Radisson Rewards’ summer promo is here – earn 3,000 bonus points per night starting with your 2nd stay

Hot on the heels of our podcast episode on summer hotel promotions we learn of another promotion now! Radisson Rewards is now the latest hotel chain to reveal their summer systemwide global points promotion. This one is perfect for Canadians as there are lots of Radisson Hotel group hotels across our great country so you could line this offer up for your summer travels whether they be by plane, train, boat or car!

Much like its competitors they are only giving bonus points out when you complete multiple stays, which is two in most cases. This promo is quite lucrative though once you do get to your second stay as the bonus is 3,000 bonus points PER NIGHT. Ultimate strategy is to complete a cheap one night stay to get that out of the way and then focus on those stays after to earn the bonus points. Or even if you may only have one two night stay planned try to hotel hop. Stay at one hotel on night one and move to another for night two so you can score those 3,000 points.

Offer details:
Earn 3,000 Bonus Radisson Rewards points for stays at all Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson hotels worldwide starting with your second stay.  Full details, online registration and booking. (Registration is required) May 27 – Aug 31, 19
Maximum of 120,000 bonus points awarded per member during the promotional period.

Once registered you can simply book your stays online at: Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza, Radisson, Radisson Blu, Radisson Red, or The Radisson Collection.

Here are some other offers to look at as well:

• 1,000 Bonus Points and up to 15% off for stays at the participating Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson and Country Inn & Suite by Radisson hotels in Asia Pacific. Full details & online booking
• 2,000 Bonus Points for stays on the Park and Stay Package at Country Inn & Suites® by Radisson at participating hotels in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. Full details & online booking

Find our complete list of Radisson Rewards bonus points offers here!

May 23 Update: Save up to 15% on Air Canada flights with the latest Amex offer and more changes coming to the Cobalt Card.

Check your emails for a new Air Canada discount from American Express! I received mine via the Platinum Card and it offers an exclusive discount code for up to 15% off any Air Canada flights:
• 15% off Standard, Flex, Comfort, Latitude, Premium Economy and Premium Rouge
• 10% off Air Canada Signature Class and Business Class
Bookings must be made between May 23-30, 2019 for travel to be completed between May 23 and June 20, 2019 or between September 10 and December 15, 2019.

This offer holds true to our mantra that we have held true for 18 plus years here on Rewards Canada in that you should always have a credit card from all three issuers - Visa, Mastercard and Amex as each of them come out with exclusive offers like this!

Also on the American Express front, Rewards Canada reader Steve C. asked us via Twitter about notes on the most recent American Express Cobalt Card statements. Those notes state a clarification on how points are awarded and that they won't be awarded on cash equivalent transactions such as gift cards (purchase and reloads) and also changes coming to the insurance package on August 1st that mention Trip Interruption and Cancellation Insurance. If you have the card you know those two insurances aren't included on the card at this time so it appears they may be added. As to the points issue on gift cards, my take is that they want to crack down on reloadable prepaid Visa/Mastercards that allow you withdraw cash from them via ATMs as their definition of Cash Equivlaent Transactions is something that can be easily converted to cash. If you buy a gift card for Boston Pizza,  Sport Chek etc. at a grocery store to earn the 5x points that should still count as those cards cannot be easily converted to cash. I have reached out to American Express on both regards and will report back once I have further clarification on these changes!

Posts since our last update:

• Earn Triple Skywards Miles when you fly in Business or First Class out of Toronto on Emirates
  Needing to book an Emirates flight out of Toronto or anywhere Emirates flies globally for that matter? And planning…
• BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard now has a limited time annual fee waiver for the first year + 5% cash back for first 3 months
  BMO has decided to sweeten the pot on the current sign up offer for their BMO CashBack World Elite…
• A week and half left to grab the best ever offer on the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card
  If you haven't done so already, you only have eleven days left to grab the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite…
• WestJet adds Priority Baggage for Gold and Platinum Rewards members
  Back in March when the Rewards Canada family flew to the U.S. on WestJet we noticed something new on our…

Travel Deals

IHG Global Sale! Book now and save up to 20% at thousands of IHG® Hotels & Resorts worldwide when you book between now and July 31st.! Full details

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

Emirates Skywards
- Triple Skywards Miles when you register and book your Emirates or flydubai Business Class and First Class flights out of Toronto or globally by May 26 for travel June 20 to September 5, 2019. More... Book by May 26 for travel Jun 20 – Sep 5, 19

Red Roof RediRewards
- Earn 6,500 Bonus RediPoints when you complete 2 separate stays at any Red Roof location, including The Red Collection and Hometowne Studios by Red Roof in the U.S., Japan, Brazil and Canada (if the Canadian location opens on time) More... Jun 1 – Aug 31, 19

Other Bonus Offers

British Airways Executive Club
- Triple Avios when you subscribe to The Economist. More... Until Jun 30, 19

Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer
- 5,000 Bonus iPrefer Points and up to 50% off suite and club rooms at six participating hotels in Tokyo. More... Book by Jun 21, 19

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- 5,000 Bonus ROP Miles when you join Royal Orchid Plus and complete your first Thai Airways flight. More... Until Jul 10, 19

United MileagePlus
- 5,000 Bonus MileagePlus miles when you book vacation packages at select Hilton Hotels in Ft. Lauderdale NYC, Maui, Phoenix, Oahu, San Diego, Orlando, Chicago, San Francisco. More... Book by Jun 6 for travel until Dec 31 , 19



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Earn Triple Skywards Miles when you fly in Business or First Class out of Toronto on Emirates

Needing to book an Emirates flight out of Toronto or anywhere Emirates flies globally for that matter? And planning to fly in Business Class or First Class? Then you'll want to register for this offer and book it by Sunday to earn Triple Skywards miles on those flights!

Offer details:
Triple Skywards Miles when you register and book your Emirates or flydubai Business Class and First Class flights by May 26 for travel June 20 to September 5, 2019. Full details, online registration & booking. Book by May 26 for travel Jun 20 – Sep 5, 19

Can’t make use of this offer? Here are some other bonus offers to look at:

• Earn Double Skywards Miles when you fly Emirates to or from Lisbon or Porto from on Emirates network.  Full details, online registration and booking (Registration is required)
• Earn up to Triple Skywards Miles for stays at Atlantis, The Palm Dubai. Full details & online booking

Click here to see our full list of Emirates Skywards Bonus Miles opportunities!

BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard now has a limited time annual fee waiver for the first year + 5% cash back for first 3 months

BMO has decided to sweeten the pot on the current sign up offer for their BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard. For the past few months the card has offered a welcome bonus of 5% cash back on all spending in the first three months up to a maximum of $200 cash back ($4,000 in spending) They have enhanced that offer by adding an annual fee waiver in the first year providing a savings of $120 which means you get the full value of that 5% welcome bonus. Simply apply for the card by November 30, 2019 to receive this welcome bonus.


Related:  BMO CashBack World Elite Mastercard Review
 
The card details, welcome bonus and limited time offers were correct at time of posting and are subject to change at anytime.

A week and half left to grab the best ever offer on the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card

If you haven't done so already, you only have eleven days left to grab the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card with its best ever offer. Until June 2nd you can get the card with a first year annual fee waiver and a 30,000 Aeroplan Mile welcome bonus. The 30K miles are split, 15,000 on first purchase and 15,000 more when you spend $1,000 within 90 days of account opening.

Here are the complete details for the card:



Remember as well, that we pointed out in this 'related' post how the 30,000 miles can be worth over $1,700!

Related: A look at how the current TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card sign up offer of up to 30,000 miles can provide huge value! 

Don't fret too much however if you still don't know whether you should grab the card. As of June 3, the overall value of the card will remain the same however the requirement to get that value out of card will become slight more difficult, and I only mean slightly. For most people who can get this card, that increased requirement shouldn't be a big deal. Still if you want in on the 'best ever offer' for this card you'll want to apply for it by June 2.

WestJet adds Priority Baggage for Gold and Platinum Rewards members

Back in March when the Rewards Canada family flew to the U.S. on WestJet we noticed something new on our baggage tags - Priority. In my discussions with WestJet I heard nothing of this but I figured it was part of the evolution of the airline's frequent flyer program and of course with them now having a Business Class product, it seemed like a logical progression. I didn't make too much of it as our bags were almost the last ones off the flight in Palm Springs despite the Priority wording. The flight back was not in Plus sorry Premium like we had to PSP but our bags still had Priority wording which made me think it may be tied to status rather than fare class. Once again the bags weren't out very fast. Obviously it was something new in the system that perhaps wasn't fully communicated yet to the baggage handlers. Now the only note of Priority was the actual black box with white lettering on the actual bag tag. There were no additional tags like seen on other airlines.

