Friday, October 18, 2019

October 18 Update: Canalta Rewards contest for 2 tickets to the Heritage Classic in YQR, 15% off Air Canada sun destinations & fly to London for as little $665


Another contest for Canalta Rewards members! This time they are giving away two tickets to the Heritage Classic NHL game between the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. The outdoor event is being held in Regina on October 27. You have to enter by October 21. Find out more here! If you aren't a member of Canalta Rewards you can join the program here.

Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals


Air Canada is offering 15% off base fares to their sun destinations from Canada. Book by Oct 20 for travel until Dec 15 and Jan 6 - Apr 30, 20. Find out more here.

 

 British Airways has flights from Toronto to London for as little as $665 over most of the next 12 months! 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

ANA Mileage Club
- Triple Mileage Club Miles when you rent with Avis for 3 or more days in US (excluding Alaska), Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands. More... Book by Nov 30 for rentals until Dec 15, 19

Best Western Rewards
-  Automatic Gold Elite Status and 1,000 Bonus Rewards Points on your first stay when you join Best Western Rewards as an American Express Business Traveler. More... Unknown end date

Ethiopian Airlines ShebaMiles
- 2,000 Bonus ShebaMiles when you fly Ethiopian from Seoul to Addis Ababa on flight ET673 on Wednesdays only. More... Until Nov 30, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy points for stays at the The Azure Qiantang, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Hangzhou. More... Until Dec 31, 19
- Earn 1,000 Bonus  Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for stays at 19 participating locations in and around Chicago. More... Until Dec 31, 19

TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go
- Earn up to 25% bonus Miles&Go Miles on all TAP Air Portugal flights when you subscribe to Club Tap Miles&Go. More... Ongoing offer

World of Hyatt
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at The Hyatt Regency Zhuzhou, BEI Zhaolong Hotel Beijing, or the Hyatt Place Deqing Huzhou. More... Until Dec 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Grand Hyatt at SFO San Francisco. More... Until Dec 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt Place Atlanta / Centennial Park More... Until Dec 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt Place Flint / Grand Blanc. More... Until Dec 30, 19
- 500 Bonus World of Hyatt points for stays at the Hyatt Place Grand Rapids/Downtown. More... Until Nov 29, 19


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10 great Marriott Hotels in Canada to use your anniversary free night award from the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card


The Marriott Bonvoy™ American Express® Card comes with a great sign up bonus when you first get the card along with a great everyday earn rate but it also has a decent offer for holding on to the card beyond your first year. Upon your card's anniversary you'll receive a free Marriott Annual Free Night Award for up to 35,000 points at eligible hotels and resorts worldwide. You get this benefit each and every year you have the card. This means you could redeem it for hotels that fall under the Category 1 to 5 levels in the Standard category:


You can even push it to Category 6 if you can find a hotel that is running an Off Peak PointSavers rate as those are only 35,000 points as well.

For many hotels, especially the Category 4 and 5 hotels, this means saving more money than the $120 annual fee the card carries when you hit that anniversary date.  For example, one night at the Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel is only 35,000 points which means you can use the certificate for this stay:


And the cash price for the same room:


That's a pretty good deal! Spending $120 on the credit card fee to get a hotel room worth $411! And you're not even taking into account all the other benefits on the card like the points earning, silver elite status and the 15 night elite status credit.

In Canada you have quite a few choices that you can use the certificate, namely 237 hotels in total that fall into the following categories:
  • Category 1 - 8 Hotels
  • Category 2 - 35 Hotels
  • Category 3 - 85 Hotels
  • Category 4 - 57 Hotels
  • Category 5 - 52 Hotels
From those 237 hotels these are our top 10 picks to use your certificate at for travels within Canada:

Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel
Category 5
One of the newer Marriott hotels in YYC, the Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel was their flagship hotel in terms of design and services when it opened in 2016. Rewards Canada was able to try out the hotel just after it opened. Check out our review here. With rates easily running over $200 per night not only does the certificate save you a good chunk of change you are staying at a great new hotel!

