November 29 Update: Podcast Episode 37 discusses PC Plus & PC Insiders, Ukraine International to fly to Toronto and big bonuses for Hainan / Hong Kong Airlines flights

The newest episode of the Rewards Canada Round Up podcast was released today! You can listen to or download it on Apple iTunes, Google Play, our website and Soundcloud. This week it features an interview with Richard from Bond Brand Loyalty, a Canadian loyalty consulting firm. Jeff and Richard discuss the history of Shoppers Optimum, the new PC Plus program and the new fee based PC Insider program.

Ukraine International has made plans to start flying being Toronto and Kiev. The three times per week service is schedule to start on June 6, 2018. Ukraine International does have their own frequent flyer program called Panorama Club. We cover Panorama Club offers over on our global site (see them here) and will add them shortly to the Rewards Canada bonus offer section. In all likelihood, based on our tracking of their offers, there will be a bonus available when the route launches. (Source Routes Online)

In other route news, IAG group which owns British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus etc. has announced the new routes of its new low cost trans-Atlantic airline Level. Included are flights between Montreal and Paris Orly airport. The airline will replace the current OpenSkies airline that British Airways launched many years ago, Open Skies does not serve Montreal however. The Montreal flights will launch on July 2 and operate 3 times per week. Find out more here!

We're going to keep this reminder going in each update until Christmas:
Check out the Give A Mile Flight Hero campaign! The charity can really use donations of miles to help provide flights to those who otherwise would be unable to travel to visit terminally ill or critically sick family and friends. Rewards Canada has pledged to raise 100,000 miles and we are half way there! We are putting the call out to all of our fans, readers and even new visitors, if you can give please do so. It can be as little as 1,000 miles! You can find out more and donate here.



Posts since our last update:

• Air Canada adds six new routes to the U.S.
  Lots of Air Canada news today including the announcement of 6 new routes between Canada and the U.S.! Canada's 2…
• Air Canada debuts Signature Suite for Premium International Customers at Toronto Pearson
  Air Canada debuted their newest lounge offering at YYZ Toronto Pearson today. The Air Canada Signature Suite will officially…
• How students can save money with loyalty programs
  So far in our Guide to Points & Miles for Students we've discussed tips on how you can earn…

Travel Deals
Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more! Since you are booking direct you'll earn your miles, points, elite status qualification and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings
- Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Fortune Wings Points when you fly on Hainan Airlines between Calgary or Toronto and Beijing as well as on Hong Kong Airlines between Vancouver and Hong Kong. More...   Until Feb 18, 18

Other Bonus Offers

Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings
- Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Fortune Wings Points when you fly on international and domestic flights operated by Hong Kong Airlines (HX), Hainan Airlines (HU), Grand China Air (CN), Lucky Air (8L), Capital Airlines (JD) and Guangxi Beibu Gulf Airlines (GX). More...   Until Feb 18, 18

Hilton Honors
- 33% Bonus Honors bonus points when you transfer Membership Rewards points to Honors. More... US Residents Only Until Dec 15, 17

Jumeirah Sirius
- Double Sirius Points for stays on the Leisure First Package at the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers. More... Until Dec 31, 18
- Double Sirius Points for stays on the Suite Sensation package at Jumeirah Hotels in Dubai. More... Until Apr 30, 18

Marriott Rewards
- 2,500 Bonus Rewards Points when staying Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the Courtyard Novato Marin/Sonoma. More... Until Jan 14, 18
- 500 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Residence Inn Boston Burlington. More... Until Jan 15, 18
- 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the SpringHill Suites & TownePlace Suites Minneapolis West/St. Louis Park. More... Until Jan 14, 18

Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass
- Triple Travel Pass Points for stays of 7 or more nights at the onesta ES Suites Gwinnett Place Atlanta. More... Until Jan 31, 18

Follow Rewards Canada:

Air Canada adds six new routes to the U.S.

Lots of Air Canada news today including the announcement of 6 new routes between Canada and the U.S.! Canada's 2 big airlines are on a tear right now with new routes which only means more options for us and more options to earn and redeem miles on!

