In-Store AIR MILES Cash redemption to resume on April 5th

Great news for AIR MILES Cash collectors - you'll once again be able to use your miles for in-store redemption starting this Wednesday.

Here is a major excerpt from today's press release:

TORONTO, April 3, 2017 /CNW/ - Today, the AIR MILES^® Reward Program announced that in-store AIR MILES Cash redemptions will resume on Wednesday, April 5th at 5:00 a.m. EST. Collector Account security is a top priority for AIR MILES, which is why the company is also announcing a series of additional fraud management policies that will help to enhance Account security for all Collectors. 

AIR MILES believes that the policies outlined below, which are a combination of existing and new processes, will help to mitigate fraud risk for Collectors, while enhancing Collector Account security and delivering a user-friendly in-store Collector experience:

Mitigating Fraud In-Store – effective April 5, 2017

• Collectors will now have a daily cap of $50 for in-store AIR MILES Cash redemptions across all Partners, per Collector Cash Account, per day. This translates to a maximum redemption of 475 Cash Miles per day.
• In-store AIR MILES Cash redemptions will exclude gift cards and near-cash products (i.e. pre-paid credit cards).

Collector Account Management

• To access Collector Cash and Dream balances on www.airmiles.ca, Collectors must log in to their Account using their Personal Information Number (PIN).
• Collectors who forget their PIN are encouraged to use the self-serve tool located on the company's website to create or reset their PIN.

Existing Fraud Detection Activities

• In-store redemption of AIR MILES Cash prompts an email to the Collector to inform them of the transaction while also providing instructions on what to do if the Collector was not the party who used Cash Miles in-store.
• AIR MILES' Anti-Fraud Team will continue to monitor patterns of redemption in order to spot irregularities and suspicious activity as quickly as possible.
• The company will continue to proactively communicate to Collectors if fraud is suspected and will take action to protect their Account.

Additional steps Collectors can take to protect their AIR MILES Cash Account

• For extra protection, Collectors are encouraged to "lock" their Cash Account. While Cash Accounts are locked, Collectors can continue to get Miles, but no AIR MILES Cash redemptions are possible. Collectors who choose to lock their Cash Account can unlock it quickly, prior to conducting an in-store Cash redemption by using the PIN associated with their Account via www.airmiles.ca/cashlock, the AIR MILES App, or by using our Customer Care automated phone system.
• Collectors should ensure their email address on file at AIR MILES is up-to-date, enabling the company to send AIR MILES Cash redemption confirmations.

More Customer Service for any additional Collector questions

• AIR MILES added 30 additional Customer Care Agents and another 30 agents will be added as of Wednesday, April 5th to support Collectors with these changes.
• As previously announced, the company introduced 24/7 customer support through its Facebook and Twitter social media accounts.

Glad to see this option return so quickly and we are also very happy to see the additional steps brought in by the AIR MILES program to ensure the safety of their member's miles.

Two big take away points from above:

"To access Collector Cash and Dream balances on www.airmiles.ca, Collectors must log in to their Account using their Personal Information Number (PIN)."

Finally! Can't say 100% we were the reason behind this but we addressed this as the biggest issue in our media interviews two weeks ago and in our post on the halting of Cash Redemptions. To quote ourselves:

"And I hope, really hope that AIR MILES does away with the simple input a number and get your balance on their website, make all users type in their PIN before showing the account is valid and has a balance."

This made it very easy for potential thieves to input random collector numbers into the website and see who had big enough cash balances for them to go to a store to redeem them.

"For extra protection, Collectors are encouraged to "lock" their Cash Account. While Cash Accounts are locked, Collectors can continue to get Miles, but no AIR MILES Cash redemptions are possible."

