Podcast Episode 55 is here! The Summer Hotel Promotions Podcast!

Episode 55 - May 22, 2019
The Summer Hotel Promotions Podcast!

This week we look at the current spring and summer hotel promotions and how you can take advantage of them! We discuss offers from Hilton, IHG, Choice and Marriott. Finally we give an example of just how much value you can get out of these hotel promotions with a earning story.
We are proud to have this episode sponsored by the Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite Card!

Earn up to $400 in bonus travel rewards in your first year with the Passport Infinite credit card from Scotiabank. And enjoy no foreign transaction fees (only the exchange rate applies). Conditions apply. Offer ends June 30, 2019. Click here for more details

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Links relating to this week's topic:

• Hilton Honors – 2x Points + additional bonus points for stays this summer
• IHG Rewards Club Accelerate returns for the summer – earn bonus points for your IHG stays worldwide
• Choice Hotels: Earn up to 8,000 bonus Privileges points when you complete 2 stays Worldwide from May 7 - August 9
• Earning Stories: Making the most of IHG Rewards Club's bonus point promotions - 172,000+ points earned in 3 months

30% Transfer Bonus for RBC Rewards (Avion only) to British Airways Executive Club is back until June 30

We are happy to let you know this much loved transfer bonus from RBC Rewards to British Airways Executive Club is back. 

The offer is for all of you RBC Avion cardholders (Infinite, Infinite Privilege, Platinum, Business etc.) and runs until June 30. Despite an upcoming devaluation to award flight pricing on partner airlines, this promotion is still a decent deal as BA Avios are a great option for flights to Asia (via Cathay Pacific), short to medium haul within North America (short haul offer is great on Alaska Airlines or American Airlines see this post here) and even though huge surcharges are added to their UK/Europe redemptions they can still be an alright value because of this bonus based on your spend with the credit card (see my post about Earn & Burn for an explanation). As always though with any frequent flyer program you will have to be flexible in your options when redeeming due to seat availability issues (ie it may be hard to get tickets to Europe in Summer etc.) so take this into consideration before transferring.

Also consider reading our post on How you can easily get a free flight between Toronto and Dublin, Ireland (pre taxes/fees) or 4 flights for $240+fees as this transfer bonus will work well with it. With the 30% you only have to transfer 20,000 RBC Rewards points to get to the 26,000 Avios level to redeem for these Dublin flights. Compare this to the 65,000 RBC Rewards points it would take to get the same flight and you can quickly see why there is value in the BA program. Heck if you have 65,000 RBC Rewards Points that's three flights to Dublin and back! Remember as well that Aer Lingus is launching Montreal-Dublin flights next year and those will start as low as 20,000 Avios round trip in Economy!

Full details on the transfer bonus can be found here

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May 15 Update: Streaming services 3x points list for the Scotia Gold American Express Card, Alaska & El Al partner up, redeem AIR MILES Cash Miles at LCBO

I recently spoke with Scotia to find out which streaming services will earn 3x points on the Scotia Gold American Express come August 1. Here is the list that is confirmed so far:

• Apple Music
• Cineplex Digital Store
• Hulu
• iTunes
• Kindle
• Kobo
• SiriusXM
• Spotify

You can learn more about this change and others coming to card here.

 Alaska Airlines announced yesterday a new partnership with El Al Israel Airlines which includes reciprocal frequent flyer benefits. El Al does fly to Toronto so if you take that flight you may want to start crediting it to Mileage Plan instead of El Al's Matmid club. (Source Alaska Airlines)

Both airlines will offer the opportunity for their members to earn miles while flying with the partner airline. Base miles flown on EL AL will also count toward elite status in Alaska's Mileage Plan program. Additionally, EL AL travelers will be able to redeem their EL AL Matmid miles to book on Alaska flights in the future.

AIR MILES has expanded their partnership with LCBO. As of today collectors will be able use AIR MILES Cash Miles towards the purchase of LCBO eVouchers for instant use in-store. Find out more here


Finally there are even more Marriott Bonvoy bonuses for stays in Canada! Check out the three new offers below for London, Waterloo and Edmundston.

