April 9 Update: Air Canada expands economy fare options, AIR MILES adds more rewards under 1,000 miles, Top Cashback cards update

Last week Air Canada further updated some of their fare classes. Earlier in the year they launched Economy Basic fares for travel within Canada, then WestJet came out with their own changes for flights beyond Canada and now Air Canada has followed suit with a further expansion of the fares for travel in North America. The expansion includes a new fare class called Comfort that falls in between the well known Flex and Latitude fare classes and seeing Basic being expanded beyond our borders. (Source Air Canada)

The five Economy fare types and their features are:

Latitude - Fully refundable ticket; Priority check-in; two complimentary checked bags; advance seat selection and access to Preferred Seats when available; complimentary Air Canada Bistro Voucher; same-day changes; 125 per cent Aeroplan Miles accrual; and Maple Leaf Lounge access for purchase.
Comfort -  Same-day standby (previously only available with Latitude); advance seat selection and access to Preferred Seats when available; complimentary alcoholic beverage; complimentary checked bag; early boarding; 115 per cent Aeroplan Miles accrual; and Maple Leaf Lounge access for purchase.
Flex - Ticket changes permitted for a fee; advance seat selection; complimentary checked bag; 100 per cent Aeroplan Miles accrual; and Maple Leaf Lounge access for purchase.
Standard - Ticket changes permitted for a fee; 50 per cent Aeroplan Miles accrual for transborder flights and 25 per cent Aeroplan Miles accrual for domestic flights.
Basic - Air Canada's most restrictive fare option will be available only for select routes and flights and for booking exclusively through Air Canada channels.  These low fares do not permit changes, are not eligible for upgrades, and do not earn Aeroplan Miles.  Customers have the option to pay for checked bags, advance seat selection, and food and alcohol on board.

AIR MILES has seen a 10% increase in reward redemption after adding more options under 1,000 miles. As such they are expanding with more merchandise and experience options under that 1,000 mile level. (Source AIR MILES)

Sad news to hear that Tim Winship has passed away. He was one of the very first people to bring the world of points and miles to the Internet (frequentflier.com) and he co-authored the famous Mileage Pro frequent flyer book of last decade with Randy Peterson. When Rewards Canada launched in 2001, it was only Randy's and Tim's endeavours that were on the Internet and were a great source of inspiration for me to launch Rewards Canada since their sites were more American focused and there were none focusing on Canada. I never did get to meet Tim although we did have some great conversations via email. He will be greatly missed and many of us can thank him for helping create the amazing online miles and points culture. (HT TravelBloggerBuzz)

Not too long ago we were asked when our 2018 Top Cash Back Credit Card rankings will be released and I mentioned they would come out in March like they did last year. However with so much happening in the cash back space right now with cards changing and new ones being introduced I have decided to hold back on releasing the Top list until we get all the details in of the cards. I anticipate that the rankings will come out sometime in May or June.

Posts since our last update:

• Starwood Preferred Guest: 250 Bonus Starpoints per night starting with your 3rd night
  Starwood Preferred Guest has released the details of their next systemwide promotion that will launch on April 16th. This…
• Canadian Tire to revamp loyalty program - now called Triangle and will include updated Mastercards
  Canadian Tire has announced that they are revamping their 60 year old loyalty program which has simply been known…

Travel Deals
Save up to 40% on Porter Airines flights to or from Stephenville. Use promo code Q0VZU3 for bookings made by April 22. Find out more here!

Orbitz: Save 15% on hotel stays with promo code JUSTLIKETHAT. Book by April 22 for stays until Sep 30. 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
Air Canada / Aeroplan
- Double Altitude Elite Qualifying Miles on any eligible round trip (or two one-way segments) booked in a comfort fare on all flights within Canada and between Canada and the U.S.  More... Register and book by Apr 19 for travel until Aug 31, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Copa ConnectMiles
- Earn up to 40% Bonus ConnectMiles when you buy or gift 3,000 or more ConnectMiles. More... Until Apr 30 , 18

La Quinta Returns
- Earn up to Triple Returns Points for stays at participating La Quinta locations in the U.S.. More... Until May 6, 18

Starwood Preferred Guest
- Earn 250 Bonus Starpoints per night for stays at participating Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide starting on your third night. More... Register by Jun 30 for stays Apr 16 - Jul 20, 18