This is a nice feature for collectors, now before heading out to a merchant you can unlock your cash account so that you can redeem and then lock it again afterwards.  Might be a bit of a pain to do this each time but at least you know that your Cash account should be safe

World of Hyatt: Double Points on all stays Worldwide starting with your 2nd stay

This is the first systemwide offer for the new World of Hyatt program. If you're a member chances are you have already seen the email but if not here are the details. You can earn double World of Hyatt points on all Hyatt stays Worldwide starting with your second stay. Yes with your second stay, a little weak on that point from this smaller chain seeing that their competitors have been offering the same or better starting on your first stay. Thanks to FFB reader Timothy J. for the heads up.

Offer details
Earn Double World of Hyatt Points on all Hyatt stays Worldwide and participating M life Rewards destinations starting with your second stay. Register Online (Registration is required) Until Jun 30, 17

Find more World of Hyatt bonus points offers here.

Earn up to 7x Aeroplan Miles for eStore purchases until April 16

Aeroplan has launched a great new bonus for your online shopping! If you funnel your purchases through the Aeroplan eStore until April 16th you'll earn no less than 5x the regular miles normally awarded for each purchase. Of course if you hold Aeroplan status you'll earn more, Silver & Black members will each get 6x the miles while Diamond members get 7x miles.

Of course you have to ensure you triple dip on your purchases by using a points earning credit card for them such as the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card to boost your Aeroplan miles but then we would recommend using a card like the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa card for those retailers charging in USD since the card has no foreign transaction fee. 

Whether shopping for yourself or someone else (Mother's day is only a month away!) don't wait to get it done, you might as well do it now to score lots more miles! Visit the Aeroplan eStore today to take advantage of this offer!

We're back and there will be lots to cover!

The sun setting on LAX and Rewards Canada's Spring
Break vacation - as seen from the Air Canada Maple
Leaf lounge

 Rewards Canada is back from Spring Break and as Murphy's Law would have it, there was lots that happened while we were away! Now you can expect to be inundated with posts and more covering the news from last week while keeping up with anything new that will happen as well!

Here is just a little what you can expect us to cover over the next few days:

• WestJet and Delta Airlines enhanced frequent flyer partnership
• Podcast episode 21 - our 2nd interview episode!
• Tangerine Card devaluation
• a new IHG promotion
• World of Hyatt promotion
• Aeroplan eStore bonus
• Aeroplan launching Payless car rental
• a new Rewards Canada partnership
• and much more of course

Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Status Match Challenge - Airline and Credit Card Elite status matching!

Hainan Airlines and Hong Kong Airlines Fortune Wings have brought back their elite status match challenge that we saw in 2016. You will need to complete flights on Hainan Airlines (or any of their subsidiary airlines) or even Alaska Airlines to earn status faster than if you don't take part in the challenge. What is interesting, is that you may not have to hold status with another airline but hold 'status' with a credit card. How that works exactly is unknown, if you have a Platinum, Infinite, World Elite, Signature credit card does that mean your eligible? It does appear that way! Or does it mean airline status you've earned via a credit card? The terms don't clarify this. The Alaska Airlines component is awesome which means you don't even have to set foot in China, you could funnel your Alaska Airlines flights to Fortune Wings for this challenge.

Anyways you'll need to email Fortune Wings stating you want to do the challenge and tell them what level you want to achieve:

As you can see you'll have a little over 3 months from the day you want to start the challenge (you can specify the date) to complete the flight requirements. To compare, without the challenge you would need 50,000 points or 40 qualifying flight sectors for Gold or 30,000 points or 20 qualifying flight sectors for silver.

