Tuesday, August 20, 2019

FREE $25 Best Western Travel Card for CAA South Central Ontario Members - No stay required!


You don't come across too many deals like this one these days! For the next week CAA members who reside in South Central Ontario can receive a free $25 Best Western Travel card. Simply join Best Western Rewards CAA Preferred Program (join the BW CAA Program here for free) and register for this offer by August 27 you'll get that $25 Best Western Travel card. The card can then be used towards a Best Western stay between August 27 and November 30. If you are already enrolled in the Best Western Rewards CAA Preferred Program simply register for the offer by August 27 to receive your travel card.

If you are a Best Western Rewards member but aren't 100% sure if you joined the CAA Preferred Program version you can call 1-800-237-8483 to check your account. If it turns out that you aren't a CAA Preferred Program member and have already completed BW stays you technically can't join this version of the program although it doesn't hurt to ask customer service at the number listed before to see if they can let it slide and enroll you in the program. If all else fails..... (don't tell them I told you to do this) you could always make a new Best Western Rewards CAA Preferred Program membership and then register for the card. The travel card isn't tied into your account, so if just happens your 'old' Best Western Rewards account is where you collect points, have elite status etc. you can use the travel card for reservations associated with that account.

Some of you may ask - what encompasses CAA South Central Ontario? Here is the map of their locations so this should give you a rough idea of who is eligible. On the other hand if you have a CAASCO membership card in your wallet it's pretty much a given your eligible....

Image courtesy of CAA South Central Ontario
Once again - this is a completely free Best Western Travel card that you are getting as long as you meet the criteria. Just remember you need to register for it by August 27 and you'll get it sent to you by email in about two weeks.

Click here to register for this offer and to get the complete details!
 

Monday, August 19, 2019

August 19 Update: More Air Canada A220 route details, Targeted offer to earn 250 bonus Aeroplan Miles at Starbucks & more


 

Last week we brought you details of the new Air Canada A220 routes that are coming (YYZ-SJC & YUL-SEA) and mentioned it would be flying some routes in Canada and to the U.S. prior to those new routes starting. We now know the routes and schedules for the plane and it is as follows (Source RoutesOnline)

Montreal – Calgary 16JAN20 – 30APR20 11 weekly (3 daily from 05MAR20)
Montreal – Edmonton 05MAR20 – 30APR20 1 daily
Montreal – New York LaGuardia 05MAR20 – 30APR20 1 daily
Montreal – Toronto 19JAN20 – 01MAR20 3 round-trips on Sundays
Montreal – Winnipeg 05APR20 – 30APR20 2 daily
Toronto – Edmonton 06MAR20 – 03APR20 10 weekly
Toronto – Ottawa 07MAR20 – 04APR20 3 round-trips on weekends

Looks like Montreal to Calgary will be the launch route on January 16!

You can learn more about Air Canada's A220 here.


If you have a TD Aeroplan Visa card- check your email inbox for this targeted offer of 250 Bonus Aeroplan Miles when you make 2 Starbucks purchases until Sep 7. Find out more here.

Priority Pass
access to The Club Lounges at select airports in the U.S. (Seattle, Las Vegas, Boston to name a few) has now been limited to 3 hours prior to departure. (Source Doctor of Credit)


Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals

Hilton Asia Pacific 100th Anniversary Sale – Save up to 20% for stays through to February 2020

Hertz: Save Up To $15 Off Your Next Car Rental with code: 203972. Ends 12/31/19. 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
- Double AAdvantage Miles plus a free day when rent with Hertz for 6 or more days at participating locations in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, on all Car Classes and Collections. More... Until Dec 31, 19

IHG Rewards Club
- 100% Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you book a bonus points package for stays at Hotel Indigo®, Crowne Plaza® or EVEN® Hotels Worldwide. More... Book by Sep 4 for stays until Oct 4, 19

Le Club AccorHotels
- Double Le Club AccorHotels Points for stays at participating Accor Hotels in the Asia Pacific region. More... Book by Oct 31 for stays until Dec 13, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn up to 3,500 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the JW Marriott Hotel Beijing. More... Until Oct 31, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Up to a 50% Discount on Qatar Airways Privilege Club Award ticket redemptions for various routes via their "Easy Deals" offer. More... Book by Aug 31 for travel Sep 1 - Oct 31, 19

