Tuesday, December 17, 2019

100% Bonus when buying Hilton Honors points until December 28


Hilton Honors has released another buy points promotion for their members! Once again this one is a nice flat bonus rate of 100% when you buy 10,000 or more points. This means you are paying US$ 0.5 cents per point which can be easily redeemed at values of 0.8 cents or more!

Remember reward nights start out at only 5,000 points so you could potentially get a lot of nights out of this offer.

Offer details:
100% Bonus when you buy 10,000 or more Hilton Honors points online. Buy points here Until Dec 28, 19

Can’t make use of this offer? Check out these other bonus opportunities:
  • Earn 2,000 Bonus Honors points per stay at Hilton Hotels worldwide plus 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required )
  • Earn up to 7,500 Bonus Honors points for stays at any Hilton Hotels and Resorts Worldwide. Earn 2,500 points on your first stay and 5,000 bonus points on your second stay. Full details, online registration & booking.(Registration is required) Targeted offer – may not work for everyone
  • 1,000 Bonus Honors Points PER NIGHT for stays at the Higgins Hotel New Orleans, Curio Collection by Hilton. Full details and online booking
Find many more Honors Bonus Points offers here!

Podcast Episode 62 - Holiday Edition & Year End Wrap Up Episode


In this the last episode for 2019 Jeff and Patrick discuss the year in loyalty, with a loyalty wish list, which programs may have been a Grinch and more. We also talk about last minute shopping tips to make the most of your loyalty programs and touch upon our latest ultimate credit card portfolio! Thank you to everyone for listening! Have a wonderful holiday and happy New Year to you all!

Click Here to download the podcast


Or download/subscribe via:
Listen on Google Play Music Soundcloud acast


Links relating to this week's topic:

Monday, December 16, 2019

Hilton Honors – Earn 2,000 bonus points per stay + 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights from Jan 6 to May 3, 2020


Hilton has released the details of their first systemwide promotion for 2020. They continue with the ‘Points Unlimited’ branding for the promotion as it really is unlimited as to the amount of bonus points you can earn. 2,000 bonus points per stay is big bonus – that is if you are staying only one night and not paying a lot for that one night! These flat rate stay bonuses are always that – better on the short one night stays rather than longer stays. That being said any bonus is better than none so earning 2,000 bonus points on a three night stay isn’t a bad thing. Add in the fact that you essentially earn 1,000 more points per night if you can complete 10 nights during the promotion period and the points really add up. More so if all 10 nights are separate stays – that means you would be earning 3,000 bonus points per night. The 10,000 points resets after every 10 nights so if you complete 20 nights during the promotion you’ll earn 20,000 bonus points plus whatever combination of 2,000 points per stay you receive. All in all another great promotion from Hilton Honors.

Offer details:
Earn 2,000 Bonus Honors points per stay at Hilton Hotels worldwide plus 10,000 bonus points for every 10 nights stayed. Full details, online registration & booking (Registration is required ) Register now for stays January 6 – May 3, 2020.

Here are some more Hilton Honors offers to check out:
Find our complete list of Hilton Honors bonus offers here!

1,000 bonus points per night for stays at the Four Points by Sheraton Vaughan



To celebrate recent renovations and updates the Four Points by Sheraton Vaughan is offering 1,000 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points per night for stays until the end of January. This offer can also be stacked with Marriott's Unlock More promotion. It looks like the bonus points price out the same as the best flexible rate and $3 more than the best member rate. If you take the bonus points rate you should be coming out about $7 ahead.

Offer details:
Earn 1,000 bonus Bonvoy points per night for stays at the Four Points by Sheraton Vaughan. Full details and online booking Until Jan 31, 20


Here are some other Marriott Bonvoy bonus offers to check out:

  • 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. Additional offers will be appear in your account and also be emailed to you by Marriott. Full details, online registration & booking. (Registration is required)
  • 2,500 Bonus Bonvoy Points + $25 F&B credit for stays at the JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa. Full details & online booking.
  • 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy points per stay at the JW Marriott Edmonton ICE District. Full details and online booking..
Find our complete list of Marriott Bonvoy bonus offers here!

Miles & More Mileage Bargains - Big discounts on Premium Economy and Business Class award tickets between Toronto and Europe


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 Toronto on Lufthansa Airlines or Brussels Airlines. The Lufthansa offer is for Business Class only while Brussels Airlines is both Premium Economy and Business Class.

This month's offers:

Toronto to Europe
Lufthansa Business Class
Brussels Airlines Premium Economy or Business Class
Book by December 31 for travel between March 15 - April 30, 2020

With this month's offer you can redeem Miles & More miles for round trip business class tickets on Brussels Airlines or Lufthansa for only 55,000 miles. This is just over a 50% discount off the normal Business Class award ticket price of 112,000 miles. For premium economy class it is a straight 50% discount from 80,000 miles down to 40,000 miles.

Here is an example of some of the offers available for booking this month:


Normally at this point we go into our discussion on how you can get more Miles & More miles by converting Marriott Bonvoy points to the program. However as we reported previously all hotel points transfers to Miles & More have been temporarily suspended. That means if you want to take advantage of the offers this month you'll have to just make sure you have all the miles in your account.

Click here for full details on this Miles & More offer  

December 16 Update: Westin Prince Toronto rebrands as Pan Pacific Toronto, RBC Rewards members can win an all inclusive Mexico vacation & more!



The famed Westin Prince Hotel in Toronto is being rebranded! The hotel is moving over the Pan Pacific brand and will be known as the Pan Pacific Toronto. This is the brand's fifth hotel in North America with the other four being in Vancouver, Whistler and Seattle. It appears that the last night to book this hotel as a Westin is tomorrow, December 17 at which point you can no longer book it on Marriott's site. Pan Pacific is a member of GHA's Discovery Loyalty program which doesn't award points but rather provides additional benefits on stays and local experiences and amenities when you reach elite levels. And speaking of elite levels the program is offering double elite night credits until the end of the year. You can find that offer on our GHA Discovery page. (Source Pan Pacific).
You can also read my review of the hotel while it was still the Westin! (Image via Pan Pacific)
 

RBC Rewards members can enter to win an all inclusive vacation to Mexico from Carlson Wagonlit Travel! Valued at $3,500 it is a trip for two to 4.5 star Occidental at XCaret Destination, Mexico. No purchase is necessary. Enter the contest here!


Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals

The Venetian Macao of InterContinental Alliance Resorts offers exceptional service and amenities. The 3,000-suite integrated resort features replicas of the famous canals & architectural icons of Venice, Italy. From now until 29 February 2020, enjoy up to 25% off for 2 consecutive nights. Limited time offer! ! Find out more here.
•    This offer is available for 2 consecutive nights only
•    Book and Stay Date: From now until 29 February 2020
•    Access to our lush pool deck with four pools and heated Jacuzzi
•    Access to our V Gym fitness center

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
- Earn 2,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points for stays at the Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton Gateway. More... Until Dec 31, 19

RBC Rewards
- 3x RBC Rewards Points when you book select vacation club packages with CWT Vacations. More... Ongoing offer

Other Bonus Offers

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles
- Receive Bonus Asia Miles when you book hotels via Booking.com. Receive 1 mile for every HKD2 instead of HKD5 More... Book by Dec 31 for stays until Jan 31, 20

JAL Mileage Bank
- Double Mileage Bank Miles when you buy 2 day or longer Park Hopper Tickets. More... Until Mar 31, 20

Marriott Bonvoy
- 3,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points + $50 dining credit for stays at The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Resort, Scottsdale. More... Until Dec 31, 19
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points when you stay at least 2 nights Wednesday-Saturday (Thursday or Friday required) at the Four Points by Sheraton Setif More... Until Feb 24, 20
- Earn up to 10,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points and up to a $200 nightly dining credit for stays at  The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort. More... Until Jan 10, 20

Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer
- 30% KrisFlyer Miles redemption discount on selected destinations across the Singapore Airlines and SilkAir network. More... Book by Dec 31 for travel Jan 1 – 31, 20

Wyndham Rewards
- Double Wyndham Rewards Points on your next stay at a Wyndham Rewards Hotel worldwide. More... Targeted Offer - May not work for everyone Until Feb 4, 20


Follow Rewards Canada:
Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram RSS Newsletter

Friday, December 13, 2019

2,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points for stays at the Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton Gateway


Making your way to YEG in the next few weeks for work or the holidays? Looking for a staycation that can net you more points? Here's an offer to check out that you can stack with Marriott's Unlock More promotion

Offer details:
Earn 2,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points for stays at the Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton Gateway. Full details and online booking Until Dec 31, 19


Here are some other Marriott Bonvoy bonus offers to check out:
  • 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. Additional offers will be appear in your account and also be emailed to you by Marriott. Full details, online registration & booking. (Registration is required)
  • 2,500 Bonus Bonvoy Points + $25 F&B credit for stays at the JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa. Full details & online booking.
  • 2,000 Bonus Bonvoy points per stay at the JW Marriott Edmonton ICE District. Full details and online booking..
Find our complete list of Marriott Bonvoy bonus offers here!

Fly from Toronto to the Azores for $398.30 round trip with TAP Air Portugal



TAP Air Portugal is currently showing some amazing economy class fares between Toronto and the Azores. There are select dates in March and April where the combined round trip price is just under C$399 all in!

The departure dates we found are March 12, 19 or 26 with return dates being March 31, April 2 or 7.

These book in their lowest economy fare class that come with the most restrictions - ie very expensive fees for checked baggage, reserving seats etc. So if you can get by with just a carry on bag  of up to 8kg and don't care where you sit until you check in for your flight - this deal is for you!

Click here for more details or to book this flight!

(Rewards Canada receives a small commission with all bookings made via this link)


December 13 Update: Delta adds 2nd Vancouver-JFK flight, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles will no longer expire, IHG introduces IHG Studio



Not only has Air Canada added a second daily flight between Vancouver and New York, Delta Airlines has also decided to increase their summer service between the two cities. As of April 2, 2020 the SkyTeam airline will offer a second flight 5 times per week between Vancouver and JFK and bumping it up to daily service as of June 16. (Source RoutesOnline)

Congratulations to Debbie W. who was selected as the winner in our 10,000 Aeroplan Miles contest that was run to celebrate Aeroplan's Black Friday Cyber Monday deals!


Cathay Pacific announced earlier this month that they are doing away with expiring miles! The program, like most based in Asia have a three year expiry rule on their miles regardless of account activity. That means you only had three years to use up miles from the month they were earned in. All new miles earned as of January 1st will not expire after three years as long as you have activity in your account every 18 months. This is similar to most North American loyalty programs (see our feature on expiry and inactivity rules here) Of course the key note here is new miles earned as January 1 - this means all miles in your Asia Miles account right now or that are earned until the end of this year will still expire after three years. Learn more here.


IHG Hotels let us know about a new entertainment solution they have launched. Called IHG Studio, it is an in-room digital experience that allows guests to stream TV, make service requests and more.
IHG Studio allows guests to:
  • Connect and stream content securely from guests’ personal devices to their guest room TV
  • Make service requests such as order extra pillows, arrange for a late checkout and review room charges
  • Access the TV remote from the IHG Rewards Club mobile app
  • Order room service and purchase on-property amenities
  • Pay with Points, a new pilot program that allows guests to use IHG Rewards Club points to make in-hotel purchases 

IHG Studio is currently available in nearly 40 hotels in the U.S. and will expand to other regions by the end of 2019, including the U.K., Greater China, Canada and Latin America. The system will become a standard across all brands globally over the coming years.
Accessing the TV remote from the app is cool as we all know the TV remote is one of the dirtiest items in a hotel room!


Today's Aeroplan eStore deal for the 12 days of gifting is 10x the miles for online purchases with Dyson. Find out more here.

Posts since our last update:

Travel Deals

Save up to 25% at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge with the Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan residents rate! 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

Iberia Plus
- Double Avios for stays at select Melia Hotels in Europe. More... Until Dec 31, 19

IHG Rewards Club

- Double IHG Rewards Club Points for stays at the Staybridge Suites Denver South - Highlands Ranch More... Unknown end date

Marriott Bonvoy
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for stays when your stay includes a Friday or Saturday night at the Courtyard Salt Lake City Airport. More... Until Jan 16, 20
- 1,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points PER NIGHT for stayson Thu-Sun nights at the Residence Inn Chicago Oak Brook More...   Until Jan 16, 20

Qatar Airways Privilege Club
- Up to a 20% discount when you buy, gift or transfer miles. Full details Mileage brackets More... Until Dec 31, 19

World of Hyatt
- 3,000 Bonus World of Hyatt Points per paid stay at over 300 destinations from Small Luxury Hotels of the World. More... Register by Jan 31 for stays until Mar 2, 20


Follow Rewards Canada:
Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram RSS Newsletter

Thursday, December 12, 2019

WestJet to launch summer seasonal service between Calgary and Boston



Two days after Air Canada announces it - WestJet announces today that they will also offer seasonal summer service between Calgary and Boston! This one makes a lot of sense since WestJet is a partner with Delta and Boston is a hub for the latter! Anyways, me thinks someone spilled the beans, most likely from WestJet to Air Canada but that's just a guess!

Here's an excerpt from WestJet's press release:
"Fantastic routes need fantastic schedules and WestJet is offering guests convenient flight times between our extensive hub out of Calgary and the capital of Massachusetts," said Arved von zur Muehlen, WestJet Chief Commercial Officer. "While other carriers may fly the route, WestJet continues to build our schedule for the region's business and leisure travellers. It's never been easier to explore and do business in Calgary, Boston and beyond."
They definitely take a stab at Air Canada here and rightfully so. Air Canada's flight times aren't very ideal for the traveller flying out of Calgary as they have a late arrival into Boston and a very early departure from Boston on the return. WestJet's times are definitely more friendly to those flying out of or connecting via Calgary:

Route
Frequency
Departing
Arriving
Effective
Calgary-Boston
Daily
9:45 a.m.
4:15 p.m.
May 14, 2020
Boston-Calgary
Daily
5 p.m.
8:15 p.m.
May 14, 2020

 I like the fact that by having both airlines flying the route we should see some great price wars especially for the premium cabin. As I've mentioned before on the blog we see this on YYC-California routes where AC typically sells their business class for less than WestJet's premium cabin. In fact many times we've flown YYC to Los Angeles or San Francisco with Air Canada in Business Class for not much more than it was for economy! Hopefully we'll see the same thing for Boston!

Remember as well that right now you can score 350 WestJet Dollars with the WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard when you apply for and receive the card. The bonus is awarded on your first purchase with the card so it doesn't take long before you can use those towards your Boston or any other WestJet flight (and pay no first checked bag fee as well!)

Image via WestJet