Stash Hotel Rewards
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays at the Hopkins Bay Resort Hopkins, Belize. More... Book by Apr 21 for stays until Oct 31,18
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays at the Belize Ocean Club Adventure Resort. More... Book by Apr 21 for stays until Oct 31,18

Follow Rewards Canada:

Starwood Preferred Guest: 250 Bonus Starpoints per night starting with your 3rd night

Starwood Preferred Guest has released the details of their next systemwide promotion that will launch on April 16th. This is the day after the end of the current promotion so there is no downtime in their global promotions. This promotion is relatively weak compared to many they have run and is really targeting those who do complete frequent stays or have a long stay coming up with Starwood. How so? The bonus does not kick in until the third night. For some that will be on their third stay or for others it will be on longer stays of three or more nights. That being said, once it does kick in and you have lots of stays earning that 250 extra points per night can provide a huge bonus (or return) especially if you are staying at the lower priced hotel brands of Starwood. The offer is open for registration and booking but stays only start counting as of April 16th. Keep this date in mind as it is very significant.

Offer details
Earn 250 Bonus Starpoints per night for stays at participating Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide starting on your third night.  Full details, online registration and booking. (Registration is required) Register by Jun 30 for stays Apr 16 - Jul 20, 18

Find many more SPG bonus Starpoints offers here.

Canadian Tire to revamp loyalty program - now called Triangle and will include updated Mastercards

Canadian Tire has announced that they are revamping their 60 year old loyalty program which has simply been known as Canadian Tire Money. The program along with its Options Mastercards will now be known as Triangle, named after the iconic Canadian Tire triangle logo. It is being touted as the loyalty program's biggest revamp in 6 decades - a name change and updates to the Mastercards they offer from Canadian Tire Financial as well as a push to educate Canadians that you can earn Canadian Tire Money (still the loyalty currency of the new Triangle program) as places like Sport Chek and select Marks and Atmosphere locations. The latter of which  we discussed back in January.

From the details we received from Canadian Tire, it looks like the biggest changes are coming in the Mastercards being issued by CTFS as they move to a cash back style model that rewards you with Canadian Tire Money rather than the multiplier of Canadian Tire Money currently seen. For example the current Options Mastercards earn 10x Canadian Tire Money for Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Marks and Atmosphere purchases and 2x Canadian Tire Money for all other purchases. The new cards will offer 4% back in the Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Marks category and 0.8% to 1% back for all other purchases except the Triangle World Elite Mastercard will also earn 3% back for grocery purchases (up to $12,000 in those purchases annually)

What we don't know yet is what the earn rate of Canadian Tire Money will be at these stores when you don't use their credit cards.

Update: Canadian Tire has reached out to us to let us know the Triangle Rewards earn rate without the credit card will be 0.4%.

The program has never published a set earn rate previously and the terms and conditions say the earn rate will vary from time to time. Also will be interesting to see if you can double dip in the new program as the old program did not allow that, it just multiplied the earn rate if you did use an options credit card. The base earn rate of these new cards are quite weak and really only make sense for those people who shop a lot Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Marks and Atmosphere stores.

Update from Canadian Tire: 
To confirm the process in-store – if the customer is not a Triangle Rewards member, or does not present proof of membership at the time of purchase, the customer will be offered physical Canadian Tire Money back if they make their purchase using debit or cash, otherwise, they’ll earn Canadian Tire Money back on their Triangle Rewards card.

So it almost seems like there will not be a double dip - you'll earn 4% when you use the Triangle Mastercard at their stores, not 4.4% that would happen with a double dip if they allowed it.

Once the new program is live and the credit cards are released we'll have more details and will also add the cards to our cash back credit card comparison charts.

April 3 Update: Tomorrow is the last day for Best Buy Reward Zone, the latest Aeroplan bonuses for Avis & Budget rentals and more.

This is only the second time and it will be the last time we cover Best Buy Reward Zone here on Rewards Canada! I received an email about 2 weeks ago and was reminded by Charles T. as he also got the email that Best Buy Reward Zone is ending here in Canada:

We are constantly evolving to bring you the best shopping experience possible. In line with this and based on member feedback, we've made the decision to retire our Reward Zone points program this year.
Important Info:
• You can continue earning Reward Zone points until April 4, 2018.
• Your outstanding points balance will then be converted to a final Reward Zone certificate on May 11, 2018.
• You will have six months (180 days) to redeem, with your final certificate expiring on November 07, 2018.