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- Double KrisFlyer Miles on all hotel stays booked via Agoda. More... Book by Sep 30, 19

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Summary of global hotel systemwide bonus points promotions – August Edition

 Here is your monthly update of all the global hotel bonus points promotions that are available! One of the easiest ways to rack up lots of hotel points is to take advantage of these 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 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)
Elite members may get an email offering more than one gift card.
Until Sep 2, 19
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 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
Until 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 Accelerate Part 2 - Earn 500 to 40,000 or more Bonus IHG Rewards Club Points when you complete stays at IHG HotelsWorldwide. Bonus varies by member. Registration is now closed but you can still book your stays at ihg.com Register by Aug 17 for stays Jul 1 – Oct 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 Earn 1,500 Bonus Bonvoy Points on all stays of 2 or more nights at over 7,000 Marriott Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. Full details, online registration and booking. (Registration is required) Register by Sep 2 for stays Jul 2 – Sep 16, 19
For a complete listing of all Marriott Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Marriott page
Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer No Offers at this time
--
For a complete listing of all Preferred Hotel Group iPrefer bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's iPrefer page
Radisson Rewards 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)
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.
Until Aug 31, 19
For a complete listing of all Radisson Rewards bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's Radisson Rewards page
Red Roof Inns 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) Full details, online registration and booking. (Registration is required) Until Aug 31, 19
For a complete listing of all Red Roof bonus point offers please visit Rewards Canada's RediRewards 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 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 Double Elite Status Credit for every stay of 3+ nights completed at a participating VOILĂ€ hotel Worldwide. Full details & online registration (Registration is required) Until Nov 30, 19
Triple VHR Points & Double Elite Status Credit for every stay completed at a participating VOILĂ€ hotel Worldwide. Full details & online registration (Registration is required) Until Sep 30, 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

Friday, August 16, 2019

August 16 Update: Air Canada reveals A220 routes including new YYZ-SJC & YUL-SEA routes, Hilton updates their status match challenge & WestJet adds Cranbrook-Vancouver flights


Air Canada has revealed details of the routes that will be flown with their new Airbus A220-300 aircraft (formerly known as Bombardier C-Series CS300). The planes which are slated to start flying with Air Canada later this year will initially fly on existing Canadian and transborder routes out of Montreal and Toronto such as Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and New York – La Guardia. Then in Spring of 2020 they will be the planes that will fly two new transborder routes for Air Canada - Toronto to San Jose California and Montreal to Seattle. Both of these new routes will start on May 4, 2020 and they are already open for booking.



  • The two-class cabin will have a total of 137 seats: 12 in a 2x2 configuration in Business Class and 125 in a 3x2 layout for Economy passengers. Customers will have more personal space thanks to the widest economy seats in the fleet, and the largest overhead stowage bins for an aircraft this size.
  • Additional features include larger windows and full-colour LED ambient and customizable mood lighting that contribute to reducing fatigue while travelling. The high ceilings, extra shoulder room and storage make this an unparalleled interior in the narrow-body segment.
  •  Every seat on the A220 features a Panasonic eX1 in-flight entertainment system with content available in 15 languages and featuring more than 1,000 hours of high-quality entertainment, including access to Bell Media's premium entertainment service, Crave, and Canadian-based multi-platform audio service, Stingray. 
  • The A220 will come equipped with satellite based high speed connectivity for Wi-Fi access with USB A, USB C, and AC power available to every passenger.
You can learn more about Air Canada's A220 here.



Hilton Honors have updated the requirements for their year round ongoing Status Match challenge. They will no longer offer Diamond status as a match although you will still be able to fast track to that level. The stay requirements have also been increased to 10 nights from 4 to retain your Gold Status and if you complete 18 nights you'll receive Diamond status. Find out more here
  • Every eligible member will be matched to trial Gold
    • Complete 10 nights within 90 days, and your Gold status will be extended through March 31, 2021.
    • Complete 18 nights within 90 days, and you will be upgraded to Diamond status through March 31, 2021.

