Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for June

Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of June! 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 (sign up) 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 you grab them strictly for sign up rewards. In fact all of the cards on this list for June are first year free so you can try them out at no cost 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!
   
There is no change in the list this month from May. 

Here are our top 5 credit card sign up offers for June (in alphabetical order)


American Express Gold Rewards Card - 25,000 Points (Apply here)
A mainstay offer here on Rewards Canada and a card that really should be in everyone's wallets. 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 Use Points for Purchases 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 article for details.) Also see our post on how this sign up bonus can get you a free flight between Toronto and Dublin!!


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 to 50,000 points awarded on approval 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. Please note there is a 50,000 point offer floating around that is specific for Marriott Elite members and some people are reporting that they getting the points while some others are not. YMMV but no matter what you should get at least 30K.



CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite (Apply Here)
This card has never made the list before but now that it has a first year free offer it breaks into the ranks of some of the better sign up offers.  The card offers a 15,000 Aventura Points sign up bonus worth anywhere from $150 to $300 depending on what type of flight you redeem for and since the annual fee of $120 (and supplementary cards are waived as well) those 15,000 points come at no cost to you.



mbna Best Western Rewards MasterCard (Apply here)
Right now there is an offer for 40,000 Bonus Western Rewards points with this card! With no annual fee to boot! We detail the offer in this post that shows just how much value you can pull out of the card with this 40K bonus!


Scotiabank Gold American Express Card - 30,000 Points  (Apply here)
A very strong card in the earn category for Gas, Grocery and Dining/Entertainment purchases, the current sign up bonus for the Scotiabank Gold American Express Card is 30,000 points when you reach $750 in spending in the first three months. That 30,000 points is equal to a $300 travel credit and since this card is a book anywhere card you can book the travel how you want when you want and when the charge shows up on your account you can redeem the points against the charge. The card normally has a $99 annual fee but of course that is waived in the first year if you apply by July 31, 2017!


If you went for all these cards you ultimately could end up with over $1,000 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

Monday, June 5, 2017

June 5 Update: Listen to podcast episode 30, double Club Premier points between Calgary & Mexico City + more!

News, Tips & Tricks
Podcast Episode 30
is out today! In this episode we discuss the Aeroplan bonus for flying on Air Canada's new U.S. routes and an excellent WestJet bonus for flying to Las Vegas. In the movers and shakers we look at the newest rewards card in the market the mbna Nordstrom Rewards Visa and then delve deep into Bond Brand Loyalty's 2017 survey results that says Canadians are sitting on $16 Billion dollars worth of unredeemed points and miles. Finally we look at how we racked up around $1,500 worth of points (Speaking of hoarding!) on one Starwood stay by utilizing multiple bonus point promotions. Download or listen to the episode here.


Posts since our last update:



Canadian Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- Double Club Premier Points when you fly AeroMexico between Calgary and Mexico City. More... Until ?



Other Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- Double Club Premier Points when you fly AeroMexico between Mexico City and Aguascalientes, Tijuana, Boston, Dallas, or Denver; Monterrey and Puerto Vallarta or Detroit. More... Until ?

Hilton Honors
- 5,000 Bonus Honors Points for stays at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino. More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Dec 22, 17
- 1,000 Bonus Honors Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana.More... Until Oct 31, 17
- 500 Bonus Honors Points if you spend £50 or more at Amy's Restaurant in the Hilton London Gatwick Airport. More... Until Dec 31, 17
- 5,000 Bonus Honors Points for stays that include a Friday, Saturday or Sunday night at the DoubleTree by Hilton Atlanta Perimeter Dunwoody. More... Until Nov 24, 17

Le Club accorhotels
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at Accor Hotels in Greece & Israel. More... Book by Jun 11 for stays until Aug 31, 17

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Free + Double Airline Miles on all your Marriott stays when you join Marriott Rewards. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Miles & More
- Triple Miles & More Miles for stays at Best Western Hotels in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Hungary, Croatia, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia. More... Until Sug 31, 17
- 1,000 Free Miles & More Miles + Double Miles on all your Marriott stays when you join Marriott Rewards. More... Until Dec 31, 17

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(OFFER PULLED) 1,000 Free Aeroplan Miles or British Airways Avios when you join Marriott Rewards + earn Double Miles for stays


We first broke this offer last week on our global FFB site and over the weekend it spread like wildfire to other blogs and frequent flyer sites and of course we forgot to post it on our Canadian site until now!

THIS OFFER HAS BEEN PULLED OFF THE MARKET BY MARRIOTT

We see the return of Marriott's great new member bonus for those who want to credit Marriott stays to airline programs! Right now when you join Marriott Rewards via the special link below you'll earn Double Miles on all your stays in any one of 7 airline programs over the summer. The difference with the 2017 version of this promotion is that when you join Marriott will throw in 1,000 miles for doing so! For most of us here in Canada Aeroplan or BA Executive Club make the most sense but there are five other airlines to choose from as well.

