July 11 Update: Porter Airlines route news, Double Best Western Rewards points in Asia + more

News, Tips & Tricks
Porter Airlines is expanding service between Ottawa and New Brunswick with new flights from the nation's capital to Fredricton and Saint John. The once daily flights to both cities will launch in September. (Source Routesonline)

On the flipside, Porter is getting rid of their Toronto Island to North Bay route in September. (Source Routesonline)

Posts since our last update:

• AIR MILES expands partnership with Transat - more travel options, more ways to book and more mileage earning
  After a tough year in 2016, AIR MILES is doing what it can to show Canadians they are still…
• Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for July
  Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of July! This is not…

Canadian Bonus Offers

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Other Bonus Offers

Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points for stays at Best Western hotels in Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, or Thailand. More... Until Sep 30, 17

Iberia Plus
- 500 Bonus Avios for stays at any participating Novotel, Novotel Suites and Mercure Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 17

La Quinta Returns
- Earn up to Triple Returns Points for stays at participating La Quinta locations in the U.S.. More... Until Aug 10, 17

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Double ROP Miles for all women who fly on Thai Airways during the month of August. More... Aug 1 - 31, 17


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AIR MILES expands partnership with Transat - more travel options, more ways to book and more mileage earning

After a tough year in 2016, AIR MILES is doing what it can to show Canadians they are still a program worth being part of and being loyal to. In 2017 the program has taken steps to try to regain the trust of Canadians and provide more value from the program. The latest announcement from AIR MILES that came out last week is yet another positive step in AIR MILES climbing out of the hole they buried themselves in last year.

the AIR MILES Reward Program is pleased to announce the expansion of its long-term relationship with Transat Distribution Canada (TDC), which will give Collectors more travel options, more ways to book, and more Miles. Effective August 13, 2017, AIR MILES Packaged Vacation and Cruise (PVC) bookings will now be completed through Transat Distribution's travel agency network.

• Expanded travel options
  • Through Transat Distribution Canada's travel agency network, Collectors will be able to use their Miles for more travel destinations and at more travel partners than ever before, including, Collette, Encore Cruises TravelBrands, AmaWaterways, Tours Chanteclerc and many more.
• More ways to book travel
  • Collectors will now be able to redeem exclusively online for Marlin Travel, Club Voyages, Transat Travel, TripCentral Atlantic Canada and TravelPlus eVouchers (currently available using Cash Miles) and physical Certificates (available August 13 in $100 denominations using Dream Miles). These can be used towards PVC travel bookings with participating preferred partners through any of Transat Distribution's 286 participating travel agency locations across Canada or through the TDC call centre.
  • To make it easier and faster to receive the physical Dream Certificates, AIR MILES will be shipping certificates within 72 business hours from redemption, at no cost to the Collector.
  • In 2018, together with Transat Distribution Canada, AIR MILES will be introducing a new PVC website, enabling Collectors to use their Miles immediately for PVC bookings online, 24/7 with participating partners.
• More Miles on PVC travel bookings
  • Effective August 13, Collectors will get 1 Mile for every $20 spent (versus 1 Mile for $35) on any PVC booking with a participating Transat Distribution travel agency. This includes any additional Cash portion spent on the PVC booking, beyond the certificate value.

The expansion of this partnership makes sense for AIR MILES since the majority of its collectors are leisure travellers. By being able to offer more tours and cruises as redemption options they providing more ways for collectors to use their miles and by far the best new option is the ability to redeem Dream Miles for $100 certificates to use at nearly 300 travel agencies across Canada. With a membership base that includes a large number of seniors who do not book online the ability to save money when booking travel via a travel agency and choosing to use Cash or Dream miles for the money saving certificates should appeal to them not to mention many other members.

Finally they are increasing the number of miles you earn with Transat Distribution from 1 Mile for $35 to 1 Mile for $20. Always good news when you are able to earn more miles for your purchases.

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BMO AIR MILES Mastercard
500 AIR MILES Bonus Miles after your first card purchase
LIMITED TIME OFFER: get 3X the Miles for the first 6 Months!*
- and there’s No annual fee
- Earn more reward miles when you use your card at Shell, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car
- 1 AIR MILES reward mile for every $20 that you spend on your credit card
- Extended Warranty
- Purchase Protection

Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for July

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 (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!
   
Couple big changes from June's list. This month marks the return of the first year free offer for the BMO Rewards World Elite Mastercard. It knock the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite card off the list even though that card is still first year free. The other big change is the Best Western Rewards Mastercard from mbna. It's still on the list but the summer 60,000 point sign up offer for the card is back! 

Here are our top 5 credit card sign up offers for July (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!!