Posts since our last update:

• Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Aeroplan miles when you fly in a premium class on Air Canada flights Worldwide (Targetted)
  Air Canada has released a new bonus Aeroplan miles promotion when you fly in a premium class on their…

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
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles in Premium Economy, Air Canada Signature Class or Business Class on any Air Canada flights. More... Targetted offer -may not work for everyone Register and book by Jun 14 for travel until Oct 31, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn up to 7,500 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the TownePlace Suites London. More... Until Aug 4, 19
- 5,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the Courtyard Waterloo St. Jacobs More... Until Aug 4, 19
- 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 2+ nights including a Thursday or Sunday at the Four Points by Sheraton Edmundston. More... Until Aug 1, 19

Other Bonus Offers

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- 1 Bonus Asia Mile per HKD2 spent for hotel stays booked via Agoda. More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Sep 30, 19

IHG Rewards Club
- 4,000 Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points for stays of 7+ nights at the Candlewood Suites Fort Wayne NW. More... Unknown end date

Le Club AccorHotels
- Earn up to Quadruple Le Club AccorHotels Points when you rent with Europcar for 6+ days Worldwide. More... Book by Jun 2 for rentals until Jun 30, 19

Miles & More
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Miles & More Miles for rentals at participating Avis locations in Europe. More... Book by May 31 for rentals until Aug 31, 19
- Triple Miles & More Miles for stays of 2+ nights at Vienna House Hotels in Europe. More... Until Jun 30, 19

SAS EuroBonus
- Earn up to 5,000 Extra EuroBonus Points on Avis rentals of 4 or more days Worldwide. More... Book by May 31 for rentals until Sep 30, 19

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus KrisFlyer Miles when you book hotels via Kaligo. More... Book by Jun 30 for stays until Sep 30, 19

SriLankan FlySmiles
- Earn Triple FlySmiles when you fly in Business Class on SriLankan between Colombo and Tokyo (NRT) More... Until May 31, 19


Follow Rewards Canada:

Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Aeroplan miles when you fly in a premium class on Air Canada flights Worldwide (Targetted)

Air Canada has released a new bonus Aeroplan miles promotion when you fly in a premium class on their entire network! Simply fly in Premium Economy, Air Canada Signature Class or Business Class and you can score up to 3,000 bonus miles per round trip flight! You first two segments will net you 2,500 bonus Aeroplan Miles and every round trip (or two one way segments) after that gets 3,000 bonus miles. As is usual, the terms with these promos are not the greatest, only new bookings made on or after May 14 count and only the first Aeroplan member on a reservation will receive the bonus miles. You must register and book by June 14  for travel until October 31, 2019. This also appears to be targetted as I was able to register my wife and myself but not our kids.

Offer details:
Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles in Premium Economy, Air Canada Signature Class or Business Class on any Air Canada flights.  Register Online (Registration is required) Register and book by Jun 14 for travel until Oct 31, 19
Targetted offer -may not work for everyone

Can’t make use of this offer? Here are some other offers that might work for you!

• Earn 750 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for each stay at Best Western Hotels in Canada, the United States, or the Caribbean Islands Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required)
• 1,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you join the program and complete your first mileage earning transaction within 60 days. Join here!
• 1,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on qualifying Avis rentals Worldwide of 3 days or more during the week, or 2 days or more during the weekend. Book online at Avis.com

Find many more Aeroplan bonus miles offers here!

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May 13 Update: Canada's second Andaz Hotel to be in Toronto's The One, Air France's first North American destination for Airbus A350 to be Toronto & more!

