Thursday, September 13, 2018

Now live: Earn 35% Bonus Aeroplan Miles when converting points from Marriott/SPG between Sep 13-17

A friendly reminder that this offer is now available with an updated link (and we've corrected the dates from our typo yesterday)


Aeroplan reached out to the frequent flyer blogger community last night with this exciting news about a much awaited transfer bonus from Marriott/SPG. It's been six months since we've last been able to convert Marriott/SPG points to Aeroplan with a bonus and this time the bonus is big but with very small window to do your actual transfer! What can this transfer bonus get you? Well Aeroplan provided us with some nice examples so we don't have to do the work!

Mile earning potential:
Convert                  Get
9,000 points = 3,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 1,050 miles (35% bonus)
= 4,050 Aeroplan Miles
Convert                  Get
30,000 points = 10,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 3,500 miles (35% bonus)
= 13,500 Aeroplan Miles
Convert                  Get
60,000 points = 20,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 5,000 bonus miles from Marriott
+ 8,750 miles (35% bonus)
= 33,750 Aeroplan Miles
Convert                  Get
90,000 points = 30,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 5,000 bonus miles from Marriott
+ 12,250 miles (35% bonus)
= 47,250 Aeroplan Miles
Convert                  Get
120,000 points = 40,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 5,000 bonus miles from Marriott
+ 5,000 bonus miles from Marriott
+ 17,500 miles (35% bonus)
= 67,500 Aeroplan Miles

This is a great bonus to take advantage of if you know of some Aeroplan redemptions you may be planning in the near future. If you were someone like ourselves who converted points from the American Express Cobalt Card to SPG in hopes of a bonus like this well the time is here to pull out that huge value! I converted earlier in the year at 5 MR Select points to 2.5 Starpoints (7.5 in the new program) and add in the Marriott 5,000 bonus miles + 35% from this bonus and I would pull 4.21 Aeroplan miles per dollar spent on the card! That is some amazing value - now I may not actually convert. I have to look at our travel plans and see what makes the most sense and make sure it is done in the next few days. In any regard it really shows just one of the reasons why I rank the Cobalt card number one in Canada. Remember now the conversion rate is lower from the card with the new Marriott program that would put the earn rate at 3.375 Aeroplan Miles per dollar which is still better than any other card out there.

Offer details
35% Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you convert points from Marriott/SPG/Ritz-Carlton to Aeroplan. Full details. Sep 13-17, 18

Find many more Aeroplan bonuses here.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Hotel Review: Aloft San Francisco Airport

This is the final review of the Rewards Canada Maui trip from quite a few months ago. Here are the other reviews from this trip:
Photo courtesy of Marriott
As mentioned in the Marriott review we decided against staying at it for our return overnight hotel and decided to try the Aloft SFO. The primary reason for choosing this location was the late 4pm check out thanks to the Mrs.’ Platinum status,  the bed sizes plus the price was pretty good. Yes bed size. So many hotels in SFO have only double beds so it’s nicer to have something bigger when you have teenage kids. The Aloft features two queens in their rooms and the have adjoining rooms so we booked two for close to the price of one two doubles room at the Marriott SFO. That’s a pretty good deal and we were super happy we each got our own bed!

This was our first time trying out the Aloft brand which launched about a decade ago as lower priced vision of W hotels.

The hotel and brand have a Modern, Industrial feel that our teenage kids loved and thought was lots of fun. We got to the hotel pretty late as the Hawaiian Airlines flight from Maui arrives at 10pm into SFO. We took the free hotel shuttle from the international terminal that Hawaiian Airlines uses. We didn’t have to wait too long, perhaps 5 minutes for the bus to come and it had us to the hotel in less than 10 minutes as the Aloft is the first stop for that particular shuttle.


The rooms were pretty good - not a ton of space but good enough for an overnight for a couple. One room for a family of four with kids older than toddlers and it would definitely feel cramped. I’m glad we had the connecting rooms with two queens in each room. Overall the rooms were very clean and comfortable except for one part. One of the four Queen beds had stained sheets and not just one stain. It had a few stains, I’m not sure if it wasn’t changed out or if they were washed and had stains remaining - either way they probably should not have been on the bed.



A call down to the front desk saw new sheets and duvet covers brought up about 15 minutes later.


Once the new sheets were on we were able to enjoy our stay thanks the comfortable beds and pillows. And thanks to a shift in the winds at about midnight the planes the active runway right outside of the hotel moved to another so we weren't bothered with any take off noise overnight.



The bathrooms were clean and perfect for the overnight. No tubs, just large showers with good water pressure. Part of the bathroom was set out for a small closet space that had a curtain covering it along with the safe, coffee/tea station and some shelves that could be utilized.

Breakfast was included thanks to the Platinum status and we all tried the Berry’s Portable Breakfast pot - it was really sweet - too sweet even for our teen's sweet tooth! These pots were part of Marriott's innovation at the Aloft brand that came early in 2018.

Thanks to Mrs. Rewards Canada being an SPG Platinum member we received 4pm check out for both rooms which worked out great seeing that our flight to Calgary wasn’t until 8pm. This allowed us to go explore downtown SFO for most of the day with the primary destination being the Museum of Ice Cream.


We were having an amazing time downtown and realized that it would be tight to get back to the hotel by 4pm with traffic (using an Uber) so we called the hotel to let them know and they were more than happy to extend check out to 5pm! We eventually made it back just after 4:30 and made sure we were out as quick as possible before the 5pm check out time.

Overall I would pick this hotel over the San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront even though it does not have a lounge - it has bigger beds and has a better feel to it. Still, in the four different hotels we have stayed at in San Francisco over the years we have yet to find one that has really wowed us! May have to stay at some of the really fancy ones closer to downtown - not the touristy ones near Fisherman's Wharf or the so-so ones near the airport.

Hotel details
Aloft San Francisco Airport (Book here)
Marriott Rewards Category: 5
Points required for a free night: 35,000 Points (Standard) 30,000 (Off-Peak) 40,000 (Peak)
Cash+Points Requirement: 17,000 Points + US140 (Standard) 16,000 Points + US120 (Off-Peak) 19,000 Points + US165 (Peak)

Talk to us! Have you stayed at the Aloft San Francisco Airport? What are your thoughts of the hotel? Or are you planning to and looking forward to it? Let us know below!  

September 12 Update: Aer Lingus to start Montreal-Dublin service (a great Avios redemption possibility), 5,000 Bonus Marriott Points in Victoria and more


Ireland's Aer Lingus announced their second Canadian destination today. Starting next summer they will offer direct flights between Montreal and Dublin with their new Airbus A321LR aircraft. The flights will launch on August 8, 2019 and operate daily. This is significant news for those of you using British Airways Executive Club and collecting up lots of Avios from the American Express Gold Rewards card, RBC Visa Infinite Avion and other credit cards as it represents one more route to use those Avios on! And the amount you need to use can be very little! During off season flights (which for Aer Lingus is most of the year) you can fly one way between Montreal and Dublin for only 13,000 Avios! You can read more about this awesome redemption option here (of course we'll need to update that article to include this new route!) (Source: One Mile at a Time)

Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals
Seeing that we mentioned Aer Lingus above, why not take advantage of their intro fares on the new route that sees round trip flights starting as low as $739 all in from Montreal. Find out more here.

Marriott Enjoy 20% off leisure rates at beautiful vacation destinations worldwide when staying Sunday-Thursday nights. Choose from 60 resorts across the U.S., Caribbean, Europe or Southeast Asia for your fall getaway. Full Details and online Booking Sep 16 - Dec 6, 18

Air Canada
has launched their Worldwide Fall Seat Sale a day after WestJet's. Book by September 12! Find out more here

Planning to book a flight on Etihad out of Toronto? (or anywhere else for that matter) then you should book via their moblie site over the next week as you can enjoy 10% Off on all Etihad flights, across the Etihad network until 12th September 2018. Users must purchase on Mobile with code AMXD0830. Find out more here
 
Radisson Blu Suite Sale - 20% off for non-members on Junior Suites and Suites. Up to 5% extra off for members. Book by Sep 16 for stays until Nov 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
- 35% Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you convert points from Marriott/SPG/Ritz-Carlton to Aeroplan. More... Sep 13-18, 18



Marriott / SPG/ Ritz-Carlton Rewards
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay 2+ consecutive nights at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort. More... Booking Until Nov 23, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Triple Bonus Miles for stays at Accor Hotels Worldwide More... Until Nov 15, 18

Finnair Plus
- Earn up to Quadruple Plus Points for stays at Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Oct 31 for stays until Dec 31, 18

Marriott / SPG/ Ritz-Carlton Rewards
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Points for stays of 2+ nights at all participating hotels across the 29 brands of hotels worldwide. More... Register by Jan 7 for stays Sep 26 - Jan 31, 19
- 5,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay 2+ consecutive nights at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort. More...Booking Until Nov 23, 18

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn up to Triple QMiles on all Qatar Airways flights Worldwide. More... Book by Sep 18 for travel until May 31, 19

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WestJet to introduce a true Premium cabin on its 737s, a new elite tier and their own lounges

We are finally getting confirmation from WestJet on many things that we have been reporting will happen with the airline and the Rewards program in the near future. Rather than us having a crystal ball, everything we have wrote about in the past were not guesses but rather what WestJet representatives have been telling Rewards Canada. Now over the past two weeks several emails have been sent out by WestJet to its members outlining many of these details.


True 2x2 Seating in Plus
Ever since we posted our video and review of WestJet's Boeing 737 MAX first flight last fall we knew the airline was going to eventually move to a true Premium Economy product in the Plus cabins of the 737 fleet. This news was confirmed several weeks ago by WestJet. What this means is two bigger seats with larger centre consoles rather than the current 3 regular economy class seats with the middle seat blocked off. It also means a divider between the Plus cabin and the Economy Class cabin. There will also be enhanced service with different menu offerings seeing that the 737 MAX aircraft are outfitted with onboard ovens.

You can learn more about the new Plus Cabins here and even watch this video about the new configuration:

The new cabin will debut this fall on WestJet's newest Boeing 737 Max aircraft that are scheduled to be delivered soon and will then be retrofitted onto existing aircraft in 2019.

then this morning came an email from WestJet Rewards with the following news:

New Elite Tier above Gold + more Gold  & Silver benefits
There will be a new Elite Tier level coming in the program that will be higher than Gold. I can't remember when we mentioned this on the site (maybe we didn't) but it's coming soon. Here are the basics from the email:
"Soon, we will be unveiling a new tier above Gold, along with new and enhanced benefits for our Silver and Gold members. This growth represents some outstanding opportunities— especially for those looking for more exclusive premium experiences."
This new tier makes sense as WestJet has doled out lots of Gold status that offers some good benefits but with the airline becoming more of a full fledged business carrier they will want a top level with even more benefits that can compete with Air Canada Altitude's Super Elite 100K and Elite 75K and perhaps attract some of those high revenue customers.


WestJet Lounges
Also covered a few times before, today's email confirms WestJet is going to operate their own business class lounges. Currently they have agreements with some third party lounges which will continue at airports they won't have their own lounges in. From the email:
Comfort. Style. Innovation. You deserve a premium lounge experience and we’re excited to deliver it.
Coming soon.
That's it for the WestJet news! Personally I think this is great for the airline as it moves to be a global competitor and partner to a lot of great airlines from around the world.

---

WestJet 

Marriott SPG Ritz-Carlton MegaBonus - Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Points per stay of 2+ nights Worldwide


We finally have the very first global systemwide promotion from the combined Marriott/SPG/Ritz-Carlton program. Taking the name of Marriott's global moniker, MegaBonus, the new bonus rewards multiple night stays along with multiple brand stays. Ideally to make the most of this promotion you'll want to complete a 2 night stay at one brand to earn 2,000 bonus points then move to another brand for every other 2 night stay you have. Or at the very least if you have a 1 night stay make sure it is at a brand you haven't stayed at during the promotional period to get at least 1,000 bonus points.

Offer details
Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Points for stays of 2+ nights at all participating hotels across the 29 brands of hotels worldwide. Earn 2,000 bonus points on all stays of two or more nights and 1,000 bonus points per brand, starting with your second brand. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Register by Jan 7 for stays Sep 26 - Jan 31, 19

Find many more Marriott/SPG bonus points offers here

Earn 35% Bonus Aeroplan Miles when converting points from Marriott/SPG between Sep 13-17


Aeroplan reached out to the frequent flyer blogger community last night with this exciting news about a much awaited transfer bonus from Marriott/SPG. It's been six months since we've last been able to convert Marriott/SPG points to Aeroplan with a bonus and this time the bonus is big but with very small window to do your actual transfer! What can this transfer bonus get you? Well Aeroplan provided us with some nice examples so we don't have to do the work!