Tomorrow will be the last day you can earn Reward Zone points and as you can see above you'll have until November to use up the certificate you'll get from those points.

Posts since our last update:

• Hotel Review: Park Hyatt Aviara Resort Golf Club and Spa - Carlsbad, California
  Formerly a Four Seasons resort, the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad California was our home base for a recent…
• Last day to register for Marriott and Starwood systemwide promotions - good for stays until April 15
  Today is the last day to register for the two major promotion from Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest. While…
• Delta SkyMiles - Earn double miles with non-airline partners who you have not earned with before (or did so but prior to 2017)
  Delta SkyMiles is encouraging to use some of their non-airline partners by offering Double SkyMiles when you do complete…

Travel 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
- Earn up to 3,250 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on Avis rentals of 3 or more days Worldwide More... Until May 31, 18
- Earn up to 1,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on Budget rentals of 3 or more days Worldwide. More... Until May 31, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Air France / KLM Flying Blue
- April Promo Awards - Save 20% to 50% on the Award Miles usually required for an award ticket. Destinations vary by each promotional period. More... Book by Apr 29 for travel May 31 - Jul 31, 18

American AAdvantage
- 500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles on all rentals of three days or longer at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Mexico, Latin America, and Caribbean. More... Until Jun 15, 18
- 1,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles on all rentals of three days or longer at participating Budget airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and Caribbean. More... Until Jun 15, 18
- Earn up to 6x AAdvantage Miles when you rent at participating Hertz locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and United Kingdom. More... Until Sep 30, 18

Delta SkyMiles
- Double SkyMiles when you earn miles through non-airline partners that have you never earned with before or only earned with prior to 2017. More... Until May 31, 18

Marriott Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. More... Until Jun 30, 18
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Victoria. More... Jun 1 - Aug 24, 18

Follow Rewards Canada:

Hotel Review: Park Hyatt Aviara Resort Golf Club and Spa - Carlsbad, California

Formerly a Four Seasons resort, the Park Hyatt Aviara in Carlsbad California was our home base for a recent family trip to Southern California.

The location is great for accessing the beaches and beach side towns of Carlsbad, Encinitas, and Oceanside. It’s close to Legoland and isn't too far from the Wild Animal Park either. I would say it is a little far from San Diego itself if you want to do all the attractions there like Sea World, the Zoo, Old Town, museums, etc. You are looking at a ~40 minute drive each way with some traffic - if the traffic is bad then it is much longer.

We booked ourselves two connecting rooms which were very large and offered two doubles in one room and a king in the other. Hyatt did offer a family discount for booking two rooms so the price for both was pretty decent. The decor may be a little 'old person' in the rooms but don't be dissuaded by that as the beds were super comfortable, there was tons of space in the room and the  bathrooms were huge with lots of space. They had double vanities, a separate shower and tub and Le Labo's Bergamote amenities.

The resort itself was quite beautiful as well and we spent a lot of time around the pool area as well the lounge near the lobby enjoying drinks and desert there. The pool area was nice with lots of loungers and lounge covers! All resorts should have lounge covers for use as it keeps the amount of towels that people grab lower. During our stay the cabanas around the pool were free, simply first come first serve. Apparently they do charge for them after Memorial Day weekend when the hotel gets into high season. Drinks were great at the pool along with the chips, salsa and guacamole. The service was slow but that could be due to it being low season and less people on staff.

There are two large pools, one for families and one an adult pool only in an adult only area. When we were there there was almost no one using the adult pool. It would be nice if during the low season the adult pool and patio area weren’t for adults only. In February that area gets the sun the longest and would have been nice to use. I mean we thought about it as our teenage daughters are very well behaved and maybe we could have got away with using but we in the end we didn't give it a try. During high season when the sun shines longer and there are lots more people around I can see the need for the adult pool but not during low season.

We ordered room service one night, it's kind of a treat we do once a trip as our girls have loved it ever since we did it once when they were young and now it has become somewhat of a tradition. Well let me tell you the room service food at the Park Hyatt Aviara was terrible. Spaghetti and Meatballs, chicken noodle soup, a salmon dish all terrible. The only saving grace was the creme brûlée, that was amazing and we ended up ordering several times via room service and also had it down at the lounge. Funny thing is upon check out I overheard the gentleman next to me who was also checking out remarking how his stay was great except for the chicken noodle soup they ordered from room service! I think they need a revamp!

On the service side all the staff were great at the resort, from valets to front desk to the wait staff - they all made the stay pleasant.

I only have one other gripe and that is the resort has Valet Parking only. As you may have read in our review of the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage we are a very spontaneous family who like to come and go a lot in our travels and having to call down or wait for our car every time we want to jet makes for a bit of a loss in that spontaneity feeling (not to mention a hit to the wallet each time for tipping the valet) This is a big resort with lots of space - enough for self parking unlike downtown hotels in major cities where valet really makes sense.

Overall we really enjoyed this resort and would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice family friendly place to stay in the Northern San Diego area.

Hotel details
Park Hyatt Aviara Resort Golf Club and Spa (Book here)
World Of Hyatt Category: 4
Points required for a free night (Standard Room) 20,000
Points required for a free night (Suite) 32,000 Points
Points+Cash Requirement: 12,000 Points + US$125 per night for standard rooms

Talk to us! Have you stayed at the Park Hyatt Aviara resort? What do you think of it? If not do you think you'll give it a try?

Last day to register for Marriott and Starwood systemwide promotions - good for stays until April 15

Today is the last day to register for the two major promotion from Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest. While it is the last day to register you can still book and stay at their hotels until April 15 to earn the bonuses.

Marriott Rewards
Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at participating Marriott Hotels Worldwide starting with your second stay.  Earn 2,000 points per stay and an additional 1,000 bonus points for stays that include a weekend night (Fri/Sat or Thu/Fri in the Middle East) starting with your second stay. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required)

Starwood Preferred Guest
Earn Double Starpoints on stays at participating Starwood Hotels Worldwide starting with your second stay. Earn an additional 500 bonus Starpoints for stays that include a weekend night (Fri/Sat or Thu/Fri in the Middle East) starting with your second stay. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) 

Delta SkyMiles - Earn double miles with non-airline partners who you have not earned with before (or did so but prior to 2017)

Delta SkyMiles is encouraging to use some of their non-airline partners by offering Double SkyMiles when you do complete activity with any or all of them. They use the terminology of 'new' loosely and they mean new to you which can be translated to two definitions, either you've never used them before or you never earned SkyMiles with them in 2017. All you need to do is register and any activity that qualifies from March 20 to May 31 will be awarded the double SkyMiles.

The following non-airline partners are participating in this offer: Hotels & Airbnb, Car Rental Partners & Lyft, SkyMiles Cruises, FTD, Vinesse, SkyMiles Shopping US and SkyMiles Dining.

Offer details
Double SkyMiles when you earn miles through non-airline partners that have you never earned with before or only earned with prior to 2017. Full details and online registration (Registration is required)  Until May 31, 18

Find many more Delta SkyMiles bonus offers here

March 28 Update: Scotia Infinite Card added to comparison charts, Hilton Honors changes kick in April 2, Alaska partners with Aer Lingus

The Scotia Passport Visa Infinite Card has been added to Rewards Canada's Comparison Charts.You can now find the card on the following charts:

• Canadian Travel Credit Card Comparison: All Credit Cards Comparison
• Canadian Travel Credit Card Comparison: Travel Points Credit Cards Comparison

You'll notice we added in a lot more card details for the card on the chart - this is a new step for us on these 14 year old charts that need some revamping! Before lots of the benefits were listed as Yes or No but now we provide as much detail on items such as '4 hours' for flight delay, primary for 'CDW' coverage and more! Check it out and watch for the other cards on the charts to be updated with this greater detail!

The card has also been added to our No Foreign Transaction Fee Credit Card feature.

As we mentioned back in January, changes were coming the Hilton Honors program. We now know, thanks to an email from Hilton's PR team, Charles T. forwarding his email to us and us even getting the Honors email that the changes will kick in on April 2. I recommend reading our article about all the changes so that you know what's going but the main points are that Points+Miles is gone (so is Points+Points) however Gold and Diamond elite members will earn more for their stays now, elite nights will rollover for Gold and Diamond members and more as summarized here:

• Easier Way to Earn Points: It’s now even easier to earn Points on hotel stays when booking direct! Elite tier bonuses will increase for Silver (20%), Gold (80%) and Diamond (100%) members.
• Milestone Bonuses: Members will earn 10,000 Bonus Points on every 10th night, once reaching at least 40 nights in a calendar year. It’s not a limited time offer, no registration is required and there is no cap— the more members stay at Hilton, the more Points they earn.
• Elite Rollover Nights: Every night counts now that Silver, Gold and Diamond members can roll over nights. For example, if you reach Silver after staying 10 nights, but end the calendar year with 30 nights, 20 will roll over – giving you a jump-start on Gold status in the next year.
• Elite Status Gifting: Members can now gift Gold status to their favorite travel partner when they stay 60 or more nights in a calendar year (and that gift turns to Diamond if a member stays more than 100 nights in a year).
  

As if the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program couldn't get any better but it just did, in particular for those living around Toronto and Vancouver. They announced a new partnership with Aer Lingus, Ireland's national airline. Soon you will be able to earn and redeem Mileage Plan miles for flights on Aer Lingus who just happen to fly to Toronto and now have announced flights to Seattle. (Source Alaska Airlines)  

Remember also that British Airways' Executive Club is a great option for the Toronto-Dublin flight!

Posts since our last update:

• On this week's Podcast - Meet the Collectors Podcast Edition: Greg LeBlanc - an avid Air Canada Flyer and Aeroplan member
  Chances are that you know about our popular Meet the Collectors series where we feature regular Canadians and interview…
• Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Review
  Back in 2014 we stated that the first major Canadian financial institution to offer a No Foreign Transaction Fee…

Travel 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
Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Courtyard by Marriott Cold Lake. More... Until Apr 30, 18

Other Bonus Offers
British Airways Executive Club
- 500 Bonus Avios, comp breakfast + $50 hotel credit for stays on the Suite Moments package at the Fairmont Hotels in the Americas. More... Book by Apr 30 for stays until Jun 30, 18

IHG Rewards Club
- IHG Rewards Club Accelerate (Corporate version): Double IHG Rewards Club Points when you book on your negotiated corporate rate for stays at IHG® Hotels and Resorts in Asia Pacific (excluding Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), the Middle East, and Africa.  More... Until Apr 30, 18

Le Club AccorHotels
- Earn up to 500 Bonus Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at Accor Hotels in Germany, Austria or Sweden. More... Book by Apr 8 for stays until May 31, 18

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Courtyard by Marriott Cold Lake. More... Until Apr 30, 18
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront or the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. More... Until Apr 30, 18
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the AC Hotels By Marriott Oklahoma City. More...Until Apr 30, 18
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Moxy Seattle Downtown. More... Until Apr 30, 18

Miles & More
- Triple Miles & More Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at select Jumeirah Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Apr 30, 18

Follow Rewards Canada:

On this week's Podcast - Meet the Collectors Podcast Edition: Greg LeBlanc - an avid Air Canada Flyer and Aeroplan member

Chances are that you know about our popular Meet the Collectors series where we feature regular Canadians and interview them about the collecting and redeeming habits and lifestyle. It is only natural to take the Meet Collectors online feature and turn it into a podcast! In this, the first Meet the Collectors Podcast Edition Jeff sits down with Greg LeBlanc who is the Director of Regulatory Affairs for a medical device company. His work takes him on at least 5 to 6 international trips per year and makes Air Canada and Aeroplan his primary airline and loyalty program respectively. Hear how he collects and use his Aeroplan miles between business and family travel. Greg also tells us about the new Air Canada Signature Lounge in Toronto YYZ as he was able to visit it on opening night.

Click Here to download the podcast

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Links relating to this week's topic:

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

Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Review

Back in 2014 we stated that the first major Canadian financial institution to offer a No Foreign Transaction Fee credit card stood to "to take a big chunk of the Canadian market." This is now reality. Sure we've had No Foreign Transaction fee cards in Canada for more than five years however they were from small card issuers, primarily Chase with their Marriott and Amazon cards and even Sears cards back when they issued them. Then some others came along like Home Trust and HSBC who added this benefit but all in all no big bank touched upon it. That was until March 12, 2018 when Scotiabank introduced the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card, the first No Foreign Transaction fee card from a major Canadian financial institution.

The best overview of this card is with two simple words: well rounded. Scotia has done their homework with this card that launched in March 2018 to provide a little bit of everything that most Canadians want out of a travel rewards credit card. Flexible points, insurance, benefits, airport lounge access and the biggie: No Foreign Transaction fees.

Continue reading the entire review on the main Rewards Canada website