The unveiling of WestJet's 737 Max 8 with photos and flight video

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the unveiling of WestJet's newest aircraft, the Boeing 737 Max 8. Over the past few weeks the Calgary based airline has taken delivery of two of the 50 aircraft they have on order. Fin 302 was on display in one of their hanger bays in Calgary for the media and WestJet employees to walk through and of course be able to take pictures and videos of it as well. Fin 301, was in the next bay over getting ready for the 1st Canadian flight of a Boeing 737 Max aircraft, that is a flight wholly within Canada with passengers on it. The event was mainly attended by employees but also the Calgary media, some of Calgary's best known plane spotters and Rewards Canada!

The new plane ushers in the latest technology and services for WestJet and the airline is really excited to be adding the planes into their fleet. While many features that the plane provides are huge for WestJet the recurring theme was the 14% increase in efficiency the plane will provide over the existing next generation fleet. Hopefully the decrease in costs for fuel are passed along in the fares..... ;-). Outside of it being way more efficient, the plane is much quieter! I sat in row 23 behind the engines and can attest to it being significantly quieter than the current 737NG fleet. This will be much appreciated by not only those on board the plane but even those on the ground who aren't fond of planes flying overhead.

Some other notable changes are the Boeing Sky Interior which boasts LED mood lighting with four different settings (Sunset, sunrise, WestJet Blue & anight time ambient service) and of course the larger overhead bins that on average will allow for 60 more carry on bags to be stored on the aircraft.

Overhead bin

Mood lighting in the ceiling

These will also be the first narrow body aircraft in WestJet's fleet to have ovens in the galleys which means hot meal service will be available!

Ovens!

 For seating WestJet is moving to hybrid three cabin style. You still only have two main cabins, Plus and Economy but there is also now an Extra Leg Room section at the front of the economy cabin right after plus. You'll know you are in these seats as they have the white headrests but not with 'Plus' embroidered on them. Seat pitch on these MAX aircraft are 34" for Plus and Extra Legroom sections while the rest of Economy will range from 30" to 31". While in the air we were told that Plus will actually be increased to 36" pitch sometime here in the near future to match the rest of the 737 fleet. The new seats in Plus and Extra Legroom sections feature a quilted back to further distinguish them from economy.

Plus Seating

Extra Legroom Seating

Regular Economy Seating

I had tons of room in the regular economy seat but then again I'm only 5'-9" (or 5'-8" as my kids claim)

View across row 23 in the economy section

Once through the plane on the media side we boarded fin 301 for the sightseeing flight that took us over the Rockies, unfortunately it was mostly cloudy over most of Southern Alberta and B.C. however the mountains did peak through on occasion.

Actual sightseeing flight path in green

During the flight there were speeches from Gregg Saretsky (WestJet's President & CEO), Boeing's Jeff Edwards and others.  There was lots of praise for the aircraft, the WestJet employees and more. Some more details will also revealed on more changes coming to Plus service. Primarily WestJet is working to add a cabin divider between Plus and Economy and they have set up a partnership with Giusti Wines of Calgary to serve Prosecco out of big bottles to all passengers seated in Plus.

Prosecco being served on the flight!

 It really seems WestJet is ramping up it's higher end service and they need to since they will be offering a full business class on their 787 planes. The better the two integrate the better and smoother it is for the customer. Overall the flight was an awesome experience to have and we have to pass along a big thank you to the WestJet and WestJet Rewards team for allowing me to join them on this special occasion. What follows is a Youtube video compiling some of the photos and videos taken during the event.

Finally today saw the first commercial flights of the plane (Flights 662 and 667) between Calgary and Toronto. Let us know if you were lucky enough to get on one of those flights and share your thoughts below! If not, feel free to comment anytime in the future when you do get onto one of the new Max aircraft once they start flying full time on November 9th!

Please note that some of the statements we pass along here from WestJet are subject to change!

