Rewards Canada: Your premier points, miles & credit cards resource

Monday, November 26, 2018

NOW LIVE: IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - 108 Hotels (2 in Canada) for only 5,000 to 15,000 points per night until Feb 28, 19

The latest IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks hotels are now available for booking! We didn't get any previews this time and this set has 108 hotels that can now be booked for 5,000 points to 15,000 points per award night for stays until February 28, 2019. For Canada there is a paltry two hotels on the list.

Remember the PointBreaks rules are that a member can only book up to 2 reward reservations per hotel participating in the individual offer (ie 2 at PointBreaks hotels and 2 at Last Minute Reward Night hotels). My tip to get around this would be to book 2 reservations with one IHG Rewards Club account and then have your spouse book 2 more etc. Of course this is dependent on both accounts having enough points to redeem for these awards.

Also be sure to book these ASAP as soon as the list comes out as once the allotted nights are booked at certain locations those hotels will fall off the list.

Why are IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks such a great deal? Because they offer reward nights at participating IHG hotels Worldwide for as little as 5,000 Rewards Club points. For those of you not to familiar with IHG Rewards Club , normal redemption rates for Rewards Club reward nights run from as low as 10,000 points for some Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express locations to 70,000 points for ultra-luxurious InterContinental locations and even these locations can participate in Pointbreaks.

PointBreaks now have multiple redemption levels where all hotels are not 5,000 points like they used to be pre-2018, some are now at that level but there are also hotels at 10,000 and 15,000 points. IHG states this allows them to provide more hotels for the promotion and so far that was holding true with each list being above 150 hotels compared to about 100 or so when the list used to only be 5,000 points. However this time we are back down to 108 hotels.

Remember as well there is a 100% purchase bonus for buying IHG Rewards Club points until November 30. With the bonus when you buy the most amount of points you can get up to 24 nights at IHG hotels if redeeming via the PointBreaks 5,000 point level, 12 nights at 10,000 and 8 nights at the 15,000 point level. Even at that highest level it is like you are buying each night for only US$75.

Click here to view and book any of the current PointBreaks offers.

Why are IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks such a great deal? Because they offer reward nights at participating IHG hotels Worldwide for as little as 5,000 Rewards Club points. For those of you not to familiar with IHG Rewards Club , normal redemption rates for Rewards Club reward nights run from as low as 10,000 points for some Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express locations to 70,000 points for ultra-luxurious InterContinental locations and even these locations can participate in Pointbreaks.

PointBreaks now have multiple redemption levels where all hotels are not 5,000 points like they used to be pre-2018, some are now at that level but there are also hotels at 10,000 and 15,000 points. IHG states this allows them to provide more hotels for the promotion and so far that was holding true with each list being above 150 hotels compared to about 100 or so when the list used to only be 5,000 points. However this time we are back down to 108 hotels.

TEXAS

Candlewood Suites Mount Pleasant
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Bonham

Worldwide

BRAZIL
Holiday Inn Porto Alegre

TURKEY
Holiday Inn Express Istanbul - Altunizade
Holiday Inn Express Istanbul Airport

JAPAN
ANA Crowne Plaza Matsuyama

GANSU, MAINLAND CHINA
Holiday Inn Express Zhangye

HEBEI, MAINLAND CHINA
Holiday Inn Express Shijiazhuang Heping
Holiday Inn Express Wuhan Optical Valley

JIANGSU, MAINLAND CHINA
Holiday Inn Express Nantong Textile City

JILIN, MAINLAND CHINA
Holiday Inn Express Changchun High-Tech Zone

LIAONING, MAINLAND CHINA
Holiday Inn Express Yingkou Onelong Plaza

SHANDONG, MAINLAND CHINA
Holiday Inn Express Yantai YEDA

10,000 points

15,000 points

ALABAMA

Hotel Indigo Birmingham Five Points S - UAB

COLORADO
Holiday Inn Express Boulder

FLORIDA
Candlewood Suites Miami Airport - Doral

MARYLAND
Crowne Plaza Baltimore Dwntn Inner Harbor

MASSACHUSETTS
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Great Barrington - Lenox Area