Offer details:
Fortune Wings Status Match Challenge - If you currently hold elite status on any other airline or airline alliance, with a platinum or higher elite credit card status on bank, you can participate in the Fortune Wings Club Elite Challenge to earn Fortune Wings Club elite (VIP) status. You will also receive a boutique gift when you complete the challenge! Full details Until Dec 31, 17

The Challenge period	Gold Level Challenge	Silver Level Challenge
100 days	12 base segments or 15,000 base points	6 base segments or 9,000 base points

Here are details on how you apply for the challenge:

Terms & Conditions:
1. A member who applies for this Challenge must have a currently valid elite status (silver or equivalent) or higher membership level on other airline/airline alliance/credit card VIP cards.
2. Members cannot start the challenge before the date of application, and the application cannot be cancelled. Members can only apply for a challenge again after the challenge period.
3. Members who have participated in the challenges in 2015 and 2016 and successfully upgraded cannot participate in the challenge this year. The members who successfully upgrade in this challenge cannot participate in it again within two years.
4. The Elite Gold challengers need to confirm whether they are willing to upgrade to the Elite Silver in case of failing the challenge during application. If yes, they will be upgraded to the Elite Silver after the challenge period in case they fail the Elite Gold challenge but are qualified for the Elite Silver challenge. Otherwise, it will be considered as failure by default and members may apply for the challenge again.
5. It is not real-time upgrade after reaching the standard. Members can enjoy their corresponding VIP privileges after the successful upgrade, and meanwhile their original membership level will become void automatically.
6. The validity of gold or silver card elite status earned in the Challenge is from the month the card was issued until the following month of the second year.. Members may keep their elite status if they achieve the qualified mileage requirement within the validity period of the elite card.
7. Elite members who upgrade via the challenge will not enjoy the Seat Upgrade Coupon when level achieved or maintained, and Points Over-draft privilege, that elite members who upgrade normally enjoy.
8. The 50% OFF domestic electronic upgrade coupon will be used only to domestic HU/CN operated flights and is valid for six months from the date it is posted into your account. Please consult hotline950717 for specific usage regulations.
9. Please check your account periodically to ensure you are credited with flights flown. Missing mileage should be claimed promptly as it will be used to determine your qualification to elite status.
10. According to this policy, only members themselves can apply for the challenge, and the recommenders cannot replace members. The materials of recommendation must be provided during the application process, which cannot be submitted afterwards. The recommenders’reward for their recommendation will be issued to them after the successful upgrade of the challengers. 

March 23 Update: AIR MILES halts in-store Cash Miles redemptions, new Meet the Collectors interview & Chelsea Toronto Aeroplan bonuses

News, Tips & Tricks
Most of today's news has been covered in separate blog posts, see the 'Posts since our last update' section below.

We missed out a small but important program on our Expiry and Inactivity Rules of Canadian Loyalty Programs feature, Porter Airlines VIPorter! The program is now on the list with their 24 month inactivity rule.

Posts since our last update:

• AIR MILES Cash Miles in-store redemptions halted temporarily due to fraud
  Loyalty program fraud has been making the rounds in the news recently with programs like PC Points having been breached.…
  
   
• Meet the Collectors: Young professional makes mile & point consolidation work to his favour
  Today we bring you our latest Meet the Collectors feature. These are interviews with our readers, who are everyday Canadians…
  
   

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Earn up to Quadruple Aeroplan Miles when you stay at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto. More... Until Jun 30, 17
- 1,250 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you stay 5 nights at the Chelsea Hotel, Toronto. More... Until Jun 30, 17

Other Bonus Offers
China Southern Sky Pearl Club
- Earn up to Triple SkyPearl Kilometers when you stay at Mandarin Oriental Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Apr 30, 17

Iberia Plus
- Triple Avios when you subscribe to The Economist. More... Until Apr 30, 17

JAL Mileage Bank
- Earn up to 7,500 Bonus Mileage Bank Miles when you fly on American Airlines between Asia and the U.S.. More... Apr 1 - May 31, 17
- Earn up to Triple Mileage Bank Miles for stays at participating Hilton hotels Worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 17

Follow Rewards Canada:

AIR MILES Cash Miles in-store redemptions halted temporarily due to fraud

Loyalty program fraud has been making the rounds in the news recently with programs like PC Points having been breached. The problem is not new and the industry has worked diligently for many years to combat program fraud. In the early days it was travel agents adding their frequent flyer number to tickets of passengers they booked who weren't part of frequent flyer programs, then it was employees at stores swiping their collector cards when the person purchasing an item didn't present their card and more recently it is the online world with hackers hacking into loyalty accounts.

The latest entrant into the fraud world is now AIR MILES (they just can't catch a break can they?) and their in-store Cash Miles redemptions. Apparently some Cash Miles have been stolen and used for in-store transactions.

Dear Collector,

This note is to make you aware that through our regular fraud monitoring processes, we have identified irregular activity occurring within a small number of in-store AIR MILES Cash transactions, where Cash Miles have been stolen. The personal information of all Collectors remains protected and has not been compromised. We are working diligently to resolve the situation and have already contacted our retail Partners, the police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

While this fraudulent activity impacts only Cash miles and not Dream miles, the security of Collector Miles is of utmost importance to us and therefore we are sending this update to all Collectors. In a desire to protect AIR MILES Cash Miles, we have temporarily removed the AIR MILES Cash option for in-store purchases. Collectors are still able to redeem Cash Miles for e-vouchers online at airmiles.ca. These reward options include brands such as Staples, Starbucks, Cineplex, the Bay, and more.
As we work through this issue, we ask that you continue to protect the security of your AIR MILES Account by maintaining the confidentiality of your Collector and PIN number.

To view your balance or update your Account information please visit www.airmiles.ca.

I also wondered to myself when this may happen as is it is easy would have been easy to use these fraudulently.  I have used cash miles at places likes Sobeys to save $10 here and there and not once have I ever been asked to confirm whether the name on my card is actually me. So if you lose your wallet and someone gets your AIR MILES card or even easier just plugs in random AIR MILES Collector numbers into the website to see the card's balance that person can then go to any of these stores and utilize that number to get a cash redemption.  That was the beauty of in-store cash redemptions, they are so easy for the collector that they make sense but also being so easy makes them an easy target for the fraudsters.

AIR MILES says they are working diligently to resolve the situation which is great. I wouldn't be surprised if we see those merchants accepting AIR MILES cash to begin asking for identification or some way of inputting a PIN. And I hope, really hope that AIR MILES does away with the simple input a number and get your balance on their website, make all users type in their PIN before showing the account is valid and has a balance. This morning I logged in with just my AIR MILES number and this is what it shows

This means if anyone figured out or learned my AIR MILES number they would also see this and could have easily gone to one of the in-store redemption partners and redeemed my miles when the balance hit 95 (they haven't but I'm just hypothetically speaking)

Right now as a collector you don't have to do anything except check your account to make sure you weren't one of those who has lost miles.

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Meet the Collectors: Young professional makes mile & point consolidation work to his favour

Today we bring you our latest Meet the Collectors feature. These are interviews with our readers, who are everyday Canadians like you, on what they are doing with their loyalty programs.

Anybody who’s truly serious about collecting points knows planning is key to maximizing their value. Choosing the most cost-effective flights, hotels, and even destinations for their affordability, or their points payoff, is key to making the most of one’s rewards experience.

Tell that to Charles Tam. Because of his job as a manager of regulatory affairs with Edwards Life Sciences in Mississauga, Charles flies over 25,000 miles annually, averaging 6-8 domestic business flights per year. This makes Charles’ story different from other points collectors, because he often isn’t able to plan his travels around maximizing points. Yet that hasn’t stopped him from saving for getaways and splurge purchases like any other seasoned collector.

Continue reading the interview here! 

If you would like to be considered for our Meet the Collectors series please contact us at info@rewardscanada.ca

March 22 Update: Crediting Hertz rentals to Flying Blue can be lucrative, SEA Centurion lounge expansion open & Double Asia Miles out of Canada

News, Tips & Tricks
Over on The Points Guy they posted that the American Express Centurion Lounge expansion in Seattle opened today. No longer is it considered a 'Studio' lounge but now it is a full fledged Centurion Lounge. As Canadians we can use the lounge for no charge with The Centurion Card from American Express or The Platinum Card from American Express (remember to grab it today if you don't have it as the spend requirement is only $1,000 whereas tomorrow it will be $3,000). You can also access the lounge with other Amex cards but you'll have to pay $50 per person. Find out more about the lounge here.

In February Air France KLM's Flying Blue changed their earn rate for Hertz car rentals. No longer is it a flat rate of miles per rental but it has moved to a revenue based format. That is you'll earn 5 Flying Blue Miles per Euro spent on each Hertz rental (or converted currency equivalent). Not so good for those short one day rentals that may not cost very much but it could prove to be very lucrative if you rent for long periods or rent expensive vehicles like SUV's and premium cars. For example if you have a week long rental that costs about 600EUR you'll earn 3,000 base Flying Blue Miles. Under the old earn rate you would have only earned 800 miles. Compare this to many other programs that only offer 250/500 miles per rental or 50 miles per day of rental and you can quickly see why you may want to credit Hertz rentals to Flying Blue. Remember though, to keep Flying Blue miles current you must fly Air France, KLM or SkyTeam once every 2 years.  Find out more here.

Posts since our last update:

• Double Asia Miles when you fly Cathay Pacific out of Canada in Economy/Premium Economy this summer
  Cathay Pacific is encouraging early bookings for summer travel out of Canada with their latest Asia Miles flight offer.…

Travel Deals
Book the Hilton 72-Hour Sale today! Save up to 20% off your April & May weekend stays. Stay at participating hotels April 14 - 17th and May 25 - 30th in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada. Hurry, sale ends today! Find out more here.


Canadian Bonus Offers
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles when fly one-way or round-trip with Cathay Pacific in Premium Economy or Economy Class from Canada to Hong Kong or via Hong Kong to worldwide destinations. More... Register & book by May 31 for travel Jul 1 - Sep 30, 17


Other Bonus Offers
Aeroflot Bonus
- Triple Bonus Miles for stays of 3 or more nights at participating Jumeirah Hotels in Dubai. More... Until Apr 30, 17

American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 115,500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you buy miles. More... Until Apr 13, 17

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay 2 nights or more Thursday-Sunday at 34 Marriott locations in Southern California. More... Until May 25, 17
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites or TownePlace Suites in the Dallas Ft. Worth area. More... Booking Apr 5 - Jun 28, 17

Follow Rewards Canada:

Double Asia Miles when you fly Cathay Pacific out of Canada in Economy/Premium Economy this summer

Cathay Pacific is encouraging early bookings for summer travel out of Canada with their latest Asia Miles flight offer. You can earn Double Miles if you book Economy or Premium Class travel by May 31 for travel during the high summer season. No love for business or first class but then again those classes currently have a bonus running until the end of April.

Offer details:
Double Asia Miles when fly one-way or round-trip with Cathay Pacific in Premium Economy or Economy Class from Canada to Hong Kong or via Hong Kong to worldwide destinations. Register Online (Registration is required) Register & book by May 31 for travel Jul 1 - Sep 30, 17

If you aren't a member of Asia Miles yet and join during this promotion and complete the promotion you'll get an additional 500 Asia Miles.

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RBC Visa Infinite Avion

• Ability to book flights with any airline with no blackout periods, extremely useful when there are no seat sales
• 15,000 Point sign up bonus 1.9% balance transfer and cash advance rate for the first 10 months
• Up to a 2.3% return on your spending depending on which reward ticket you book
• Option to transfer RBC Rewards Points to WestJet Rewards, British Airways Executive Club, American AAdvantage, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.
• Look for the transfer bonus to BA several times per year!
• A complete suite of insurance coverage and benefits
• Unwritten ability to redeem for Business Class tickets although at a lower rate of return when compared to the Avion Reward chart