Anshul from Points, Miles & Bling let us know that the second Andaz Hotel for Canada is slated to open in Toronto in 2022. The 160 room hotel will open in "The One" which will be Canada's tallest building once completed. The hotel itself won't be very tall as it will be occupying floors 4 to 16. The first Andaz Hotel in Canada is located in Ottawa and has been open for several years now. (Source BlogTO HT Points, Miles & Bling) Image via Business Wire

Air France's latest schedule update has Toronto becoming the airline's first destination in North America for their new A350-900XWB aircraft. The planes feature a brand new business class cabin as well as a Premium Economy and Economy cabin. The flights on the new plane will start in late November which means which means we should know by about August or September if you may be able to book flights on them with Flying Blue's famous Promo Rewards offers of 20% to 50% off reward tickets. Toronto is featured quite regularly, in fact this month sees 25% off business class tickets from Toronto for summer travel! So let's keep our fingers crossed that Flying Blue will feel generous and offer some discount mileage offers for the new plane this winter! (Source Routesonline) Image via Airbus

Currently there is lots availability in business class on that first A350 flight out of Toronto on November 25 (I searched for 4 people):

Posts since our last update:

• Earning Stories: 3,000 Aeroplan Miles earned on an Avis rental in Palm Springs
  Welcome to the another post in the Earning Stories series right here on Rewards Canada. For years we have…

Travel Deals

Europcar: Up to 25% off rentals in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, UK. Book by May 20 for rentals until Sep 30 Find out more here

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

Canadian Bonus Offers

N/A

Other Bonus Offers

American AAdvantage
- 5,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles on your first hotel booking at select hotels made via Rocketmiles More...  Book by Jun 30, 19

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Double Asia Miles for stays at New World Hotels & Resorts. More... Until Jun 30, 19

Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 500 Bonus ShebaMiles s for bookings made on www.ethiopianairlines.com or on Ethiopian Airlines mobile app for trips commencing from Hong Kong. More... Until Jun 30, 19

IHG Rewards Club
- 50% Bonus IHG Rewards Club Bonus points when you book any IHG® Rewards Club bonus points package at voco hotels Worldwide. More... Unknown End date
- Triple IHG Rewards Club Points for stays at the avid hotel Oklahoma City – Quail Springs. More... Until Sep 30, 19

Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- Receive 50% Bonus Enrich Miles when you convert Radisson Rewards points to Malaysia Airlines Enrich miles. More... Until May 31, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points  + up to 15% off for stays at participating Marriott Hotels in Puerto Rico. More... Unknown end date.

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Up to a 20% Discount when you buy Privilege Club QMiles. More... Until Jun 7, 19



Follow Rewards Canada:

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Earning Stories: 3,000 Aeroplan Miles earned on an Avis rental in Palm Springs

Welcome to the another post in the Earning Stories series right here on Rewards Canada. For years we have provided you with the details on earning points and miles (both regular earning and bonus opportunities) and these stories show the actual offers in action.

This earning story is for a rental we completed in Palm Spring back at the end of March. We rented a SUV for 5 days to get us around the Palm Springs area. I booked it using this promotion we had listed on Rewards Canada's Aeroplan Bonus Miles page:

1,500 Bonus Aeroplan Miles on qualifying Avis rentals Worldwide of 3 days or more during the week, or 2 days or more during the weekend. Book online at Avis.com with AWD # C682300.

Plus there was an additional exclusive offer that came in my email for another 1,000 miles:

The booking was simple via Avis.com and when we arrived the line ups for the car rental counters were insane at PSP but thanks to being Avis Preferred (free to join!) that line only has one person init!. We were provided with a really nice Nissan Armada Platinum, an upgrade from what we had originally booked. The rental cost us about US$295 which was a steal for the vehicle we got!

At the outset of the rental we ended up earning the 500 base Aeroplan Miles plus the 1,500 bonus miles from the offer plus the 1,000 miles from the exclusive targeted offer for 3,000 miles total.

Here is a screen shot of the miles that posted:

Overall I think this was yet another good earning action for an inexpensive rental and it's always nice to boost an account with these bonuses. This is another example of how we always stress our readers to check the Rewards Canada bonus offers section before you make any booking. If you are planning on traveling and need to book flights, hotels, car rentals you should always check first to see if you can earn more miles or points for that booking!

Tips for Car Rentals
- Watch the rates that include bonus miles - For us it is about 50/50 in terms of earning bonuses on rentals, many times rates are out there that are quite a bit cheaper and provide more value versus paying more and earning more miles. For a complete list of car rental bonus offers see this page on the main Rewards Canada site.
- Read the fine print - When a bonus offer is available be sure that your rental meets the criteria. Those are primarily minimum number of rental days and vehicle type. There are many promotions that don't get awarded on the smallest/cheapest vehicles.
- Join the Car Rental company's program - Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, National Emerald Club and others all provide great benefits such as dedicated check in counters, bypass check in counters and more.