Mile earning potential:

Convert                  Get
9,000 points = 3,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 1,050 miles (35% bonus)
= 4,050 Aeroplan Miles

Convert                  Get
30,000 points = 10,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 3,500 miles (35% bonus)
= 13,500 Aeroplan Miles

Convert                  Get
60,000 points = 20,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 5,000 bonus miles from Marriott
+ 8,750 miles (35% bonus)
= 33,750 Aeroplan Miles

Convert                  Get
90,000 points = 30,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 5,000 bonus miles from Marriott
+ 12,250 miles (35% bonus)
= 47,250 Aeroplan Miles

Convert                  Get
120,000 points = 40,000 Aeroplan Miles
+ 5,000 bonus miles from Marriott
+ 5,000 bonus miles from Marriott
+ 17,500 miles (35% bonus)
= 67,500 Aeroplan Miles

This is a great bonus to take advantage of if you know of some Aeroplan redemptions you may be planning in the near future. If you were someone like ourselves who converted points from the American Express Cobalt Card to SPG in hopes of a bonus like this well the time is here to pull out that huge value! I converted earlier in the year at 5 MR Select points to 2.5 Starpoints (7.5 in the new program) and add in the Marriott 5,000 bonus miles + 35% from this bonus and I would pull 4.21 Aeroplan miles per dollar spent on the card! That is some amazing value - now I may not actually convert. I have to look at our travel plans and see what makes the most sense and make sure it is done in the next few days. In any regard it really shows just one of the reasons why I rank the Cobalt card number one in Canada. Remember now the conversion rate is lower from the card with the new Marriott program that would put the earn rate at 3.375 Aeroplan Miles per dollar which is still better than any other card out there.

Offer details
35% Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you convert points from Marriott/SPG/Ritz-Carlton to Aeroplan. Full details. Sep 13-17, 18

Find many more Aeroplan bonuses here.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Earn up to Triple QMiles on Qatar Airways flights out of Montreal


Offer details
Earn up to Triple QMiles on all Qatar Airways flights departing Montreal when you register and book by September 18 for travel until May 31, 19. Full details and online booking. 
Bookings made online on qatarairways.com or via the mobile app will earn triple miles, all other channels will earn double miles.

September 11 Update: Up to 1,000 Bonus More Rewards Points, bonus CIBC points on WestJet or Air Transat and are you in Saskatoon on Thursday?

We are looking for a Rewards Canada reader who lives in or may be in Saskatoon on Thursday September 13th in the afternoon who would be able to complete a review of a new lounge opening for us. Please email us at info@rewardscanada.ca if you are interested.

You can earn up to 1,000 bonus More Rewards points for shopping at Save On Foods or Urban fare this week. Grab your coupons here.

Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals
Marriott
Enjoy 20% off leisure rates at beautiful vacation destinations worldwide when staying Sunday-Thursday nights. Choose from 60 resorts across the U.S., Caribbean, Europe or Southeast Asia for your fall getaway. Full Details and online Booking Sep 16 - Dec 6, 18

Air Canada
has launched their Worldwide Fall Seat Sale a day after WestJet's. Book by September 12! Find out more here

Planning to book a flight on Etihad out of Toronto? (or anywhere else for that matter) then you should book via their moblie site over the next week as you can enjoy 10% Off on all Etihad flights, across the Etihad network until 12th September 2018. Users must purchase on Mobile with code AMXD0830. Find out more here
 
Radisson Blu Suite Sale - 20% off for non-members on Junior Suites and Suites. Up to 5% extra off for members. Book by Sep 16 for stays until Nov 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

CIBC Rewards
- 5x Points when you purchase a flight from WestJet or a vacation package from WestJet Vacations in the CIBC Rewards Centre. More... Until ?
- 3x Points when booking select flights with Air Transat through the CIBC Rewards Centre. More... Until ?