The six new routes announced by Air Canada today are:

• Toronto to Omaha and Providence
• Montreal to Baltimore and Pittsburgh
• Vancouver to Sacramento
• Edmonton to San Francisco

All routes are going to be flown by Air Canada Express with 50 seat CRJ's or 76 seat CRJ-900's and will launch in May of 2018:

Overall, great news for Canadian travellers with all these new direct non-stop options. Edmontonians can now enjoy direct flights to SFO which is awesome!

Air Canada debuts Signature Suite for Premium International Customers at Toronto Pearson

Air Canada debuted their newest lounge offering at YYZ Toronto Pearson today. The Air Canada Signature Suite will officially open to customers on December 1st. This new offering differs from the standard Maple Leaf lounges we are all accustomed to. First off they went with more of dining style design that moves away from many of today's lounge options:

"The new suite is an exclusive airport retreat where eligible premium customers can dine à la carte at a complimentary, full-service restaurant from a menu created by acclaimed chef David Hawksworth, or enjoy hors d'œuvres, champagne, fine wines and cocktails in an intimate, Canadian-designed and decorated setting."

Quite possibly the biggest difference however is for who can access the lounge. At the time of opening only full fare paying international business class passengers will be able to access the Signature Suite. That means Aeroplan tickets in business class will not be able to, Super Elites not travelling full fare business class will not be able to, Star Alliance Gold members will not and so on!
It really is an exclusive benefit to those who are buying the tickets that really add to Air Canada's bottom line. In some ways this makes sense - many business class lounges including Air Canada's Maple Leaf lounges are crowded these days and their are customers who make the difference for airlines like Air Canada and AC wants to make sure they are treated right. That being said, you would at least think it would be open to Super Elite 100K members since they are also extremely valuable to AC. Perhaps this an initial test to see how the Suite is received and how it is used and perhaps sometime in the future the access may be relaxed a bit.

"The Air Canada Signature Suite officially opens Dec. 1, 2017 and is accessible to all full fare paying International Business Class customers, excluding upgrades and most point redemption programs. The 6,400-square-foot suite, conveniently located by Air Canada's international departure gates at Toronto Pearson Terminal 1, can accommodate up to 160 premium customers and is fully complimentary. It hosts a full-service restaurant offering à la carte dining from a Hawksworth-designed menu. The suite also features a cocktail lounge space with full service bar and a selection of hors d'œuvres and specialty snacks, a quiet sitting ara and concierge service.
Other notable design features of the Air Canada Signature Suite include:

• Design by acclaimed Montreal architecture and design firm Heekyung Duquette;
  
  
• High quality wine and spirits supplied by our partners at Diageo and Moet & Chandon Champagne (both brut and rosé available), and feature Signature cocktails;

• Mural by renowned Ottawa artist Gavin Lynch;
  
  
• Cloudscape Chandelier by acclaimed Toronto design firm Moss & Lam;
  
  
• Exclusive works by local Montreal artists Pascale Girardin and Nicolas Ruel;
  
  
• And Luxury skin care products from Molton Brown."

What do you think? Are you excited for this new option for travelling overseas from Canada? Will you be utilizing the Signature Suite soon?  Do you think more flyers should access to it? Let us know below!

Read more about the Signature Suite here

All photos courtesy of Air Canada

How students can save money with loyalty programs

So far in our Guide to Points & Miles for Students we've discussed tips on how you can earn more miles and points on your back to school shopping (and all shopping in general), using points & miles to pay for tuition and also earning points & miles on tuition payments. Now in this latest article we look at how you can utilize points and miles and other loyalty based programs to save you money. Whether you are or were a student before, you know how hard it can be to keep money flowing while attending classes and only being able to work short hours. So every penny counts which means you can utilize points & miles programs as well as discount loyalty programs to save money on your everyday purchases. 

Continue reading the entire article here! 

November 28 Update: Marriott teams up with Maple Leaf sports, AC Altitude members to have Gogo WiFi option, AIR MILES ups Cash Redemption cap for the holidays

14 years ago today we sent out our 32nd issue of the Rewards Canada News newsletter. The big highlights in that newsletter were the Canadian specific offer of 3,000 miles for joining Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan and the buy SkyMiles bonus for Canadians only when redeeming for an award! This week we will be sending out our 600th issue! If you don't subscribe to the newsletter yet you can do so here

 
Rewards Canada reader Ryan has confirmed that the American Express Cobalt's multipliers do work in the U.S.. He was confirming our post "Are the American Express Cobalt Card category multipliers available globally?" as many had questioned if the category bonuses were just for Canada or available globally.