Offer details:
1,000 Free + Double Airline Miles on all your Marriott stays when you join Marriott Rewards. Maximum of 35,000 bonus miles awarded. Receive 1,000 miles just for joining. Full details and Online Registration (Registration is required) Until Dec 31, 17
(1,000 bonus miles will be awarded at the end of the month in which enrollment occurred)

Participating Airlines:
Etihad Guest
Qatar Privilege Club
Avianca-TACA LifeMiles
Aeromexico ClubPremier
British Airways Executive Club
Lufthansa Miles & More
Aeroplan

If miles aren't your preference remember there is always the Marriott New Member Bonus where you can earn a free night at a category 1 – 5 hotel after your 2nd paid stay at any Marriott Hotels Worldwide.

Friday, June 2, 2017

June 2 Update: Globe article Bailing on Aeroplan? Here’s how to find a rewarding replacement and fly Air France to Europe from $735

News, Tips & Tricks
Rewards Canada collaborated with The Globe & Mail on the piece that came out this week entitled: Bailing on Aeroplan? Here’s how to find a rewarding replacement . It gives a quick pros/cons look at Aeroplan and major programs that compete with it. Read the entire article here. Be sure to also check out our section on the The Air Canada Aeroplan Saga with All the resources you need



Posts since our last update:


Travel Deals
Air France has some great fares for flying between Canada and Europe.You can fly for as little as $735 Find out more here.


Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- 2,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you complete your first hotel stay booked via Rocketmiles. More... Book by Jun 30, 17

Avianca LifeMiles
- 1,000 bonus LifeMiles when you pay for or redeem miles for a hotel through LifeMiles Hotels  More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Aug 31, 17

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- 2,000 Bonus Gold Points on qualifying rentals of 2 or more days at participating Avis locations worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 17

Federal Hotels International Gracious Rewards
- 3X Gracious Rewards Points for stays at tThe Federal Kuala Lumpur, Hotel Capitol Kuala Lumpur and The Grace Sydney. More... Until Jun 30, 17

Hilton Honors
- Save 30% when you purchase or gift 5,000 or more Honors points. More... Until Jun 23, 17

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios when you shop at Las Rozas Village (Madrid) and Las Rozas Village (Barcelona). More... Until Jun 30, 17

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- 5x KrisFlyer Miles and up to 25% off rooms and enjoy other exclusive privileges when you stay at participating Anantara, AVANI and Tivoli properties. More... Until Jul 31, 17
- Triple KrisFlyer Miles and enjoy 15% off the Daily rate for stays of 2 or more nights at Fairmont hotels and resorts worldwide. More... Until Aug 31, 17
- Earn up to Triple KrisFlyer Miles when you rent with Avis in the USA, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. More... Book by Jul 31 for rentals until Aug 31, 17

Starwood Preferred Guest
- Save 35% when you purchase or gift 5,000 or more Starpoints. More... Until Jun 30, 17

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Starwood Preferred Guest: Receive a 35% discount when you buy or gift Starpoints (until Jun 30, 17)

It has only been about a month since we had the last buy Starpoints offer and now a new offer has come out and it is the best non-tiered public offer ever on purchasing Starpoints. The discount is 35% this time if you buy 5,000 or more Starpoints. Your yearly limit remains at 30,000 Starpoints so if you haven't bought any yet this year this could be the time to do. This offer brings the price down to US 2.28 cents each or just above 1.82 cents per airline mile if you take advantage of SPG's 5,000 mile bonus when converting 20,000 Starpoints at a time. A pretty good price seeing that you can get higher value out of the points if you redeem strategically either for hotel stays or award flights!


Have a look at our post from back in March on "Why you should still consider getting the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express" as it gives some examples of hotel stays where you could buy points and save some big money redeeming points for those stays instead of paying cash.

Offer details
Save 35% when you buy or gift 5,000 or more Starpoints online. Full details. Until Jun 30, 17


Find many more SPG Bonus offers here!

Thursday, June 1, 2017

June 1 Update: Fingers crossed for a Canadian Hilton Credit Card, fly Cathay Pacific between Vancouver & Hong Kong for $657

News, Tips & Tricks
In the U.S. news broke that Hilton Honors is going to go exclusively with American Express as their credit card issuer in 2018. One could only hope the same will happen here. Hilton Honors Gold status is part of the Platinum Card from American Express and the program is a transfer partner of Membership Rewards so there is a possibility this could happen. With Amex likely losing Starwood Preferred Guest next year as it merges with Marriott Rewards, it would be beneficial for Amex to have a new hotel card not only for them but for all Canadians as we'd be down to only 2 hotel chains offering credit cards in Canada after the loss of SPG. Keeping our fingers crossed! (Source Hilton)



Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals
Cathay Pacific is offering some of the lowest prices we have ever seen for their flights between Vancovuer and Hong Kong with fares starting as low $657! Book by June 6 for travel over most of the next 11 months. Find out more here.


Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Triple Asia Miles when you book the Family Moments package at Peninsula hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 7, 17
- Earn up to Quadruple Asia Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at Shangri-La hotels Worldwide. More... Until Aug 31, 17

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles when you fly JAL between Tokyo and Melbourne. More... Sep 1 - Nov 30, 17
- 2,500 Bonus Mileage Bank Miles when you redeem for an award ticket on JAL between Tokyo and Melbourne. More... Sep 1 - Nov 30, 17

Le Club AccorHotels
- Earn up to 6,000 Bonus Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Accor hotels in Asia Pacific. More... TARGETED OFFER - MAY NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE Jun 20 - Sep 10, 17
- Triple Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Accor hotels in Asia Pacific. More... Jun 10 - Sep 10, 17

Marriott Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay of 2 or more nights at Boscolo Hotels in Rome, Venice, Milan, Budapest and Prague. More... Jun 8 - Aug 31, 17
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Milan Marriott Hotel or Rome Marriott Park Hotel. More... Jun 12 - Aug 31, 17
- 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at The Prince Sakura Tower Tokyo, Autograph Collection. More... Jun 12 - Aug 31, 17
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the AC Hotel San Juan Condado. More... Until Aug 7, 17
- 10,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay in a suite at the The Glasshouse, Autograph Collection Edinburgh. More... Booking Jun 11 - Aug 31, 17

Stash Hotel Rewards
- Triple Stash Rewards Points for stays at The Commons Hotel Minneapolis. More... Until Dec 31, 17
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays at the HGU New York. More... Until Jun 30, 17

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Earning Stories: Marriott Rewards - 54,138 points for a two room stay


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.

Another family vacation earning story! A trip to Southern California that was tied into the Spring Marriott Rewards MegaBonus offer.

The stay was at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa and we booked two adjoining rooms for the family. It was booked to take advantage of having Platinum status and of course the spring version of the Marriott MegaBonus:

Just like SPG's Take Two promotion, this offer provided Double Marriott Rewards points on all stays Worldwide. The double points posted quickly along with the Platinum Elite bonus.

Screen shot of the Starpoints that posted with this stay:
and of course since it was paid for with the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa we did not pay a foreign transaction fee and earn 5x Marriott Rewards points for the stay meaning an additional 9,217 points:

This Marroitt offer actually ended back in April but is a good example of taking advantage of each of Marriott's systemwide promotions. However now Marriott have launched their next promotion "MegaBonus Infinite Points" which is live right now and you can take advantage of it for stays over this entire summer:
Earn up to 4,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at participating Marriott Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Earn 2,000 bonus points on each stay starting with your 2nd stay and earn 2,000 bonus points for each brand of Marriott hotel you stay at starting with your 2nd brand. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Register & book by Aug 30 for stays May 27 - Sep 4, 2017
At the outset of the stay we ended up earning the 21,655 base Starpoints plus 31,483 points from the  bonus offer and the elite status bonus. 54,000+ Marriott Rewards points is a decent amount of points that we value at over C$550.

Did you take advantage of Marriott's Spring MegaBonus or are you looking to push the limits with the current MegaBonus Infinite Points offer? We'd love to hear how you have maximized these offers! Leave us a comment below or submit your own earning story to be featured here on Rewards Canada.

Tips for Hotel Stays
- Watch the rates that include bonus miles/points - If there is a bonus most of my stays do earn those extra points but a lot of hotel offers for bonus points also come with higher rates so be sure to check other rates like AAA, Senior Rates, etc. as those could be a better deal than the paying for the extra points. Systemwide bonuses like those provided in this post are typically not associated with higher rates. For a complete list of hotel 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 stay meets the criteria. Those criteria can include certain rates, select days of the week or multiple night stays.
- If you are staying at a hotel/hotel chain that isn't your primary program chain you may be better off posting that stay to a preferred airline rather than earning the hotel points. You'll still have to join that hotel chains program but set your earning preference to your preferred airline.

Have your earning story featured!
Not only are Rewards Canada Earning Stories featured in this series, we want to feature your stories as well! Have you earned a lot of points or miles by utilizing offers posted on Rewards Canada? We would love to hear about them and potentially feature them here on Rewards Canada. Tell us your earning story by emailing us the details of what you earned, screenshots if possible of those points/miles posting and what offer on Rewards Canada you took advantage of. Email it to us info@rewardscanada.ca

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Airline Miles for Marriott stays in Europe


If your summer plans are taking to you Europe and you are not planning on earning Marriott Rewards points than this offer could be for you!. Last seen this past winter, the airline mileage bonus for stays at Marriott locations in Europe has returned for the summer! Depending on the brand you stay at you'll earn an additional bonus of 500 to 1,000 miles.

Offer details
Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Airline Miles for stays at Marriott Hotels in Europe. Be sure to set your airline earning preference in your Marriott Rewards account prior to completing your stay(s). Full details & online booking. Until Sep 6, 17

  • 500 bonus miles per stay at: AC Hotels, Courtyard, Residence Inn and MOXY hotels
  • 1,000 bonus miles per stay at: JW Marriott, Autograph Collection, Renaissance Hotels, Marriott Hotels and Marriott Executive Apartments.