WestJet will be adding a new daily flight between Cranbrook and Vancouver as of October 27. The route will be flown by WestJet Link and marks the second destination after Calgary that they fly to from Cranbrook. (Source WestJet)


Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals

Hilton Asia Pacific 100th Anniversary Sale – Save up to 20% for stays through to February 2020

Hertz: Save Up To $15 Off Your Next Car Rental with code: 203972. Ends 12/31/19. 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

Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 20% ShebaMiles Discount when you redeem miles for award tickets on most Ethiopian Airlines international flights including Toronto to Addis Ababa. More... Book by Aug 31 for flights Sep 1 - Nov 30, 19

Other Bonus Offers

British Airways Executive Club
- 1,000 Bonus Avios when you rent an Avis Group C car or higher for 5 days or more Worldwide (must be booked via BA). . More... Book by Aug 31 for rentals Sep 1 - Oct 31, 19

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Earn up to Triple Asia Miles  for stays at all participating Accor Hotels Worldwide. More... Until Oct 13, 19

Hilton Honors
- Earn up to 7,500 Bonus Honors points for stays at any Hilton Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. More... Targeted offer - may not work for everyone Until Jan 31, 20

IHG Rewards Club
- Double IHG Rewards Club Points for stays at participating new IHG Hotels in Southeast Asia. More... Register by Aug 31 for stays until May 31, 20

Miles & More
- Earn up to 4,500 Bonus Miles & More Miles for rentals at participating Avis rental locations in Europe and the USA. More... Book by Aug 31 for rentals until Nov 30, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 500 Bonus Bonvoy Points, a free upgrade and free breakfast for stays at the Hotel Goldener Hirsch or the Sheraton Grand Salzburg. More... Until Oct 31, 19

SAS EuroBonus
- Earn up 3,000 Bonus EuroBonus Points when you rent with Hertz for 1 or more days Worldwide. More... Book by Oct 31 for rentals until Dec 15, 19

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- 50% Bonus KrisFlyer Elite Qualifying Miles when you fly on Singapore Airlines round-trip from Australia to London, Paris, Frankfurt, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Phuket, Tokyo, Seattle, Los Angeles, Delhi, Johannesburg and Male. More... Book by Sep 5 for travel until Aug 31, 20
- 30% KrisFlyer Miles redemption discount on selected destinations across the Singapore Airlines and SilkAir network. More... Book by Aug 31 for travel Sep 1 - 30, 19

Stash Hotel Rewards
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays at The Carmen Hotel Playa del Carmen. More... Book by Nov 3 for stays until Nov 30, 19

Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
- Earn 1,000 Bonus ROP Miles on Hertz rentals of 1 or more days in Thailand. More... Book by Oct 31 for rentals until Nov 30, 19

World of Hyatt
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Park Hyatt Shenzhen, Hyatt Regency Shenzhen Yantian or Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Hong Kong More... Sep 1 - Nov 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt Place Wilmington Riverfront More... Sep 17 - Dec 31, 19


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Marriott Bonvoy Peak/Off Peak pricing coming in September along with changes to Points Advance, 5th night free & more


We've known the rates, we've known they were coming sometime and now we know exactly when. Marriott Bonvoy has revealed September 14 as the date that Peak/Off Peak pricing will take effect for booking free nights with the program. To refresh your memory, here is the Marriott Bonvoy reward night redemption chart now indicating when Peak/Off Peak comes into play.


I guess we've been kind of lucky that it has taken this long for the full chart to be implemented as it was originally revealed way back in April 2018 and we've only had to deal with standard rates since then (and not to mention Category 8 Hotels as Category 7 prices for awhile!) Now we have all the details surrounding the Peak/Off Peak Pricing:
  • These rates will extend to all 7,000 Marriott Bonvoy participating properties portfolio wide.
  • The fewest number of points members will need for a free night stay will be 5,000 when the property is in Off-Peak. Members who redeem a free night for a category 8 property during an Off-Peak time will save up to 15,000 points when compared to the Standard rate.
  • Standard rates will continue to start at 7,500 points per night and will be available a majority of the time year-round, throughout the portfolio
  • Peak rates will start at 10,000 points per night and are capped at no more than 15,000 points higher than Standard rates. Even popular destinations will offer Off-Peak rates during certain times of the year
  • A majority of days throughout the year will remain in Standard and there will be even distribution between Off-Peak and Peak rates portfolio wide. Although we don't know what dates at what properties. That you will only be able to figure out by initiating a booking on Marriott.com or via the Marriott app (hint: you can use the flexible date finder to see one month at a time)

So what happens if you have already made a reward booking for a stay or stays after September 14 and those nights happen to become Off Peak rates? You are encouraged to cancel your booking and re-book at the lower rate. And what if Peak rates apply? You get to keep whatever rate you originally booked at (the standard rate) however if you make any changes you will then be subject to the Peak pricing.

