September 8 Update: Up to 4x Aeroplan for Accor stays Worldwide, how to save $4,000+ on a business class ticket and more!

News, Tips & Tricks
We've had a lot of posts over the past week with all the new Aeroplan hotel bonuses and there is one more to tell you about that we haven't covered yet. The fall bonus for stays at Accorhotels around the globe. You can earn anywhere from 2x to 4x the Aeroplan miles depending on which brand of Accor hotel you stay at. Find out more about the offer here!

In our post on the best ever offer for buying Flying Blue Miles we give an example of how it can save you on flights, and that example shows a savings of over $4,000 on a business class ticket between Calgary and Amsterdam. We encourage you to play around with other possible combinations and deals and share them with our readers! Lets all help each other make the most of this and other promotions.

Posts since our last update:

• Best ever offer for buying Flying Blue Miles! 100% Bonus Miles until Sep 25 (use with promo awards!)
  We've covered Air France KLM Flying Blue Buy Miles offers many times here on Rewards Canada and how you…
• Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for September
  Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of September! This is not…
• Earn up to 2,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for stays at Marriott Hotels in Canada until the end of January
  The latest Aeroplan bonus mile offer for Marriott stays in Canada continues with the up to 2,500 bonus miles…

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Earn up to Quadruple Aeroplan Miles for stays at any participating Accorhotels worldwide. More... Book by Dec 15 for stays until Dec 31, 17
- Earn up to 2,500 Bonus Aeroplan miles for at over 80 Marriott Hotels in Canada. More... Sep 12 - Jan 31, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Air France KLM Flying Blue
- 100% Bonus Flying Blue Miles when you buy 4,000 or more miles online. More... Until Sep 25, 17

British Airways Executive Club
- Triple Avios for stays at any participating Accorhotels worldwide. More... Oct 1 - Dec 31, 17

Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles for stays at participating Starwood Hotels in Japan, South Korea or Guam. More... Oct 1 - Dec 30, 17

Miles & More
- Triple Miles & More Miles for each stay at participating Hilton hotels Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 17

Follow Rewards Canada:

Best ever offer for buying Flying Blue Miles! 100% Bonus Miles until Sep 25 (use with promo awards!)

We've covered Air France KLM Flying Blue Buy Miles offers many times here on Rewards Canada and how you can use those buy miles offers to save on flights by redeeming for the famous Flying Blue promo awards. Here's the thing, all those posts covered the deal when the buy miles bonus was 50% and how it could save you money. Well things have changed for the better with the current Flying Blue buy miles offer as they have doubled the bonus! That's right, right now when you buy 4,000 or more Flying Blue Miles you'll get 100% Bonus Miles! Not to mention there are lots of Canadian offers in the promo awards offer right now!

Offer details
100% Bonus Flying Blue Miles when you buy 4,000 or more miles online. Buy Miles Here. Until Sep 25, 17

Here is an example of this buy miles bonus saving you some money:

You can buy 96,000 miles for EUR 1320. Those 96,000 miles will be enough to redeem for a discounted business class award ticket between three Canadian cities and Europe which are on the current Promo Awards list (with a few miles to spare)

 Looking at Nov 14 - 21, 2017 in business class you can get the discounted rate between YYC & AMS for 93,750 miles and C$620.20 in taxes and fees. To buy the miles will cost about $2016 (including 5% GST) and add in the taxes and fees on the award flight or a total of  ~C$2,636.

 
and lots of availability:

YYC-AMS

AMS-YYC

To buy the same tickets outright costs C$6,858.76. As you can see buying the miles can provide you a savings of over C$4,200 on these particular flights!!!

If you don't live in Canada those miles will only cost you 1320EUR saving an additional 66EUR or so. And the discount for these Flying Blue tickets is only 25% at this time, sometimes its 50% off so your savings could be even bigger. However we do not recommend buying miles if you do not plan on using them within the next 6 months or so.





