For Marriott Elite members only. More... Until Mar 31, 17
- 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the AC Hotel Bloomington Mall of America. For Marriott Elite members only. More... Apr 1 - May 31, 17
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays of 3+ nights at the Residence Inn West Orange. For Marriott Elite members only. More... Until Mar 31, 17

Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- Earn up to 2,500 Bonus Safar Flyer Miles for referring friends and family to the Safar Flyer program. More... Ongoing

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points for stays at the Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. More... Feb 8 - May 31, 17
- Double GC Award Points for stays at the Songbei Shangri-La, Harbin More... Until Feb 20, 17

Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass
- 50% Travel Pass Points discount when you redeem points for award night stays at participating Sonesta Hotels in the U.S. More... Book by Feb 6 for stays until Mar 5, 17
- 1,000 Bonus Travel Pass Points when you book the Sonesta Travel Pass Bonus Points package at participating Sonesta Hotels in the U.S. More...
- Double Travel Pass Points for stays at the Sonesta ES Suites Cleveland Westlake. More... Until Mar 31, 17
- Double Travel Pass Points for stays at the Sonesta ES Suites Cleveland Airport. More... Until Mar 31, 17


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500 Free Aeroplan Miles for adding your email (select members only)


Be sure to check your Aeroplan account when you log in for a banner that states you can get 500 Aeroplan miles for adding your email. I saw it when I logged in the other day so obviously I was targeted for it. You can check to see if you qualify by logging into your account on Aeroplan.com.  You have until March 31st to do so!
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Monday, January 30, 2017

January 30 Update: Podcast 15 is here and also available on Soundcloud, new Priority Pass lounge in YUL & IHG PointBreaks!

News, Tips & Tricks
Episode 15 of our Weekly Round Up Podcast is available now! We talk Cathay Pacific flight bonus, making the most of Hilton and Choice hotels promos, the new Scotia Rewards programs and maximizing the RBC Avion airline award chart. Visit our Podcast page or download from iTunes or Google Play

Speaking of our podcast, you can also listen to it via Soundcloud now! Visit the Rewards Canada Soundcloud page for more details!


Priority Pass has added another new Canadian business class lounge to their program! The Salon Odyssee Desjardins in Montreal is now accesible to all Priority Pass members. To learn more about Priority Pass and how you can get it read our Guide to Business Class Lounge Access. There are now 20 lounges in Canada that you can access with Priority Pass.


Spend $30 or more to get 50 Bonus AIR MILES at Rexall until Feb 2. Coupon is required and you can get it here.

IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks are here! These are the best hotel redemption specials in the market. Only 5,000 points per night for hotels that can normally cost 10,000 to 50,000 points. Check the link below.



Posts since our last update:


Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Earn up to 3,000 Aeroplan status bonus miles per eligible trip when you fly with Air Canada® and Air Canada Rouge® to any of the over 80+ destinations available by season in 2017. More... Valid for Aeroplan Elite Status members only Until Dec 31, 17

CAA Rewards
- 20 Bonus CAA Dollars for Hertz rentals of 5 or more days at participating locations in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the U.S. More... Until Apr 30, 17

Other Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- Double AAdvantage Miles + a free day on Hertz rentals of 6 or more days at participating locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. More... Until Jun 30, 17

ANA Mileage Club
- Double Mileage Club Miles when you book the Linger Longer offer for stays at participating Langham Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 17

Copa ConnectMiles
- 1,000 Bonus ConnectMiles per night for up to 5 nights when you complete your first hotel stay booked via Rocketmiles. More... Book by Apr 30, 17

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios on stays of 1 to 6 nights at participating World Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 17

IHG Rewards Club
- 5,000 points per award night - IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks Redeem only 5,000 points for stays at select hotels Worldwide. More... Until Apr 30, 17
- Double IHG Rewards Club Points for IHG Business Rewards Program members for hotel and event bookings. More... Until Apr 15, 17

Le Club accorhotels
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels points for rentals with Europcar Worldwide except in the USA and Canada. More... Until Feb 28, 17

Starwood Preferred Guest
- 3,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays in a Suite at pariticipating Starwood hotels in North & Latin America. More... Until Dec 31, 17
- SPG Pro Earn 500 bonus Starpoints for each eligible stay you book for your clients at any of more than 1,300 participating Starwood hotels and resorts worldwide. More... Until Apr 15, 17

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Now live! IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - Only 5,000 Points per award night at 131 hotels including 5 in Canada


We gave you the previews last week and are happy to tell you that the latest IHG Rewards Club PointsBreaks hotel are now available for booking! This set has 131 hotels can now be booked for 5,000 points per award night for stays until April 30, 2017.

Remember the Pointbreaks rules are that a member can only book up to 2 reward reservations per hotel participating in the individual offer (ie 2 at Pointbreaks hotels and 2 at Last Minute Reward Night 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 soon as the list comes out 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 Point Breaks. 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 are now bookable via the primary Pointsbreaks page or via each individual hotel link below.

10:10MST Update: Some hotels are now live - others are coming online every few minutes - Keep checking to see if the hotel you want comes up soon!


Hotels in Canada

Alberta
British Columbia
Newfoundland and Labrador
Ontario


Hotels in Asia and Australia:

People’s Republic of China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Thailand

Hotels in Africa:

South Africa
Zimbabwe

Hotels in South America:

Argentina
Brazil
Colombia
Venezuela

Hotels in Latin America and Mexico:

Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Honduras
Panama
Mexico
Chihuahua

Coahuila

Chiapas
Guanajuato
Tabasco

Hotels in North America:

Canada
Alberta
British Columbia
Newfoundland and Labrador
Ontario
United States
Alabama
Arkansas
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Mississippi
North Carolina
North Dakota
Nebraska
New Jersey
New Mexico
Nevada
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Hotels in Europe:

Belgium
Czech Republic
France
Germany
Italy
Macedonia
Poland
Russia
Slovakia
Spain
United Kingdom
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WestJet Summer Schedule released - includes new Calgary to Nashville route

WestJet released their summer flight schedule today with lots of additional frequencies on their popular routes but possibly the biggest surprise is a new twice weekly route between Calgary and Nashville. Yes they are both country music hubs so there is similarity there but it still is a bit of a surprise. Our guess is that enough Western Canadians were connecting to the WestJet Toronto-Nashville flight to warrant this new direct flight.

Highlights of WestJet's 2017 summer schedule include:

  • New non-stop twice-weekly service from Calgary to Nashville, Tennessee
  • New non-stop daily service from Halifax to Gander, Newfoundland
  • Additional flights from Toronto to a number of Canadian and international destinations including Orlando, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Montreal and Moncton.
  • An increase of four new weekly flights between Vancouver and Hamilton, as well as the addition of a daily flight to San Francisco.
  • Service from Calgary will increase with six additional weekly flights to Toronto, and the addition of a once-daily flight to both Winnipeg and Regina.
  • Service from Edmonton to Kelowna will increase by 12 weekly flights and by one additional weekly flight to Las Vegas.
  • Service from Kelowna to Winnipeg will increase by one weekly flight for a total of four times weekly.
  • Extension of existing winter service increases through the summer, including six daily flights between Vancouver and Kelowna, and five daily flights from Vancouver to Prince George.

Summer route additions:


 Summer frequency additions:


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