Cash+Points bookings will also fall under the Peak / Off Peak pricing with a standardized cash amount but varying points amount for Peak/Standard/Off Peak:



Marriott has created some videos to help out with Peak/Off Peak pricing and redeeming for free nights:




The next change comes to Points Advance, the part of the Bonvoy program that allows you to book reward nights even if you don't have enough points. Essentially you book the reward nights in advance with the premise that you will have enough points in your account when the time comes to stay. Up until September 14th you were locking in the rate and date, the change that is coming only locks in the room for you. So if you book a Points Advance stay at a Category 5 hotel you will get that room but what you will pay in points may vary. At the time of booking the standard rate may be in place but if Peak pricing kicks in for the dates you stay you'll be paying 40,000 points instead of 35,000. Of course the opposite could happen as well, that Off Peak pricing will apply and you'll only have to pay 30,000 points. This makes Points Advance more of a speculative booking option - however if points aren't as much of concern as locking in dates is this feature can still be very useful. They are also changing the number of Points Advance bookings a member can have at one time from five to three. Once again, Marriott has provided a video to help educate members on Points Advance:


The last change coming to the program on September 14 is to the 5th night free benefit. This is the benefit where you book four reward nights and get a fifth night for free. Now the benefit is being renamed "Stay for 5, pay for 4" to take into account Peak and Off Peak pricing. What this means is that if your five night stay happens to have varying points rates they will give you the night with the lowest points requirement for free. For example, if you have five nights at a Category 5 hotel,  four are Peak and one is Standard, you will get the Standard night free. What they have essentially done here is protect themselves from someone booking a standard rate for their first four nights followed by a free fifth night at a Peak rate.

That's about it in a nutshell! What do you think of the latest announcement from Marriott Bonvoy? Tell us below in the comments!

Click here to visit Marriott's site to learn more about these changes

Thursday, August 15, 2019

The Ultimate Travel Rewards Credit Card Portfolio for Lower Income Earners



Today we released the 16th Ultimate Credit Card Portfolio on Rewards Canada!

In this feature of Rewards Canada's Ultimate Credit Card Portfolios we look at the ultimate one for those who may not earn enough income for the higher end credit cards that require $60,000 to $80,000 in personal annual income. This portfolio looks at credit cards in the Canadian market that offer great travel rewards with low or no set annual income requirements. So with that said what are the best choices for lower income earners? Read the complete feature here to find out!

Find all our Ultimate Card Portfolios here!

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

August 13 Update: HSBC releases low interest rewards earning Mastercard, BMO SPC cards discontinued & bonus miles on EVA Air YVR/YYZ flights


HSBC released a new rewards card at the end of July called the HSBC +Rewards Mastercard. The card combines a points earning rewards with a lower interest rate. Of course the trade off between having a lower interest rate is a lower point earn on the card. It will earn 2 points for every $1 in eligible purchases on dining and entertainment and 1 point for every $1 in all other eligible purchases. Points are 0.5 cents each so the 2 points earned on dining and entertainment equate to a 1% return while the 1 point on everything else equates to 0.5%. The annual interest rate on both purhcases and cash advances is 11.9%. There are annual fees attached to the card, $25 for the primary card and $10 for additional cards. Like other HSBC Rewards credit cards you can book any travel you want with this card and then redeem points against that charge up to 60 days after it posts.

Additional benefits of the HSBC +Rewards Mastercard include:
- Price Protection Service: If you find a lower price within 60 days of your purchase the difference will be refunded
- Purchase Assurance –90-day coverage in the event of loss, damage, or theft
- Extended Warranty Insurance–Double the original manufacturer ’s warranty for up to one additional year

My only question to HSBC is why name it +Rewards when RBC already has a credit card named Rewards+. Yes, the plus symbol is on the other side but to me it seems like HSBC didn't research that one tidbit out very well.

We will be adding this card to our comparison charts and HSBC page shortly but in the meantime you can learn more about this new HSBC card here.


 If you are someone who purchases annual United Club Memberships or have being eyeing one - the price went up today for US$650 per year or 85,000 miles. Find out more here (This will also be reflected in Guide to Business Class lounge access)

This is year we lost a decent number of no fee cards in Canada! First it was the American Express Blue Sky Card then the Scotiabank More Rewards Visa and now we can add the BMO SPC Air Miles and BMO SPC Cash Back cards to the mix. These two cards have now been discontinued and cardholders will be moved to other great no fee BMO credit card products like the BMO AIR MILES Mastercard.


