October 1 Update: Primera Air ceases operations, great gift card offer from PC Optimum and more!

Primera Air, the low cost transatlantic carrier that offered flights out of Toronto to London and Paris has ceased operations. The airline enters bankruptcy protetction and stops all flights on October 2nd. The airline had just announced further Canadian flights for next year including Montreal to Berlin. If you have tickets booked with Primera you will need to contact your credit card issuer for a refund. (Source Primera)

You can get 7,500 Bonus PC Optimum points for buying a $50 Ultimate Dining Card gift card this week at Shoppers Drug Mart. That equates to a $7.50 rebate and we'd recommend you purchase it on a card like the American Express Gold Rewards Card that earns 2 points per dollar at drug stores for that purchase since that is equal to 2 Aeroplan Miles or British Airways Avios per dollar! Another good card option is of course the PC Financial World Elite Mastercard since it earns 45 points per dollar at Shoppers Drug Mart stores. Get the coupon for this deal here.

Remember keep an eye out on our blog tomorrow for some great new offers!
 
Posts since our last update:

• Vancouver to Europe in Business Class for as little as 53,000 miles round trip with the latest Flying Blue Promo Rewards
  The newest set of Air France KLM's Promo Rewards came out today and for this month we see all…

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 France KLM Flying Blue
- October Promo Rewards - Save 20% to 50% on the Award Miles usually required for an award ticket. Destinations vary by each promotional period. More... Book by Oct 30 for travel Nov 30 - Jan 30, 19
Canadian cities included this month:
Calgary - 25% off business class
Edmonton - 25% off business class
Montreal - 25% off economy and business class
Toronto - 25% off business class
Vancouver - 50% off business class

TD Rewards
TD First Class Visa Infinite Card • Welcome Bonus of 20,000 TD Points when you make your first Purchase with your Card + 30,000 TD Points when you spend $1,000 within 90 days of Account opening More... Until Dec 3, 18


Other Bonus Offers
Hilton Honors
- Earn up to 5,000 Bonus Honors Points when you complete stays at Hilton Hotels Worldwide. More... Targeted offer - may not work for everyone Until Dec 23, 18

IHG Rewards Club
- 10,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for stays at Kimpton Hotels in Seattle and Portland. More... Book by Oct 10 for stays until Feb 28, 19

Lindner Nights
- 500 Bonus Nights Points when you email Lindner Nights during your birthday month. More... Ongoing

Miles & More
- 2,000 Bonus Miles & More Miles for stays of 4+ nights at Falkensteiner Hotels in Zadar, Velden, Jesolo, Sardinia or in Stegersbach. More... Until Oct 31, 18

Follow Rewards Canada:

Vancouver to Europe in Business Class for as little as 53,000 miles round trip with the latest Flying Blue Promo Rewards

The newest set of Air France KLM's Promo Rewards came out today and for this month we see all five Canadian cities included!  With promo awards the discount ranges from 20 to 50% off the regular amount of miles required to redeem for these flights. As you can see just by the discount this can be a very good offer if you get 50% off for Business Class! This month Vancouver gets lucky with 50% off business class tickets! All other cities see 25% off in business class while Montreal also get 25% off economy class

Offer details
October Promo Rewards - Save 20% to 50% on the Award Miles usually required for an award ticket. Destinations vary by each promotional period. Full Details
Canadian cities included this month:
Calgary - 25% off business class
Edmonton - 25% off business class
Montreal - 25% off economy and business class
Toronto - 25% off business class
Vancouver - 50% off business class

Here are the mileage requirements for flying from the five Canadian cities to Amsterdam and/or Paris (the mileage amount will vary for other cities)

And an example of some of the availability from Vancouver to Amsterdam:

and on the return

Here's what a round trip on the above route looks like:

Not bad at all - 60,500 miles and $631.73 in fees and taxes for business class. Under the old promo awards this flight would have been 62,500 miles plus the same fees. Yes the fees are on the high side but most other programs who may have lower fees would be costing you at least 50% more miles.

But there are better opportunities for less miles for the business class offer from Vancouver:

 That's right only 53,000 miles and $677.83 for a round trip flight to Europe in Business Class. Can't get better than that unless you can find another city in Europe that may actually price lower (but we all know Flying Blue's system is really fun to deal with!)

Some other cities we have found at the 53,000 level. Remember as well you can book one ways for half this amount - 26,500 miles!

Here are some economy class options from Montreal:

There are many other possible options to check out if this works for you and if you don't have enough miles for a Promo Reward your best bet is to convert Marriott Rewards points to Flying Blue on a 3:1 basis. Remember you'll earn 5,000 bonus miles when you convert 60,000 points at a time (a total of 25,000 miles per 60,000 points) That means 120,000 points will get you to 50,000 miles - you could always transfer the small amount more to get to 53,000 for those round trips.

If you don't have any Marriott Rewards Points you can always look at getting the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express to top off your account. Currently the card comes with a 50,000 point sign up bonus when you spend $1,500 on the card and then you could also grab The Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express as it also has 50,000 point sign up bonus and then you would ultimately be able to have 100,000 points not including what is earned on spending. Of course timing of getting the card(s) now, spending and getting the points will likely not happen for this month but it sets you up for future offers.  Need to grab two tickets for an itinerary? You could choose to get one SPG card for yourself and one for your partner or spouse and you'll have a lot more points!

September 28 Update: 100 Bonus AIR MILES at Rexall, KLM Business Class sale + a targetted WestJet Rewards bonus offer

You can earn 100 Bonus AIR MILES at Rexall on Sunday when you spend $50 or more on cosmetics and related items.

 
Aeroplan has an update on mileage accumulation when you fly on Brussels Airlines:

As of October 3, 2018 please note the following accrual structure change for Brussels Airlines;

Effective for travel October 3, 2018, booking class G will no longer be eligible for accumulation. For travel until October 2, 2018, earn 50%.

Effective for travel October 3, 2018, earn 50% in new booking class O.

Posts since our last update:

• Earn 5x Miles & More Miles when you fly Lufthansa Economy Class from Canada to Europe
  Offer details: 5x Bonus Miles & More Miles when you fly in Economy Class on Lufthansa from Montreal, Toronto…
• Flight Risk - New study confirms frequent business travel can impact health
  Today we welcome Rewards Canada's newest guest contributor Dr. Elaine Chin. Dr. Chin is a seasoned medical doctor, health coach,…

Travel Deals

KLM is once again offering some really good business class fares out of Canada. Some examples are Toronto-Bucharest for $3195 and Edmonton to Barcelona for $3692. Book by Oct 5, travel between October 1, 2018 and June 18, 2019. Book online 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
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Elite Status Match - Alaska Airlines will match your status earned from flying with select North American airlines. More... For residents of the U.S. and Canada only

Miles & More
- 5x Bonus Miles & More Miles when you fly in Economy Class on Lufthansa between Canada and Europe. More... Register and book by Oct 15 for travel Jan 1 - Mar 31, 19

WestJet Rewards
- Earn up to 300 Bonus WestJet Dollars when you double your 2017 qualifying spend each month you fly with WestJet from October to December. Targeted Offer - May Not work for everyone. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Harvest Inn & Suites Grand Forks. More... Until Oct 31, 18
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Baraboo Inn West Baraboo. More... Until May 20, 19

TAP Portugal Victoria
- Quadruple Victoria Miles the first time you rent with Sixt Worldwide. More... Until Nov 30, 18

Follow Rewards Canada:

Earn 5x Miles & More Miles when you fly Lufthansa Economy Class from Canada to Europe

Offer details:
5x Bonus Miles & More Miles when you fly in Economy Class on Lufthansa from Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver to select cities in  Europe via Frankfurt or Munich. Register online (Registration is required) then book online at Lufthansa. Register and book by Oct 15 for travel Jan 1 - Mar 31, 19

Fly from/to Amsterdam, Dublin, Edinburgh, Madrid, Milan, Copenhagen, London, Oslo, Paris, Rome or Stockholm via Frankfurt or Munich to/from Vancouver, Seattle/Tacoma, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles, Denver, Detroit, Chicago, Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Boston, New York, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Orlando or Miami

Flight Risk - New study confirms frequent business travel can impact health

Today we welcome Rewards Canada's newest guest contributor Dr. Elaine Chin. Dr. Chin is a seasoned medical doctor, health coach, and bestselling author. She’s also passionate about helping people live longer, more rewarding, and disease/disability-free lives. To learn more about her check out her blog at https://drelainechin.com

In the 2009 movie Up in the Air, George Clooney’s character Ryan Bingham dreams about attaining super-elite status and all the perks and privileges that come with his frequent flyer program. Many of the executive clients that visit my clinic agree that when you travel frequently for business the upgrades and perks really matter.

But I’ve always believed that it’s a two-edged sword.  The perks don’t outweigh the risks of ‘chronic flying’. In one of the first studies of its kind published this July the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, cited the effects of business travel as a non-infectious disease health risk.

The study found that extensive business travel beyond 1 to 6 nights per month is similar to the risk of chronic diseases associated with lifestyle factors. As the number of nights away from home for business travel reasons increased, poor behavioural and health outcomes significantly increased.

If you meet the profile of a classic ‘Road Warrior’ it’s important to be aware of some of the following behavioural and health risks associated with frequent business travel:

Behavioural Risks 
Those who traveled 21 or more nights per month were more likely to have unhealthy lifestyle behaviours including:

1. Smoking and/or alcohol dependency
2. Trouble sleeping
3. Sedentary

Health Risks
Those who spent 14 or more nights away from home per month had:

1. higher body mass index (obesity)
2. poor self-rated health
3. higher diastolic blood pressure
4. lower high density lipoprotein (HDL- the good cholesterol).
5. clinical symptoms of anxiety, depression and alcoholism
6. higher exposure to radiation

Of course there are things that you can do immediately to reduce the health risk of frequent business travel including the following five tips.

1. Avoid the ‘Red Eye’.  Overnight flights may save money and be less disruptive on your business schedule but the impact on your body’s natural sleep cycle isn’t worth the risk.

2. Early to Bed, Early to Rise. When travelling in the morning, get to bed with the goal of getting at least 7 hours of sleep. And when you awake, grab a ‘pre-flight’ protein smoothie for breakfast. They’re easy to digest and will quickly get you fueled.

3. Hotel Fitness. One of the best ways to combat the affects of jet lag is moderate exercise. Find a hotel that has a gym and schedule this into your itinerary. Take 30 minutes either before or at the end of your day to help you wind down.

4. Practice Moderation.  Avoid the ‘meal deals’ and carefully manage portion sizes when ordering off a menu. The same goes for coffee and alcohol consumption—no more than 2 medium size coffees or alcoholic drinks/day.

5. Stay Connected.  Frequent travel can have an impact on relationships with friends and family.  Skip the late night socializing with colleagues and instead schedule time for staying connected on the home front.  A quick Skype or Face Time session can go along way to keeping you and your loved ones grounded and reassured.

September 27 Update: October teaser dates, Amex online/app purchase offers, fly Aer Lingus to Dublin from C$529

Some key dates to watch for news in October are the 2nd and the 10th of the month so far. We can't reveal details yet but we thought we'd put it on your radar.

 

American Express Cardmembers check your email for a special offer for spending online or via select merchant apps! There are various offers out such as earn a $5 credit for each vendor you spend at with a maximum of $25 of statement credits awarded (looks to be Gold Rewards Cards) or one that offers 500 bonus Membership Rewards points (Cobalt cards) per vendor. The offers are limited to 50,000 cardholders so you'll want to open those emails and register right away!

American Airlines is dropping their one and only direct flight per day between Toronto and Los Angeles as of December 18. (Source Routesonline)

Posts since our last update:

• On this week's Podcast - The return episode! We play catch up on the big news of the summer
  Episode 45 - September 27, 2018 -- The return episode! We play catch up on the big news of the…
• British Airways Executive Club: Double Avios on all BA flights out of Canada (and globally!)
  The British Airways Executive Club Double Avios on all flights offer is back! Launching a few weeks earlier than…
• Earn Double Miles or Points in the program of your choice on all Kaligo hotel bookings made by September 28
  Kaligo, one of a handful of third party hotel booking sites that offers miles for booking via their site…

Travel Deals
Aer Lingus has some great fares for their flights out Toronto. You can fly to Europe for as little $529 round trip. Book online 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 MILES (Canada)
- 40 Bonus AIR MILES Reward Miles for each stay you complete at Best Western Hotels in Canada, the U.S. or Caribbean.  More... Until Nov 3, 18

British Airways Executive Club
- Earn Double Avios on every British Airways flight Worldwide including flights from Canada as well as British Airways flights operated by American Airlines, Iberia and Finnair when travelling between Europe and North America. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Petro-Points
5x Petro-Points when you book a vacation package with itravel2000. More... Book by Oct 4, 18

Other Bonus Offers
JAL Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles when you fly on JAL between Tokyo and Seattle. Valid on flights JL067/068.  More... Register and book now for travel Mar 31 - May 31, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- 4x Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Oct 10 for stays until Jan 13, 19

Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- 40% Safar Flyer Miles Discount for award tickets on all Royal Air Maroc flights. More... Book by Oct 4 for travel until Mar 31, 19

United MIleagePlus
- Earn up to 70% Bonus MiileagePlus miles when you buy miles. More... Until Oct 16, 18


Follow Rewards Canada:

On this week's Podcast - The return episode! We play catch up on the big news of the summer

Episode 45 - September 27, 2018 -- The return episode! We play catch up on the big news of the summer from Air Canada, Aeroplan, Marriott, Starwood and more.

This is our return episode from our summer hiatus (or as JC on Big Brother calls it 'yatus' ;-) ) and we recap all the big news from Air Canada and Aeroplan, Starwood and Marriott, talk about hotel bonuses and what we can look forward to in the coming months. Enjoy!

Click Here to download the podcast

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Links relating to this week's topic:

• The Air Canada Aeroplan Saga - All the resources you need
  Our summary page covering all the news around this news!.…
• The Marriott Rewards Starwood Preferred Guest Merger - All the resources you need
  The programs are now combined into one…
• Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - September Edition
  One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of the systemwide bonuses…

British Airways Executive Club: Double Avios on all BA flights out of Canada (and globally!)

The British Airways Executive Club Double Avios on all flights offer is back! Launching a few weeks earlier than last year and also getting rid of some the residence restrictions (which included Canada) this is now one of the best systemwide global flight promotions on the market right now. I would say this one falls in right after the Miles & More 25 miles per euro bonus but ahead of the current Air Canada systemwide bonuses.

BA serves Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver regularly and is serving Calgary until late October.

Offer details
Earn Double Avios on every British Airways flight Worldwide as well as British Airways flights operated by American Airlines, Iberia and Finnair when travelling between Europe and North America. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required) Until Dec 31, 18
Bonus will be awarded for up to 10 flights (one way sectors, round trip counts as two)

Find many more bonus Avios offers here

Earn Double Miles or Points in the program of your choice on all Kaligo hotel bookings made by September 28

Kaligo, one of a handful of third party hotel booking sites that offers miles for booking via their site in numerous programs has a new flash offer to celebrate World Tourism Day! From today through to the 28th you can earn double miles and points on all bookings in almost all of their partner programs. The only programs not participating are bank credit card programs and Uber.

Offer details
Double Points/Miles in the program of your choice on all hotel stays booked via Kaligo. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Book by Sep 28 for stays until Dec 31, 18

Kaligo earning partners: