January 18 Update: New coalition credit card comparison chart, WestJet takes delivery of their first 787, Air Canada reveals possible A220 routes

We've added a new credit card comparison chart to our list of charts! This one ties in to the new category we added to our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings last year and that is the Coalition Card category. What is a coalition card you may ask? A coalition program credit card earns points or miles directly into a single program that has lots of earning and redemption options. In Canada these are programs like Aeroplan, AIR MILES, More Rewards, and Scene (the latter will be added to the chart soon!) You can view the chart here.

 

 WestJet took delivery of their first Boeing 787 Dreamliner yesterday. The plane flew in the late afternoon from Everett-Paine field to cold and snowy Calgary! Here is a video WestJet posted just shortly after it landed with WestJet's VP of Communications giving a quick tour of the plane! Rewards Canada will be at the official unveiling event in a couple of weeks so we will be able to provide our own take on the plane and what it provides! Apparently the plane will fly from Calgary to Toronto today where it will be for a couple weeks for crew training, familiarization and so forth (due to the fact the 787 hanger in YYC isn't ready yet)

Source: Skyscraperpages

Air Canada revealed possible routes for their new Airbus A220-300 aircraft (Bombardier CS300) that will begin revenue service around this time next year! Granted a lot of times when these route possibilities are revealed, that's all they are, possibilities. Seeing that the aircraft will replace the E190 aircraft, they will first fly routes already being done so by the Embraer and older Airbus aircraft.

Rewards Canada contributor Bill W. notes this for us.

I find this interesting because it means they will be growing the available seats on the routes currently serviced by the E90’s by over 30%. E90 has 9/88 seats for total capacity of 97. The A220 has typical seating of 141 and max of 160 although it is believed AC will be in the 130 to 140 range. End result is that with higher capacity it could mean less frequency on flights typically served by the E90. Better for the airline, not so much for passengers. That being said however, there is nothing quite like that new aircraft smell…

Of course since Rewards Canada is Calgary based there is some excitement on our end about the two potential routes they show from YYC to BOS and IAD. Would be nice to have those flights! As well as replacing the A320 on the LAX route from YYC. Not leaving the rest of Canada out it is definitely exciting to see potential routes like Montreal to Seattle, Halifax to Vancouver, Vancouver to Washington, Toronto to San Jose and more! (Source Flight Global)


Posts since our last update:

• Rewards Canada Giveaway - Enter for a chance to win a pair of Maple Leaf Lounge Guest Passes!
  Rewards Canada Contributor Sol Z. has graciously donated 2 Maple Leaf lounge passes to give away! Enter by Sunday…

Travel Deals
Cathay Pacific's New Year's sale sees them offering flights out of Vancouver to Southeast Asia for as little as $895 round trip. Book by Jan 31. Find out more here.

Marriott is offering 20% off best available rates when you stay 2+ nights Thursday-Sunday at 6 great locations in Toronto and Edmonton. Valid for stays until Feb 28, 19 . Full Details and online Booking

Avis: Save up to 20% with their New Year Worldwide sale. Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 19. Find out more here.

Hilton APAC Year End sale - Save up to 25% when you book by Feb 2 for stays until Sep 30, 2019!

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

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
- Double LifeMiles when you rent with Thrifty in the Americas or Europe. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Best Western Rewards
- Triple Rewards Points for stays of 2+ nights Thursday through Mondays at the Best Western Tuscany On Tor Motor Inn Toowoomba More... Until Jan 31, 19
- Triple Rewards Points for stays on Monday, Tueday, Wednesday, Friday or Saturday at the Best Western Amsterdam Airport Hotel Uithoorn More... Until Feb 1, 19
- Triple Rewards Points for stays of 3 or more nights Thursday to Sunday at the Best Western Hotel Danderyd More... Until Apr 29, 19
- Triple Rewards Points for stays of 3+ nights at the est Western Oglesby Inn. More... Until Apr 30, 19
- Double Rewards Points for stays at the Best Western Plus Springfield Airport Inn. More... Until Feb 28, 19
- Double Rewards Points for stays of 3+ nights Sunday thru Thursday at the Best Western Plus Philadelphia Convention Center Hotel. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- Quadruple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating new Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Feb 11 for stays until Mar 31, 19

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay at the Copenhagen Marriott Hotel or AC Hotel Bella Sky Copenhagen. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn up to 3,000 QMiles when you fly Qatar Airways between Doha and Isfahan. More... Until Apr 30, 19
- Double QMiles on your next hotel booking made via Rocketmiles. More... Until Mar 31, 19

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Earn up to 3x ROP Miles on Hertz rentals of 3+ days in Thailand. More... Book by Feb 28 for rentals until Mar 31, 19


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Rewards Canada Giveaway - Enter for a chance to win a pair of Maple Leaf Lounge Guest Passes!

CONGRATULATIONS TO MICHAEL W. - Winner of the passes!

Rewards Canada Contributor Sol Z. has graciously donated 2 Maple Leaf lounge passes to give away! Enter by Sunday night and if everything works out right these will be sent out early next week to the lucky winner!

These are 2018 passes which means they expire on February 28th, 2019, so if you are travelling over the next few weeks be sure to enter below for a chance to win! These passes can only be used at domestic and trans border lounges in Canada as well as the MLLs in Los Angeles and New York La Guardia!

Here is how you enter:
Simply comment below on which lounge you are most likely to use this pass at! If you aren't sure yet simply let us know what your favourite Maple Leaf lounge is and why!

The giveaway closes on Sunday January 20th, 2019 at 11:59pm EST! Limit 1 entry per person Winner will be determined by random draw from all eligible entries received. Void where prohibited.  No purchase necessary.

Related Topics we recommend reading:

• Rewards Canada's Guide to Business Class Lounge Access
• Lounge Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge - Los Angeles International Airport Terminal  6
• Lounge Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge - Saskatoon Airpor
• Air Canada opens new Maple Leaf Lounge at St. John's International Airport 
• Air Canada opens Maple Leaf Lounge in New York-LaGuardia Airport’s New Terminal
   

January 17 Update: Avianca LifeMiles system outage at the start of February, Delta cuts Edmonton-Seattle route & Cathay Pacific New Year's seat sale

Avianca LifeMiles will be performing a major system update at the start of February and they have sent out emails that during the time between February 1 and 5 the program will essentially shut down:

• You will not be able to access or transact in LifeMiles.com or the LifeMiles Mobile App. Our Call Center and Service Centers will be open but will not be able to make transactions in our systems either during this period
• You will not be able to redeem with LifeMiles or any of our partners
• You can continue to earn miles as normal with Avianca, Star Alliance airlines and with most of our partners. These miles will be reflected in your account once the system upgrade is complete
• You can continue purchasing tickets and transacting with Avianca through their channels as usual
• Elite members will continue to receive benefits such as upgrades at the airport, access to VIP lounges, etc. as normal
• Your miles and information will be safe. Once systems are back up and running, you will be able to access your account with your pre-existing user name and password

Delta Airlines is cancelling their service between Edmonton and Seattle as of March 1st. You should receive notification if you have flights booked on this route after that date. If not we recommend contacting Delta right away to make other travel arrangements. (Source Routesonline)

Air Transat has decided to not go ahead with their Toronto to Split route this summer. Same thing as above if you have booked tickets for this route contact Air Transat to make other arrangements or to receive a refund. (Source Routesonline)

You can earn up to 100 Bonus AIR MILES for shopping at Rexall this weekend. No coupon is required.

Posts since our last update:

• An overview of the Air Canada Altitude 2019 program - very few changes from 2018
  Rewards Canada contributor and Air Canada Altitude member Bill Wheatley delves in the 2019 Altitude program and how is…
• Radisson Rewards: Earn up to 120,000 Bonus Points on all stays Worldwide
  Radisson Rewards is the next hotel chain to release their first global systemwide promotion of 2019 (IHG, Choice & Hilton…
• It's confirmed - Marriott Bonvoy is the brand new name of the combined Marriott, SPG, Ritz-Carlton loyalty program
  Rumours about this name began swirling around a few weeks ago when the trademark applications were found and now…
• Hilton Honors: 100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more points until February 26
  Hilton Honors has released their latest buy points promotion for their members. Unlike the offer towards the end of…

Travel Deals
Cathay Pacific's New Year's sale sees them offering flights out of Vancouver to Southeast Asia for as little as $895 round trip. Book by Jan 31. Find out more here.