One week left to grab the higher sign up bonus on the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express

Wow three months sure do fly by! It feels just like yesterday when the increased sign up offer on the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit from American Express launched but alas it was not. In fact it has almost been three months and the offer will wrap up next week on October 18th. If you don't have the card yet this may be the time to get it. Sure you may be thinking that SPG won't be around much longer and will be merged in some fashion with Marriott Rewards. That won't happen however until late 2018 or even sometime into 2019. Add into to picture that the Chase Marriott Premier Visa card is no longer available you only have this card as option to earn Starpoints or Marriott Rewards points since you can convert at a 1:3 ratio respectively. This gives you at least a year to use the card to earn either SPG or Marriott Rewards points not to mention the ability to score 25,000 Starpoints with the current increased sign up bonus, which by all accounts should drop to 20,000 on October 19th (or potentially lower since the card has had lower sign up offers before, we just don't know yet) Those 25,000 Starpoints are very worthwhile to redeem for Starwood stays (free nights start as low as 3,000 points or you can convert them to programs like Aeroplan or British Airways and get 30,000 miles/Avios for the 25K or convert to Marriott to get 75,000 Marriott Rewards points. The options abound with this card!

 We've written extensively on why this card is so good and would recommend reading some of our other posts on the card as to why it provides what we would consider the highest return of all credit cards in Canada:

• Why you should still consider getting the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express 

• Limited Time Offer: 25,000 Starpoints with the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express
   
  Now what are you waiting for? It's time to get this card if you don't have it already!

Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express

• New Starwood Preferred Guest®* Credit Card from American Express Cardmembers, earn 25,000 bonus Starpoints®* after you charge $1,500 in purchases to your Card in your first three months of Cardmembership. Offer ends on October 18th, 2017.
• Annual Fee: $120 Annual Fee (Supplementary Cards: $50 annual fee, waived for the first year)
• Earn 1 Starpoint for every $1 in purchases charged to the Card
• Enjoy a Free Weekend Night Award when you reach $40,000 in purchases each year
• Experience Starwood Gold Preferred Guest status when you reach $30,000 in purchases each year
• Redeem Starpoints for Free Nights with no blackout dates at over 1,200 of the world's most desired hotels in nearly 100 countries
• Use Starpoints for flights on over 150 airlines with no blackout dates with SPG Flights
• Experience once-in-a-lifetime events with SPG Moments
• American Express Invites™ opens the door to great music, theatre, dining, film, fashion and shopping experiences. Be among the first to know, and among the first to go!
• Add a Supplementary Card and the first year’s annual fee is on us. That’s a value of $50.
· You can use Apple Pay on your eligible device to pay for goods and services at participating American Express contactless merchants
• Annual interest rate 19.99% on purchases and 21.99% on funds advances
• 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

Redemption Stories: 72,000 Reward Point stay at a New York City Best Western Hotel for only 30,000 Points!

 Going back a couple of weeks ago we brought you the details of Best Western's Fall promotion and it wasn't met with huge fanfare as it's a simple double points offer. However the promotion also includes a redemption portion that is being met with lots of fanfare. That offer is that you can redeem 10,000 points for a reward night at any Best Western Hotel in North America. Of course you wouldn't want to redeem that amount for a hotel that's only 8,000 points but with many being in the 16,000 to 24,000 point range per night you can see why this becomes a great offer.

When we posted the offer there was some confusion on how you book the redemption offer. Thanks to our reader BoogieManer we learned how you do. You simply needed to call Best Western Rewards customer service to take advantage of the redemption offer. Remember it is only good for stays between November 1 and January 31 however you can book those stays right away:

As you can see the Redemption Story here is one that provides some big time value! BoogieManer booekd a hotel in New York City for only 10,000 points per night (30,000 total) instead of 24,000 points per night (72,000 total) That is some huge savings and an example how you really need to keep on top of the game and utilize promotions like this when they come about. Good job BoogieManer!

Great news is that these rates are also now available online, you don't have to actually call in! Here is another New York example at the Best Western Premier Herald Square:

The hotel normally goes for 36,000 points per night but during this promotion it is only 10,000 points!

Once again here are the details of the Best Western promotion:

Double Rewards Points for stays at all Best Western branded hotels Worldwide. Full details, Online registration and booking (Registration is required) Until Nov 30, 17
Additional offer: BWR members can redeem 10,000 points for an exclusive offer for a Free Night valid for a stay at any Best Western branded hotel in North America.  The free night is valid for stays taking place between November 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018 

Have you or are you going to take advantage of this offer? Tell us your story in the comments section below!