Last week Marriott announced a Canadian specific partnership that will resonate well with Marriott Rewards and SPG members in our great country! The partnership is with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment and it will see members in both program being able to bid on hockey experiences with their points via Marriott Rewards Moments and SPG Moments:

Marriott International, the country’s leading lodging company, is proud to announce a multi-year partnership with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), making Marriott International the preferred hotel company for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The 100 million+ global members of Marriott’s three loyalty programs - Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guests (SPG), including the more than 3.7 million members in Canada, will be big winners with the partnership. Members will be able to redeem points on Marriott Rewards Moments and SPG Moments for once-in-a-lifetime hockey themed experiences with players and legends of the game. 

At the time of publishing this no Moments packages were available yet but they should be soon.

Air Canada Altitude members will be able to choose complimentary Gogo WIFI as one of their Select Privileges in 2018. (Source Air Canada)

Beginning later this year, the airline will offer Altitude Elite 75K and Super Elite 100K members the opportunity to select complimentary 6- and 12-month unlimited use passes, respectively, for inflight connectivity on board Air Canada, Air Canada Express and Air Canada Rouge operated flights

AIR MILES has adjusted their daily cap for in-store Cash Miles redemption to $750 from $100 for the holiday season. This sees the program gain confidence in their fraud detecting abilities as it was the cash miles option that was affected by fraud that saw in-store redemption halted temporarily and then reinstated with the $100 cap. Good news for collectors who are planning on utilizing a lot of cash miles for their holiday shopping! This increase will be in place from December 1 to January 7.

We're going to keep this reminder going in each update until Christmas:
Check out the Give A Mile Flight Hero campaign! The charity can really use donations of miles to help provide flights to those who otherwise would be unable to travel to visit terminally ill or critically sick family and friends. Rewards Canada has pledged to raise 100,000 miles and we are half way there! We are putting the call out to all of our fans, readers and even new visitors, if you can give please do so. It can be as little as 1,000 miles! You can find out more and donate here.



Posts since our last update:

• Starwood and Marriott announce some changes for 2018 including no intregration... yet
  As we said in September "The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express isn't going away - at…
• Meet the Collectors: Airport planner utilizes a divide and conquer strategy with loyalty programs
   Today we bring you our latest Meet the Collectors feature. These are interviews with our readers, who are everyday Canadians…
• 2 Days left to book the IHG Rewards Club Your World Sale - Save 15-30% off destinations across the globe for a limited time
  You only have a little over 2 days left to book IHG Rewards Club's Your World Sale! It provides…

Travel Deals
Today is the last day to book KLM's Black Friday sale! There are some great offers to be had including Edmonton to London for as little as $725! Find out more here.

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
N/A


Other Bonus Offers
AeroMexico Club Premier
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus Club Premier Points for stays at Marriott Hotels & Resorts in the Caribbean and Latin America. More... Until Jan 15, 18

Alitalia MilleMiglia
- Triple MilleMiglia Miles for stays at any participating Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Dec 31 for stays until Jan 7, 18

American AAdvantage
- 500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles, up to 25% off, free cocktail & breakfast + $25 hotel credit for stays on the Suite Moments package at the Fairmont Hotels in the Americas and Europe. More... Book by Dec 31 for stays until Mar 31, 18
- 6x AAdvantage Miles for rentals at participating National locations in the US and Canada. More... Until Feb 28, 18

ANA Mileage Club
- Earn Double or 2,000 Bonus Mileage Club Miles when you fly on ANA or Vietnam Airlines between Japan and Vietnam or for flights within Vietnam. More...  Until Dec 31, 17
- Triple Mileage Club Miles for stays at participating Raffles Hotels in Asia and the Middle East. More...   Book by Dec 31 for stays until Feb 28, 18

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Triple Asia Miles + 300 Bonus Asia Miles for stays at an AccorHotels MyResorts hotesl in Asia Pacific More... Book by Jan 31 for stays until Feb 28, 18

Copa Airlines ConnectMiles
- 30% Bonus ConnectMiles when you buy or gift miles. More... Until Dec 22, 17

Marriott Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at participating hotels in Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Ohio or Texas. More... Until Jan 23, 18