Fast forward to the May long weekend and we were flying WestJet once again. One way in Plus Premium again, and Economy on the return. Both ways the bag tags had the Priority wording but this time we had agents come up to the self serve kiosks to add in orange WestJet Priority Tags for the bags.

It seemed to work this time! Our bags were the first off in Regina and on the return they were within the first 10 bags on the carousel in YYC. I wasn't 100% sure why we got Priority tags on the flight back in Economy but that question was answered in an email sent out to Gold and Platinum members yesterday:

As you can see the Priority Baggage is an elite status benefit, not a fare class benefit although I would suspect flying in Business Class on the 787 will get you the Priority tags as well. Maybe one of our readers who has been lucky enough to fly the 787 in business (without status) could confirm this.

UPDATE: WestJet has let us know that Priority is also a benefit when you fly on Premium or Business Class fares.

I applaud WestJet for adding another valuable benefit to their program to make it compete with the big airlines and programs from around the globe. Overall we are 50/50 for the service but then again the first two flights could have been before the baggage handlers even knew about this new feature.

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May 22 Update: Netflix will be a 3x points streaming service for Scotia Gold Amex, some cards you should grab now and some you should wait for

Last week we brought you a list of Streaming services that will earn 3x points on the Scotia Gold American Express as of August 1 and we missed Netflix on that list. We can confirm that Netflix is included. Others asked about Google or Amazon Prime and as Davidd418 commented on our post those probably won't code properly so they can't be included.

If you have been thinking about getting one of the best cards in Canada for sign up value, benefits and more (it's in our Top 5 Cards overall) or the business version of it, I would highly recommend on getting it this week.  Same goes for the TD First Class Visa Infinite Card although you have all of next week for it and finally I would wait until early June to get the TD Cash Back Visa Infinite card.

Posts since our last update:

• Best Western Rewards members receive a US$20 Gift Card after one stay this summer (Elite members may earn more)
  Best Western’s Rewards Rush has returned offering a $20 Travel Card on your first stay this summer with Best…
• 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…
• 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…

Travel Deals

IHG Global Sale! Book now and save up to 20% at thousands of IHG® Hotels & Resorts worldwide when you book between now and July 31st.! Full details

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

Best Western Rewards
- Receive a $20 Best Western Gift Card when you complete your next stay at a Best Western Hotel Worldwide. More... Until Sep 2, 19

British Airways Executive Club
- 30% Bonus Avios when you convert RBC Rewards Points (Avion cardholders only) to British Airways Executive Club Avios. More... For residents of Canada only Until Jun 30, 19

Other Bonus Offers

Miles & More
- Earn up to Quadruple Miles & More Miles for stays at participating Kempinski Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Jul 31, 19

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- 30% KrisFlyer Miles redemption discount on selected destinations across the Singapore Airlines and SilkAir network. More... Book by May 31 for travel Jun 1 - 30, 19

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Earn up to Triple ROP Miles on Hertz rentals of 3 or more days in Thailand. More... Book by Jun 30 for rentals until Jul 31, 19



Follow Rewards Canada:

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Best Western Rewards members receive a US$20 Gift Card after one stay this summer (Elite members may earn more)

Best Western’s Rewards Rush has returned offering a $20 Travel Card on your first stay this summer with Best Western. Most members are limited to earning only one card during the promotion unless specifically targeted for more (see below for details). A reminder that the gift card will expire 120 days after issue so hopefully you’ll be able to use it or them after you complete your stays! Also the gift card is issued in the currency of your main residence if you reside in the U.S., Canada, UK or Europe (USD, CAD, GBP, or EUR) at the equivalent rate of USD20. Outside of those countries you’ll be issued a gift card in USD.

Offer details:
Receive a $20 Best Western Gift Card when you complete your next stay at a Best Western Hotel Worldwide. Full details, online registration and booking. (Registration is required) Until Sep 2, 2019

Elite members may get an email offering more than one gift card.  Personally as a Diamond member they offer up to 10 of the gift cards:

 Let us know what offer you got if you are a BW Elite member!

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

Click Here to download the podcast

Or download/subscribe via:

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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