PENNSYLVANIA
Crowne Plaza Philadelphia - King of Prussia
Holiday Inn Express Grove City (Outlet Center)

Worldwide

BELGIUM
Hotel Indigo Antwerp - City Centre

FINLAND
Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre

GERMANY
Holiday Inn Express Munich - Messe

POLAND
Hotel Indigo Warsaw - Nowy Swiat

UNITED KINGDOM
Crowne Plaza Edinburgh - Royal Terrace
Holiday Inn Express Manchester - Salford Quays
Holiday Inn London - Gatwick Airport
Holiday Inn Manchester - West

KENYA
InterContinental Nairobi

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi - Yas Island
Holiday Inn Dubai Festival City

JAPAN
ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima

JIANGSU, MAINLAND CHINA
Crowne Plaza Wuxi City Center

VIETNAM
InterContinental Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort

Friday, November 23, 2018

A Guide to Shopping Small with American Express

There’s no denying the fact that some of the best reward cards in Canada are offered by American Express and one or more of them should be in everyone’s wallets. While American Express may be a smaller player in Canada compared to other credit card networks, the list of Amex accepting merchants is constantly growing, especially with small retailers and restaurants.

In fact, last year alone over 70,000 new small business began accepting American Express*.

The breakdown of new small retailers accepting Amex in 2017 in our four largest cities is:

Toronto: Over 15,500 new small businesses began accepting American Express® Cards *
Vancouver: Over 7,000 new small businesses began accepting American Express® Cards*
Calgary: Over 3,800 new small businesses began accepting American Express® Cards*
Montreal: Over 7,500 new small businesses began accepting American Express® Cards *

American Express is bringing Cardmembers closer to the small businesses they already love and helping them discover new independent businesses in their communities with the Shop Small program.

To encourage you to Shop Small, American Express is running a special offer in four cities where you can earn a $5 statement credit when you spend $5 at a participating small merchant, up to $25 in statement credits. The offer period runs until November 30. Here are the individual registration pages for you to take advantage of this offer:

Toronto: www.americanexpress.ca/shopsmalltoronto
Vancouver: www.americanexpress.ca/shopsmallvancouver
Calgary: www.americanexpress.ca/shopsmallcalgary
Montreal: www.americanexpress.ca/shopsmallmontreal

This is just one example of the value American Express brings to Cardmembers and small merchants. As the Shop Small program evolves, American Express will continue to connect Cardmembers to support small businesses.

If you want to find small businesses in your neighbourhood that accept American Express visit American Express Maps.

And just to show you how many places do accept the cards, here is an example of the small merchants you will find in Toronto using the map:

Find American Express Shop Small businesses here!

This feature was sponsored by Amex Bank of Canada. The write up, views and opinions expressed in this feature, however, are purely those of Rewards Canada.  

Footnote:  
*Based on internal comparison of American Express small business merchant locations in January 2017 to American Express merchant locations in December 2017.

Talk to us!

Have you ever used Amex's ShopSmall Map feature? What do you like about it most? Are there any improvements they can make? Tell us in the comments section below or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter!

Rewards Canada can be found on the following social media channels:

IHG Rewards Club Cyber Sale offers: 10k bonus points with Ambassador, 15% off cash+points, 50% bonus on bonus point packages

In addition to the actual stay offer of at least 25% off the Best Flexible Rate at participating IHG Hotels worldwide. IHG® Rewards Club members can also take advantage of the following offerings until November 30

ihgrc-cyber18week-bookingpage-ambassador-partneroffer-600x300

Earn 10K bonus points with Ambassador

It starts with the stay, but there’s more to experience. Earn 10K bonus points when you enroll in the Ambassador Program to enjoy room upgrades, 4pm checkouts, and free weekend nights. This limited time 10k bonus point offer for enrollment in the Ambassador Program is only available in English.