Marriott is offering 20% off best available rates when you stay 2+ nights Thursday-Sunday at 6 great locations in Toronto and Edmonton. Valid for stays until Feb 28, 19 . Full Details and online Booking

Avis: Save up to 20% with their New Year Worldwide sale. Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 19. Find out more here.

Hilton APAC Year End sale - Save up to 25% when you book by Feb 2 for stays until Sep 30, 2019!

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

Remember to visit Rewards Canada's Travel Booking site to book travel directly with many of your favourite airlines, hotels and more!

Canadian Bonus Offers
Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn Triple Aeroplan Miles for stays at all participating IHG Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Apr 30, 19

AIR MILES (Canada)
- 5x AIR MILES Reward Miles at a large selection of retailers when you shop online via airmilesshops.ca. More... Until Jan 28, 19

Other Bonus Offers
Amtrak Guest Rewards
- Receive a free trip when you take three roundtrips (or 6 one way trips) on Acela or Northeast Regional on all qualifying Amtrak travel. More... Until Feb 28, 19

Hilton Honors
- 100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more Hilton Honors points online. More... Until Feb 26, 19

JAL Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles for stays at Okura Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. More... Until Mar 20, 18

Le Club AccorHotels
- Earn up to Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece. More... Book by Feb 3 for stays until Mar 10, 19
- Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Austria, Germany or Switzerland. More... Book by Feb 4 for stays until Mar 31, 19

Marriott Rewards
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay 2+ nights Thursday-Saturday (Friday or Saturday required) at Courtyard hotels in Amsterdam, Brussels and Gdynia. More... Until Feb 24, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay on Friday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the Courtyard Brno, Courtyard Pilsen or Courtyard Prague Airport. More... Until Feb 24, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points for stays at the Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach. More... Until Mar, 12, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach. More... Feb 11 - May 6, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points per stay at the AC Hotel Berlin Humboldthain Park More... Book by Apr 15 for sttays Mar 1 - Apr 15, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay on Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront. More... Until Apr 22, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points per night when you arrive on Sunday nigh at the Courtyard Fort Worth Downtown/Blackstone. More... Mar 17 - Apr 21, 19

Miles & More
- Earn up to Silver Status and additional bonuses when you fly 30 scheduled flights taken with participating Miles & More airline partners. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Radisson Rewards
- Earn up to 120,000 Bonus Points for stays (including award nights) at all participating Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson RED, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson hotels worldwide. More... Until Mar 31, 19


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An overview of the Air Canada Altitude 2019 program - very few changes from 2018

Rewards Canada contributor and Air Canada Altitude member Bill Wheatley delves in the 2019 Altitude program and how is has not changed much from 2018:
 
The Air Canada Altitude program for 2019 does not seem to have changed very much from the 2018 program.

In order to qualify for the 2020 year, there have only been a couple of changes.

One these changes is actually a very positive one for fliers who are earning lower tiers.  As mentioned above, the Early Recognition benefit now applies to all tiers including Altitude Prestige 25K. Previously it started at the Elite 35K level. For example, if you were a non-Elite member at the beginning of the year, and you achieve the required Altitude Qualifying Mile (AQM) or Altitude Qualifying Segments (AQS) and Altitude Qualifying Dollars (AQD) by August 5th, you would immediately reap the benefits of becoming a Prestige 25K member. Some of the most noticeable benefits of achieving this level from not having status are: Priority Airport Check-in, Advanced boarding and possibly most beneficial, an increased baggage allowance. You would now have a guaranteed allowance of 2 bags (23kg) as opposed to having your baggage allowance determined by the type of fare purchased. In addition, you will receive 20 eUpgrade credits. If you achieve the next level (still prior to October 31st, 2019), you will be bumped up to that level for the balance of the year and receive the additional benefits that come with the new level.

Here is a reminder on standard qualification for Altitude:

The only other change is just to wording on the Priority Rewards benefits. These were described as “2x Classic Rate” in 2018 and now “2x Fixed Mileage Rate” for 2019. The redeeming procedure remains the same.

I think that Air Canada is holding the line on how the current program operates as they are busy preparing the new program ready to commence in June 2020. From a business perspective, it certainly make sense to leave the current program as is and concentrate on ensuring  that the new program rolls out without a hitch.

Some points to note:

• Aeroplan Miles will be transferable 1:1 into the new Air Canada loyalty program in 2020.
• There will be no changes to lounge access privileges offered to Altitude members and Business Class customers.
• Your Altitude status is independent from Aeroplan and the ability to earn or maintain status is not affected by this change. There are no changes planned to the Million Mile status when the new program launches. All earnings that go to your Altitude Million Mile status will be carried forward to the new program.
• Aeroplan members can continue to earn Aeroplan Miles with their Aeroplan credit cards, and redeem miles on a range of Aeroplan Rewards, including travel with Air Canada and the Star Alliance member airlines through June 2020. There absolutely will be credit card partnerships with the new program. More details will be announced closer to when the new program is launched. (American Express is as yet not confirmed).
• With the new program you will be able to earn and redeem miles with Star Alliance partners and other partner airlines.
• Currently, the Aeroplan program allows you to transfer miles to a friend or family member for a fee. Air Canada recognizes that enabling this kind of flexibility will definitely be important when building the new program, particularly if it’s valued and appreciated by their customers. More details will be provided as it gets closer to the launch date of the program.

One of the things that would probably be most welcomed in the new program would be if the “taxes, fees & surcharges” would be lowered (Air Canada fees tend to be much higher than other Star Alliance carriers).

Personally, I think that as Air Canada will now be overseeing and maintain the program themselves, it may allow for more flexibility in changing or adding benefits as they will not have to seek third party approval as was most likely the case with Aimia. It will remain to be seen how the new program compares to Aeroplan when it rolls out. Hopefully it will be a smooth transition and a positive experience for all.

You can also read Air Canada Altitude's 2019 overview here (PDF File)

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Radisson Rewards: Earn up to 120,000 Bonus Points on all stays Worldwide

Radisson Rewards is the next hotel chain to release their first global systemwide promotion of 2019 (IHG, Choice & Hilton are already out) . This is offer awards 1,000 to 120,000 bonus points on all your stays depending on how many nights you complete but in what is a nice addition and a first from what we can recall, award nights will also count towards the bonuses! In our 18 years of tracking bonus offers we can't recall ever seeing this from a loyalty program!

Offer details
Earn up to 120,000 Bonus Points for stays (including award nights) at all participating Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu^®, Radisson^®, Radisson RED, Park Plaza^®, Park Inn^® by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites^® by Radisson hotels worldwide. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required) Until Mar 31, 19

Stay 1 Night: Earn 1,000 Bonus Points
Stay 1 additional Night: Earn 2,000 additional Bonus Points (totalling 3,000 Bonus Points)
Stay 3 additional Nights: Earn 7,000 additional Bonus Points (totalling 10,000 Bonus Points)
Stay 5 additional Nights: Earn 40,000 additional Bonus Points (totalling 50,000 Bonus Points)
Stay 10 additional Nights: Earn 70,000 additional Bonus Points (totalling 120,000 Bonus Points)

Once registered you can book direct at:

• Radisson Collection
• Radisson Blu^® 
• Radisson^® 
• Radisson RED
• Park Plaza^® 
• Park Inn^® by Radisson
• Country Inn & Suites^® by Radisson hotels

Find many more Radisson Rewards bonus points offers here!

It's confirmed - Marriott Bonvoy is the brand new name of the combined Marriott, SPG, Ritz-Carlton loyalty program

Rumours about this name began swirling around a few weeks ago when the trademark applications were found and now we have official confirmation from Marriott that the combined Marriott, SPG and Ritz-Carlton program will be known as Marriott Bonvoy.

“Marriott Bonvoy marks an evolution in travel because it represents more than a loyalty program,” said Stephanie Linnartz, Global Chief Commercial Officer, Marriott International. “Marriott Bonvoy is a travel program designed to bring to life our extraordinary portfolio of global brands in 129 countries and territories, while also providing endless inspiration for members to keep traveling and pursuing their passions.

The official launch date is February 13 when the logo and branding will be rolled out. That day will also see the end of the SPG as it was know it. The SPG and Ritz-Carlton apps will be retired as all interaction will move to the Marriott Bonvoy app (people who have the current Marriott app need not worry as it will automatically update). Marriott Rewards Moments and SPG Moments will become Marriott Bonvoy Moments, and of note from the press release are these name changes for several elite levels:

• Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite will replace Platinum Premier Elite for members who surpass 75 nights
• Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite will replace Platinum Premier Elite with Ambassador. This top Elite status tier recognizes members who surpass 100 nights and more than $20,000 in spend annually. These members enjoy the highest level of personalization with a dedicated ambassador to help plan their travel and cater to their needs one-on-one. 