You can find more Earning Stories listed here!

May 10 Update: Amex Offers officially launches in Canada, Europcar sale and 14 new bonus offers

Amex Offers has officially launched in Canada. If you follow the U.S. credit card market at all you'll have known that for years now American Express cardmembers south of the border get exclusive offers that they can register their cards for - and many of the offers are really good! Great news is this feature has now launched in Canada. Well technically if you've logged into your account the past few weeks you'll have seen it but American Express made it official today. 

American Express Canada is excited to announce the launch of Amex Offers, a new digital platform that connects Cardmembers to tailored in-store and online merchant offers, American Express Invites®, Front Of The Line® and more, all in one place.

Amex Offers is accessed through the Amex App and American Express Online Services where Cardmembers can view offers available to them, from anywhere and at any time. The platform serves up relevant, tailored offers to Cardmembers.

Or simply go to this link and sign in to see what offers are available to you: https://global.americanexpress.com/offers/eligible

Here are the offers I have right now for my Platinum Card (5 of these 7 also show up on my Cobalt card, 6 of 7 on the Marriott Bonvoy card):

and my Gold Rewards card sees two separate offers:

Posts since our last update:

• Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - May Edition
  One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of the systemwide…
• A hard hitting credit card trio that provides over $4,000 in potential welcome bonus value
  After writing the piece on How the current TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card sign up offer of up to…
• Miles & More Mileage Bargains - Only 55,000 miles required for roundtrip business class tickets between Montreal and Austria
  As we do each month we bring you the latest set Miles & More "Meilenschnaeppchen" or Mileage Bargain discounted…

Travel Deals

Europcar: Up to 25% off rentals in Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, UK. Book by May 20 for rentals until Sep 30 Find out more here

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

Canadian Bonus Offers

Air Canada Aeroplan
- Earn 750 Bonus Aeroplan Miles for each stay at Best Western Hotels in Canada, the United States, or the Caribbean Islands More... May 13 - Sep 30, 19

Other Bonus Offers

AeroMexico Club Premier
- Earn 4x Club Premier Points for stays at Choice Hotels worldwide. More... Until Aug 31, 19

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Mileage Plan Miles when you fly on all mileage earning eligible Hainan Airlines flights Worldwide. More... Jun 1 – Aug 31, 19
- 500 Bonus Mileage Plan Miles on qualifying rentals of 3 or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. More... Until Jun 30, 19
- Triple Mileage Plan Miles on qualifying rentals of 3 days or more at participating Budget airport locations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. More... Until Jun 30, 19

Iberia Plus
- 25% Avios Discount when you redeem for select Iberia Express award flights between Melilla and Almería, Barcelona, Granada, Madrid, Málaga or Seville. More... Book by Jun 30 for travel until Jul 31, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 2+ nights at the The Westin Palace, Madrid. More... Book by Jul 20 for stays Jul 1 - Aug 31, 19
- Double Bonvoy Points for stays at participating Marriott Hotels in Barcelona, Spain. More... Book by Aug 31 for stays until Mar 31, 20
- 5,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 2+ nights at the Moxy NYC Chelsea. More...Until Dec 31, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Earn up to 6,000 QMiles when you fly Qatar Airways between Doha and Mogadishu More... Jul 1 - Sep 28, 19
- 20% QMiles discount when you book award tickets for travel between Doha and Mogadishu More... Jul 1 - Aug 28, 19

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Earn up to Triple KrisFlyer Miles for stays at Alila Hotels and Resorts. More... Until Jul 31, 19

United MileagePlus
- Earn up to 1,500 Bonus MileagePlus Miles for stays of 2 or more nights at all participating Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Book and stay Jun  1 – Jul 31, 19

World of Hyatt
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale or the Hyatt Centric Murano Venice. More...Until Jul 31, 19


Follow Rewards Canada:

Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions - May 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 independent 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	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 stays. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Restrictions For Residents of the U.S. and Canada only	May 7 – Aug 9, 19
	For a complete listing of all Choice Privileges bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Choice page
GHA Discovery	Earn Double Tier Night Credits on all qualified stays at GHA Hotels Worldwide. Register online (Registration is required)	Until Jun 30, 19
	For a complete listing of all GHA Discovery bonus offers please visit Rewards Canada's GHA page
Hilton	Double Honors points + additional bonus points on every stay starting on your second stay at Hilton Hotels Worldwide.   Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required) Plus earn additional bonus points as follows: 10,000 Bonus Points on your 10th stay 15,000 Bonus Points on your 15th stay 20,000 Bonus Points on your 20th Stay	May 6 - Sep 8, 19
	For a complete listing of all Hilton HHonors bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Hilton page
Hyatt	2,000 Bonus World of Hyatt Points for your first stay at each of Hyatt's new brands of Thompson Hotels (starting March 28), Joie de Vivre (starting May 15), Alila and Destination Hotels (both coming soon) Maximum bonus of 8,000 points. Plus earn a free night if you stay at all four brands. Full details and online booking	Until Dec 31, 19
	For a complete listing of all Hyatt Gold Passport bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Hyatt page
InterContinental Hotels Group	Earn 500 to 40,000 or more Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you complete stays at IHG Hotels Worldwide. Bonus varies by member. Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required)	Register by Jun 19 for stays May 1 – Aug 31, 19
	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	Double Bonvoy Points on all eligible stays at participating Marriott Hotels Worldwide starting with your second stay. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required)	Register by May 21 for stays between Mar 19 and Jun 4, 19
	For a complete listing of all Marriott Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Marriott page
Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer	Earn 25,000 Bonus iPrefer Points for eligible stays of 2 or more nights at participating Preferred Hotel Group hotels Worldwide.  Full details & online booking	Book by May 14, 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	No Offers at this time	--
	For a complete listing of all Shangria-La bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Golden Circle page
Sonesta Hotels Travel Pass	Double Travel Pass Points for stays at participating Sonesta Hotels Worldwide. Full details	Book by May 31 for stays until Jun 30, 19
	For a complete listing of all Sonesta Hotels bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Travel Pass page
Voila Hotel Rewards	30% Bonus VHR Points for every stay completed at a participating VOILÀ hotel Worldwide. Full details & online registration (Registration is required)	Until Jul 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

A hard hitting credit card trio that provides over $4,000 in potential welcome bonus value

After writing the piece on How the current TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card sign up offer of up to 30,000 miles can provide huge value, I started thinking that you could nearly triple that value with just two more cards. How so? There are two other cards on the market  that will get you at least 25,000 Aeroplan Miles with their welcome bonuses and come with reasonable annual gees. In fact, if you end up taking all three cards you could end up with 80,000 Aeroplan Miles. Those cards are the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and the American Express Gold Rewards Card.

At the time of posting the welcome bonuses on the three cards are as follows:

• TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
  Up to 30,000 Aeroplan® Miles (that's the equivalent to 2 short-haul roundtrip flight rewards+). Plus get a 1st year annual fee rebate for the primary cardholder as follows: Welcome Bonus of 15,000 Aeroplan Miles when you make your first Purchase with your Card + 15,000 Aeroplan Miles when you spend $1,000 within 90 days of Account opening
  
• Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card
  New Marriott Bonvoy™* American Express® Cardmembers earn 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points enough for 4 free nights at a Category 2 hotel after you charge $1,500 in purchases to your Card in your first three months of Cardmembership.*Offer subject to change at any time
  
• American Express Gold Rewards Card
  New American Express® Gold Rewards Cardmembers can earn a Welcome Bonus of 25,000 Membership Rewards® points just by making $1,500 in purchases in the first three months of Cardmembership * 

Now you may be asking, the latter two cards aren't showing Aeroplan Miles as their currency. You are correct however the points they earn can be converted to Aeroplan. For the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card, Marriott points transfer at a 3 to 1 ratio to Aeroplan. That means the 60,000 points will net 20,000 Aeroplan miles, however Marriott kicks in an additional 5,000 miles for every 60,000 points transferred which means you would receive 25,000 Aeroplan Miles. For the American Express Gold Rewards Card, the Membership Rewards points it earns transfer to Aeroplan 1:1 so its 25,000 point welcome bonus equals 25,000 Aeroplan Miles.

Between the three cards you would have 80,000 Aeroplan Miles and based on the TD post we mentioned earlier we found redemption values as high as 5.8 cents per mile. 80,000 miles at 5.8 cents equates to $4,640 of value from the three welcome bonuses. Now the TD card is first year free at time of posting (offer ends June 2, 2019) however both of the Amex cards are not. They have annual fees of $120 and $150 which when subtracted from the $4,640 of value gives you net value of $4,370.

That's right $4,370 in travel value from three credit card sign up bonuses.

Here's an excerpt of how we got the 5.8 cents valuation from that previous post:

How about doing a one-way in business class on the same route as above on the same outbound date - and there's a bonus - it is on Boeing 777-300 with lie flat seats:





This round trip flight is 25,000 miles + $124.69 in taxes and fees. To buy the flight outright with Air Canada would cost $1573.21. The savings is $1448.52 or 5.8 cents per mile. Taking that 5.8 cents per mile value means the 30,000 Mile sign up bonus from the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card would be worth $1,738!

This is just one example of how the miles can be used to extract lots of value. For some of you out there you will be able pull even higher value than 5.8 cents per mile while for others it will be lower. It really depends on what you redeem for, when you redeem for it and when you travel. No matter what, scoring 80,000 Aeroplan Miles for $270 in credit card fees is a pretty amazing deal.

Here are further details on these three cards:

Title Image via Air Canada

Disclaimers:
American Express is not responsible for maintaining or monitoring the accuracy of information on this website. For full details and current product information click the Apply now link.

Sponsored advertising. The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) is not responsible for the contents of this site including any editorials or reviews that may appear on this site. For complete and current information on any TD product, please visit the TD site. 

Miles & More Mileage Bargains - Only 55,000 miles required for roundtrip business class tickets between Montreal and Austria

As we do each month we bring you the latest set Miles & More "Meilenschnaeppchen" or Mileage Bargain discounted mileage awards. This month the offers are for flying out of Montreal only.

As we have advised over the past few months, Miles & More was boosting the standard Canada to Europe business class 105,000 miles requirement to 112,000 as of today (May 9). Up until now we weren't sure if they would still discount by only 50,000 miles which would mean you have to redeem 62,000 miles or if it would be some other amount. The great news is, at least for this month, they are keeping the discounted mileage rate at 55,000 miles! That means the discount is 57,000 miles or just over 50% of the old rate.

This month's offers:

Montreal
Austrian Airlines Business Class
Book by May 31 for travel until Jul 1, 19

With this month's offer you can redeem Miles & More miles for round trip business class tickets on Austrian Airlines or only 55,000 miles. This is just over a 50% discount off the normal award ticket price of 112,000 miles. Remember however Miles & More charges some major fees for redeeming miles on these flights so be sure you also check what a revenue ticket costs however remember this is for business class so even several hundreds of dollars in fees along with 55,000 miles could be the savings you are looking for.

Here are all of the Business Class offers this month:

Short on Miles & More miles? Your best bet is to convert Marriott Bonvoy points to Miles & More on a 3:1 basis plus you'll earn 5,000 bonus miles when you convert 60,000 points at a time. T

If you don't have any Marriott Rewards Points you can get close to amount required to redeem for the tickets by grabbing some credit cards! How so? As we always mention in this post you can boost your Miles & More account with the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card to top off your account. Currently the card comes with a 60,000 point sign up bonus when you spend $1,500 on the card and then you could also grab the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card as it also has a 60,000 point sign up bonus and then you would ultimately be able to have 120,000 points not including what is earned on spending. Of course timing of getting the card(s) now, spending and getting the points will likely not happen for this month but it sets you up for future offers.  Need to grab two tickets for an itinerary? You could choose to get one Marriott card for yourself and one for your partner or spouse.

Click here for full details on this Miles & More offer