October 5 Update: You can now buy WestJet Gift Cards, 200 bonus Aeroplan Miles on your 1st Esso fuel purchase & more!

WestJet has jumped into the gift card game! You can now purchase WestJet Gift Cards to give to your friends or family or use yourself for WestJet flights. The cards come in both Plastic Gift Cards and eGift Cards. You can learn more about and purchase the cards here.

• Start at $25 CAD up to $2,000 CAD per card
• Are purchased through a secured transaction
• Can be combined with a credit card when redeeming for a flight purchase
• Are redeemable on westJet.com or through travel agents

We've added another new airline partner to our book travel page! You can now book Brussels Airlines via the page for their flights between Toronto and Brussels and beyond!

Posts since our last update:

• Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for October
  Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of October! This is not…
• Hotel Review: The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage
  A mid August stay in the Palm Springs area is not for everyone. I believe only one day of…

Travel Deals
Lufthansa has launched a Thanksgiving sale with flights departing from Canada to Europe from as low as $788. Book by Oct 7! Find out more here

 

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- 200 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you make your first fuel purchase of 40 litres at an Esso station in Canada. More... Until Jan 8, 18

Other Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- Double Club Premier Points when you fly AeroMexico on select routes including Monterrey and Detroit; Leon and Los Angeles or Atlanta. More... Until Nov 30, 17

Air New Zealand Airpoints
- Double Airpoints Dollars when you rent with Avis or Budget Worldwide. More... Book by Oct 15 for rentals until Nov 30, 17

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Mileage Plan Miles when you fly on Qantas between the U.S. or Canada and Australia.  More... Register by Oct 31 for travel Nov 1 - May 31, 18

American AAdvantage
- Earn up to 35,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you buy or gift 20,000 or more miles. More... Until Nov 2 ,17

British Airways Executive Club
- Double Avios on Avis rentals of 2 days or more Worldwide. More.... Book by Oct 31 for rentals until Jan 31, 18

Starwood Preferred Guest
- Double Starpoints for stays at the Sheraton Desert Oasis Villas, Scottsdale. More... Until ?

Follow Rewards Canada:

Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for October

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

A huge change this month as we lose the American Express Gold Rewards Card from the list! This card has not left the since we launched this feature a few years ago! Sad to see it go but it was a must so that Amex can get an equal amount of people signing up for that card and the new Cobalt card. The card that takes it spot is the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite Card which we last saw in this list in June.

 

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

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

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. 

CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite (Apply Here)
Back into the list the CIBC Aventura Visa Infinite 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.

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!

TD First Class Visa Infinite Card - 50,000 Points (Apply here)
Its been awhile since this card has had a good sign up offer and now it has what we can recall as one of its highest bonuses of 50,000 points but that's not all it also has the first year fee waived! You get the standard sign up bonus of 20,000 upon approval and another 30,000 when you spend $1,000 in the first 90 days of having the card. Those 50,000 points translate to $200 worth of travel credits for any travel booking or $250 worth of travel for bookings made via Expedia For TD

If you went for all these cards you ultimately could end up with $1,300 or so 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

Hotel Review: The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage

A mid August stay in the Palm Springs area is not for everyone. I believe only one day of our trip was below 40C and that day was 39. The highest we got on our trip was 47C. It's because of these temps that the Palm Springs area has its low season during the summer and that means you can get hotels that normally run $500 or more per night during the winter season for much less than that. Such was the case with our trip to Palm Springs this past August where we averaged about $250 per night for a hotel that when I checked today for February stays is close to $600 per night.

We've gone to the California desert a few times and on this trip we wanted to try somewhere new. After some searching we decided on The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage  a relatively new hotel to the area that was built in 2014 and I ended up booking it for us via the Fine Hotels and Resorts benefit that comes with The Platinum Card from  American Express. The price via FHR was slightly higher than booking directly with Marriott/Ritz however when you take into account the FHR benefits of a $100 food and beverage credit plus daily breakfast for 2 which they simply deducted $70 from the hotel bill each time we ate on site and the rate ended up being cheaper than booking direct.

To get to the hotel you drive up into the hills above Rancho Mirage on Frank Sinatra Drive where the hotel is somewhat secluded with a couple of gated exclusive communities overlooking the entire Palm Desert area. We rented a car and came up to the hotel valet parking to drop off our car (you don't have a choice, more on that below) and upon entering the lobby we were greeted by many employees including ones doling out free Champagne for those checking in. Check in took sometime as there was a line up of about 6 or so people ahead of us. We arrived on a Saturday and the resort was quite busy, as even though it is low season, Palm Springs does pick up somewhat on weekends with many Southern Californian residents taking a staycation in the area, not to mention we were there the last weekend of the Los Angeles area school break. So suffice to say Saturday was a bit busy but 24 hours later the resort was almost a ghost town. I would actually recommend visiting Palm Springs during the week rather than the weekend as every time we've gone we've encountered the same pattern. Saturday busy, first half of Sunday busy then everyone clears out.

On to the actual stay!

The Room
We booked a two queen room with a desert view and as a FHR booking we are supposed to receive an upgrade for free based on availability. The room we got was a two queen room with a desert view with a balcony - woohoo jackpot on the upgrade! (Hope my sarcasm is noted) Not to worry the room had lots of room and really suited our needs for the stay. Here are pictures of the room and always we'll them do the talking:

View from the balcony

As you can see the room was quite nice and the bathroom was awesome, nice and big with lots of space, separate shower and the kids had fun with the TV in there while brushing their teeth.

The Grounds
The resort itself is beautiful and affords great views over the Palm Desert. Being situated on the hills on the western side of Rancho Mirage you do have some of the best views out of any hotels in the area. The hotel boasts two pools, the main pool which is for all guests and a second which is for adults only. Outside of the busier Saturday the pool areas during our stay were really quiet and the service for food and drinks was really good! The hotel also has some great activities for kids with the Ritz Kids Club providing a pool table, ping pong and more while there were other activities available outside. Our girls stuck to playing pool mostly while mom and dad enjoyed drinks right upstairs from the kids club at State Fare Kitchen & Bar.

View of the Palm Desert from the hot tub - probably full during winter months but only saw one or two brave souls use
it in the 40+ degree weather!

The Main Pool

Dining
We dined at two of three possible options at the resort. First was State Fare Kitchen & Bar. We had numerous breakfasts here since it was part of Fine Hotels & Resorts option, had one dinner there and many nights of sitting back and enjoying great cocktails and beer.  The other dining option we also partook in was from the Air Pool Bar which is dining option around the pool. Finally the resort also has a high end steak house called The Edge which we did not try out. Overall the food was decent at the resort, nothing spectacular but not bad although my Filet Mignon at State Fare as probably the best meal I had on the whole trip.

Only one drawback
The only drawback of staying at this hotel is the lack of self parking. The hotel has valet parking only and the hotel is not on the beaten path so a car is really needed (unless of course you use Uber etc.) If you know the Rewards Canada family we up and go at a moments notice so it was somewhat of a drag to always have to call ahead 5 to 10 minutes before we wanted to leave to have our car brought up to the front entrance. It would be nice to see this hotel add a self parking option.

Overall Thoughts
The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage really met our expectations and was a great hotel to stay at. The service from all the staff members was impeccable, the room met our needs and all the amenities really suited what we were looking for for wanting to get away for some relaxation during the summer months. If you can tolerate 40 to nearly 50 degree weather I would recommend the Palm Springs area for summer since its much cheaper to stay at places like the Ritz-Carlton and experience higher end luxury for what you may pay for a mid-range hotel during the Winter season.

Hotel details
The Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage (Book here)
Ritz-Carlton/Marriott Rewards Tier: 4
Points required for a free night (Standard) 60,000 Points
Points required for a free night (PointSaver) 50,000 Points
Cash+Points Requirement: 32,000 Points + US$260 per night for standard rooms

Talk to us! Have you stayed at the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage? What are your thoughts of the hotel? Or are you planning to and looking forward to it? Let us know below!