ihgrc-cyber18week-bookingpage-pointsandcash-partneroffer-600x300

Save up to 15% on your stay with Points & Cash

When you book with Points & Cash, you can combine points with less cash to save on your stay. That’s 15% off the cash portion when you book between 11/23 - 11/30 on any stay between 11/26 - 12/31.

ihgrc-cyber18week-bookingpage-bpp-partneroffer-600x300

Get more with Bonus Points Packages

Book a Bonus Points Package and earn 50% more bonus points when you book between 11/23 - 11/30 for stays between 11/26 - 12/31. Plus, they are Elite qualifying points, which count toward Elite status.

Find all the IHG Rewards Club Cyber offers here!

November 23 Update: 15x AIR MILES for shopping online until Sunday, 3x points at Holt Renfrew on your Cobalt Card, Norwegian Reward online shopping bonus

AIR MILES is offering a huge 15x the miles + any other bonuses for shopping via airmilesshops.ca between today and Sunday! Find out more here

Continuing on the Holiday shopping tip, check out other Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers on our Holiday Shopping feature

Speaking of that feature we added Norwegian Reward's eShop offer of 25% bonus CashPoints until the end of the year. Now's the time to start racking up CashPoints to redeem on their two Canadian flights that they just started and the Transatlantic ones that will start in 2019!

Yet another American Express Cobalt bonus points offer for shopping!

As a little extra gift for being a Cobalt Cardmember, when you shop in-store at Holt Renfrew, Ogilvy or online at holtrenfrew.com from November 23, 2018 to December 31, 2018 with your registered Cobalt Card, you can earn a total of 3x the points on eligible purchases up to a maximum of $500 (after taxes and shipping). After you reach $500 in purchases during the offer period you’ll still earn at the regular earn rate of 1x the points¹.

If you didn't get the email saying your card is registered be sure to call Amex and ask them to manually register you for the offer.

Air Canada is adding a new route between Montreal and Raleigh/Durham in June of 2019. The new route will operate once daily with a Jazz CRJ200. (Source Routesonline)

It's the season of giving! Help support Rewards Canada's Flight Here campaign for Give A Mile. Help us reach 100,000 miles to provide up to 4 flights of compassion. Find out more here!
Posts since our last update:

Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - November Edition
One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of the systemwide…
Expedia.ca Black Friday Sale - Extra 75% Off Select Hotels & More. Very limited quantity.
In just a few minutes Expedia.ca will have a very limited amount of 75% off coupon codes available to…

Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - November 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

No Offers at this time

For a complete listing of all Best Western Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Best Western page

Choice Hotels Privileges

No Offers at this time

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

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 31 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)

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

Earn Double Radisson Rewards Elite Credit and Points when you stay in a premium room at all Radisson Collection™, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson RED®, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson, and Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson hotels worldwide. Full details & online booking

Until Dec 28, 18

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. Registration is now closed for this offer but you can still book stays and earn bonuses
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

Expedia.ca Black Friday Sale - Extra 75% Off Select Hotels & More. Very limited quantity.

In just a few minutes Expedia.ca will have a very limited amount of 75% off coupon codes available to use towards booking hotels via the site! Please note these coupon codes are not available on the app - only on the main website!

Once the 75% off coupon codes are gone there will be ones for 50% off + an extra 10% off hotel stays. Those also will be limited in supply so you'll want to make sure you get onto the Expedia.ca site right at 9am ET!

Get your Expedia.ca coupon codes right here at 9am ET via this link!

Thursday, November 22, 2018

November 22 Update: Earn 4,300+ AIR MILES for free, Qatar Airways increase Montreal flights and offers a cyber sale with bonus miles

We updated our popular post entitled Travel Hacking 102 - Earn up to 4,300+ AIR MILES Rewards Miles for FREE with a potential value of over $1,300 in travel with all the new BMO AIR MILES card offers. It is really a good time to work this program! Find out more here!