We will continue to track Marriott promotions in our bonus offer section but of course will refer to the offers as Marriott Bonvoy Bonus Point opportunities as of February 13

Members can learn more about Marriott Bonvoy at MeetMarriottBonvoy.marriott.com

Hilton Honors: 100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more points until February 26

Hilton Honors has released their latest buy points promotion for their members. Unlike the offer towards the end of 2018 that ranged from 80 to 100% this one is a flat 100% if you buy 10,000 or more points at one time. This means you are paying US$ 0.5 cents per point which can be easily redeemed at values of 0.8 cents or more!

For example, here is a night at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island in a water villa (yes I know you'd go for more than one night but it's a good example of the savings)

As you can see the best rate is US$556 (and that's a non-refundable pre-paid rate) while the points required is 95,000. With the 100% bonus 95,000 points would cost US$475 (+5% GST for us Canucks since Points.com is Canadian) so US$498.75 in total for that room which is less than any of the rates listed above.

Remember reward nights start out at only 5,000 points so you could essentially get 4 nights at the lowest level by only buying 10,000 points (+10,000 bonus) for only US$100.

Offer details: 
100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more Hilton Honors points online. Buy points here Until Feb 26, 19

Hilton Honors members can purchase up to 80,000 Hilton Honors Points in a calendar year. Email address is required and will only be used for transaction and marketing communications related to this purchase. 
 

Click here to find many more Honors Points bonuses! 

January 15 Update: AIR MILES year end summary email, Amex Centurion lounges closing temporarily in LAS & MIA, Egyptair new business coming to Toronto

AIR MILES sent out a really cool summary email earlier in the month. Check your email for it if you haven't seen it. It gives you a summary of 2018 in terms of how many miles you earned, where you earned the most and also shows your lifetime summary with the program.

 

If you are travelling to or via Las Vegas or Miami over the next few week sand were hoping to use the American Express Centurion Lounges thanks to your Platinum Card well beware that both of these locations closed as of yesterday for renovations. Word is they are only supposed to be closed for a couple of weeks. (Source Amex)

Egyptair is slated to begin using their new Boeing 787-9 aircraft between Toronto and Cairo as of October 26. This plane will feature a new much improved business class over the current Boeing 777 that is plying the route. Egyptiar is an Aeroplan partner and this route has always been one of those ones that tends to have better seat availabilty. Hopefully that will continue with the new planes coming on board! (Source Routesonline / OMAAT )

Posts since our last update:

• Earn Triple Aeroplan Miles for IHG stays Worldwide until the end of April
  Airline bonus miles for stays at IHG hotels are very rare except for a few partners of the program…
• The TAP Air Portugal 50% off award ticket offer isn't nearly as good as it initially seemed
  A big thank you to a long time loyal reader of our global site FrequentFlyerBonuses.com, Pedro C from Portugal…
• Coast Hotels Coast Rewards: 2x Points on all stays until January 30
  Canada's Coast Hotels has launched a short promotion where you can double Coast Rewards points on all stays at their…

Travel Deals

Air Canada is offering 15% off their fares to sun destinations in the U.S! Book by January 16 for travel until June 20. Find out more here.
Eligible routes: Canada to Florida (Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, Sarasota, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers), Hawaii (Lihue, Kahului/Maui, Kailua/Kona, Honolulu), Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Palm Springs, San Diego.

Avis: Save up to 20% with their New Year Worldwide sale. Book by Jan 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 19. Find out more here.

Hilton APAC Year End sale - Save up to 25% when you book by Feb 2 for stays until Sep 30, 2019!