Be sure to check out the EVA Air bonus below that offers bonus Infinity MileageLands (gotta love that name) Miles and status miles on their flights out Vancouver and Toronto this fall!


Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals

Hilton Asia Pacific 100th Anniversary Sale – Save up to 20% for stays through to February 2020

Fly TAP Air Portugal from Toronto to Lisbon for as little C$315 one way! Find out more here.

Hertz: Save Up To $15 Off Your Next Car Rental with code: 203972. Ends 12/31/19. 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

EVA Air Infinity MileageLands
- Earn up to 3,900 Bonus Infinity MileageLands Miles & Status Miles when you fly on EVA Air / UNI Air international flights including Toronto or Vancouver to Taipei. More... Sep 1 - Nov 30, 19

Other Bonus Offers

Best Western Rewards
- Double Rewards Points or Airline Miles for stays of 3 or more nights at the Best Western Plus Yosemite Way Station Motel Mariposa. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Courtyard Tokyo Station.  More... Until Aug 31, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points on Thursday-Sunday nights at the Courtyard Washington, DC/U.S. Capitol.  More... Until Aug 31, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT at the Sheraton Suites Chicago O'Hare. More... Until Sep 30, 19

Singapore Airlines HighFlyer
- Earn up to 6,000 HighFlyer Points when you join the corporate HighFlyer program. Receive 3,000 points for joining and 3,000 more when you travel. More... Join by Aug 30 and complete travel by Dec 31, 19

World of Hyatt
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at The Lost Stone Villas & Spa Tengchong City. More... Until Nov 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana or the Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana More... Nov 1 - Jan 31, 20
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt Place Tucson-Central . More... Until Nov 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt Place Vacaville. More... Until Nov 30, 19
- OFFER EXTENDED 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt House San Jose Airport or the Hyatt Place San Jose Airport. More... Until Nov 30 , 19
- OFFER EXTENDED 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt Place Santa Barbara. More... Until Nov 30, 19


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Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for August - These cards provide some of the best value out of their welcome bonuses

Here are the Rewards Canada Top 5 Credit Card Sign Up offers for the month of July! This is not a 'best' credit card list like our Top Travel Rewards Credit Card rankings but instead a look at cards that have very good acquisition (sign up) offers. As always when choosing a card you should always take other factors into account other than the just sign up bonus, but when most or all of these cards are first year free, they can and do pay off even when you grab them strictly for the sign up rewards.  This month we continue with 4 cards that have no annual fee in the first year and one card with an annual fee in the first year.

No changes this month with the Top 5 list since we are at the height of summer holidays and issuers will wait until everyone is back to their regular grind in September. We should expect some changes to list when September comes as many issuers tend to up their game in the months leading up to Christmas!

Here are our top 5 credit card sign up offers for August (in order of welcome bonus value)

TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card - 25,000 Miles (Apply here)
Even though it is a decrease from the previous offer that ended at the start of June, this is still one of the better offers available in our market today. The bonus is awarded as follows: 15,000 Aeroplan Miles when you make your first Purchase with your Card + 10,000 Aeroplan Miles when you spend $2,000 within 90 days of Account opening. Depending on how you redeem those Aeroplan miles should be worth no less than $288 but more likely closer to $500 or more! In fact if you take the per mile value from our post from late April this welcome bonus would be worth $1,450.
Minimum Income: $60,000 Personal or $100,000 Household

Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card - 50,000 Points (Apply here)
This is the only card on the list that has an annual fee right of the bat but the sign up bonus and other benefits more than make up for it. The 50,000 points, awarded after spending $1,500 on the card in three months are worth at least $500 in our minds which means after subtracting the annual fee you are coming out ahead by $380. In reality you can pull even more value out of the card (into four figures) as we outlined in our post A look at how The Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card provides huge value!  
Minimum Income: N/A
 
BMO AIR MILES World Elite Mastercard - 3,000 Miles  (Apply here)
This almost best ever sign up bonus for an AIR MILES co-branded card continues on our Top 5 sign up list thanks to its 3,000 miles sign up bonus (worth ~$300 or more) and no annual fee in the first year!  Even if you aren't a fan of AIR MILES the fact you can get 3,000 miles and them use them as cash rewards for no cost to you should be enough to go out and get this card. Please note: new Collectors have Miles automatically deposited into their Dream Account, not their Cash account.
Minimum Income: $80,000 Personal or $150,000 Household

BMO BMO World Elite Mastercard - 35,000 Points  (Apply here)
The card offers a 35,000 point sign up bonus that is worth $250 in travel and since the card is first year free right now (they bill you $150 and then rebate after several months) that means your $250 in travel is free and yes you even get the LoungeKey access and 4 lounge passes included in that first year free. 
Minimum Income: $80,000 Personal or $150,000 Household

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=rePwQEjA0OI&offerid=373814.23&type=3&subid=0TD First Class Visa Infinite Card - 80,000 Points (Apply here)
This card is offering up to 80,000 points when you apply for and receive it however 20,000 of those points won't be received until you have the card for one year. For this post sake we are only looking at the 60,000 points you can get quickly in the first few months. You get the standard sign up bonus of 20,000 points after the first purchase made on the card and another 40,000 if you spend $2,000 on the card in first 90 days having it. All of this is with a first year annual fee rebate! Those initial 60,000 points translate to $240 worth of travel credits for any travel booking or $300 worth of travel for bookings made via Expedia For TD. 
Minimum Income: $60,000 Personal or $100,000 Household

If you went for all these cards you ultimately could end up with about $1,300 to over $3,000 in travel value. However even if you only take on one or two you are helping your travel budget significantly at no cost other than regular credit card spend. We don't really recommend getting all five in one month unless you know you can meet the minimum spend for them all at once, rather you'd want to pick one or two right now, perhaps another next month and so on.

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

Friday, August 9, 2019

August 9 Update: Chase Canada to forgive all debt owed on their Canadian Marriott & Amazon Visa cards


Early in 2018 Chase Canada completely shut down their credit card business. At the time they only had two cards left in their portfolio, their Marriott and Amazon Visa cards as the other cards they had issued previously were taken over other Canadian banks. Although Chase was no longer issuing cards here in Canada they still had cardholders who had outstanding balances from the two cards that were paying those balances off month to month. Well it was revealed yesterday in an article on CBC that Chase made the decision to forgive all the debt owed by Canadians on those cards. That's right - forgive all that debt. We are unsure of how much debt it is but in all likelihood it isn't an insane amount - rather something not much more than it costs Chase to continue to operate here. By forgiving this debt, Chase can fully exit our market and not have to worry about carrying the costs involved with their Canadian division. The CBC article which Rewards Canada is quoted in, states some people's accounts of $1,300 to over $6,000 being forgiving and I have this question to our readers: Are you one of these people who is having some debt forgiven? If so, let us know in the comments below and if you are willing to share, let us know how much is being forgiven! Deep down I feel it won't be many of you as I know most Rewards Canada readers are points & miles aficionados who tend to pay off their balances every month so as not to have to pay interest since it kills the value of the rewards.


Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals

Hilton Asia Pacific 100th Anniversary Sale – Save up to 20% for stays through to February 2020

Fly TAP Air Portugal from Toronto to Lisbon for as little C$315 one way !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
- 4x Aeroplan Miles when you shop online at Costco.ca. More... Until Aug 18, 19

Other Bonus Offers

British Airways Executive Club
- Earn up to 45% bonus Avios when you buy or gift Avios. More... Until Aug 18, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT and a free upgrade an to a deluxe water view room or a club floor roomfor stays at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort. More... Until Aug 31, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel at Circular Quay, Brisbane Marriott Hotel or the Melbourne Marriott Hotel. More... Until Oct 20, 19

Philippine Airlines Mabuhay
- Earn up to Quadruple Miles for Avis rentals of 3+ days at participating locations in the USA (excluding all locations in Alaska), Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. More... Book by Sep 15 for rentals until Oct , 19

World of Hyatt
- Earn 500 Bonus World of Hyatt Points per qualifying stay booked at participating Hyatt hotels and resorts, M life Rewards destinations, and Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) destinations through the World of Hyatt app. More...Until Sep 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt House Bryan / College Station More... Aug 15 - Nov 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at The Resort at Coco Beach, a Hyatt Affiliated Hotel More... Until Nov 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt House Orlando/ International Drive More... Aug 29 - Nov 30, 19


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