BMO Rewards World Elite Mastercard- 20,000 Points  (Apply here)
It's been awhile since this card has graced the top 5 credit card sign up offers! 20,000 points is your sign up bonus that is worth $200 in travel and since the card is first year free right now (they bill you $120 and then rebate after several months) that means your $200 in travel is free and yes you even get the Priority Pass access and 4 lounge passes included in that first year free.

Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Visa - 50,000 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 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.

mbna Best Western Rewards Mastercard - 60,000 Points  (Apply here)
Just like last summer, we this card have its sign up bonus boosted! For many months now it has been 40,000 points but until August 31 it is now 60,000 points.  With no annual fee to boot! You do have to meet the minimum spend of $2,000 in 90 days to get the bonus but that's doable. 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 October 31, 2017!


If you went for all these cards you ultimately could end up with over $1,250 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

July 7 Update: Aeroplan eStore adds 20 new stores, Triple Avios for Fairmont stays and more!

News, Tips & Tricks
A quiet end to the first week of July! Have a great weekend everyone!

Aeroplan has added 20 new retailers to their online shopping portal, the Aeroplan eStore. Like all online retailers available you'll earn a minimum of 1Aeroplan Mile per dollar spent at these new merchants. Find out more here.

Posts since our last update:

• Rare increased sign up offer for the RBC Visa Infinite Avion card: 15,000 points + a $100 Travel Credit
  The RBC Visa Infinite Avion is one of the most popular travel points cards in Canada thanks to some…
• Hello! The 60,000 point sign up bonus for the no fee Best Western Rewards MasterCard returns!
  For some time now we've had a 40,000 point sign up bonuses for this card while the standard sign…

Canadian Bonus Offers
RBC
- 15,000 Point sign up bonus + a $100 travel credit on your first travel-related purchase of $100 of more within six months of approval with the RBC Visa Infinite Avion card. More...
- 2,500 welcome points on approval on the RBC Rewards+ Visa Card and a 1.9% intro rate for 10 months∆ on balance transfers and cash advances More...

Other Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 100,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you buy or gift AAdvantage Miles. More... Until Jul 31, 17

Avianca LifeMiles
- Earn up to 6x LifeMiles on Hertz rentals at participating locations in Belgium, Canada, Caribbean, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Latin America, Luxembourg, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States. More...Until Sep 30, 17

British Airways Executive Club
- Triple Avios and up to 30% off for stays of 2+ nights at participating Fairmont Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Sep 30 for stays until Oct 31, 17

- Double Avios for stays on the Linger Longer offer at any participating Langham Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 17
- Double Avios for stays at any participating Mandarin Oriental Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 17
- 50% Bonus Avios on hotel stays booked via Rocketmiles. More... Book by Sep 30, 17

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

IHG Rewards Club
- Double IHG Rewards Club Points when you stay three or more nights at Holiday Inn Resort® Waikiki Beachcomber. More... Register & book by Aug 31 for stays Sep 1 - Dec 26, 17


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[OFFER EXPIRED] Rare increased sign up offer for the RBC Visa Infinite Avion card: 15,000 points + a $100 Travel Credit

THIS OFFER IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

The RBC Visa Infinite Avion is one of the most popular travel points cards in Canada thanks to some heavy advertising on RBC's part.  This popularity has meant the card rarely if ever had a change to its basic sign up bonus. Well good news folks, RBC has upped the ante for a limited time. The card still comes with its standard 15,000 point sign up bonus which is enough for a short haul flight but now RBC is throwing in a $100 travel credit. To earn the credit simply spend $100 on travel within the first 6 months of having the card and RBC will credit you the $100. Not to mention the card earns 1.25 RBC Rewards points on travel purchases so you'll be getting some extra points on that travel purchase prior to getting the credit.

We have written quite extensively about the card over the years and as you may well know we rank it quite high in our annual Top Credit Card Rankings primarily due to the card being a hybrid card where you can convert those points to airlines such as British Airways. In fact, if you convert points to BA and then redeem those British Airways Avios for a reward ticket within the first 6 months and put the taxes and fees on the Avion card, you have your travel purchase that meets the criteria for a credit. For example, converting the 15,000 RBC Rewards points you get for receiving the card to British Airways Executive Club will give you enough Avios for a handful of flights from Canada to the U.S.:

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Read more about Utilizing British Airways Executive Club for flights in North America.

If converting the points isn't an option, then as mentioned before those 15,000 points are enough for a short haul flight to neighbouring provinces or states. You'll want to push the value you get out of those points however so we recommend reading our article on How to maximize value out of the RBC Avion Airline Award Chart.




RBC Visa Infinite Avion

• Limited Time Offer: Earn a $100 travel credit on your first travel-related purchase of $100 or more within six months of approval^
• Ability to book flights with any airline with no blackout periods, extremely useful when there are no seat sales
• Receive 15 000 welcome RBC Rewards points (up to $350 of value)
• 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

Hello! The 60,000 point sign up bonus for the no fee Best Western Rewards MasterCard returns!

For some time now we've had a 40,000 point sign up bonuses for this card while the standard sign up bonus is 20,000 points. Well now the 60,000 point bonus for the mbna Best Western Rewards MasterCard has returned! Last seen about this time last year this offer for the card that has no annual fee needs you to hit some spending targets to get the 60,000 points.

You'll get the standard 20,000 points upon your first purchase with the card. Then an additional 20,000 points will be awarded with $1,000 in spend in the first 90 days of having the card and another 20,000 points if you hit $2,000 in spend in those first 90 days.

The rest of the card details are as such:
• Earn 1 Best Western Rewards® point for every $1 in eligible purchases‡
• Earn 5 Best Western Rewards® points for every $1 in eligible purchases at Best Western properties‡
• You will be awarded "Gold Status" upon first use of your credit card and "Diamond Status" when you spend $10,000 in eligible purchases within one year◊◊
• No limit to the Best Western Rewards® points that can be earned using the credit card in a year
• Use your Best Western Rewards® points in many ways – hotel stays, dining, gift cards and more.
• 1.99% promotional annual interest rate† (AIR) on balance transfers✪ for the first 10 full months
Apply now for the Best Western MasterCard® Credit Card 

This offer is available for applications until Aug 31, 17.

With the points from this card you have various redemption options with the top two being free nights at Best Western hotels or converting the points to airline miles including Aeroplan. In fact for the latter we list this card as one of three you should get for the Ultimate Aeroplan Credit Card portfolio. The sign up bonus on this card is worth 12,000 Aeroplan Miles, so not a bad deal seeing there are essentially free outside of your spend. You can pull out better value however by using the points for actual award nights at Best Western Hotels (such is the case with almost any hotel program).

Free nights at Best Western run anywhere from 8,000 points to 24,000 points per night which means the sign up bonus could get you anywhere from 2 to 7 free nights.

For example you could do three nights at the Best Western Premier Bangtao Beach Resort and Spa and have points to spare:

 

The hotel itself doesn't seem too shabby for a BW! 

And there are many more options around the globe that you can choose from seeing that Best Western has over 4,200 hotels in over 100 countries.

July 6 Update: Aventura Visa Infinite First Year Free offer extended, Aeroplan Avis & Budget bonuses + more!

News, Tips & Tricks
The first year annual fee waiver on the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card has been extended to October 31. Right now you can try the card for free and get 15,000 Aventura points at no cost to you. Find out more here.

Lots of Canadians were travelling for the Canada Day holiday and our 150th birthday as Air Canada set some records:

Air Canada transported close to one million customers throughout the six-day holiday period, during which it achieved a single-day record for passengers carried. On Thursday, June 29, Air Canada welcomed aboard 166,850 customers, a record for Canada's flag carrier, and from June 29 to July 4 over 930,000 customers took flight with Air Canada. (Source Air Canada)

The Aeroplan bonuses for Avis and Budget car rentals have been extended but with some slight changes. To earn the bonuses, you now must rent for 5 days from either company and the total number of bonus miles from Avis has dropped from 3,500 to 3,250. For complete details see our bonus offer section below.

Posts since our last update:

• Earn up to 90 Bonus WestJet dollars on select flights in Canada
  WestJet is now offering bonuses on even more routes within Canada outside of their More Canada More Rewards offer.…
• RBC Rewards Visa+ increased sign up bonus of 2,500 Points (up to a $25 value)
  When launched in 2016 the entry level RBC Rewards+ Visa Card came out without a sign up bonus. Somewhat…

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Earn up to 3,250 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on Avis rentals of 5 or more days Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 17
- Earn up to 1,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on Budget rentals of 5 or more days Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 17

WestJet Rewards
- Earn up to 90 bonus WestJet dollars when you fly on select WestJet routes within Canada. More... Register and book by Jul 31 for travel until Dec 15, 17

Other Bonus Offers
Alitalia MilleMiglia
- 500 Bonus MilleMiglia Miles for stays at any participating Novotel, Novotel Suites and Mercure Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 17

British Airways Executive Club
- 500 Bonus Avios for stays at any participating Novotel, Novotel Suites and Mercure Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Sep 30, 17

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios when you fly on select Iberia Regional Air Nostrum flights within Europe. More... Until Aug 31, 17
- Double Avios for stays at any Iberostar Hotels in Spain. More... Until Aug 31, 17


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