I'm sure there are many more combinations as well that you could look at! Not just from North America but any promo awards, economy class, Premium Economy you name it.  If you hold elite status you could look at Air France First Class, the options are endless. If you find any deals please share it with our community in the comments belows!

Find many more Flying Blue bonus offers here!

Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for September

Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of September! 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 September 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!

We lose out on two big offers that ended prior to the posting of this post. The 60K offer for Best Western Mastercard concluded on August 31 and then the big bad news of the Marriott Rewards Premier Visa card being discontinued means two slots opened up for this month. One was an obvious choice, the BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard since it is first year free right now and we had a few options for the other but give it to the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card since it now has a limited time sign up bonus and is also first year free.
 

Here are our top 5 credit card sign up offers for September (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 $150 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.

BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard - 3,000 Miles  (Apply here)
The best ever sign up bonus for an AIR MILES co-branded card makes it into our Top 5 sign up list thanks to its 3,000 miles sign up bonus (worth ~$300 or more) no annual fee in the first year and a new companion ticket offer! Even you aren't a fan of AIR MILES the fact you can get 3,000 miles and them as cash rewards for no cost to you should be enough to go out and get this card

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 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

Earn up to 2,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for stays at Marriott Hotels in Canada until the end of January

The latest Aeroplan bonus mile offer for Marriott stays in Canada continues with the up to 2,500 bonus miles theme. Differing from the previous 2+ nights weekend only offer the newest version is easier to take advantage of as you only have to stay one night to get a bonus and it can be any night of the week. Of course the more nights you complete per stay the bigger the bonus.

Offer details
Earn up to 2,500 Bonus Aeroplan miles for at over 80 Marriott Hotels in Canada. Full details & online booking Sep 12 - Jan 31, 18
Stay 1 night: get 750 bonus Aeroplan Miles
Stay 2 nights: get 1,500 bonus Aeroplan Miles
Stay 3 nights: get 2,000 bonus Aeroplan Miles
Stay 4 nights: get 2,500 bonus Aeroplan Miles

Find many more Aeroplan bonus offers here.

September 7 Update: Guide to Points & Miles for Students, Aeroplan earning gone on Calm Air, 15% off Radisson stays

News, Tips & Tricks
Yesterday we released the 13th Ultimate Credit Card feature on Rewards Canada. This one focused on the ultimate wallet for students and it has now also been added to our Guide to Points & Miles for Students. Remember if you are starting or returning to University be sure to check out this guide on how points and miles can be utilized by students.

Aeroplan announced that you will no longer be able to earn miles on Calm Air after October 1st. This is odd in that Aeroplan should be trying to keep as many airline partners (no matter how big or small) as possible with the changes coming along in 2020. The good news is you will still be able to redeem miles on Calm Air for the time being

Posts since our last update:

• Air Canada Earn Your Wings 6th Edition - AC Altitude members can earn thousands of bonus Aeroplan Miles
  Today the 6th Edition of Air Canada's Earn Your Wings launched and like the previous three editions, it is…
• Marriott Rewards MegaBonus - Earn a free night after completing two stays
  As expected since the details came out for SPG's next promotion that Marriott's newest offer would also come out on…

Travel Deals
Radisson Hotels are offering 15% off their rates when you book stays of 2 or more nights on the Best Available Rate at participating hotels in North and South America. This is valid until Nov 30. Find out more here!

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Double Aeroplan Miles when you stay at IHG Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Other Bonus Offers
Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus MilleMiglia Miles when you complete your first hotel stay booked via PointsHound. More... Book by Sep 30, 17

American AAdvantage
- 3,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you complete your first hotel stay booked via Rocketmiles. More... Book by Sep 30, 17

Carlson Hotels Club Carlson
- 30% Bonus Gold Points when you purchase between 10,000 and 40,000 points. More... Until Oct 6, 17

Marriott Rewards
- Earn a free night when you complete two stays at any participating Marriott Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.  More... Register by Nov 30 for stays Sep 12 - Jan 15, 18