American Airlines is adding summer seasonal service between Quebec City and Chicago for next year. The once daily flight will run from early June to early September. It could potentially be a good route to use some British Airways Avios as it falls into the 7,500 Avios each way category (15,000 round trip). (Source Routesonline)

Qatar Airways is increasing their service between Montreal and Doha from 3 flights per week to 4. The additional flight starts on December 17th. Perfect timing for their Cyber Sale and Bonus Miles offer, see below for more details! (Source Routesonline)

Qatar Airways has a Cyber Sale for their flights from Montreal with flights starting at C$970 to destinations around the globe but also part of the Cyber Sale is an offer to earn up to 10,000 Bonus QMiles in the Qatar Airways Privilege Club program on those flights! You can learn more about the sale and the bonus miles offer here.

Wait, what?!? 80% Safar Flyer Miles discount for Royal Air Maroc's flights between Montreal and Casablanca! 17,000 miles round trip in Business Class!
Wow! Earlier this week we brought you RAM's really good offer of 50% off award tickets on our global…
Flight Review: Air Canada Rouge Premium Rouge Calgary - Las Vegas (YYC-LAS)
Another Bill W review for you! This is Bill's first flight review for Rewards Canada. You can find many…
Priority Pass Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off annual memberships!
Perfect timing for this offer to coincide with our updated Guide to Business Class Lounge Access! Right now until Sunday…

Travel Deals
Hilton Waikiki Village Cyber Sale - Save up to 25% for stays Dec 1 to Jun 30. Book by Nov 26. Find out more here

Qatar Airways Cyber Offer from Montreal - Fares from C$970 to destinations around the globe! Book by Nov 25, 18 Full details & online booking

Hilton Winter Sale - Save up to 25% on weekend stays in the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa

Radisson Hotels Cyber Week Offer - 30% off weekends until Aug 31, 19 at participating Hotels of Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, Radisson, Park Inn by Radisson in Europe, Middle East and Africa. (also available weekdays between April 5 and May 6) Book by Nov 27, 18 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
Avianca LifeMiles
- Up to a 48% LifeMiles Discount on select Star Alliance flights within Asia and between Asia and the U.S. More... Book by Dec 12, 18

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- 50% Bonus Asia Miles on all hotel bookings made via Kaligo. More... Book by Dec 31, 18 for stays until Mar 31, 19

Finnair Plus
- Double Plus Points when you fly on Finnair to or from Malaga. More... Register and book by Nov 30 for travel until Mar 29, 19

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios for stays at Paradores Hotels in Spain. More... Until Dec 28, 18

La Quinta Returns
- 250 Bonus Returns Points on qualifying rentals of 2 or more days at participating Budget locations in the U.S. and Canada. More... Until Mar 31, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- 4x Le Club AccorHotels points for stays at new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Dec 31 for stays until Feb 17, 19

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- 30% KrisFlyer Miles discount when your redeem for award travel on Singapore Airlines to/from Los Angeles and San Francisco More... Book by Nov 30 for travel Jan 1 - 31, 19
- 30% KrisFlyer Miles discount when your redeem for award travel on select Singapore Airlines and SilkAir flights More... Book by Nov 30 for travel Dec 1 - 31, 18

United MileagePlus
- Quadruple MileagePlus Miles for stays at participating Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Follow Rewards Canada:

Wait, what?!? 80% Safar Flyer Miles discount for Royal Air Maroc's flights between Montreal and Casablanca! 17,000 miles round trip in Business Class!

Wow! Earlier this week we brought you RAM's really good offer of 50% off award tickets on our global site on their entire network but for those of us in North America here is an even better offer for booking tomorrow only! You can redeem your Safar Flyer miles at an 80% discount for RAM's flights from Montreal, New York, Miami or Washington to Casablanca! That's right 80% off!