Other Bonus Offers
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Triple Asia Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at all participating Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 18

Choice Privileges
- Earn up to 8,000 Bonus Privileges Points (enough for a free nights) for 2 separate stays you complete at participating Choice Hotels Worldwide. More... For Residents of the U.S. and Canada only Sep 12 - Nov 9, 18

IHG Rewards Club
- 10,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for stays of 3 or more nights at any Holiday Inn Club Vacation location in the U.S. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Le Club AccorHotels
- Double Le Club AccorHotels Points on all Europcar rentals Worldwide except in the U.S. and Canada. More... Until Sep 30, 18

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Courtyard or Residence Inn Toronto Airport. Bonus is awarded for up to 4 nights. More... Until Oct 9, 18
- Up to 25,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays of 5+ nights at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa More... Until Nov 16, 18

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Flying Club Miles for all hotel stays booked via Kaligo. More... Book by Oct 31 for stays until Apr 30, 19

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Choice Privileges: Earn up to 8,000 bonus points when you complete 2 stays Worldwide from September 12 - November 9


Choice Hotels fall promotion is here and lo and behold it is the same offer we always see from them! They word the promotions differently in terms of get a free night, get a $50 gift card etc. however the gist of the promos are the same, they will award you enough bonus points after you complete 2 separate stays to have 8,000 points after those stays. In this case it is the free night offer.
 
Offer details
Earn up to 8,000 Bonus Privileges Points (enough for a free nights) for 2 separate stays you complete at participating Choice Hotels Worldwide. Stay must be booked via ChoiceHotels.com, the Choice Hotels mobile app, or 800.4CHOICE at qualifying rates. Members will be awarded a minimum of 5,000 bonus points and a maximum of 8,000 bonus points, depending on the number of base points earned for 2 separate qualifying trips. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Sep 12 - Nov 9, 18
Restrictions
For Residents of the U.S. and Canada only

Find other Choice Privileges bonus offers here

Thursday, September 6, 2018

September 6 Update: The Platinum Card from Amex now offers Shangri-La elite status which provides Singapore Airlines status, Cobalt Multipliers updated and more!


Following suit of what we saw on the U.K. version of The Platinum Card from American Express earlier this year, our Canadian version of the card now provides Jade Elite Status in the Shangri-La Hotels Golden Circle program. This new benefit continues to enhance the hotel elite offers the card provides including status with Marriott (SPG), Radisson, and Hilton. Albeit the SPG Gold status the card provides is worth less now not because of Amex but due to the changes in the new combined Marriott Rewards SPG program. Remember as well that the statuses you get automatically with the card can be parlayed into status in other programs. We covered it in this post: Get elite status with at least six hotel reward programs with The Platinum Card from American Express (which needs some serious updating now as there are even more programs matching status and we'll do that shortly)

You can find out more about the Shangri-La status here and get more info on The Platinum Card here.

Of note, Shangri-La has a partnership with Singapore Airlines in the likes of Marriott's with United and how SPG had with Delta, Emirates etc. The partnership is called Infinite Journeys and provides Shangri-La Jade members with automatic Silver status in Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer program and a fast track offer to Gold Status (only 3 Singapore or Silk Air flights required). There are some other benefits included in this partnership. Find out more about Infinite Journeys here


And continuing on the American Express front, out Amex Cobalt Multipliers page has been updated once again with many 5x multipliers from the Calgary and Newport Beach areas!  Feel free to contribute any locations that are not on the list! Check out all the locations where you can 5x, 2x and 1x points!


Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals
Marriott
Enjoy 20% off leisure rates at beautiful vacation destinations worldwide when staying Sunday-Thursday nights. Choose from 60 resorts across the U.S., Caribbean, Europe or Southeast Asia for your fall getaway. Full Details and online Booking Sep 16 - Dec 6, 18

Air Canada
has launched their Worldwide Fall Seat Sale a day after WestJet's. Book by September 12! Find out more here

Planning to book a flight on Etihad out of Toronto? (or anywhere else for that matter) then you should book via their moblie site over the next week as you can enjoy 10% Off on all Etihad flights, across the Etihad network until 12th September 2018. Users must purchase on Mobile with code AMXD0830. Find out more here
 
Radisson Blu Suite Sale - 20% off for non-members on Junior Suites and Suites. Up to 5% extra off for members. Book by Sep 16 for stays until Nov 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
N/A

Other Bonus Offers
Jet Airways JetPrivilege
- Triple JP Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Sep 10 - Nov 30, 18

Marriott Rewards
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at any one of six Marriott Hotels in the Seattle Area. More... Until Nov 3, 18

Philippine Airlines Mabuhay
- Double Mabuhay Miles when you fly between Clark and Siargao. More... Until Oct 1, 18

Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer
- Double iPrefer Points for stays at the Marigot Bay Resort and Marina St Lucia. More... Book by Nov 30 for stays until Jun 30, 18

Radisson Rewards
- 30% Bonus Gold Points when you buy 10,000 or more Gold Points online. More... Until Sep 30, 18



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