Miles & More
- 500 Bonus Miles & More Miles for stays at participating Accor hotels Worldwide. More... Until Oct 31, 17

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Double KrisFlyer Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at Swissotel Hotels & Resorts worldwide. More... Book by Sep 30 for stays until Dec 31, 17

Starwood Preferred Guest
- Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Starpoints for stays at participating Starwood Hotels Worldwide. More... Register by Nov 30 for stays Sep 12 - Jan 15, 18

Follow Rewards Canada:

Air Canada Earn Your Wings 6th Edition - AC Altitude members can earn thousands of bonus Aeroplan Miles

Today the 6th Edition of Air Canada's Earn Your Wings launched and like the previous three editions, it is strictly for Air Canada Altitude members. This edition runs similar to the past three as well. Like last year, this year's offer only awards badges for flying and badges equate to Wings which are the currency for this promotion. Compared to previous this year's Earn Your Wings has many more airports where you can earn badges! A total of 94 airports are available with higher amount of wings compared to 79 in 2016 and the 67 seen in 2015. Of course 3 of Air Canada's biggest airports aren't included and those are Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto - that would be too easy but you'll still get 100 wings for take off and landings here.  Montreal is bonus destination badge so that should be a really easy badge to grab.

Your first 500 Wings are super easy as they are awarded just for registering for Earn Your Wings.

Here are all the methods to receive wings with EYW:

• Earn 500 Wings simply for registering
• Earn a minimum of 100 Wings for every takeoff and for every landing on any Air Canada flight (including flights operated under the Air Canada Express brand) and Air Canada Rouge. This translates to a minimum of 200 Wings per flight segment. There are 94 airports that will earn a higher amount of Wings for every takeoff and every landing. Refer to the list of cities that will earn Destination badges and Super Destination badges.
• Earn extra Wings by collecting badges (see Collect Badges).
• Finish in the Top 10 and earn your equal share of 10,000,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles. Finish between positions 11–30 and you’ll earn your equal share of another 10,000,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles. Finish between positions 31 and 50 and earn an equal share of 1,000 eUpgrade Credits.
• For complete Terms and Conditions, click here.

To participate in Earn Your Wings you must be an Air Canada Altitude member and register online at: https://earnyourwings.aircanada.com/en by Oct 11th. Flights booked between Sep 7 and Oct 11th that are completed by Dec 11th will count towards earning your wings.

Here are just a few of the badges that you can earn additional Wings with

---

American Express Gold Rewards Card
• New American Express® Gold Rewards Cardmembers can earn a Welcome Bonus of 25,000 Membership Rewards® points just by making $1,500 in purchases in the first three months of Cardmembership *
• That’s enough to redeem for a round-trip Fixed Mileage Flight RewardTM to almost anywhere in North America
• Transfer your points to frequent flyer programs, or 1:1 to Aeroplan®* and Avios
• Earn 2 points for every $1 on eligible travel and  everyday purchases. Earn one point for every $1 in Card purchases everywhere else
• Charge any eligible purchase to your Card then log in to redeem your points for a statement credit 
• Book flights within Canada or to destinations  around the world for a fixed amount of points, with the Fixed Points Travel Program. You can book any airline , fly any day, and even book right up to a day before departure.
• 1 Free Supplementary Gold Rewards Card (a $50 value) to help you earn points faster
• As a Charge Card, the balance must always be paid in full each month. 30% annual interest rate applies to balances not paid in full. Payments must be received and processed by the date of the next monthly statement to avoid interest charges.
• *American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information click the Apply now link. Conditions apply.
Conditions apply

Marriott Rewards MegaBonus - Earn a free night after completing two stays

As expected since the details came out for SPG's next promotion that Marriott's newest offer would also come out on the same day! This version of MegaBonus sees the awarding of free night certificate to be used at Category 1-5 hotels when you complete two separate Marriott stays. Only one certificate can be earned but Marriott states that when you complete those two stays you can expect an additional offer to be sent your way 2-3 days after the completion of your 2nd stay.

Offer details
Earn a free night when you complete two stays at any participating Marriott Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.  Additional bonus offers may be provided after completing the two stays.  Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Register by Nov 30 for stays Sep 12 - Jan 15, 18
Free stay is valid for 6 months after issuance and is good for Category 1-5 hotels.

Find many more Marriott Rewards bonus offers here.

September 6 Update: Check to see if you get 8% back at restaurants, the Ultimate Student Card Portfolio, lots of Aeroplan hotel bonuses

News, Tips & Tricks
Thanks to Jeff W. for letting us know about this offer that was sent out to select holders of the Scotiabank Gold American Express card. Check your email to see if you were targeted to get 8% back on your restaurant purchases!

 
The RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard has been added our Cash Back Comparison chart. Check it out here!

Priority Pass continues its non-lounge expansion. The latest is the addition of Timberline Steaks & Grille in Concourse C of Denver International Airport. Priority Pass members will receive a $28 credit off the bill. The credit is per person, so if you have Priority Pass Premier membership (like the one provided by The Platinum Card from American Express) you and a guest will get that credit each at no charge. (Source One Mile at a Time) Also check out our Guide to Business Class lounges.

Mexican carrier InterJet is continuing their Canadian expansion! The airline plans to launch 4x weekly service between Vancovuer and Cancun and Vancouver and Mexico City this October. The airline does have their own frequent flyer program called Club InterJet that works like a cash back rewards program (think WestJet Rewards) Of course you can join Club InterJet while still utilizing proprietary card programs to earn points on InterJet purchases as well as redeeming points against those purchases. (Source: RoutesOnline)

Posts since our last update:

• The Ultimate Student Credit Card portfolio!
  Today we released the 13th Ultimate Credit Card Portfolio on Rewards Canada! With school back in now we bring…
• Chase Marriott Premier Visa Card no longer accepting new applications
  This world of credit cards is a wild one. Chase has been slowly disintegrating here in Canada, selling off most…
• SPG Explore More - Earn up to 1,000 Bonus Starpoints per stay at participating Starwood Hotels
  Starwood has released the details of their next systemwide promotion called SPG Explore More.  The bonus offer is not…
• Earn Double Aeroplan Miles for all IHG hotel stays until December 31
  We've already brought you the details of the new Accelerate promotions for those people who like to earn IHG…
• Fly Cathay Pacific from Canada to Hong Kong in Premium Economy or Business Class and earn Double Asia Miles
  Cathay Pacific has brought out their annual fall bonus offer for their flights out of Canada. This year we…
• Earn Quadruple Aeroplan Miles for Choice Hotels stays Worldwide until November 30
  It has only been a month since the last 4x miles offer ended and now its back! Once again…
• New sign up bonus for the RBC Visa Infinite Avion - Up to 30,000 RBC Rewards Points
  The RBC Visa Infinite Avion is one of the most popular travel points cards in Canada thanks to some…
• Earn 4,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on your first Rocketmiles booking
  Last seen this past winter, we once again have an Aeroplan specific bonus for booking hotels via Rocketmiles, the…
• Win 1 of 5 prizes of 1 Million Miles with Aeroplan's latest contest - Moments worth Millions
  You may have seen teasers of Aeroplan's latest contest on Instagram and other social media channels over the past…
• RBC Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum card sign up bonus increased to 30,000 miles (Apply by Oct 31)
  The larger sign up bonus for the RBC Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum card that we saw this past spring…

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Earn Quadruple Aeroplan Miles for stays at over 5,500 Choice Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 17
- 4,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on your first Rocketmiles booking More... Book by Sep 30, 17
- Triple Aeroplan Miles for stays at any Coast Hotels in Canada or the U.S. More... Until Nov 30, 17

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles when you fly Cathay Pacific in Business or Premium Economy Class between Toronto/Vancouver and Hong Kong. More... For residents of Canada only Oct 1 - Dec 15, 17
- Earn up to 30,000 Bonus Asia Miles when you apply for and receive the RBC Cathay Pacific Visa Platinum card. More... For residents of Canada Only Until Oct 31, 17


Other Bonus Offers

American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 30% Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you convert Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints to American AAdvantage.  More... Until Oct 15, 17

Finnair Plus
- Triple Plus Points for stays at any participating Accorhotels worldwide. More... Until Oct 14, 17

Iberia Plus
- Triple Avios when you rent with Avis for 2 or more days at any participating European destinations More... Until Oct 31, 17

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn up to 6,000 Bonus QMiles when you fly between Kiev and Doha. More... Until Nov 30, 17

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Double KrisFlyer Miles when stay at least two consecutive nights in the Premier Club room or Premier Suite at Concorde Hotel Singapore. More... Until Sep 30, 17

Wyndham Rewards
- 7,500 Bonus Wyndham Rewards Points for stays at participating Wyndham Hotels & Resorts that are paid for with MasterPass. More... Until Oct 31, 17

Follow Rewards Canada:

The Ultimate Student Credit Card portfolio!

Today we released the 13th Ultimate Credit Card Portfolio on Rewards Canada! With school back in now we bring you The Ultimate Student Credit Card portfolio!

School has started. You're walking through the hallways and common areas of your college or university and there they are. The booths from all the banks pitching you on your first credit card. Well at least that's how it was when I was in university 20+ years ago. Not sure if its the same anymore but the premise is the same. As a student out of high school its now time for you start building your credit all the while starting to learn the ins and outs of reward programs. The key is credit cards and some of you will get them to run credit. You need to. You don't have much money and need to stretch things out. But you need to be smart. Don't get yourself into a lot of debt. Don't make the mistake many of us have done in the past. Be proactive. Get yourself those credit cards but limit yourself, or better yet put payments on the cards before you even use them. That way you know you can afford what you are putting on them. I won't go into the major details of running and not running balances for a long time in this piece as this piece is a feel good one, you are excited to get your first credit cards and lets keep it that way. So with that said what are the best choices for a student? Read on!

Find all our Ultimate Card Portfolios here!

Chase Marriott Premier Visa Card no longer accepting new applications

This world of credit cards is a wild one. Chase has been slowly disintegrating here in Canada, selling off most of its portfolio and back end to Scotia while only maintaining a few cards. Earlier in the year they stopped accepting applications for the Amazon.ca card although existing cardholders could still keep using the card. Now the same fate has reached the only Chase card that was left for applications, The Chase Marriott Premier Visa card. Chase is no longer accepting new applications for the card however existing cardholders can continue to use the card for the time being. No word on what will happen in the future.

Whether this is a surprise or not will depend on how you look at the picture. If you look at it with Chase as your primary focus it probably isn't a surprise based on all their cards being shut down or moved. If you look at it with Marriott as the primary focus then it is a surprise. Marriott is growing and growing big. They bought Delta Hotels and some other smaller chains years ago and then as most of you know took over Starwood Hotels. That was huge and with the Marriott Rewards program and Starwood Preferred Guest program in the process of being merged with completion coming in 2018 or early 2019 you would think it is critical for Marriott to have an active credit card and phase out the SPG card first. Well that 's not the case. Starwood still has an active card with their Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express and that now becomes the only card in Canada that you can choose to use for either SPG or Marriott Rewards since Starpoints from SPG transfer to Marriott at a 1:3 ratio. With its current sign up bonus of 25,000 Starpoints you could get this card even if you are only using Marriott Rewards since that 25K points translates to 75,000 Marriott Rewards points.

Overall this isn't good news. The credit card market for hotel cards just keeps shrinking here in Canada with only two brands with active cards although I have heard that IHG is exploring options on coming back into our market.... but in general the current situation sucks.

We have reached out to several of our contacts at Marriott and are waiting to hear back on details for what will happen to the card and existing cardholders and what the plans are for the future. As soon as we hear back we'll pass along the news.