I wonder if you could buy Safar Flyer miles today for redemption tomorrow as you can buy up to 30,000 Safar Flyer miles per year at 0.2 MAD each (about 2.8 cents C$ each)and you do have to have 4,000 miles in your account already
Nix that they have changed the daily purchase limits...

Based on the Safar Flyer Award chart you can fly for 5,000 miles each way in Economy or 8,500 miles in Business Class!

Simply log into your account and book online tomorrow!

- Discount applicable on the amount in miles.

- Offer valid for one way or round trip from Montreal to Casablanca or from New York / Miami / Washington to Casablanca, valid on Economy and Business Class, subject to availability.

- Offer valid for any purchase on 23/11/2018 from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm (GMT-5). Limited offer

- Offer valid for any trip from January 15th to May 31st, 2019.

- Airport taxes for award tickets are payable.

- Travel dates for the award ticket can be change once for free (travel dates above), non-refundable ticket.

- The first award ticket request must be exclusively attributed to the Safar Flyer account holder. For Safar Family accounts, the first award ticket request must be attributed to one of the Family account members.

- Family account holders must enter the number of their family account to book an award ticket.

- Offer valid on royalairmaroc.com (option “Buy a ticket with my miles”) or in Royal Air Maroc agency.

Flight Review: Air Canada Rouge Premium Rouge Calgary - Las Vegas (YYC-LAS)

Another Bill W review for you! This is Bill's first flight review for Rewards Canada. You can find many of his hotel and lounge reviews right here on the blog. Bill is a true road warrior, his work has him driving and flying across Western and Central Canada every week while staying in a variety hotels from a variety of chains. Bill has been reading, following and providing Rewards Canada tips and updates for a very long time so let's welcome him back with this contribution!

The check-in experience was very good. As we were flying Premium Rouge, we were able to utilize the Air Canada Priority Check-in. The agents were very pleasant and were able to process us through very quickly. They also mentioned that with my status (Altitude Elite 50), we would be able to access the Plaza lounge once through security. (The Maple Leaf lounge is only available for domestic flights, not trans-border or international).

Clearing U.S. Immigration was also a breeze thanks to our use of the NEXUS card. No line at the kiosks (compared to about 20-25 persons in the regular line). A couple of questions, fingerprint scan and pictures was all it took and we were through in less than 5 minutes.

The lounge itself was not too crowded, but over 80% of the tables had not been cleared of dishes/glasses from previous guests. The food selection was good, several hot dishes were available. They had a good selection of beverages, all self-serve. (The ice was actually not in a very prominent place, finally found it in a bucket in the cooler in the counter). The washrooms were very clean and well-stocked with toiletries.

The tables were finally cleared after we had been there about 30 minutes, not sure if there was a staffing issue. Our flight out was the last one of the evening, so they gave us advance notice about last call, which was appreciated.

The plane was on time and we had a very short wait at the gate before boarding. The Premium Rouge section was actually full, though it had shown only 4 persons booked several hours before flight time. (I had checked before boarding, the standby for upgrade list was full). Nonetheless, there was no problem getting in and getting settled (Zone 1 boarding is nice….). The flight attendants were very attentive, making sure we had water, headsets and our complimentary iPads for entertainment before take-off.

It had been awhile since I had flown Rouge and it was nice to see that they had upgraded the Premium Rouge seats to a proper 2-2 configuration instead of the blocked middle seat that was previously used. The improved seat width (21”) and pitch (36”) was very much appreciated.

The service by the flight attendants was very good throughout the flight. We were offered our first round of drinks shortly after the seatbelt sign was removed and our meal followed within the first hour of flight time. We had a tossed salad and main course of chicken with a nice sauce along with rice and vegetable. Buns were made available and there was also a chocolate brownie for dessert. The meal was nice and hot and well presented. Again the flight attendants were very attentive and came and removed the dishes as soon as we were finished.

There was a good selection of movies preloaded on the iPad, with enough variety in genre to satisfy most everyone. On the Rouge aircraft (at least in Premium Rouge), there is a flap on the seat in front of you that you can put the cover of the iPad in so that it mimics having a seatback screen. This makes it easier as you don’t have to have the iPad on your lap or the tray (especially significant if you are watching your movie while eating).

It is important that you check the running time of your movie selection to ensure you have enough time to watch it in its entirety; otherwise you may have to finish it on the return flight. The iPads are collected 10-15 minutes before landing in order for the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for arrival. Of course, if you are using your own device, this is not much of a concern.

The flight itself was uneventful, was very smooth with no turbulence. The pilots did a great job with the landing and we were just slightly ahead of schedule. Deplaning was no problem with the Flight Attendants thanking everyone as we left. All in all was a very pleasant flight and a good way to start our Vegas Vacation.

The return flight turned out to be a bit more eventful (as far as actually getting home). We were scheduled to leave Las Vegas at 16:40, but received a text from Air Canada (around 11:00 am) indicating that our flight had been cancelled. No other information was presented at that time. So, time to get on the phone and find out what was happening as far as rebooking. I called Altitude Elite 50 contact line and went into the hold queue (for about 25 minutes). During the time I was on hold, I received an email from Air Canada explaining that we had been rebooked on a flight that left at 18:50. At least I had that information when I finally got through to an agent. I had tried to check the revised flight information on the AC app but was blocked. The agent was able to confirm that we did have our upgraded seats booked on the new flight and we already had the flight information, so we were ready. (However, if they hadn’t been able to rebook us until the next day, I don’t think there would have been much of an issue being stuck in Vegas for an extra day…..)

At the airport the check-in procedure was again very easy. Because of the delay, each of us received a $15USD voucher to be used for food. The agent was very pleasant and helpful and made sure we knew where to access the security line. He also reiterated that we had TSA precheck. This is also a nice perk to have as it saved about 15-20 minutes versus the regular security line. (TSA Pre✓™ Experience: Being referred to a dedicated lane, Quicker transit through airport security screening, Faster moving lines, Improved travel experience. No Removal of: Belt, Shoes, Light outerwear/jacket, 3-1-1 compliant liquid bag). With an extra 2 hours to kill, we did a bit of shopping and then went to the United Club lounge (again, a benefit with status and flying J). This lounge was very quiet and quite empty. They do offer some food, but mainly just snack items, cheese, crackers, veges. There is also a full bar with a bartender to serve drinks. If you stay with the well drinks, they are complimentary, but anything else above that is charged for. (For example, the well white wine was a Pinot, but if you wanted a Sauvignon Blanc, the cost was $12.00USD). And of course, a tip for the bartender.

Our (new) flight was on time. This was a mainline Air Canada A320 instead of the Rouge A319. Very similar in configuration, but without the Rouge “touch”. Again, the Business Class cabin was full, and it appeared that the entire flight was fully booked. Possibly this flight had passengers from another flight as the seating chart for the original Rouge flight had only shown about 60% capacity.
The flight attendants again were very attentive and addressed us by name when enquiring about our dinner choice. We had another chicken dish (the other option was a spinach lasagne) with rice and vegetables and slice of cake for dessert. The beverage service was good, though a Gin & Tonic was not available as there appeared to have been a problem with the cans of Tonic and Air Canada has temporarily removed them from their aircraft, apparently they were “exploding”. (This issue has since been resolved).

We were able to catch the end of the movie from the previous flight and watch another during the trip home. Apart from the cancelled flight, the return trip home was fine, the flight was good and on time.
As we neared Canada, the Flight Attendants started to hand out the Customs declaration cards to be completed prior to landing (Note: if you are traveling outside Canada and know you will need to fill out the card, bring a pen. The flight attendants don’t have enough pens for a plane full of 146 Travellers. They will certainly appreciate it and you can be confident that you can get the card filled out before landing). However, they were also asking passengers if they were NEXUS members because it is not necessary for a card to be completed if you hold NEXUS membership.

Seated at the front of the plane obviously means you will be first in line at Customs and be able to beat the rush. Again, this is where the NEXUS membership is very useful. YYC (and most major airports) have dedicated NEXUS lines for passengers leaving Canada and returning. These lanes are way shorter than for those who do not have a low-risk traveller designation. (As a side note, we once returned from a U.S. flight at the same time as 2 or 3 other flights from out-of-country. Everyone must clear Customs and that meant that there were probably over 400 people all trying to go through at the same time. That does create a lot of long lines and perhaps frustrations as not everyone may have completed their declaration forms correctly.) Compare that to the NEXUS line where we had to do an Iris Scan and/or fingerprint check and answer a couple of questions and were through in less than 5 minutes.

(I highly recommend that anyone who travels even only once a year should obtain a NEXUS card. Not only does it identify you as a low-risk traveller with expedited Customs clearance, it also allows you priority screening at the security lines, even on domestic flights).

Overall both flights were very comfortable and the Flight Attendants very attentive. And hey, the plane was going to Vegas so everyone was in a good mood.

Priority Pass Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off annual memberships!

Perfect timing for this offer to coincide with our updated Guide to Business Class Lounge Access!

Right now until Sunday you can save up to 40% off Priority Pass memberships instead of our regular 20% off Rewards Canada offer!

Priority Pass, the premier and largest lounge access program has brought back their biggest sales ever for Black Friday! With this sale you can save up to 40% on your first year fee with the program. When you purchase Priority Pass you then gain access to over 1,200 business class lounges Worldwide plus restaurant credits and more.

There are three levels of membership in the program, Standard just makes you a member allowing you to pay US$32 per visit at any of those 1,200+ lounges. Standard Plus gives you 10 Free visits then you US$32 per visit and finally Prestige provides the member with unlimited access to all the lounges at no extra cost. All three memberships allow for guests to access lounges with you at US$32 per guest. The discount with this offer is 40% on Standard memberships and 25% off the other two.

This sale runs until November 25th and you can purchase memberships right here.

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Scene+ is not just for movies anymore - it's become a versatile powerhouse for all types of rewards

Monday, November 26, 2018

NOW LIVE: IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks - 108 Hotels (2 in Canada) for only 5,000 to 15,000 points per night until Feb 28, 19

Friday, November 23, 2018

A Guide to Shopping Small with American Express

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IHG Rewards Club Cyber Sale offers: 10k bonus points with Ambassador, 15% off cash+points, 50% bonus on bonus point packages

Earn 10K bonus points with Ambassador

Save up to 15% on your stay with Points & Cash

Get more with Bonus Points Packages

November 23 Update: 15x AIR MILES for shopping online until Sunday, 3x points at Holt Renfrew on your Cobalt Card, Norwegian Reward online shopping bonus

Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - November Edition

Expedia.ca Black Friday Sale - Extra 75% Off Select Hotels & More. Very limited quantity.

Thursday, November 22, 2018

November 22 Update: Earn 4,300+ AIR MILES for free, Qatar Airways increase Montreal flights and offers a cyber sale with bonus miles

Wait, what?!? 80% Safar Flyer Miles discount for Royal Air Maroc's flights between Montreal and Casablanca! 17,000 miles round trip in Business Class!

Flight Review: Air Canada Rouge Premium Rouge Calgary - Las Vegas (YYC-LAS)

Priority Pass Black Friday Sale - Up to 40% off annual memberships!

Top 5 Travel Cards in Canada

TRENDINGScene+ is not just for movies anymore - it's become a versatile powerhouse for all types of rewards

Monday, November 26, 2018

Friday, November 23, 2018

Talk to us!

Thursday, November 22, 2018

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Scene+ is not just for movies anymore - it's become a versatile powerhouse for all types of rewards