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

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
Coast Hotels Coast Rewards
- Double Coast Rewards Points on all stays at Coast Hotel locations in Canada and the U.S. More... Until Jan 30, 19

Other Bonus Offers
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Triple Mileage Plan Miles on all rentals of three days or longer at any Dollar location Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 19
- Triple Mileage Plan Miles on all rentals of three days or longer at any Thrifty location Worldwide. More... Until Dec 31, 19

IHG Rewards Club
- Earn 10,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you stay 3 or more nights at the Kimpton Sawyer Sacramento. More... Until Mar 31, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- Triple Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in Turkey. More... Book by Feb 2 for stays until Feb 28, 19

Marriott Rewards
- 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points when you stay Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday required) at the Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection Washington D.C.. More... Until Feb 24, 19


Follow Rewards Canada:

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Earn Triple Aeroplan Miles for IHG stays Worldwide until the end of April

Airline bonus miles for stays at IHG hotels are very rare except for a few partners of the program like Aeroplan. You can count on an Aeroplan bonus for IHG stays several times per year and today the first such offer of 2019 launched! You can earn Triple Aeroplan Miles for stays at
 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Alliance Resorts, Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants ®, Avid Hotels ®Crowne Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN® Hotels, Holiday Inn®, Holiday Inn Express®, Holiday Inn Resort®, Holiday Inn Club Vacations® hotels, Staybridge Suites® or Candlewood Suites® hotels Worldwide.

You must set your IHG Rewards Club earning preference to earn Aeroplan miles to receive the bonus.

Offer details
Earn Triple Aeroplan Miles for stays at all participating IHG Hotels Worldwide. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Until Apr 30, 19
Maximum of 7,000 bonus Aeroplan miles will be awarded per member

Find many more Aeroplan bonus miles offers here!

The TAP Air Portugal 50% off award ticket offer isn't nearly as good as it initially seemed

A big thank you to a long time loyal reader of our global site FrequentFlyerBonuses.com, Pedro C from Portugal who knows the TAP Portugal Miles&Go program inside and out! According to him when TAP Portugal changed the name of the program from Victoria to Miles&Go in late 2018 they also massively devalued the program without notice. Of course this ties in with our post last week when we broke the news on this deal:

Great Deal! 50% off all TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go Award Tickets Worldwide - Fly Toronto to Portugal for as little as 26,000 miles 

and his email to us reveals that this isn't such a good offer as we originally thought. There are two reasons why it isn't as good of deal. Firstly, the 50% discount is off of their high season value rates and most of the window of this promotion is during the saver season which means without the sale you would get up to 30% off anyways.

As Pedro told us:

1) The promotion period included in that promotion belongs to the so called "saving season". Such periods are pre-defined and during those periods the "high season" table NEVER applies:
https://www.flytap.com/en-pt/miles-and-go/spend-miles/saving-season
So you see already the 1st problem:
- they are evoking a discount of 50% on a mileage table (high season) that, anyway, would have never applied to this period. So it is actually, a much lower saving what is being suggested and proposed than the 50% mentioned.

2) Technically there could be one small window within this promotion period in which, technically speaking, the high season table would apply (basically around Carnival time - where the High Season table would be valid for the specific period)...but guess what? Exactly that period is excluded from this 50% off promotion...incredible how they twisted this, right?

The second reason behind this not being such a good deal could be seen as some slight of hand marketing from TAP. On the original promotion page they linked to a PDF of redemption rates and that PDF did not state anywhere that they were the discounted rates  - in fact at the time we published our post last week it is quite the opposite and it made it seem like the rates were the full amount and those would be discounted by 50%. Now however when you go to the TAP website they have updated the promotion landing page to state it lists the promotional rates (and there is no longer a link to the PDF). And Pedro explains:

On a very sad note, the mileage value 50'000 miles for return trip mentioned in your article and used as base for your calculations is not correct. All the values are one-way (with the promotion 50% ALREADY APPLIED). Without the promotion, TAP requires 200'000 miles on high season for a return Business Class ticket to North America.
This was part of a very recent change that has caught everyone unnoticed and was under-advertised completely and masked away by a program name change from TAP Victoria to TAP Miles & Go.

Unfortunately, FFP members community in Portugal is weak, unorganized and has no voice in the matter. FFP is also not a mass-consumption item in this market and so TAP gets by easily with such actions. So, this "promotion" comes just after the "standard values" were increased by over 100% - easy to come back now and say: I now have a 50% off promotion...right?

And confirming what Pedro told us, here are the regular redemption rates for the new Miles&Go Program:

Economy Class Round Trip Full Mileage requirements

Business Class Round Trip Full Mileage Requirements

So while last week it seemed like you could fly between Toronto and Portugal in economy class round trip for 26,000 miles and 50,000 miles for business class, it's actually double that. The discounted round trip rates are 52,000 miles for economy and 100,000 for business! Not so good of deal now!

Thanks again to Pedro for bringing this to our attention.