JW Marriott Edmonton ICE District
Category 5
The newest luxury Marriott Hotel in Canada to JW Marriott Edmonton is in the thick of the things in YEG being situated in the ICE District and connected to Rogers Place Arena. A quick check of rates for December showed a 2 queen room going for $347 and there was availability for use of the Free Night Award.

The Algonquin Resort St. Andrews by-the-Sea, Autograph Collection 
Category 4
Over 100 years old the Algonquin Resort is one of Canada's most iconic seadside hotels! Use the certificate to have a night of elegance or in the case of the Rewards Canada family, maybe some ghost hunting!

The Hotel Saskatchewan, Autograph Collection 
Category 3 
Another opulent hotel in Marriott's Autograph Collection in Canada, Regina's The Hotel Saskatchewan makes for that great stay-cation or if you require to overnight in downtown Regina for business and you need to cover the hotel room cost yourself you may want to use your certificate here!

AC Hotel by Marriott Montreal Downtown
Category 5
Perfectly located in downtown Montreal, this was the first AC Hotel in Canada and is still new by hotel standards as it only opened in 2018. Rooms typically run well over $200 per night so it is a great place to use your Free Night Award at.

Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre
Category 4
A beautiful hotel in downtown Ottawa that regularly runs over $150 per night is an ideal spot for that stay in YOW. Less than a kilometer from Parliament Hill this another good hotel to use your certificate at.

Toronto Marriott City Centre Hotel  
Category 5
Located within Rogers Centre this hotel is perfect if you have tickets to a Blue Jays game! Using the certificate at this hotel is a great way to enhance that game experience by extending it with a stay. Nothing like turning a baseball game into a mini vacation. Rates here are typically in the $200 to low $300 range but when we checked a random night in November a king room with city view was $411 and there was 35,000 point availability for that room.

Ottawa Marriott Hotel 
Category 5
Close to all the action in downtown Ottawa and for visiting Parliament and the Rideau Canal is great hotel choice to use your certificate at. This hotel runs well into the high $200 to $300 range so using your certificate here can generate a huge return for you.

The Westin Bayshore, Vancouver
Category 5
Situated right on the water and within walking distance of Stanley Park, the Westin Bayshore is an ideal hotel to use your Free Night Award at for a stay in downtown Vancouver. This hotel sees hotel rates starting in the mid-$200 range on many nights with lots of availability for the Free Night Award


Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort
Category 5
Probably the second most iconic hotel on Victoria Harbour, the Delta Hotels Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort is only a short water taxi ride from all the action in Downtown Victoria. And it has some of the highest ratings/reviews of all Marriott Hotels in Canada so that must tell you something.

What about you? Comment below and let us know what your favourite Marriott Hotels in Canada are to use your certificate at!

Learn more about and/or apply for the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card here.


 

Thursday, October 17, 2019

October 17 Update: Targeted Aeroplan bonus offer for Auckland flights, 1,000 bonus points at Delta Toronto extended and fly Avianca to Latin America from $629


Check your email for a targeted Aeroplan bonus mile offer to fly on Air Canada's new route to Auckland, New Zealand! What's interesting this time is the bonus counts on both revenue or Aeroplan award tickets! In fact the bonus is bigger on award tickets! There is no landing page for this offer as we now see with targeted Aeroplan offers. You need to see if you have it in your email and click the link in that email to register for it.

Book your flight on aircanada.com and earn:
  • 5,000 bonus miles on selected Economy Fares
  • 10,000 bonus miles on Premium Economy Fares
  • 15,000 bonus miles on Business Class Fares
OR

For each Air Canada Fixed Mileage Flight Reward or Market Fare Flight Reward redeemed on aeroplan.com, get miles back:
  • 10,000 miles back on Economy Class
  • 15,000 miles back on Premium Economy Class
  • 20,000 miles back on Business Class

We see the 1,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points offer for stays at the Delta Hotel Toronto extended to Marriott offer extended to December 1st. Learn more here.

Air Transat has made their winter seasonal route to New Orleans year round! The flights will continue into next summer operating twice weekly. (Source Routesonline)

Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals


Avianca has a new seat sale from Toronto to Latin America. Book by Oct 22 and fly for as little $629 round trip. Find out more here.

TAP Air Portugal
has flights from Toronto to Portugal and beyond on sale! Fly for as little $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

Marriott Bonvoy
- OFFER EXTENDED 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy points for stays of 2+ nights at the Delta Hotels Toronto. More... Until Dec 1, 19

Other Bonus Offers

Air France KLM Flying Blue
- Up to 75% Bonus Flying Blue Miles when you buy 4,000 or more miles online. More... Until Nov 7, 19
Avianca LifeMiles
- Earn up to 2,000 Bonus LifeMiles for stays of 2+ nights at participating Marriott Hotels in Peru. More... Oct 30 - Dec 20, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points and up to a $75 F&B daily credit for stays at winter resorts in California, Colorado and Utah. More... Until Dec 31, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays of 2 or more nights at any of 18 Marriott locations in the Orlando area. More... Until Dec 24, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays on Thursday-Sunday nights (Friday or Saturday night stay required) at The Park Central San Francisco. More... Until Nov 1, 19
- 2,500 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays at the HOTEL PASEO, Autograph Collection Palm Desert. More... Until Nov 12, 19
- 3,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays at the SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown. More... Until Dec 9, 19
- 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays at the Fullerton Marriott at California State University. More... Until Dec 23, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points for stays of 2+ nights at the Sheraton Grand Salzburg. More... Book by Nov 30 for stays until Dec 24, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays on Thursday-Saturday nights at the Marriott Memphis East. More... Until Nov 24, 19
- Earn up to 3, 000 Bonus Bonvoy Points per night for stays at the Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel. More... Until Nov 27, 19

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Triple Qmiles for stays at the Bosmal Arjaan by Rotana Sarajevo. More... Until Dec 31, 19

Shangri-La Golden Circle
- Double GC Award Points + Breakfast for 2 for stays at the Kerry Hotel Pudong, Pudong Shangri-La or the Jing An Shangri-La, Shanghai. More... Book by Dec 31 for stays until Feb 29, 20
- Double GC Award Points + Breakfast for 2 for stays at the Shangri-La Hotel, Jinan. More... Until Dec 31, 19
- Double GC Award Points 2 for stays at the Sule Shangri-La, Yangon. More... Book by Oct 31 for stays until Dec 31, 19

Stash Hotel Rewards
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays in Executive Rooms at the The Hotel at the University of Maryland College Park More... Until Dec 31, 19
- Double Stash Rewards Points for stays at the Saratoga Casino Hotel Saratoga Springs More... Until Nov 26, 19

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Reminder: Two weeks left to grab the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card with 4% cash back


The limited time increased sign up bonus for the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card will be come to an end in two weeks on  October 31. This limited time offer provides 4% cash back in two categories that you select (three categories if you choose to deposit the cash back into a Tangerine savings account) for three months. After that period the rate returns to the regular 2% in your selected categories and 0.5% on all other spending.

These are the spending categories you can choose from to earn the higher cash back rates:
Once, one of the best cash back cards out there the current version of the Tangerine Money-Back Credit Card is now somewhere in the middle of the pack for cash back cards but the earn of 4% (and then 2%) on certain categories might just make the best sense for some of you!!

The card details below show the latest offers on this card and may not be representative of the discussion above:

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Turkish Airlines to launch Vancouver - Istanbul flights in 2020


As first reported by Aeronews  and now confirmed by Turkish Airlines, the airline is set to start flights between Vancouver and Istanbul as of mid-2020:


This is significant news as Turkish Airlines is part of Star Alliance and thus is an Air Canada Aeroplan partner airline. The airline is well known for the regard that award flights on their planes carry no surcharges like we see on Air Canada, Lufthansa and so on! Not only that, but Turkish Airlines is a huge airline that offers amazing connection opportunities via Istanbul to Europe, Asia, Africa and some of those great islands in the Indian Ocean. Add on top of that an excellent in flight product for both business and economy and you can see why this route will be important (and popular)

Related: 5 Tips to Avoid or Mitigate Fuel Surcharges on Award Tickets

Currently Turkish Airlines serves Toronto and Montreal so this will be a welcome addition to those living in Western Canada.

Aeronews states the flights will be 3x weekly to being with and will be operated with either a 787 Dreamliner or Airbus A350 which both have Turkish Airlines latest interiors.

Rewards Canada covers Turkish Airlines' own FFP called Miles&Smiles on a regular basis, primarily for bonus miles offers which you can find here.




Title Image via Turkish Airlines
HT One Mile at a Time

October 16 Update: Air Transat adding Montreal-San Diego flights and Scotia's new premium banking plans include annual fee waivers on their best credit cards


Air Transat will be adding a new route between Montreal and San Diego for the Summer 2020 season . The route will operate 3x weekly with a 737-800. As we don't know yet what the status of Air Transat will be with Air Canada your best bet for earning or redeeming points for these flights is with a proprietary credit card program. (Source Routesonline) Image via Air Transat


Recently Scotiabank introduced a couple of new banking plans, the Ultimate Package and the Preferred Package. We don't really discuss banking plans on Rewards Canada unless those plans include a benefit that waives fees on associated credit cards. Well guess what? These packages do just that! They waive the fees up to $139 on select Scotia cards. Now these banking plans have their own monthly fees but those can be waived if you maintain minimum monthly balances in them. The eligible cards for fee waivers are the Scotiabank Gold American Express, Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite*, Scotia Momentum® Visa Infinite and Scotiabank Value® Visa* credit cards. The first free are all very good cards in their own right so to be able to get them for free by having one of these plans is icing on the cake! Learn more here!


Earlier today we brought you the details on the new American Express Business EdgeTM Card. This card has now been added to our American Express page and also to our Business Credit Card Comparison Chart.

Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals

Millennium Hotels - Plan your next getaway in your favourite European destination, and get up to 35% off your stay. Book by Oct 16 for stays until April 19, 20. 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 up to 8,000 Bonus Aeroplan Miles and save 10% when you purchase a Maple Leaf Lounge membership. More... Until Oct 29, 19

Marriott Bonvoy
- 500 Bonus Bonvoy points per stay including any night Sunday-Thursday at the Four Points by Sheraton Cambridge Kitchener, Ontario. More... Until Oct 31, 19

Other Bonus Offers

Air China Phoenix Miles
- Triple Phoenix Miles for stays at all participating Accor Hotels Worldwide More... Until Dec 15, 19

Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
- Double Mileage Plan Miles when you fly EL AL Israel Airlines nonstop between San Francisco and Tel Aviv. More... Register by Dec 15 for travel until Jun 30, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- Earn 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points on your second stay at any participating Marriott Hotel Worldwide. Once complete you will unlock additional bonus offers for your stay(s) made after that second stay. More... Register by Dec 31 for stays between Oct 29 & Jan 14, 20
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points for stays at 21 participating locations in 13 U.S. states. More... Until Dec 24, 19

Miles & More
- Double Miles & More Miles per night for stays at Romantik Hotels in Europe. More... Book by Oct 31 for stays until Jan 31, 20

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

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- Earn up to 3,000 Bonus Flying Club Miles when you book hotels via PointsHound. More... Book by Nov 30, 19


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Introducing the American Express Business EdgeTM Card - A Membership Rewards Select Small Business Card



Today, American Express introduced the American Express Business EdgeTM Card. It is a new card that falls into their Small Business Solution portfolio of cards. This is the first business card that calls the Membership Rewards Select program as its reward offering and the second card overall from American Express after the American Express Cobalt Card. The card is coming into the ring fighting with a strong welcome bonus and strong points earning potential all the while providing the benefits and redemption options we have become accustomed to from American Express.

This card is taking what American Express has done with other cards in regards to the welcome bonus and points earning. For the welcome bonus, not only do you get bonus points for getting the card and completing a minimum spend within three months - you will also get additional bonus points if you can spend a set amount on the card each month. All told the card can give you 42,000 Membership Rewards Select points in the first year of cardmembership.

Welcome Bonus
In your first year as a new Business EdgeTM Cardmember, you can earn 30,000 Membership Rewards® points when you charge $5,000 in purchases to your Card in your first three months of Cardmembership, and an additional 1,000 points each month that you spend $3,000. This could add up to 42,000 points in a year. The 1,000 points each month is a continuous bonus that the card features and will be awarded to you for the life of the card as long as you hit that $3,000 in monthly spending.

Annual Fee
$99

Additional Cards: No annual fee

Earning
Earn 3 times the points for Card purchases on eligible business essentials including:

•    3X the points on Eats & Drinks
•    3X the points on Rides & Gas
•    3X the points on Office Supplies & Electronics

Up to a maximum of 75,000 points, and then earn 1X the points on all other purchases.

As mentioned above, you will rewarded with 1,000 bonus points each month you have $3,000 in spending on the card.

Redeeming
•    Get choice and flexibility by using points for purchases or redeeming them for a wide range of travel, dining, entertainment and retail rewards options.
•    Use points to book travel within Canada or anywhere in the world with American Express Travel.
•    Redeem points for statement credits to offset any eligible purchase charged to your Card.
•    Shop with Points at Amazon.ca.
•    Use points for a wide range of gift cards and merchandise.

Related: A closer look at the Membership Rewards Fixed Points Travel program

And as is seen with other Membership Rewards select cards, you can convert your points to other loyalty programs, namely hotel programs. Those are  Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy. The conversion ratio from MR Select to Marriott is 1,000 points = 1,200 points which means the 3 points per dollar this card earns equates to 3.6 Marriott Bonvoy points for every dollar spent. Max out at the 75,000 points annually and you are looking at 90,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per year. That's a pretty decent Marriott points earn and considering we value Bonvoy points at no less than 1 cent a piece that's $900 in value right there!

Related:  Step by step guide to converting points from your American Express Card to Marriott Bonvoy 

Between the welcome bonus and the accelerated earn rates the American Express Business EdgeTM Card storms onto the market as one of the most rewarding small business cards in Canada. Many of the other cards in this space don't even come close to earning points (valuable points at that!) like this card does. Throw in those 42,000 points in the first year as well and you can see this card is a winner!





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. 
This post was not sponsored. The views and opinions expressed in this review are purely my own.

Aeroplan Availability Alert: Using miles on LOT Polish Airlines' new flights between San Francisco and Warsaw


Air Canada's Star Alliance partner LOT is well know for having decent availability on their flights for Aeroplan award tickets and are also known for have lower carrier surcharges, taxes and fees than many of Aeroplan's airline partners.

Last week they announced a new route between San Francisco and Warsaw that will be launching in August 2020. The flight will operate twice weekly with a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

This new route seems ideal as an option for those in Western Canada as another way to get to Eastern Europe.

We checked availability for next August on the route and Aeroplan does show it available:


So why would you want to pick this routing? As we mentioned it all comes down to the fees and taxes that are tacked onto the flights. As you can see above the San Francisco-Warsaw flights has $264.10 in taxes and compare this to Vancouver to Warsaw with Air Canada operating the Transatlantic portion of the flight (in business class both ways, the economy portion is the Frankfurt-Warsaw leg):


The fees are nearly $1,000 more! You could easily buy flights to/and from SFO for a lot less than that! Most days are showing at least 2 business class seats available for this flight.

Just some food for thought if you are thinking of heading to Poland or beyond from Western Canada from next summer on! Remember as well LOT does fly from Toronto to Warsaw as well so that is always another option! However for more of August 2020 we couldn't find business class availability on the return portion.

You can check availability and/or book these flights online at aeroplan.com. You can also check availability using services like ExpertFlyer.com

One of the easiest ways to earn enough Aeroplan Miles for redemptions like those listed above is to grab a co-branded Aeroplan credit card. At the time of posting this article the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card offers up to a 40,000 Aeroplan Mile welcome bonus with no annual fee in the first year. You could look at the American Express Gold Rewards card - it offers a 25,000 Membership Rewards points welcome bonus which can then be converted to Aeroplan almost instantaneously at a 1:1 rate. Also with the Gold Rewards card you don't have to wait until the end of your billing period to receive your welcome bonus after you've met the minimum spend. There are numerous other card options to earn Aeroplan Miles which you can find listed on our Aeroplan Bonus Miles page.

Images via LOT & Aeroplan
Source of route news: Routesonline