United MileagePlus
- Earn up to 4,000 Bonus MileagePlus Miles when you book hotels via PointsHound. More... Book by Dec 3 for stays until Mar 31, 18


Follow Rewards Canada:

Starwood and Marriott announce some changes for 2018 including no integration... yet

As we said in September "The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express isn't going away - at least for the time being" as people were speculating on its demise due to the upcoming integration of Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest. Based on news from Marriott we knew this wouldn't happen until late 2018 or some time in 2019. Well we now have confirmation from the programs that it will not happen in 2018. We also have some details on some changes coming to the programs:

This is from Marriott's email

The first is new benefits with Hertz for both Marriott Rewards members and Starwood Preferred Guest members. Prior to this Starwood has not had a relationship with Hertz so we can sort of see this an a step towards integration by equaling out the partnerships that both programs have. You'll be able to earn Starpoints for Hertz rentals and Elite members from both programs will receive elevated status in the Hertz Gold Plus Rewards program.

The second change is the end of the rollover nights and status buy back offers from Marriott. Rollover nights allowed members to have their earned from one year that were over and above reaching an elite level rolled over to the next year to make qualification easier. We now know that nights from 2017 will be the last as those will count towards 2018 status but nothing beyond that. Also the status buy back that allowed Marriott Rewards members to use points to buy back status if they didn't meet the requirements to re-qualify. 

Finally another change not listed in the screen shot from Marriott's email is that lifetime elite members in Starwood Preferred Guest will no longer be subject to the inactivity rule that would expire their points.

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

What do you think about the changes announced today from Marriott and Starwood? 

You can learn more about how the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest programs work together and how you can link them here.

Meet the Collectors: Airport planner utilizes a divide and conquer strategy with loyalty programs

 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.

What happens when you work for a company that designs airports? Well you travel a lot naturally! Meet Martin Leprohon who is an airport planner and engineer. He gets his fair share of travel time but not to the point of that he calls himself a road warrior. Seeing the programs he uses and the amount of miles he collects we beg to differ. No matter what, when things ramp up, he likes to know about his options and making his travel as comfortable and enjoyable as possible by making the most of a wide range of loyalty programs.

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

2 Days left to book the IHG Rewards Club Your World Sale - Save 15-30% off destinations across the globe for a limited time

You only have a little over 2 days left to book IHG Rewards Club's Your World Sale! It provides up to 30% off stays around the globe for IHG Rewards Club members, discounted Points+Cash offers and more. If you are not a member yet it's free to join.

The World. Now on Sale. Shop Your World Sale from IHG® Rewards Club to save 15-30% off destinations across the globe for a limited time. Book by November 29 for stays until March 31, 2018

Book the IHG Rewards Club Your World Sale here!

Not only is the Your World Sale offering discounted rates around the globe there are also IHG Rewards Club Bonus Points opportunities available as well (can be found in the link above)

Terms & Conditions

Booking in the US, Canada and Latin America
The “Your World Sale” promotional rate is valid only for bookings made from November 11 2017 through November 29 2017 and consumed through March 31 2018 at participating IHG hotels in the United States, Canada, Caribbean, Central America and South America. You must be a member of IHG Rewards Club to qualify for the discount, which ranges from 15%-30% off the Best Flexible Rate. This is a qualifying rate and the discount varies by hotel, blackout dates apply, rooms subject to availability.  This rate is fully pre-paid and non-refundable. Hotel policy varies in regards to the number of guests allowed per room. Not applicable with other discounted rate promotions. Not applicable to group bookings. Hotel-specific early departure fee applies.

Booking into Europe
The “Your World Sale” promotional rate is valid only for bookings made from November 11 2017 through November 29 2017 and consumed through March 31 2018 at participating IHG hotels in Europe. You must be a member of IHG Rewards Club to qualify for the discount, which ranges from 15%-30% off the Best Flexible Rate. This is a qualifying rate and discount varies by hotel, blackout dates apply, rooms subject to availability. This rate is fully pre-paid and non-refundable. Hotel policy varies in regards to the number of guests allowed per room. Not applicable with other discounted rate promotions. Not applicable to group bookings. Hotel-specific early departure fee applies.

Booking into Greater China
The “Your World Sale” promotional rate is valid only for bookings made from 11 November 2017 through 29 November 2017 and consumed through 31 March 2018 at participating IHG hotels in Greater China. You must be a member of IHG Rewards Club to qualify for the discount, which ranges from 15%-20% off the Best Flexible Rate between November 11 2017 and November 17 2017. A discount of up to 14.5% will apply November 17 2017 through November 29 2017 based on normal Your Rate APR. This is a qualifying rate and discount varies by hotel, blackout dates apply, rooms subject to availability. This rate is fully pre-paid and non-refundable. Hotel policy varies in regards to the number of guests allowed per room. Not applicable with other discounted rate promotions. Not applicable to group bookings. Hotel-specific early departure fee applies.

Booking into Asia Pacific the Middle East and Africa
The “Your World Sale” promotional rate is valid only for bookings made from November 11 2017 through November 29 2017 and consumed November 18 2017 through April 15 2018 at participating IHG hotels and resorts in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. You must be a member of IHG Rewards Club to qualify for the discount, which ranges from 11%-30% off the Best Flexible Rate. This is a qualifying rate and discount varies by hotel, blackout dates apply, rooms subject to availability. This rate is fully pre-paid and non-refundable. Hotel policy varies in regards to the number of guests allowed per room. Not applicable with other discounted rate promotions. Not applicable to group bookings. Hotel-specific early departure fee applies.

Join InterContinental Ambassador
A one-time bonus of 10,000 Bonus Points will be awarded to you approximately 6-8 weeks after you successfully join the InterContinental Ambassador program. Offer is valid from November 11 through November 29.

November 27 Update: 50% Bonus converting hotel points to Asia Miles, awesome Air New Zealand Cyber Monday sale + more!

Airlines offering bonuses for transferring points from hotel programs seem to be all the rage right now and today we have another one of those offers. This one sees a 50% bonus for Cathay Pacific Asia Miles members who convert points from any of 13 hotel programs into their Asia Miles accounts. Of course the most popular program to convert from, SPG, is not included but this bonus could be a good way for you to get rid of some straggling hotel points that you may otherwise never use. Find out more here

We're going to keep this reminder going in each update until Christmas:
Check out the Give A Mile Flight Hero campaign! The charity can really use donations of miles to help provide flights to those who otherwise would be unable to travel to visit terminally ill or critically sick family and friends. Rewards Canada has pledged to raise 100,000 miles and we are half way there! We are putting the call out to all of our fans, readers and even new visitors, if you can give please do so. It can be as little as 1,000 miles! You can find out more and donate here.



Posts since our last update:

• Carlson Hotels Club Carlson: 100% Bonus for buying points until November 28
  A very short term buy points bonus from Club Carlson is a good one! For today and tomorrow you'll…

Travel Deals
Air New Zealand has some amazing Cyber Monday fares available for flights out of Canada! They do offer all in pricing from major Canadian cities that will have you fly on Air Canada or WestJet to their gateway cities of Vancouver or Los Angeles. Some of the fares are pretty crazy including the Cook Islands for under $800 in Economy! Find out more here.

 
Check out our separate post that rounds up all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals!
Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- 6x Aeroplan Miles for stays at Fairmont Hotels in Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Caribbean and Bermuda. More... Book by Dec 18 for stays until Mar 31, 18


Other Bonus Offers
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus MileagePlan Miles for stays of 2+ nights at Marriott Hotels & Resorts in the Caribbean and Latin America. More... Until Jan 15, 18

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- 50% Bonus Asia Miles when you convert points from any of 13 hotel programs to Asia Miles. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Etihad Guest
- Double Guest Miles on Sixt rentals of 3 or more days Worldwide that are booked online. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios for stays at Iberostar Hotels in the Canary Islands. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Le Club AccorHotels
- Earn up to 3x Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... . Book by Dec 10 for stays until Jan 31, 18
- Earn up to 3X Le Club Accorhotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Africa and the Indian Ocean. More... Until Dec 31, 17

Miles & More
- Triple Miles & More Miles for stays at Taj Hotels & Resorts. More... Until Mar 31, 18

Wyndham Rewards
- Double Wyndham Rewards Points on qualifying rentals of 1 or more days at participating Avis locations worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 18
- Double Wyndham Rewards Points on qualifying rentals of 1 or more days at participating Budget locations worldwide. More... Until Jun 30, 18

Follow Rewards Canada: