Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - October Edition

One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of the systemwide bonuses that come from many of the big chain programs and also from the lesser known programs. In fact, right now it should be rare for you NOT to earn a bonus. Unless you are staying at a boutique hotel or perhaps an Accor or Fairmont Hotel most other hotels out there have a bonus. So take advantage of it! These systemwide bonuses simply require you to register beforehand and they do not affect hotel pricing as long as you book a point eligible rate which are most rates out there. Of course booking through a third party site like Expedia or Rocketmiles does not count as most chains only award points on bookings that are made directly with them.  Without further ado here are all the current promotions that are available to everyone:

Provider	Offer	Validity Date
Best Western Rewards	Double Rewards Points for stays at Best Western Hotels Worldwide. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required)	Until Nov 18, 18
	For a complete listing of all Best Western Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Best Western page
Choice Hotels 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. 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) Restrictions For Residents of the U.S. and Canada only	Until Nov 9, 18
	For a complete listing of all Choice Privileges bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Choice page
GHA Discovery	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all GHA Discovery bonus offers please visit Rewards Canada's GHA page
Hilton	Earn up to Triple Honors Points for stays at Hilton family of hotels Worldwide. Earn Triple points on all luxury and resort stays, double points on all other stays.  Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Registered Hilton Honors members will earn double points per stay on all non-luxury and non-resort properties and will earn triple points per stay at any luxury or resort property during the promotion period. Waldorf Astoria® Hotels and Resorts and Conrad® Hotels and Resorts are considered luxury properties. See here for a full list of luxury and resort properties that qualify for the Triple Points promotion Excludes Hampton by Hilton Hotels in Mainland China.	Until Jan 3, 19
	For a complete listing of all Hilton HHonors bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Hilton page
Hyatt	Earn up to 60,000 Bonus World of Hyatt Points when you stay 5 or more nights at all participating Hyatt Hotels worldwide. Registration is now closed for this offer but you can still book stays and earn bonuses Nights Bonus Points Earned Total Bonus Points Earned 5 + 2,500 = 2,500 10 + 5,000 = 7,500 20 + 10,000 = 17,500 30 + 17,500 = 35,000 40 + 25,000 = 60,000	Register by Oct 15 for travel until Nov 30, 18
	For a complete listing of all Hyatt Gold Passport bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Hyatt page
InterContinental Hotels Group	Double IHG Rewards Club Points + more for stays at IHG Hotels Worldwide starting with your second stay. Full details, online registration & booking. (Registration is required) The 'more' are bonuses that will vary by member that are similar to previous Accelerate promotions	Until Dec 16, 18
	For a complete listing of all IHG Priority Club bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's IHG page
Le Club AccorHotels	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Le Club AccorHotels bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Le Club AccorHotels page
Marriott	OFFER UPDATED 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. Earn an additional 10,000 bonus points for stays at 10 brands and 29,000 bonus points if you stay at all 29 brands Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required)	Register by Jan 7 for stays until Jan 31, 19
	For a complete listing of all Marriott Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Marriott page
Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer	Double iPrefer Points and up to 35% off for last minute stays at participating Preferred Hotel Group hotels Worldwide.  Full details & online booking	Until Dec 31, 18
	For a complete listing of all Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's iPrefer page
Radisson Rewards	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Radisson Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Radisson Rewards page
Shangri-La Golden Circle	Double GC Award Points + up to 888 Bonus GC Award points for stays, dining or spa services at any Shangri-La hotel, resort, Kerry hotel, Traders hotel and Hotel Jen Worldwide. Full details & online registration (Registration is required) Double points will be awarded on all eligible spending. Additional bonuses as follows: •    Earn 350 points when staying 2 different hotel brands •    Earn 500 points when staying 5 nights or above •    Earn 888 points when staying 3 different hotels worldwide	Book by Nov 18 for stays until Jan 18, 19
	For a complete listing of all Shangria-La bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Golden Circle page
Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Sonesta Hotels bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Travel Pass page
Voila Hotel Rewards	Triple VHR points & Double Elite Status Credit when you stay at participating VOILÀ network hotels Worldwide. Register Online (Registration is required)	Until Nov 30, 18
	Double VHR Elite Status Credit when you stay 2 or more nights at participating VOILÀ network hotels Worldwide. Register Online (Registration is required)	Until Jan 31, 19
	For a complete listing of all Voila Hotel Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's VHR page
Wyndham Rewards	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Wyndham Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Wyndham page

World of Hyatt: 40% bonus when you buy points until Nov 27, 18

This offer of a 40% bonus on buying World of Hyatt points works out to 1.714 cents per point (US$). Depending on how you redeem them it could be worthwhile to purchase them for rewards at high end hotels like Park Hyatt's around the globe or even buying less if you just need a few thousand points to top off for an award. It is interesting to note that the minimum purchase amount to buy points varies by member. We received the 5,000 points minimum but others are getting 10,000.

Offer details
40% Bonus World of Hyatt Points when you buy points. Note there is a minimum point purchase requirement that varies by member.  Buy World of Hyatt Points here. Until Nov 27, 18

Find other World of Hyatt bonuses here!

October 23 Update: World of Hyatt changes coming on November 1, WOW Air to start Vancouver service, updates to HSBC review + more!

Hyatt officially confirmed today some changes to the World of Hyatt program that are taking effect on November 1st. The first change is the addition of a new free night redemption category. You will now be able to redeem World of Hyatt points for Premium Suites. Previously you could only redeem for Standard Suites. These premium suites run exactly double what it costs for a standard room:

They are also eliminating the minimum requirement of booking three nights in a suite when using points. You will now be able redeem for just one night. Adding redemption options like premium suites and removing the three night requirement are the good news. The bad news in today's changes come from the Points+Cash redemption option. The Points+Cash option are moving from a fixed points+fixed cash rate to a fixed points+dynamic cash rate. Here are the new Points+Cash award charts:

You can look at these charts two ways. First as a devaluation as 50% of a standard rate may be higher than the current flat rate. For example the current category 1 standard room Points+Cash option is 2,500 points plus US$50 and now the dollar portion is 50%, so if a hotel has standard room at US$130 you'll be looking at 2,500 points plus US$65 for a Points+Cash redemption. On the other hand there is the slight possibility it can save you money. Take our same example but have the hotel running at US$90 per night and you redeem 2,500 points plus US$45 instead of US$50. The latter seems less likely but the potential is there.

The last change in the program is the addition of using points to upgrade to a premium suite.

You can view all the updates to the World of Hyatt program here

Iceland's WOW Air has announced another new route to Canada! Starting in June 2019 the Ultra Low Cost carrier will fly from Vancouver to Reykjavik six times per week over summer then drop to 5x per week after that.  WOW Air does not have their own loyalty program but are a perfect example of a carrier where you can use proprietary credit card reward program points, find out more about that here. (Source Routesonline)

Thanks to the Rewards Canada community for helping clarify and correct items on our HSBC World Elite Mastercard reivew! HSBC doesn't make it easy for some of the items of the card to find out about. Now we know more and have updated the review. You can read the review here.  Some updates include a new table showing the Point Valuation. If you are like me and don't always want to read a whole bunch of mumbo jumbo a table like this will allow to skip it and see in detail what the card offers. We will be including such a chart in all future reviews and also be adding it to past reviews as time permits!

Continuing on with HSBC we have now created an individual bonus offers page for HSBC Canada. Right now it only has the World Elite Mastercard on it but we will add their other cards to the page shortly. You can check out the page here.

Posts since our last update:

• HSBC World Elite Mastercard Review
  The HSBC World Elite Mastercard is a relatively new card in the Canadian market. This is not their 'Premier…
• Receive a 20% to 40% bonus when you buy Choice Privileges points
  Another buy points bonus to let you know about. This one comes to us from Choice Privileges and offers a…

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
HSBC Rewards
- Earn up to 75,000 Bonus HSBC Rewards Points when you apply for and are approved for the HSBC World Elite Mastercard. More... Until Dec 31, 18

Other Bonus Offers
British Airways Executive Club
- 1,000 Bonus Avios on your next hotel booking made via Rocketmiles. More... Book by Jan 15 for stays until Mar 31, 19

Choice Privileges
- Up to 40% Bonus Privileges Points when you buy 5,000 or more points online. More... Until Nov 2, 18

Copa ConnectMiles
- Earn 40% Bonus ConnectMiles when you buy or gift 5,000 or more ConnectMiles. More... Until Nov 21, 18

Le Club AccorHotels
- Double Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Switzerland on the flexible rate. More... Book by Nov 10 for stays Jan 31, 19

Miles & More
- 1,000 Bonus Miles & More Miles for stays at participating Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery or Swissôtel hotels & resorts Worldwide. More... Book by Oct 31 for stays until Dec 31, 18

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HSBC World Elite Mastercard Review

The HSBC World Elite Mastercard is a relatively new card in the Canadian market. This is not their 'Premier World Elite' which is meant for people who bank at HSBC but rather this card is for any Canadian and it is essentially the same as the Premier version. When HSBC launched this card earlier this year it became obvious they didn't want to only market their credit cards to those who bank with them, rather they now want to get into the entire lucrative Canadian credit card market. It is about time they did as Canadians, slow as they may have been to adapt, are learning they don't have to get credit cards from the bank they bank with, rather they can get whatever card they like and HSBC wants part of that pie.

The HSBC World Elite Mastercard is a pretty strong contender in the market with its base rewards offering, benefits and insurance package. Much like its direct competitors this card provides utmost flexibility as it is a hybrid credit card. That is, it has its own proprietary reward program but it also allows you to convert point from the HSBC Rewards program to several airline frequent flyer programs.

Continue reading the entire review on the main Rewards Canada website 

Receive a 20% to 40% bonus when you buy Choice Privileges points

Another buy points bonus to let you know about. This one comes to us from Choice Privileges and offers a 20% to 40% bonus when you buy 5,000 or more points.  The bonus varies by member. We received 20% and if you get that offer it would only makes sense to buy if you want to top off for an immediate award.  (HT Loyalty Traveler)

Offer details
Up to 40% Bonus Privileges Points when you buy 5,000 or more points online. Buy points here. Until Nov 2, 18

Find other Choice Privileges bonus offers here.

October 18 Update: Hertz becomes Skyteam's first non-airline partner, American Airlines raising Admirals Club fees and more!

Hertz has become the first ever non-airline partner of an airline alliance. On October 16th it was announced that Hertz has partnered with SkyTeam. (Source Hertz)

SkyTeam is the first airline alliance to offer its Frequent Flyers access to car hire benefits plus the opportunity to earn miles when renting a vehicle.  Passengers participating in the Frequent Flyer programs of SkyTeam member airlines will receive a special code for their Hertz car rental bookings. Hertz covers SkyTeam's global network of 1,072 destinations with more than 10,000 rental locations around the world.  Car hire reservations can be made online, by phone or through the Hertz app.   

Lots of coverage lately of business class lounges and one area we cover in our Guide to Business Class lounge access is annual memberships offered by individual airlines. One of those is American Airlines and their Admirals Club memberships and as of Feb 1, 2019 the cost for those are going up by US$100 for individual memberships and family memberships will cost US$325 to US$475 more per year. You can also use AAdvantage miles to purchase these annual memberships and those prices are actually going down (Source One Mile at a Time)

Posts since our last update:

• Loyalty Lesson Learned - Don't brush off reward programs
  We welcome guest contributor, Matthew Couto - a Millennial traveller who left his desk job to travel the world.…
• Kimpton Hotels Annual Sale - 30% off and 2x Elite Qualifying Points for stays until Feb 28, 19 - Must book by Oct 22
  As we mentioned in yesterday's update, Kimpton Hotels has now launched their annual sale that offers up to 30%…
• WestJet travellers can save 20% on Plaza Premium lounge fees
  What happens if you are flying WestJet and don't have elite status with their Rewards program or don't have…

Travel Deals
Air France is running a Premium Economy sale on their flights out of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Book by Oct 23 to enjoy fares that start at $1,505. 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 Canada Aeroplan
- 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on qualifying Avis rentals Worldwide of 3 days or more during the week, or 2 days or more during the weekend. More... Until Feb 28, 19
- Triple Aeroplan Miles on qualifying Budget rentals Worldwide of 3 consecutive days or more during the week or rentals of 2 consecutive days or more on the weekends. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Other Bonus Offers
American AAdvantage
- 1,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles per qualifying stay at any Hyatt Place or Hyatt House hotel around the world. More... Register by Nov 30 for stays until Jan 31, 19

Iberia Plus
- 9,000 Bonus Avios for Avis rentals of 3 or more days in Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands and United Kingdom. More... Until Dec 15, 18

Le Club AccorHotels
- 4x Le Club AccorHotels points for stays at new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Nov 19 for stays Jan 14 - Apr 14, 19
- Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Fairmont, Raffles, Swissôtel, Rixos Hotels, Mgallery By Sofitel, Pullman, Mercure, Novotel, ibis and ibis Styles hotels in Turkey. More... Book by Dec 1 for stays Jan 31, 19

Rocketmiles
- 1,000 Bonus Miles or Points in the partner program of your choice when you book a stay at any Las Vegas MGM property on Rocketmiless. More... Book by Nov 16 18 for stays until Mar 31, 19

Follow Rewards Canada:

Loyalty Lesson Learned - Don't brush off reward programs

We welcome guest contributor, Matthew Couto - a Millennial traveller who left his desk job to travel the world. We learn a lesson from his travels and time off - using a rewards program credit card could have helped him save a lot more money by helping to pay off some of those travels. In this piece Matthew gives us his background and three credit cards he hand picked that he would have liked to have before his adventure started. 

I left for Australia almost two years ago after quitting my desk job. I had a one-year visa, financial freedom and no plan. I decided if I woke up one morning and wanted to be in Sydney, I would leave that day. I had it all figured out.

My second night in Melbourne, I met my girlfriend.

We fell in love over the next six months, and went long distance when I left for Europe. But there’s a catch: she is half Australian, half French. Her father’s family lives in Melbourne, her mother’s near Montpellier and her sister in Mexico City. She is a global woman and travels frequently to stay in touch with her family. Naturally, as her partner, I came along for the ride.

What I expected to be a year in Australia blossomed into a round-the-world adventure. Since November 2016, I’ve taken six intercontinental flights which meant I used my credit card much more than I expected.

My Flight Path
Infogram

I’ve realized too late what I could have been earning if I’d used a rewards points program. They were never on my radar, and now I’ve missed the opportunity to turn my expenses into a free flight - or more.

Looking back, I put nearly $25 000 on my credit card over 19 months. Here’s what I would have had today using one of these three travel credit cards.


1. Scotiabank More Rewards VISA

Great for the budget traveller, this card has no fee and only requires an annual income of $12 000. You get 4 points per dollar spent and 6 points per dollar at featured businesses like Overwaitea Foods, which are primarily in Western Canada. It’s best used to book flights, where it gives a 2.54% return with featured businesses. You also get 15 000 bonus points if you sign up before October 31, 2018.

Since I was spending outside of Canada, I would have received the normal return of 4 points per dollar, and earned 115 000 points (including the sign-up bonus). This amounts to approximately $500 to put towards flights booked through MyRewards.ca.

Conclusion: Within the coming year I will certainly fly round-trip to Mexico City to visit my girlfriend’s sister, and if I had been using the Scotiabank More Rewards VISA, that flight would be free.

2. American Express Cobalt Card
With up to 30 000 bonus points in your first year if you spend at least $500 per month (not difficult while traveling), and a $10 monthly fee that saves you from a full-year commitment, this accessible card has a great return on a variety of products.

You get 5 points for every dollar with restaurants, bars, grocery stores and food delivery in Canada, 2 for eligible travel purchases and 1 for everything else.

I spent about $1000 on eating and drinking out while in Toronto for four months in the middle of my trip (5 points), $6000 on flights (2 points) and $18 000 on everything else (1 point). With the 30 000 point bonus, that’s 65 000 points with a value of more than $600 to put towards flights purchased through AMEX or shows with Ticketmaster.ca. You can also redeem points towards Amazon.ca purchases, hotel stays and car rentals.

Conclusion: I rented a car for a week in Queensland, Australia to go camping with my girlfriend. That rental could have been free. We’ve also discussed renting a hotel room when we need space from our crowded 2-bedroom apartment currently housing six people (it’s a long story). That solitude could have been free too.

3. Rogers Platinum Mastercard
Most rewards points programs give you a better return on eligible purchases made in Canada. However, for someone leaving Canada immediately and spending solely overseas, this card is a great option. With no annual fee, you get a 3% cashback return on purchases in foreign currencies - cancelling out the foreign exchange fee of 2.5% and earning a 0.5% cashback with the difference.

I spent around $20 000 in foreign currencies during my trip, which equals $600 of cashback rewards. Unlike points programs, you can use that money however you want.

Conclusion: My transactions were mostly in foreign currencies and the cashback rewards would have been significant.

A Life Lesson

I’ve always thought rewards programs weren’t worth the time and effort, but I’ve realized with the right program anyone can earn significant savings. These programs aren’t just for frequent flyers on business trips. I signed up for a new credit card anyways before I first left Canada, and if I had just done a little research, I could have saved with a travel credit card.

I missed out on the opportunity to have my next flight, hotel stay or car rental - you name it - for free. If you’ve been thinking about a trip of your own, I hope you have as wild of an adventure as I did. Just don’t make my mistake.

Kimpton Hotels Annual Sale - 30% off and 2x Elite Qualifying Points for stays until Feb 28, 19 - Must book by Oct 22

As we mentioned in yesterday's update, Kimpton Hotels has now launched their annual sale that offers up to 30% off stays but also 2x Elite Qualifying points for IHG Rewards Club! You must book between Oct 18 and 22 for stays until Feb 28, 19 to receive the discount and double elite points. You can use this offer at any Kimpton Hotel including the new Kimpton Saint George Hotel in Toronto. Full details can be found here. 

Find many more IHG Rewards Club bonus points offers here

WestJet travellers can save 20% on Plaza Premium lounge fees

What happens if you are flying WestJet and don't have elite status with their Rewards program or don't have a credit card that offers access to business class lounges? Well the good news is that many airport business class lounges offer single entry rates where you can purchase one time entry into a lounge and you can get discounts off those single entry rates for showing your WestJet boarding pass(es). One of the better discounts is 20% off entry to the popular Plaza Premium lounges. Plaza Premium offers 12 lounges across Canada in four cities. Of those 12 WestJet boarding passes get the discount at 10 of them.

Edmonton International Airport

Plaza Premium Lounge (US Transborder) Read our review of this lounge here

Plaza Premium Lounge (Domestic/International Departures)

Toronto Pearson International Airport

Plaza Premium Lounge (International Departures, Terminal 3)

Plaza Premium Lounge (Domestic Departures, Terminal 3)

Plaza Premium Lounge (US Transborder, Terminal 3)

Vancouver International Airport

Plaza Premium Lounge (International Departures)

Plaza Premium Lounge (Domestic Departures)

Plaza Premium Lounge (US Departures)

Plaza Premium Lounge (Domestic Departures Pier C)

Winnipeg Richardson International Airport

Plaza Premium Lounge (Near Gate 5, Departures)

Here are Plaza Premium's current single entry rates into their lounges in Canada:

Simply show your WestJet boarding pass to receive your 20% discount at any of the above lounges and save US$8 to US$12.80 per entry. You can also join Plaza Premium's Arrture loyalty program to earn points for future lounge visits passes.

Find out more about the WestJet Plaza Premium discount here!

Learn more about other single entry and yearly membership options in our Guide to Business Class lounge access 

October 17 Update: Aeroplan renews Accor Hotels partnership, 2x Elite Qualifying Points for Kimpton stays & Triple Aeroplan Miles at Coast Hotels

Aeroplan announced today the renewal of their partnership with Accor Hotels. This is now more significant for many of us as the iconic Canadian Fairmont Hotels is owned by Accor and is part of the Le Club AccorHotels program. While many miss the old Fairmont President's club program for its awesome benefits (we being some of them!) the new Le Club AccorHotels program will typically award more Aeroplan miles on Fairmont stays since it is tied into the price rather than the flat rate that used to be awarded. (Source Aeroplan)

Kimpton Hotels is launching their annual sale tomorrow. We are giving you a heads up as not only does it offer up to 30% off stays but also 2x Elite Qualifying points for IHG Rewards Club! The first Canadian Kimpton Hotel opened up earlier this year in Toronto and will be part of this offer. You must book between Oct 18 and 22 for stays until Feb 28, 19 to receive the discount and double elite points. Full details can be found here. (Remember - don't book until tomorrow!)

Posts since our last update:

• RBC to WestJet transfer bonus returns - 10% bonus until November 15
  The RBC Rewards transfer bonus to WestJet is back until November 15. Once again it is only a 10%…
• Great offer for the HSBC World Elite Mastercard - Up to 75,000 bonus points + first year annual fee waived
  Of course only a few hours after we posted our Top 5 Credit Card sign up offers for October…

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
- Double Aeroplan Miles for stays at the Chelsea Hotel Toronto More... Until Dec 30, 18
- Triple Aeroplan Miles for stays at Coast Hotels in Canada and the U.S. More... Until Nov 30, 18

WestJet Rewards
- 10% Bonus WestJet dollars when you transfer RBC Rewards Points to WestJet Reward dollars. More... Until Nov 15, 18

Other Bonus Offers
Choice Privileges
- Double Privileges Points for stays at the Cambria Hotel College Park. More... For Residents of the U.S. and Canada only Until Dec 31, 18
- Double Privileges Points for stays at the Cambria Hotel Mount Pleasant. More... For Residents of the U.S. and Canada only Until Dec 31, 18

Marriott Rewards
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at all participating Courtyard Hotels in the U.S. More... Ongoing offer


Follow Rewards Canada: